By way of LewRockwell.com: Matt Taibbi has written a lengthy-but-interesting piece for Rolling Stone in which he describes, in some detail, the doings of Vermont congressman Bernie Sanders over a period of several weeks. They say that if you enjoy sausage, you shouldn't see it being made. Well, if you have any enthusiasm for the doings of our supervisors and (for some reason) want to keep that enthusiasm, don't read Taibbi's story. If you're feeling strong, go right ahead.
One comment: the story, at one point, tells us that the House Rules Committee frequently makes wholesale changes in a bill just before it comes up for a floor vote. Our poor congressfolk supposedly have no choice but to vote on a bill without knowing what it says. Well ... at seems to me that there are a couple of things that our noble representatives could do, if they really wanted to. One would be to strip this despotic power from the Rules Committee. Or: each congresscritter could simply decide that, if he or she must vote yea-or-nay on a bill, without a proper opportunity to discover what's in it, that vote will always be "nay."
As my late mother used to say: don't hold your breath while you wait for that to happen.
2 comments:
I 100% agree with you.
Each member of Congress should be required to read each bill they are going to vote on.
This is a simple concept.
The Democrats and Republicans will never do it.
I once started writing an article on congressmen "voting blind" but had to stop because (1)there was too much material, and (2) I got so angry I was worried about my blood pressure. My favorite story was about a Nevada rep who voted blind and did heavy damage to previously contribution-happy constituents. He honestly believed he was blameless because he hadn't read the bill.
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