Why should people even attempt to read bills? They’re too stupid to understand them anyway!
That’s not me talking; that’s the AP.
WASHINGTON – Read the bill! It was a rallying cry at angry health care town halls this summer and has evolved into something of a political movement. Many Americans are demanding that lawmakers actually read the comprehensive legislation they’ve written — or at least make it publicly available — before voting on it.
The push for transparency has become a running side debate in Congress, with lawmakers — often minority Republicans, but some Democrats too — pressing leaders to post measures online for 72 hours before a vote.
“I don’t think the American people can be left in the dark,” House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, said this week.
It might sound like a no-brainer. President Barack Obama has made transparency a watchword of his administration, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi pledged upon taking office to “create the most open and honest government in history.”
The Internet makes it all possible.
So what’s the problem?
Well, have you ever tried reading a bill?
It goes downhill from there with the AP taking a (very expectedly) dismissive position toward people who want bills posted on the internet before they’re voted on and people who want their elected officials to read something before they vote on it.
It’s just too darned hard.