Why We Need 72 Hours to Read Legislation, and How You Can Help
by Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR)Whoever said, “What you don’t know can’t hurt you,” never went to Congress.
Sometime this year, perhaps very soon, both chambers in Congress likely will be asked to vote on a monumental healthcare bill — monumental in its scope, its cost, and the actual number of pages in the legislation.
And while many important questions about the final draft of the bill remain, here’s one that most Americans are shocked we even have to ask: “Will members of Congress be given enough time to read and understand the bill before casting a vote?”
The answer, based on prior behavior, is “probably not.”
Earlier this year, members, the public, and press were given 12 hours to review the 1,073-page long stimulus bill that cost future generations of Americans (since we’re borrowing just about everything at this point) $787 billion. Not a single member I talked to read it before the vote. I doubt Evelyn Wood could have even pulled it off.
The cap and trade bill, which would cost $846 billion and weighs in at 1,428 pages, was available for 16.5 hours before the House vote.
But this isn’t a partisan problem: under Republican rule in 2003, for example, the 852-page Medicare Part D bill was available for 29 hours before a vote was called on the $395 billion legislation.
It happens more often than anyone would like to admit. According to the Sunlight Foundation, this year alone transparency rules have been waived at least two dozen times to rush legislation to the floor.
So here’s that pesky question again: Will Speaker Pelosi give members of Congress — and the press and public, for that matter — enough time to read and understand the bill before voting on it?
To ensure that the answer to that question is, “Yes,” I have launched a discharge petition to bring a vote on H. Res. 554, which was authored by my good friend and partner in this fight, Rep. Brian Baird (D-Wash.). H. Res. 554 simply requires a waiting period of at least 72 hours before any legislation could be voted on in the House.
H. Res. 554 has been bottled up in committee for months and the majority has no plans to bring it to the floor for an up-or-down vote.
That means the only way we can force a vote on it and bring some transparency to the peoples’ house is through a discharge petition.
Here’s how it works: to force an up-or-down vote, we need 218 signatures from members of Congress on the petition. As of this writing, we have 182 bipartisan signatures. That leaves us 36 signatures short of bringing real change to how the House conducts its business.
You can follow the progress here. Find out if your representative has signed the discharge petition.
All we’re asking for is 72 hours to actually figure out what’s in these important bills before a vote. The waiting period isn’t solely an exercise for members of Congress. The public and press have a right to know what’s buried in these bills too. Under H. Res. 554, all bills would be required to be posted in a searchable format online.
After all, transparency is the antiseptic to a flawed legislative process. We’re not asking for much. Three days. That’s all.
All we need are 36 more signatures. Go to www.wethepeoplecanread.org to find out where your member of Congress stands on this commonsense issue, and help us shine a little light on Congress.
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96 Comments
Quite frankly, we need more than 72 hours to review this Legislation prior to voting on it. I have had a suggestion for years: prior to voting on ANY legislation, Legislators must have to pass a test on what they are voting on. If they do not score an 85% or higher, they are not entitled to cast their vote. Reading is one thing, comprehension is quite antoher. Why have we turned our political process over to those whose average IQ would be not quite room temperature on a cool fall day? I would trust a CON-gress full of Forrest Gumps before I would trust the current cabal of Communist sympathizers. At least Forrest had honor and integrity, and could differentiate betwixt right and wrong……………
Representative Walden, I address this to you:
Quite frankly, we need more than 72 hours to review this Legislation prior to voting on it. I have had a suggestion for years: prior to voting on ANY legislation, Legislators must have to pass a test on what they are voting on. If they do not score an 85% or higher, they are not entitled to cast their vote. Reading is one thing, comprehension is quite antoher. Why have we turned our political process over to those whose average IQ would be not quite room temperature on a cool fall day? I would trust a CON-gress full of Forrest Gumps before I would trust the current cabal of Communist sympathizers. At least Forrest had honor and integrity, and could differentiate betwixt right and wrong……………
You want 3 days to read a bill that will cost American Tax payers Trillions of dollars. What are you nuts? Have you in congress become so corrupted that you don't have the fortitude to ask for a 30 day review? I know you can't even get 3 days but that is no excuse for not representing "We The People". You guys in Congress are asking for big trouble in the future. Trouble the American people do not want to give you, but you are starting to make us MAD!
Cowboy Logic I have no idea who you are but you on target all the time! When are you running for Congress?
You want 3 days to read a bill that will cost American Tax payers Trillions of dollars. What are you nuts? Have you in congress become so corrupted that you don't have the fortitude to ask for a 30 day review? I know you can't even get 3 days but that is no excuse for not representing "We The People". You guys in Congress are asking for big trouble in the future. Trouble the American people do not want to give you, but you are starting to make us MAD!
I am not going to help you pass this crap 72 hour review. Call me when you make sense. Fight for America grow a pair.
I agree we need more than 3 days….this is too important….where's the transparency we were promised?
Funny ….
http://www.eyeblast.tv/public/checker.aspx?v=GdSU...
Any one of these clowns ever own a business …. Can you imagine ifyou were about to spen say 1 million on a project … you would read and re-read your cost and concerns before signing eanything..
