Unweildy Legislation

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.

Read the Bills; We Read Ours

Last weekend I saw a disgruntled citizen with a sign that read "Congress read the bills; we read ours". Now I understand that a citizens group is asking Congressmen and Congresswomen to sign a pledge that promises that they will read bills before voting on them. What a novel, wonderful idea - to actually know what is in a bill before voting on it! We should add this to the Constitution as an amendment!

The founders just assumed that any reasonable representative would do that. Representative Hoyer, the House majority leader, laughed at the idea of pledging to read bills before voting. How can anyone in Congress be arrogant enough to laugh at a legitimate request from citizens? Anyone who laughed at this idea owes the American public an apology. After laughing Representative Hoyer stated that the health care bill would not pass if you had to read it.

If it can't pass if Congress actually knows what is in the bill, it shouldn't pass. What is this - a Star Chamber? Should bills be passed in secrecy?

All bills should be read by those who vote on them. It would be irresponsible to not do so! The public should also know what is actually in them. Where is the promised transparency? This country deserves better from Congress. I, for one, will observe who in Congress signs the pledge to read bills before voting.

Signed,
The Electorate