In the words of James Madison: "It will be of little avail to the people that the laws are made by men of their own choice if the laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood."
Congress needs to pay heed to this words. Bills currently being written are routinely over one thousand pages long. They are written as obtusely as possible. This is deliberate. The writers do not want anyone, Congress included, to read or understand the bills. Much can be hidden in lengthy, convoluted bills. Representative Hoyer said the health care bill would not pass if you had to read it. Frequently, these bills are not written by our elected officials. They are written by staff, attorneys, selected "experts" and even by lobbyists. Is it too much to expect that our actual elected representatives write the bills?
Representative Waxman admitted that even he did not know all that was in the Energy Bill. He is the chairman of the committee that wrote the bill. Congress is voting on bills that they not only did not read, but on bills that they did not write. Congress is voting blindly. Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government. That is just pitiful! The people of this country deserve better representation.
Let us return to the sentiments of Madison. The body of the Constitution is only twenty pages long. It is easily understandable. I would challenge Congress to follow the example of the Constitution. Ban any legislation over one hundred pages in length and require that all legislation be written in clear, understandable language. Also pledge that you will read all bills before voting on them.
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