It's different when they don't have to put a dime … spend spend spend
Funny II
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l46t_nrySg4
If Obama only had a brain…..
hahahahahha
http://myfreepress.net/2009/obama-staring-as-the-...
LOL!!!!
Candace,
Thank you for the compliment (I think). At any rate I am flattered. I have two things politicians do not have: Common Sense, and old fashioned logic. No, I am not running for CON-gress, or any other office. For two reasons: I would not lower myself to those levels, I wouldn't accept the cut in pay.
On a serious note, regarding the "pay" part of my comments, I always had this theory: Whatever the average median pay was in a Representatives district, that is what they would be paid. Granted, if they were from Manhattan, they would be paid more than someone from Tensleep, Wyoming (population 63) but everything is relevant. if they were true Citizen Statesmen, instead of career Politico's, they would each accept a token salary of $1.00 per year, and pay their own expenses. How does that sound for community service? The whole process has gotten entirely out of hand.
Honestly, how did we let it come to this? I can't believe we are even arguing this issue! Of course they, and us the American people should be given time to read the bill. This is common sense.
We didn't appreciate how wonderful this nation WAS and now we have lost it to fools.
THE UNITED STATES is no more. It is over. Take it Obama, and mold it into another Venezuela. Have your socialist buddies help you set it up. As for the rest of us, we must archive as much information about the GOOD of this nation so that future generations may witness what happens when the people become complacent and stupid.
This was a truly great nation that put human foot prints on the moon, eradicated diseases, gave the world flight, the Internet, and amazing entertainment. We were a place of freedom and success. We will never be again. The democrats and the administration will turn us into a socialist hell. And we do not have the will to stop them. Sadly we deserve what they are doing to us.
Candace,
Thank you for the compliment (I think). At any rate I am flattered. I have two things politicians do not have: Common Sense, and old fashioned logic. No, I am not running for CON-gress, or any other office. For two reasons: I would not lower myself to those levels, I wouldn't accept the cut in pay.
On a serious note, regarding the "pay" part of my comments, I always had this theory: Whatever the average median pay was in a Representatives district, that is what they would be paid. Granted, if they were from Manhattan, they would be paid more than someone from Tensleep, Wyoming (population 63) but everything is relevant. If they were true Citizen Statesmen, instead of career Politico's, they would each accept a token salary of $1.00 per year, and pay their own expenses. How does that sound for community service? The whole process has gotten entirely out of hand.
I do not understand Congress. They voted on and passed (with the help of Olympia
Snowe) a bill they did not read-it was not yet written-and now are voting on something else they will not read. Do they sign contracts that they do not read?????How have we been letting them get away with this and for how long? We have to take some blame. I admit, but this nonsense has got to stop.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Marty Smith and Jerry Lawrence, Big Government. Big Government said: Why We Need 72 Hours to Read Legislation, and How You Can Help: Whoever said, “What you don’t know can’t hurt y.. http://bit.ly/2WkGYk [...]
I started yesterday and read for a long time. I stopped at 900 pages.
Better spend the hours reading now than when I am tossed down the hospice chute with a bag of marijuana.
Candace,
Thank you for the compliment (I think). At any rate I am flattered. I have two things politicians do not have: Common Sense, and old fashioned logic. No, I am not running for CON-gress, or any other office. For two reasons: I would not lower myself to those levels, I wouldn't accept the cut in pay.
On a serious note, regarding the "pay" part of my comments, I always had this theory: Whatever the average median pay was in a Representatives district, that is what they would be paid. Granted, if they were from Manhattan, they would be paid more than someone from Tensleep, Wyoming (population 63) but everything is relevant. If they were true Citizen Statesmen, instead of career Politico's, they would each accept a token salary of $1.00 per year, and pay their own expenses. How does that sound for community service? The whole process has gotten entirely out of hand. Put a compensation like that in place, and you would quickly see how many true PATRIOTS there were in Washington, DC. There would be such a mass exodus leaving DC that it would make Moses crossing the Red Sea look like the Mohave Desert.
Good Lord man, only 72 hours? When they are still finding things hidden in the Stimulus bill this many months later? Let alone all the "soft language" that fleshes out into something the people did not want and could not have known was contained in the wording anyway?
There is the time to actually read it, to "get some idea" what it actually says, then there is actually knowing what it will do which takes considerably longer.
There should be a week for every 500 pages, minimum. If the legislators don't like that and want it passed faster, then they can break it up into smaller chunks where we can more readily see what is being voted for. If they are worried about their grand plans getting enacted piecemeal, add provisions where each piece only counts if the entire laundry list passes. If they don't like how that exposes to the public what they are really doing, tough.
Government of the lawyers, by the lawyers, for the lawyers. We deserve better from our elected representatives. And by the Constitution of these United States, we demand it!
72 hrs is a start,next we push for a week and on and on . stop sitting on your i'm cool ass and do some thing…..click on "you can follow the progress here"….see if your rep.(s) have signed on for the 72 hrs….push those worthless cheese dicks to pony up……DO SOMETHING OR SHUT THE FUCK UP.
