The best way to explain this is through a transcript of a comedy sketch that appeared once on Radiatian TV:
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"How Laws Are Made"
A satirical sketch featured on the popular late night comedy show "The Fushi Sakka Show"
A cartoon boy is sitting on the steps of Xerconia Castle looking forlorn, when he is approached by an anthropomorphic piece of paper, meant to represent a bill of parliament.Bill: "Well hey there, Billy! What are you looking so sad about?"
Billy: "Well, I'm wanting to be an efficient member of Radiatia's democracy, but I just don't know how."
Bill: "Well what don't ya know?"
Billy: "I want to make a law banning people from killing other people, but I just don't know how them dang laws are made..."
Bill: "Well I can show ya, because one day I hope to be a law myself! But first ya gotta pay me - no one's gonna help ya for free ya know!"
Billy hands over some cash.Bill: "Great! Well, the first thing you need to know is that there are many types of laws.
By-laws only affect people in your community - your town, city or village.
State laws affect your state, while federal law affects everyone in the whole country, even people from Polaris!
There's also international laws but... haha. Hahahaha. AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! They're a joke."
Billy: "Well I want to make a federal law, making it illegal for everyone in Radiatia to kill people. But how do I do that?"
Bill: "Well Billy, laws are passed by the Federal Parliament. There's two chambers in parliament - the Federal Assembly and the Senate.
"The Federal Assembly's job is to ensure that the President can't pass his budget and to put things off for another year, while the Senate's job is to make sure that none of the President's plans regarding foreign policy work out either. That's because people in Parliament hate the President. Even his own party!"
Billy: "Why do they hate him?"
Bill: "They hate him because all he does is sign the bills that they create, but he gets all the credit."
Billy: "Oh so that's why everyone wants to be President so bad! You get to do no work and get all the credit for it!"
Bill: "Right you are, Billy! Well, what you need to do now is to contact your local MP or Senator and ask them to draft the law for you!"
Billy leaves but returns shortly afterwards looking dejected.Bill: "Well Billy? What did they say?"
Billy: "Well my Senator just ignored me, while my MP's secretary sent me a letter saying thank you, but didn't address any of my concerns."
Bill: "Oh Billy! You're a crack-up! Do you honestly believe politicians give a shit about you? No, no... if you want them to help you, you need to threaten them first! Come on, let's go look up the public records at the library and see what dirt we can dig up on them!"
Later, at the library...Bill: "Well, your Senator is considering running for President, so he had all his records destroyed in an 'accidental' fire, but it looks like your MP here was accused of drowning his wife 20 years ago. Why don't you tell him what you know and see if he helps you?"
Billy runs off, and then returns shortly afterwords, smiling.Billy: "It worked! He drafted the bill, and is going to introduce it to the Federal Assembly!"
Bill: "Well we still have a lot of work to do! Now we have to convince the Speaker to schedule a reading of the bill. If the bill is urgent, then chances are the Speaker will delay it as long as possible. But if it's something that involves a pay-rise for MPs, you can bet it'll be top priority!"
Billy: "Well what happens if they do read it?"
Bill: "Well, you need the majority of the Federal Assembly's MPs to vote in favour of the bill for it to pass its first reading. Oh - it looks like they're doing that now!"
Scene shows MPs voting on the bill and the Speaker declaring it read a first time.Bill: "Now comes the Select Committee phase. This is where the stupidest MPs pretend to be experts on things they're clueless about and add amendments to the bill. They also call for submissions from the public."
Billy: "You mean we're democratic enough that anyone can have their say on a bill?"
Bill: "Well sure, if you're gullible, but really it's where giant corporations bribe MPs into making changes that benefit them. Look Billy! Your bill to ban murder has now been amended into a bill that bans people from protesting against oil companies!"
Billy: "I don't feel so good about that..."
Bill: "No one does, Billy. That's why no one votes - Radiatia is a corrupt shit hole!"
Billy: "Well, at least it passed the second reading. But what are they doing now?"
Bill: "That's called Committee of the Whole House. It's where ignorant MPs like to make more changes to the bill to show how ignorant they are. See? That MP from Pfantz added an amendment banning chickens from flying!"
Billy: "Well at least they've agreed to something. They're reading it for the third time! Hey - what's happening to you?"
The anthropomorphic bill begins to shake and transform, in a special anime-esque sequence, into an Act (i.e. a talking piece of paper with "Act" written on it instead of "bill")'
Act: "I've been transformed from a bill... into an Act!"
Billy: "Are you the law yet?"
Act: "Not yet... I still have to go through the Senate."
Billy: "How do we get the Senators to vote for you?"
Act: "Well they usually have their own ideas, and the Senate hates the Federal Assembly. In fact... look, there's a conflicting Senate Act which wants to make murder legal in all states! This means they have to compromise."
Billy: "How do they do that?"
Act: "Simple! We find the most moderate LCP MP and team him up with the most moderate SDU Senator and then put both names on the bill and give a long speech about 'bipartisanship'. That's a buzzword that means "I want everyone's votes, even people who don't normally vote for me.'"
Billy: "Well they've agreed to something, but why is the debate taking so long?"
Act: "Oh, that Senator is filibustering. You see, in the Federal Assembly debates have time limits, but in the Senate people talk as long as they want. You might want to come back later..."
80 years later, Billy returns as a very old man.Old man Billy: "Are they *cough* done *wheeze* yet?"
Act: "Just about! There you go... it's passed the Senate vote. Now we have to send it to the President!"
Billy: "Will he sign it?"
Act: "Only if he has enough media exposure. Quick! Get some journalists together, and make it look like good publicity!"
Journalists crowd around the President, who is smiling and waving and finally... signs the bill! The Act begins to transform into a law.Law: "We did it Billy! We successfully passed a federal law banning goats from learning to drive!"
Billy: "Wait a minute... it was meant to be a law banning murder!"
Law: "Yes Billy, but we live in a democracy, which means we're ruled by the people! And everyone knows that people are fucking morons."