Fight The Transparency!
Our elected assholes would prefer we can't read the health care bill and other legislation they're voting on. From Rasmussen Reports:
Right now, Republicans in the House are trying to force a vote on a measure that would require that pending bills be posted online for three days before that chamber votes on them. A few Democrats have joined the effort, but, according to news reports, their party leaders are fighting the bill which they view as a GOP delaying tactic. There is certainly room for cynicism about the GOP's allegiance to this particular reform at this time. Members of both parties often raise procedural issues when it works to their advantage and oppose them when it doesn't. However, the poll question did not mention the health care legislation but applied to all legislation. The results suggest that an overwhelming majority of voters consider such procedures as little more than common sense.A majority of all Republicans, Democrats, and unaffiliated voters all support posting the legislation in final form at least two weeks in advance of any vote.
...Republicans have been complaining all year that the Democratic majority leadership are rushing lengthy, complicated legislation like the $787-billion economic stimulus bill through the House and Senate without giving legislators adequate time to even read them.
Not that we believe they read them (they are too busy shaking hands and snorkeling at The Great Barrier reef...but really, that was like, totally necessary to understand climate change!)
If they were posted, you'd better believe bloggers would read them -- and post what's in them for the sheeple to read -- who maybe, just maybe would be motivated to be a little more informed about exactly what kind of legislators they're voting in.
Of course, the "legislative language" is intentionally complex to hide what is in the bill. It would be easy with HTML to provide dynamic references to other parts of the bill, in-line summaries of meaning, and to eliminate sections like insert "all" for each occurrance of "some".
Ironically, legislators are being realistic and human not to read the bill. The bill is not written to be read. Our legislators should be blamed for going along with their party, for not demanding a readable bill and summary, and for the fiction that the "legislative language" is merely a technical form for the "plain language" version.
Where is that plain language version, anyway? There must be a detailed summary floating around in the background. Why can't we see it? Where is the reporter to ask that question?
The legislative language will be interpreted in detail as THE LAW. Then we will all be expected to do what it says, no matter how crazy, out of respect for the law.
++++++++++
This fictional memo has surfaced:
Memo - Health Plan Deficit Reduction
From: Chairman [redacted] of the [redacted] Committee
To: Healthcare Reform Drafting Group II
Re: Finessing the Health Plan Deficit
[snip]
Please hold off on more complexity. I asked for enough boards, committees, commissions, and regulators to confuse things and distract our opponents. You went overboard, but that is not a big problem. Just don't add more.
(See the whole memo)
Andrew_M_Garland at October 6, 2009 7:03 AM
They are supposed to be representing us, the citizens and taxpayers, we don't work for them (do we?). Why the hell are they afraid of disclosure? The Securities industry must disclose all pertinent and potentially unfavorable information before any transactions can be completed, why aren't our representatives required to do the same?
jksisco at October 7, 2009 1:45 PM
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