This is one of the most "head exploding" stories to come along in a while. You're ears will bleed after hearing that Dick Armey, with his website "readthebill.org," hasn't read the bill and has no desire to do so. Rep. Chris Van Hollen nailed Armey with a simple Q&A. This would be funny if it weren't so slimy.
Below is a video pushing an insane proposal to make it law that a bill be posted and allowed 72 hours to be read prior to a voted. Despite the fact that congress did post the bill, and gave everyone a chance to read it with more than enough time, kind of makes you wonder what the real point is. Whinning? Oh, and it also slows down the process, even for 1 page bills. I always thought reading bills and voting on them was just part of the job. Who knew.
Take a look at this video.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfhO38CPlAI
This is what happens when reading the bill is not important.
Gross government waste or violations routinely come about when the bills are not read. Witness: Bush Bailout, Stimulus Package, Patriot Act.
I don't care what Party a person belongs to. If a lawmaker is going to vote in favor of the bill, that person has a moral and fiduciary responsibility to read and thoroughly analyze the bill. This applies to any bill, not just the healthcare bill.
Competent deliberation is not possible if no one has read the bill. Read it. Understand it. Have a fine-tuning debate about it. Make the healthcare or any bill as good as it can be.
We've already had enough slipshod laws passed over the last decade. Let's get some good ones passed now.
Jerrol LeBaron
Executive Director
Honor In Office
www.HonorInOffice.org
My point was not to say it's a bad thing to read bills, but to say they should be reading and voting on bills, that's what we elected them to do.
ReplyDeleteIf we have to even think about making a law forcing politicians to read bills, then they need to be kicked out of office.