fandomhigh | Practical Civics, 3rd Period

"So, we might be starting in the deep end today," Tony said once the class had arrived. "With, well, not yelling, but basically yelling about the US Senate."

There would be so much righteous anger, class.

"Right," Steve said, pulling down a hand-drawn little triangle of buildings--the US Capitol, the White House, and a series of scales because he was pretty sure most people couldn't recognize the Supreme Court at a glance. "Theoretically, the US government is held in balance by a series of checks and balances. The President can't get too power-hungry or overtly crazy without the other two branches of government 'checking' him into the nearest facility for the criminally negligent."

Steve thought this was actually helping. "One of those branches in the US Congress, which is broken up into two sections: the US House, run by the Speaker of the House, and the US Senate, which is supposed to be more of a group of equals with two people as leaders to make it slightly more streamlined. But not right now." He gestured to Tony. "Mr. Stark?"

"Oh no, now we have--" Tony taped a picture of a turtle over the US Capitol building like it was some sort of slow kaiju. "--the Senate majority leader refusing to allow any new legislation to pass through the Senate to be voted on. Just flat out refusing. Because that's how responsible adults behave."

The sarcasm was strong in this one.

"I'm so disappointed in him," Steve said, looking the kind of disappointed that made people want to curl up under desks and confess to every childhood misdeed.

"And instead of the introductions we're sure you've done this entire week so far, we'll be asking you just how you would handle this completely ridiculous situation," Tony said. "With The Turtle."

"And because around here, it's important to specify, it's not a literal turtle running the Senate," Steve added. "He just kind of looks like a turtle. So. How do you make a grown man do his job?"