Asking the Right Questions
Jim Babka President DownsizeDC
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Quote of the Day: "Quality questions create a quality life. Successful people ask better questions, and as a result, they get better answers." -- Anthony Robbins
Subject: Asking the Right Questions About Making Congress Read THEIR Bills
Now that the concept of requiring Congress to read the bills has caught on, it's being seriously debated.
Some are pretending that they have THE objection that demonstrates how "silly" it is to require members of Congress to pause and read their bills. They write things like,
"Would you also require the legislator to understand the bill? Or is mere reading, with no comprehension, enough? And if comprehension is required, how much comprehension is required, and how would you test that?"
This clever questioner is asking a question to which he already knows the answer. But it has nothing to do with a well-designed law to Read the Bills.
Would this questioner oppose the Constitution because...
* Politicians don't like to be constrained by it?
* Incumbents have too much important work to do and that document gets in the way?
Sometimes people try to sound clever, and manage to do so, by half. But we should instead ask a better question.
Can we rely on the good nature and intelligence of persons handed the immense power to legislate the lives of others?
No, we can't. This is not an attack against politicians. No human being can understand all the details they're called upon to understand. Others will have to help them with details. So let's ask an even better question:
"Should well-informed citizens be able to help Congress understand the bills, or should Congress only listen to lobbyists?"
Members of the media, watchdog groups, and YOU should be able to view the bill and see what they're up to -- before they get to vote.
DownsizeDC.org's Read the Bills Act (RTBA) allows citizens to express not only their opinion on how Congress should vote on a bill, but why. RTBA requires . . .
1. A seven day waiting period before a bill is voted on
2. Posting the bill online for every Internet user to read
When it comes to posting the bill online, even significant chunks of Congress are making small, initial concessions. To be sure they're still unwilling to see their power properly restricted and their work made appropriately transparent. But with the proposed 72-hour rule, they appear to be conceding the notion that public deserves a few days to read the bill and give their Congressperson feedback.
But 72 hours is not enough time for the people to read bills, inform each other, and contact Congress with their specific concerns. On the other hand, seven days will give them ample opportunity -- and posting bills online prevents Congress from inserting corrupt provisions at the last minute.
Tell Congress that 72 hours isn't enough. And tell them that they shouldn't just listen to lobbyists, they should listen to YOU. Tell them to introduce and pass the Read the Bills Act.
We also invite you to add your website or blog to the Read the Bills Act Coalition. Joining is quick and easy, and will build public awareness about the Read the Bills Act. In return, your site will be listed on our mainpage and be listed in a Downsizer-Dispatch. You can join at the DownsizeDC.org website.
Finally, the House passed 60 bills totalling 923 pages from Labor Day through October 1. The Senate passed 32 bills and 888 pages from August 1 through September 1. You can read the list of bills below my signature in the blog version of this Dispatch:
http://www.downsizedc.org/blog/asking+the+right+questions
Thank you for being a DC Downsizer
Jim Babka
President
DownsizeDC.org, Inc.
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