Yes but all Americans can get FREE golf carts from the stimulus bill. Now that is something we can all use, or NOT. Good old Congress thanks for thinking through the issues.
Like Nancy reagan said: JUST SAY NO!
No is the most powerful word in the English Language. It is time we start to use it.
We're all responsible for what's happening in Washington.It doesn't matter if you vote Republican,Democrat,Independant or don't vote at all.Until we the people can get our act together and start voting out career politicians the trains going to keep getting further away.
The people in power are there because the American people put them there.As long as most people care about what can the government do for me they're going to stay there.
Amen. "Turning on and tuning out" created this disaster. The seeds of sloth and distrust planted in the 1960s are now bearing a bitter fruit indeed. My God, what a mess.
Is Obama's Nobel Prize Israel's Newest Problem?
October 15, 2009 – Leslie Susser, Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Israeli officials fear that President Obama, shown addressing a U.N. Security Council nonproliferation summit on Sept. 24, may be more inclined to dismiss military options against Iran after winning the Nobel Peace Prize.
Jerusalem
Although warm and effusive in their congratulations, Israeli officials fear that President Obama's Nobel Peace Prize could possibly limit his options on Iran.
They argue that Obama — having won the prestigious award for restoring the role of diplomacy in international affairs — may be more inclined to take the military option off the table, paving the way for Iran to advance its nuclear plans with relative impunity.
The Israelis have similar concerns about the Palestinian track, fearing that the prize might encourage Obama to redouble his efforts for an independent Palestinian state by 2012 by pressing Israel to make far-reaching concessions.
Even before news of the Nobel, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had deep misgivings about the new U.S. diplomatic engagement with Iran.
Successful dialogue could lead to pressure on the Jewish state to dismantle its reputed nuclear arsenal. One nightmare scenario is that Iran demands Israeli nuclear disarmament as a condition of its agreement to drop its nuclear-weapons program.
Were this to happen, the Israelis fear that the praise the Norwegian Nobel committee heaped on Obama's advocacy of a nuclear-free world could exacerbate their predicament.
What worries Israeli strategic thinkers more is the more likely scenario of a U.S.-Iran dialogue that fails to produce conclusive results, sucking the Obama administration into a long-meandering process that the Iranians then use as a cover to advance their nuclear activities.
The concern persists despite U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's reassurance in London last weekend that "the international community will not wait indefinitely for evidence that Iran is prepared to live up to its international obligations."
President Barack Obama talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the South Portico of the White House back in May.
With all these developments, the Netanyahu government appears to be developing a pragmatic Iran strategy. Netanyahu seems resigned to waiting out Washington's efforts at dialogue and to giving international sanctions a chance if dialogue fails.
Some of his close advisers insist that the dialogue stage is necessary so that when it fails — as it's bound to do, they argue — Obama will be able to muster an effective and widely backed sanctions regime.
No Tolerance for Nukes
The main plank of the Israeli waiting game, however, is to coordinate throughout as closely as possible with Washington on intelligence and on possible military action. Netanyahu, who has warned repeatedly that Israel will not tolerate a nuclear Iran, does not want to act without close U.S. coordination.
That's where this month's huge joint military exercise in Israel's Negev Desert comes in.
In maneuvers dubbed "Juniper" Cobra, the Israel Defense Force, the U.S. European Command and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency will test four defense systems against incoming ballistic missiles, such as those from Iran. The main purpose will be to hone the interoperability of Israel's Arrow 2 and three state-of-the-art American systems: the high altitude THAAD, the ship-based Aegis and the lower altitude Patriot PAC 3.
All four will be coordinated by American X-Band Radar, deployed in the Negev since last October and capable of tracing an object as small as a baseball from a distance of approximately 3,000 miles. This means that with X-Band and the various interceptor systems, Israel theoretically could shoot down Iranian Shihab missiles shortly after take-off and possibly still over Iranian territory. Israelis also would get a warning time of five to seven minutes to take cover after Iranian missile firings.
About 1,000 U.S. soldiers and 15 U.S. naval vessels are taking part in the exercise — the fifth of its kind since 2001, and by far the biggest and most complex.
After the exercise, the Americans may leave behind some PAC-3 interceptors and deploy Aegis vessels in the Mediterranean and Red seas. Washington is considering deploying parts of the missile-defense system it had intended for Eastern Europe in Israel, Turkey and the Balkans. U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates says that this will enable the United States to have a partial system working by 2011, whereas in Eastern Europe it would have taken until 2017.
All of this sends a strong message to Iran. Attacking Israel would mean confronting an Israeli-American defensive umbrella at the very least, and possibly a lethal Israeli-American counter-offensive.
But it also sends a message to Israel. If it can count on a strong U.S. umbrella, then it should feel less compelled to act against Iran on its own, less concerned about giving up its reputed nuclear arsenal and more inclined to make concessions to the Palestinians.
That still leaves the $64,000 question unanswered: What happens if the United States gets sucked into a long, seemingly aimless dialogue with Iran, and Israel sees smoking-gun evidence of an incipient Iranian nuclear capability that America chooses to ignore?
