Congress Refuses to Read Bills Before Voting

[TheMercenary]

Government should not run Banks, Auto Companies, or Insurance industries either. Nor should they be in charge of your health care.

To late....

[richlevy]

I remember two bills with amendments, one having to do with artists defaulting to 'work for hire' in studio contracts and another one allowing non-organic chicken to be labeled as organic, that noone admitted to reading before voting. The two very controversial amendments had to be repealed days after being enacted.

In the case of the anti-musician bill, the legislative aide who inserted the amendment was hired by the recording industry.

The 'fake organic' bill was opposed by everyone except the dumbass constituent who suggested it to his equally dumbass Congressman. It would have cost organic poultry producers billions in lost revenue when domestic and worldwide customers lost faith in any 'organic' label on US poultry.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Making them all read the bill, before voting it up or down, would probably be a waste of time, as I doubt they would understand what they read. That's why they have (trusted?) staff to tell them what these bills say and how they would really work in the real world.

Then after the straight dope is obtained from the staff, it is balanced against the booty offered by lobbyists, the pressure from the party whip, and how long to the next re-election campaign.

It's not easy being slick.

[ZenGum]

Originally Posted by TheMercenary

Pelosi planed that you would have that response. Along with all the other apathetic Americans.

I'm an apathetic American? Really? I mean, sure I'm complacent and self-indulgent, but where's my enormous car, and stockpile of automatic weapons?

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Then after the straight dope is obtained from the staff, it is balanced against the booty offered by lobbyists, the pressure from the party whip, and how long to the next re-election campaign.

Yeah, that pretty much sums it up. Except for the "straight dope" from the staff ...

Originally Posted by richlevy

In the case of the anti-musician bill, the legislative aide who inserted the amendment was hired by the recording industry.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by ZenGum

I'm an apathetic American? Really? I mean, sure I'm complacent and self-indulgent, but where's my enormous car, and stockpile of automatic weapons?

How does what one drives for a car define ones complacency? Who owns a stockpile of automatic weapons and how does this relate to self indulgence and car ownership?

[chrisinhouston]

Originally Posted by TheMercenary

Government should not run Banks, Auto Companies, or Insurance industries either. Nor should they be in charge of your health care.

To late....

So, following that thought, do you classify Medicare, Medicaid and the medical services of the Veterans Administration as wrong and they should not exist?

And along that line, the government probably should have never gotten involved in overseeing voting procedures in individual states or in saying which kids should go to what schools but because of so many abuses in the past they had to.

I'm tired of the argument that a right to health care does not exist in the US Constitution. When the Constitution was ratified the average life expectancy was quite low for the colonists, many children (and birth mothers) died at birth or not long after and doctors were still using leaches and other barbaric practices to treat many ailments.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by chrisinhouston

So, following that thought, do you classify Medicare, Medicaid and the medical services of the Veterans Administration as wrong and they should not exist?

They should exist. Veterans Admin is a different animal altogether, completely unrelated to welfare.

And along that line, the government probably should have never gotten involved in overseeing voting procedures in individual states or in saying which kids should go to what schools but because of so many abuses in the past they had to.

Voting is covered in the Constitution. Schools is a states right issue which the Fed gov has no business being involved in.

I'm tired of the argument that a right to health care does not exist in the US Constitution. When the Constitution was ratified the average life expectancy was quite low for the colonists, many children (and birth mothers) died at birth or not long after and doctors were still using leaches and other barbaric practices to treat many ailments.

Doesn't change the fact that in this country there is still no Constitutional right to health care.

[sugarpop]

Originally Posted by TheMercenary

They should exist. Veterans Admin is a different animal altogether, completely unrelated to welfare...

Medicare is NOT welfare, NOR is it FREE. We all pay into the Medicare system through taxes that are taken out of our paychecks, then, once we qualify for Medicare (through age or disability), we still have to pay premiums and copays and 20% of whatever else is involved. In what way is that at all "welfare?"

[sugarpop]

Originally Posted by TheMercenary

Government should not run Banks, Auto Companies, or Insurance industries either. Nor should they be in charge of your health care.

To late....

The government is not running auto companies or banks or insurance companies. They are, however, trying to lookout for OUR interests in those companies, since taxpayers have had to bail them out.