That's the scenario Netanyahu hopes his coordinated strategy will help avoid. Otherwise, he will face one of the hardest decisions to date: To antagonize America or face the consequences of a nuclear Iran.
Absolutely!!
My representative signed the petition, there's nothing more I can do.
I agree 72 hours isn't enough time, but they will jam this thing through without even 72 hours if given the chance. Everyone needs to make sure their representatives have signed it, and if they haven't CALL THEM.
With all due respect, Cowboy, if all would refuse to lower themselves to those levels, we'll never get the mess cleaned up. Someone has to do it.
Regarding the pay issue, that median income idea has some merit. The $1.00 token salary would necessarily exclude some otherwise qualified people, who simply have not earned enough to live a year without an income. I would welcome someone who HAS that type of wealth to decline their salary though. At any rate, Congressional pensions should be abolished. It is one thing to say that we will replace your other income for a term or two; but quite another to allow them to make a career out of it.
Finally, I agree 72 hours isn't enough. But it is a start.
Why is everyone finally outraged? Where has "NO" been in our vocabulary for the past 6 years? Where was the outrage when we were paying $4/gallon for gas? Where was the outrage when we were torturing "enemy combatants"? Or when billions of dollars were being awarded to Haliburton through "no-bid" processes?
Now that soemone is actually making an effort, and you might have to sacrifice something it's time to protest? Well guess what? Even if Obama didn't pass a single piece of legislature in the next four years you will still be sacrificing to fix the ridiculous situation we sat by and allowed to happen. Get a grip on reality.
What, have you not seen enough of how liberals think by their support of Polanski?
"No" means "maybe," especially when they promise they will "be gentle" and "ease into it." In any case, it is important to them to make you "try it first" so you can make an "informed judgment" about it. Whatever "it" is.
Besides, us "ignorant inbred racist rednecks" don't know what is good for us anyway. So if they have to force it on us so we "know better" how good what they wanted to do really was… Well, wouldn't be the first time!
Do liberals ever realize how disgusting what they want to do actually is? If they do, they sure ain't admitting it.
72 Hours is better than nothing but I agree it should be longer. This Administration and the liberal idiots who control Congress don't want the American people to know what is in the bills they pass. This is absolutely the most CORRUPT Congress and White House we have ever had in the history of this country. Tricky Dick Nixon was a walk in the park compared to the egomaniac Barry Obummer. Our job is to throw ALL these morons OUT in 2010 and 2012 and start over, with TERM LIMITS! If we don't take back our country, we will live in hell.
The reality is Barry has already done far more to damage the country than Bush ever did, outstripping anything from Bush real or imagined. Perhaps it is shock keeping you from realizing how greatly our nation has been hurt. Although it could just be plain stupidity.
3 days is not enough time to fully comprehend any bill. I very much like the thought of Cowboy Logic, they should read and understand any bill prior to voting AND pass a test on content. I've contacted my reps. Oh, I can't wait to vote Dodd out!
Brilliant idea!
If the best we can hope for is "better than nothing," boy are we in trouble. Will they wind up voting for a Health Scare bill that is "better than nothing?"
We deserve better, and we should insist on it!
Besides this being something you could have tossed in the Open Thread, couldn't you have just posted the link?
Man, am I in danger of wearing out my mouse's scroll wheel…
My guess is the 72 hour grace period is as much about giving voters time to register complaints (or approval) of the proposed legislation to their representatives as it is about transparency.
Stop Guessing. How would a voter be able to look into these complex issues in 72 hours and be able to make an informed comments. Congressmen admit they can't do it even with 2 lawyers assisting them.
This is BS! Even the UN has a rule (often observed in the breach, but at least it is a rule) that documents to be considered at meetings have to be submitted by governments six weeks prior to convening the meeting. That's 42 days of advance time. If the US Congress won't even give citizens and members of Congress a full day to read something the controlling party is trying to ram down our throats, then that means, by my lights, that the US Congress, by that measure, is 42 times more corrupt than the UN. Considering how corrupt the UN is, then Congress's corruption is much larger by several orders of magnitude which I thought a physical impossibility, but there it is.
I doubt giving many of the lawmakers out there 72 hours would make much of a difference. Giving them a month probably wouldn't change the outcome either with some of the politicians out there. They still wouldn't read the bill or even understand what they are voting on since so many these days are simply political hacks that just vote the party line rather than what is best for the country.
It scares me these men will vote on billions and billions without reading a document… They do that 1,000 page crap on purpose so that does not help.
So instead quoting actual facts and examples to illustrate your point you resort to insults, like a true repub. You know just because you say it doesn't make it true. Put up or shut up.
All you stay at home Republicans and you just want to be left alone conservatives have brought this upon our country. I just hope we Reagan Democrats can clean up this mess caused by liberals as we did once before(first one was Jimmy Carter's mess). I do my political fighting on the south side of Chicago. Do you think all you gentle folks in your gated Republican bastions can get out there and vote next election.
Why would these sleezy and incompetent Senators read a bill that they had little to do with in developing. They are wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy to busy having lunch and discussing the moronic tendancies of the electorate.
Three days ?? And you really expect these imbeciles to read it…much less understand it? I worry about the voters nearly as much as I do about the country as a whole. When will you understand the level of corruption these AMERICA HATERS EMBRACE ?
I like where you're going with this Ralph! I just can't figure out why there is such a HUGE push, after 200+ years, for more time to read bills. Are we all afraid of the HALF black man that sits in the oval office? Or the HALF white man? Are we afraid he's going to pull on over on us because he can string together a sentence(unlike our recently departed leader)?
Where was the outrage when we were paying $4/gallon for gas?
If you are so unobservant that you missed that, I do not see how "facts and figures" at this point can help the situation.
Duh, wants to address Haliburton and 4 dollar gas regarding Health care issue post and then throw mud. You need to go back to troll class and learn the methods of a good troll.
Hi All – wrote this letter and faxed it to every single last Senator and Representative. Feel free to copy and send yourself.
It is your job to know what is in the bills you pass which have a direct effect on the American people. It is your job to participate in the legislative drafting process. It is your duty to the American people that you know exactly what is spelled out and mandated on the American people when you sign your good name to this bill, or to any bill.
I may not agree with your position on this HealthCare bill, and that itself is fine as a part of our democratic republic process. However, what is not fine is that you believe you have any right to delegate the legislative process of drafting, reviewing and editing the bills you pass to third party organizations who have a vested interest in crafting the language of laws that are imposed upon the American people.
Rest of letter continued in next posting:
Continued:
It is a dereliction of your duty as an elected “representative” of our republic that you do not, first and foremost, read every word of any bill you vote on. It is a dereliction of our trust in you that you would be part of a body that pushes through legislation without letting the American sunlight to have time to shine upon the words that become the law of our land. Shame on you and shame on our entire Congress who lets this happen. We sat aghast at the end of last year and the beginning of this year when you passed financial industry and automotive bailouts, pork projects, and “stimulus” that that does not go into effect for years, all in the name of saving our economy, without any knowledge of what words you signed on to. Our mouths are collectively agape in horror that you have the audacity to do this again with the healthcare bill, despite the many warnings you have all had in your town-hall meetings from the American people, whether from the left or from the right.
continued:
Remainder of letter:
Do you really expect us to abide by the very laws you pass, not just in secrecy from the American people, but openly flaunting to the American public the fact that you have no idea of what words comprise the laws you purport put into effect? Do you expect us to abide by the contracts we sign, when you threw contract law out the window with home mortgage modification legislation? Do you expect us to have faith in our judicial system when you allowed bankruptcy law to be thrown out the window by the executive branch of government in the GM and Chrysler bankruptcies?
Should you continue down this same path of not reading your legislation and not making such legislation public, you will be held to account in your next election. I will make it a personal crusade to join with others, both left and right, to remove you from your office that you have no right to hold. Others will step up who will read the legislation they pass. Others will step up who will make all legislation open to the public prior to vote. Others will step up to do your job.
To read and understand the bill, one needs more that 72 hrs.! Have you ever seen how these bills are written? They keep referring to different sections, sub-section and sub-sub section eventualy winding up in a closed loop and a head ache. The lawmakers get the english translation.———-hmmmm—–hmmmmm I wonder who does the translating. Here is my solutions:
1. Give the people as many days to read it and understand it, as it's taking Obama to make a decision on the Afgan
war! Hey, he has to answer one question —- send more troops or not? Why is it taking all this time,and need two more weeks
2. Call your Senators and Representative and ask the to explain the bill to you. If they can't explain it they don't understand it.
And still…no ideas. Just a bunch of boohoos because we lost the election.
Can't wait.
You are absolutely 100% correct. We are ALL complicit, throuhg our complacentcy we ALLOWED this to go on for a generation. It has gone on, unabated, and unchallenged. It runs counter to any civilized American belief. It is a gang of thugs who have hijacked our country.
The Senators and staff will be in hiding for the next few weeks. You will not be able to front them or ask pertinent questions. And they certainly will NOT take your phone calls. What a bunch of smarmy, perverse, spineless cowards they are. HEY SENATORS ! Are you listening ? Come on out and play with us you creepy inocuous bastard vermin . And that's a compliment.
How can you even look at yourselves in the mirror? How can your wife/husband and kids have any respect for you and what you are committing against this nation ? Where is your shame and humility ? The wrecking ball is soon to swing in your direction. 2010….They day of your demise and the nation will breathe a refreshing sigh of relief.
I'll bite, ya litle tick-turd.
Where was the outrage ar four dollar gas? It was directed at Bush/Cheney and you all wove the Halliburton theme in quite well. Why were we paying four dollar gas? Goldman Sachs ran it up.
In 2001, Bush and Cheney tried to pass an Energy Bill, it was defeated. The Environmental Movement, the EPA, the Sierra Club, the Nature Conservancy, and last but not least George Soros, John Podesta and the Shadow Government derailed Bush at every turn.
Duh, your tells me everything I need to know about you. Don't come here and start talking Energy and Halliburton. I'll hand you your head on a plate…………
Tanya,
Excellent letter. Thank you!
Representative Walden:
I'll further challange you. Pass Legislation first to govern yourselves, put in checks and balances to govern yourselves.
First: Any Health Care Bill you pass, CON-gress will be the FIRST people enrolled in it. You are no better than we are. You work for US.
Secondly: This Country was a Shining Light to the World, a Beacon. If we, the United States of America have to settle for second best, then we indeed have second rate representation. WE deserve better. WE demand better. If the CON-gress cannot do a better job, they need to resign in disgrace.
Duh,
We just wanted to give "those people" enough time to read it, form an opinion, and let Bertha Lewis tell them what to think and do.
Great Letter! mmm…mmm…mmm
Hope you post more often here!
[...] the bill before casting a vote?” [There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.] The answer, based on prior behavior, is “probably not.” Earlier this year, members, the public, [...]
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That is exactly right. Whoever says "NO!" controls the situation.
Indeed. I'd rather see a requirement that the entire text of a bill be read on the floor of both houses before a vote – and that the reading be broadcast on CSPAN. Only members who sit through the entire reading should be eligible to vote.
Obama Lied.
No. Many of us Do Not Deserve this. And we should not give up.
The women don't read it either.
The republicans are riding on the wake of a movement they didn't have anything to do with, except to help perpetuate. Thats ok for now, only because it is the best we can do. However, THEY GOTTA GO !!! It is time to clean out our government. I expect this insanity from the dems, but the repubs are like leaches wanting us to do their dirty work. Fine, we have helped this time, but NO MORE! You know when these guys get together, they are great "buds". Its a racket, and I am SICK of supporting their addtiction to money and power. Pray that there are enough of "us" to get rid of "them". IT IS ABOUT US FROM NOW ON! They won't read it and we will weep.
Funny III
How about we get rid of the lobbyists (legalized bribery), special interests, and everyone else who panders to our elected officials. Let's cap their campaign funds. What else am I missing?
Remove the money motive from public office and you remove the scumbags.
It's easy to spend someone else's money.
Sanmon, right on the money. I felt that Walden was looking for a big pat on the back as I read this. The whole time I was thinking "this just sounds like more politician bullsh*t."
Thank you for your efforts, Congressman. My Rep did sign the discharge petition, and I believe he was a co-sponsor (isn't that what the big check means?). I tried calling several other Illinois reps who did not sign, but gave up after three or four phone numbers provided on the site reached "no longer in service" auto-messages (my Rep is on speed dial).
And yes, All, 72 hours is too brief — but it's a good sight better than the what, 4 hours between the Cap & Trade 4 AM add-on of several hundred pages and the beginning of the vote? The Congressman is trying to do something under a lop-sided majority that's trying to cut off all reasonable options or debates. It would help if everyone signed the petition; it doesn't help to carp at him for the sins of the world.
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The less time they spend reviewing the bill the Bigger the Fools they look like. If you agree that 72 hrs is not enough then why do you want to join the fools. Think for a moment, or is this how you make important choices in your life? 72 hrs vs 1 hour makes no difference in the long run you are still ill informed.
I was wondering when the Obama trolls would show up and start earning a paycheck. "Oh please give cover to the democrats and support a 72 hr review" Then we can call this bill bipartisan. You need a grip on reality, or CALL THEM and support something that even I don't believe in. At least send in your first string of players these Trolls don't cut it.
There is a waiting period for new insurance and for flood insurance. There is a waiting (quiet) period for an initial public stock offering, there is a waiting period for hand gun ownership which is our 2nd amendment right under our Constitution. All of these things make sense, the vast majority of significant things that require a "waiting period" involve money, and in many instances potentially a great deal of money.
It is absolutely insane, that legislation which ultimately costs billions of dollars only has 12 hours, 16.5 hours, or 29 hours for the elected decision makers to decide on. These decisions affect the incomes of many millions of people who work hard and pay taxes. Individuals who want to live their lives peacefully and enjoy what they believe is their "freedom" as an American citizen.
It is tortured logic to expect the elected decision makers who decide on legislation that will ultimately cost their constituents and those individual constituents who work hard and pay taxes, additional taxation, and to further erode more of their hard earned income, which I personally feel is already being squeezed from every direction in 12 to 29 hours. Especially considering by most accounts, these elected decision makers are only present where they were elected by their constituents for 2.5 days or 20 hours a week depending on how one does the math, and where they are actually physically present to do the work of, and make the decisions for, the constituents who elected them to do their representative work in the first place. I recently watched several C-Span videos on You-Tube where multiple members of Congress stated that they were only voting for the 787 billion dollar stimulus bill because they were told behind closed doors that if they didn't vote for it, Martial Law would have to be enacted. I'll repeat that, Martial Law.
With regard to posting legislation on the internet, and a waiting or "quiet" period. It isn't unreasonable to ask for a method to be put into place where respective constituents, and ultimately the people who are going to be paying for proposed legislation have the ability to review, and then vote for, by merit, pending legislation before it enters the house. Elected officials would then have greater accountability, because they would be able to see in real time how all of their constituents feel in "real time" about a proposed bill, being removed from the sink or swim position during election cycles based on their accountable/documented voting record over the course of four years, this would be to their benefit as well. This seems reasonable to me. It is a relatively small modification to an obviously archaic system of Government, but it would allow the people who ultimately pay for these decisions to have their respective "voices" heard in "real time" by "their" elected decision makers. This seems possibly like a "win/win" for all concerned parties.
72 hours would be better than the current system, I personally feel that a waiting or "quiet" period similar to initial public stock offerings would be preferred.
After all, it would give the people who are ultimately paying for those decisions the time to read about, research, and decide on pending legislation. before it ever has the ability to affect us for better or for worse.
This would be real "Change", and this is something that I could "Personally" believe in. Especially considering it would allow me to separate the "Forrest from the Trees", with my inherent ability to be a free thinker, who is able to decide for themselves with "their" individual "brain". Even if millions of other tax paying Americans had the ability to decide that my way of thinking was flawed or wrong. It would be a much easier pill to swallow than 60 elected people "Entitled" under a patently flawed and archaic system to make the decision for me.
You betcha we will get out and vote. Watch out for what you ask for, once these gates open up they ain't going to be easy to close. You libs will have to stay in your Private planes and circle around the globe for a few years.
When they write the bills it should be in plain English not cryptic garbage. And they need a template that a bill should not go pass 25 pages. Keep it simple, plain and true. Yes, I'm asking to much till people elect the ones that will do it;-)
The Senators and staff will be in hiding for the next few weeks. You will not be able to front them or ask pertinent questions. And they certainly will NOT take your phone calls. What a bunch of smarmy, perverse, spineless cowards they are. HEY SENATORS ! Are you listening ? Come on out and play with us you creepy inocuous bastard vermin . And that's a compliment.
How can you even look at yourselves in the mirror? How can your wife/husband and kids have any respect for you and what you are committing against this nation ? Where is your shame and humility ? The wrecking ball is soon to swing in your direction. 2010….The day of your demise and the nation will breathe a refreshing sigh of relief.
Obama is wearing the transparency as a suit of armor………………………..hence you can see right through him.
Obama is wearing the transparency as a suit of armor…………………….hence you can see right through him.
[...] Why we need 72 hours to read legislation and how you can help Rep Greg Walden (R-OR) BigGovernment.com 10-20-09 Whoever said, “What you don’t know can’t hurt you,” never went to Congress. Sometime this year, perhaps very soon, both chambers in Congress likely will be asked to vote on a monumental healthcare bill — monumental in its scope, its cost, and the actual number of pages in the legislation. And while many important questions about the final draft of the bill remain, here’s one that most Americans are shocked we even have to ask: “Will members of Congress be given enough time to read and understand the bill before casting a vote?” …Read More [...]
I have to concur on the fact that government is full of slackers. They only have an obligation to meet one day out of the year in the case of Congress, at least according to the Constitution if I remember my government classes right. But still it's an unrealistic amount of time to review that kind of material. I'd rather have informed people voting on issues they understand. And even some people in government admit to the fact that they don't understand all this lawyer speak in our documentation.
But what annoys me is people calling our government a democracy. It's a republic. I know I'm deviating from my point but I'll just rant real quick. If it was a true democracy we wouldn't have elected officials. Everything would be voted on by the people themselves. What we have a representative democracy, which in fact nothing more then a republic. For proof all you have to do is look at the currency; which clearly states Republic. Even our founding fathers never called us a democracy we were a republic. There is a clear difference.
But going back to point. I think that bills that are going to Congress should also be put into plain, common english and posted so that ordinary people can understand them.
Where are the lawyers when you need them? They could read all the 1500 pages of legal garbage of the bill and render a yeah or nay (based upon whether you are communist or not) in record time. It would be worth the 500 bucks an hour some charge. Compared to $900,000,000,000,000 dollars.
NUTSHELL ! This short review time is FREEDOM REMOVED by our elected Senators and a clear violation of the Constitution.
None of the idiots voting on it realizes how much money a $$$ trillion dollars $$$ is.
If you asked any one of them (voting on this legislature)
"Spending a million dollars a day, how long would it take to spend a trillion dollars?"
I'll bet you a dollar that not one of them would come within 500 years of telling you 2,739 years and 8 months.
Democrats lock Republicans out of committee room
By Susan Crabtree – 10/20/09 05:47 PM ET
Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-N.Y.) locked Republicans out of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee room to keep them from meeting when Democrats aren’t present.
Towns’ action came after repeated public ridicule from the leading Republican on the committee, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), over Towns’s failure to launch an investigation into Countrywide Mortgage’s reported sweetheart deals to VIPs.
For months Towns has refused Republican requests to subpoena records in the case. Last Thursday Committee Republicans, led by Issa, were poised to force an open vote on the subpoenas at a Committee mark-up meeting. The mark-up was abruptly canceled. Only Republicans showed up while Democrats chairs remained empty.
Republicans charged that Towns canceled the meeting to avoid the subpoena vote. Democrats first claimed the mark-up was canceled due to a conflict with the Financial Services Committee. Later they said it was abandoned after a disagreement among Democratic members on whether to subpoena records on the mortgage industry’s political contributions to Republicans.
A GOP committee staffer captured video of Democrats leaving their separate meeting in private chambers after the mark-up was supposed to have begun. He spliced the video to other footage of the Democrats’ empty chairs at the hearing room, set it to the tune of “Hit the Road, Jack” and posted it on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s minority webpage, where it remained as of press time.
Towns’s staffers told Republicans they were not happy about the presence of the video camera in the hearing room when they were not present. Issa’s spokesman said the Democrats readily acknowledged to Republicans that they changed the locks in retaliation to the videotape of the Democrats’ absence from the business meeting even though committee rules allow meetings to be taped.
"It's not surprising that they would choose to retaliate given the embarrassment we caused by catching them in a lie on tape,” said Issa spokesman Kurt Bardella. “If only they
would use their creative energy to do some actual oversight rather than resorting to immature tactics, but I guess we're getting some insight into what lengths they'll go to avoid addressing the Countrywide VIP issue."
Towns’s office said in a statement the locks were changed on Republicans "because they don't know how to behave." As for the video the GOP made, Towns's office pointed out: "The minority is using taxpayer dollars to make these campaign style videos."
Bardella replied: "It's also those same taxpayer dollars that paid for them to sit in a room while they came up with an excuse to cancel the mark-up — what exactly do they do all day?"
The partisan sniping recalls a similarly bitter name-calling match between House Republicans and Democrats on the Ways and Means Committee in 2003 when Republicans controlled the majority and former Rep. Bill Thomas (R-Calif.) chaired the panel. The episode ended in Thomas, known for his acerbic tongue, summoning the Capitol Police to evict an outraged gaggle of Democratic colleagues from a library in the Longworth House office building.
The committee had convened that morning to consider a bipartisan bill that would revise the nation's pension and retirement-saving system.
Democrats objected when Thomas brought up a 90-page substitute measure that had been released shortly before midnight the night before. Democrats said they needed more time to read it. Thomas disagreed.
In response, Democrats objected to a normally perfunctory motion to dispense with the reading of the dense legislation. A clerk obligingly began reading it line by line.
Democrats departed to a library just off the main hearing room, leaving only Rep. Fortney "Pete" Stark (D-Calif.) to prevent the Republicans from obtaining unanimous consent to skip the reading. After a few minutes, Thomas asked again for the unanimous consent, and instantly brought down his gavel. Stark told reporters he had objected, but Thomas had replied, "You're too late."
Even before Thomas gaveled the reading to an end, he had directed staff to call the Capitol Police to remove the Democrats form the library.
Countrywide, now owned by Bank of America, was reported to have given VIP loans and treatment to lawmakers and officials at the federal and local level who were in a position to influence policy affecting the mortgage giant. Issa has repeatedly reminded Committee Democrats that Bank of America officials had said they would turn over records on the VIP program – but only in response to a subpoena.
Towns, who received a mortgage loan from Countrywide but insists he was not part of the VIP program, has said he declined to launch an investigation because he does not want to interfere with an ongoing Justice Department probe into the matter.
The reason is this time we are trying to maintain this nation's political ideology. This time it is not a question of: shall we have a tax cut or a tax increase and what should the size be. These arguments are valid within the context of what the founding fathers had in mind for our country.
Sure, sure, sorry if I don't believe you. You folks are so easy to dupe, it is incredible, What it is about my message that would lead you to believe that I am a liberal. Look Shanmon, when Lincoln said: "you can fool some of the people………." he was refering to Republicans for the "….some of the time.." portion and of course Democrats in the: "… all of the time….." portion. The 2008 election proves the validity of this quote.
I read pretty quickly (averaging 10+ books/week for the past half century or more), but I'd need 72 hours to get through the obscurantist prose of nearly everything coming out of Congress in the last decade or more.
The awarding of contracts to Haliburton, the paying of $4/gal. etc. as well as all the things Bush did in past 8 years may or may not have been to your liking as a result of your politcal philosophy (i.e, liberal/consrvative). However, policies that are intended to change the ideology of this country is a different matter. It is you who must get a grip.
That is more than worth the one point I can give you.
72 hours? Are you friggin' kidding me? At least! This is why they work overtime to generate such massively "comprehensive" bills. Not only does it create camouflage for their earmarks and agenda items the extra pages also provide fodder aimed at minimizing how many of these items can be rooted out. It's pure politics and it pisses me off. It's a mystery how so many of these premadonna's gets elected but it's nothing short of a tragedy to see how ridiculously painful they have managed to make it to get rid of them once they are in. One reason there are people who have been in government for 35 years is that they spend the bulk of every term campaigning for the next. A distinct advantage I would say.
Want to see which are the patriots and which are the politicians? Ask them to vote on term limits! Hell.
What I would like to see is a government that tackles one problem at a time. Leaders willing to work together to create legislation that has the peoples, not the governments, interests and welfare at heart.
We keep screaming by fax, email and phone and nobody's listening. What kind of nincompoop does it take in Congress to realize voters do not trust them and want to know what they're doing before they do it?