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Should politicians be required by law to read the bill themselves before signing them

Should politicians be required by law to read the bill themselves before signing them


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jamesrage

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Should politicians be required by law to read the bill themselves before signing them? This is pretty much a simple yes or no question.



I say yes they should they themselves read the bills before signing them,not hire a speed reader and not higher someone else to read the bill. I didn't vote for a speed reader or some staff members to do the job of someone who is supposed to be our employees.



Personally I also think those who author amendments and bills should be forced to read out loud word for word what they author in front of a tv camera and then explain in front of a tv camera in laymans terms not rat lawyer speak what the bill or amendment does and why we need it. This would cut down on the bills the size of encyclopedias because I am sure no one wants to sit there for several days to read out loud a several hundred or couple thousand page bill.

Will Congress Read Bills Before Voting? - Political Hotsheet - CBS News


Let Freedom Ring | News | EDITORIAL: Passing unread laws
 
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Re: Should politicians be required by law to read the bill themselves before signing

I dunno, politicians have other stuff to do than to read bills.
It'd kinda leave them no time for other kinds of work.
 
Re: Should politicians be required by law to read the bill themselves before signing

How would you ever hope to enforce this?
 
Re: Should politicians be required by law to read the bill themselves before signing

I dunno, politicians have other stuff to do than to read bills.
It'd kinda leave them no time for other kinds of work.

Well as it is Congress's job to write and pass law, I would fully expect that they do their job and know what it is that they are passing. If it means that it slows down the process, good. The less laws coming out of Congress, the better usually. I don't want them voting by the title of something, or some cliff notes given to them by their staff. They need to know what it is that they are voting on, what it says, and the ramifications of passing such a law. If it means no more 100+ page laws....good! I fully expect those who wield the power and sovereignty of the People to do their job in full, with full competency and understanding of their actions. If they cannot do this, then they can't be a legislature.
 
Re: Should politicians be required by law to read the bill themselves before signing

How would you ever hope to enforce this?

We can require a time line between when the bill and amendments were authored depending on the number of pages and this could be based on what it takes the average citizen to read that number of pages and when they sign for them. This would at least ensure they had appropriate time to read the bill and amendments added to that bill. Ban politicians from using other people to read bills for them,I voted for the politician to do his job not for him to pay someone else to do it for him. Require the politicians to sign a sworn statement expressing why they voted for against or refused to voted.
 
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Re: Should politicians be required by law to read the bill themselves before signing

Not only that, but if it is found that a law or policy is not constitutionally protected and any economic damage is provable coming from it, all voting yea should be held economically culpable with no loss cap.
 
Re: Should politicians be required by law to read the bill themselves before signing

I vote yes. They should most definitley read them. This would cut down the number of bills drastically, it would prevent political deniability like the vote for the Patriot Act, that many admitted not reading, and it would create accountability to the people, as legislators would have to openly explain why they are calling for such a bill.
 
Re: Should politicians be required by law to read the bill themselves before signing

The simplest way to enforce such a rule would be this:

Let's say some piece of gargantuan legislation sails through Congress with hardly any debate, and only afterwards does the press pick up on some horrible horrible amendment which was included that legalizes the consumption of infants less than 6 days old.

The press, astonished, then starts demanding of this or that Congresscritter why on Earth they voted for the legalization of cannibalism.

The Congresscritter, relying on a time-tested defense, cries out, "I DIDN'T READ THE BILL" or "I DIDN"T SEE THAT IN THE BILL" or "I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT!"

The reporter nods, thanks the Congresscritter, and steps out of the way while the critter in question is arrested.

Ta da!

:D
 
Re: Should politicians be required by law to read the bill themselves before signing

Should politicians be required by law to read the bill themselves before signing them? This is pretty much a simple yes or no question.



I say yes they should they themselves read the bills before signing them,not hire a speed reader and not higher someone else to read the bill. I didn't vote for a speed reader or some staff members to do the job of someone who is supposed to be our employees.



Personally I also think those who author amendments and bills should be forced to read out loud word for word what they author in front of a tv camera and then explain in front of a tv camera in laymans terms not rat lawyer speak what the bill or amendment does and why we need it. This would cut down on the bills the size of encyclopedias because I am sure no one wants to sit there for several days to read out loud a several hundred or couple thousand page bill.

Will Congress Read Bills Before Voting? - Political Hotsheet - CBS News


Let Freedom Ring | News | EDITORIAL: Passing unread laws

Yes, they should have to read the entire thing, every page, with their own eyes before voting on it.
 
Re: Should politicians be required by law to read the bill themselves before signing

.........
I dunno, politicians have other stuff to do than to read bills.
It'd kinda leave them no time for other kinds of work.

Exactly.
 
Re: Should politicians be required by law to read the bill themselves before signing

No it would not be even possible to read tens or hundreds of thousands of pages.
 
Re: Should politicians be required by law to read the bill themselves before signing

No it would not be even possible to read tens or hundreds of thousands of pages.

That's the point!
 
Re: Should politicians be required by law to read the bill themselves before signing

That's the point!

Good line but some laws such as the budget are going to be long. There also is the question of what is the role of a "representative?" Does everyone in Congress need to be a lawyer? What about the large amount of technical language including scientific that bills will contain? It would seem better for someone in Congress to have someone who actually understands the topic to read it and then explain it in language the representative can understand.
 
Re: Should politicians be required by law to read the bill themselves before signing

How would you ever hope to enforce this?

You can't. But most laws have crappy enforcement. But it will prevent the times where some dip**** politician claims to have "not known" something was in a bill. Really? Here's your fine.
 
Re: Should politicians be required by law to read the bill themselves before signing

I think this law makes about as much sense as requiring parents to read to their kids (this is a Florida law).

Really? If we have to force you by law to do this stuff, why even be there? Why get elected? Why become a parent?

Plus, there is simply no way to enforce it.
 
Re: Should politicians be required by law to read the bill themselves before signing

Sounds great in theory, but you presume that most members of Congress can read to begin with. Judging by the idiocies that are known to come from those fairly useless holes in the middle of their faces, I'd say the majority of politicians are functional illiterates.

Better course would be restricting bills to single items. No more omnibus spending bills or earmark amendments that have nothing to do with the original purpose of the legislation. Simply bills, shorten bills, then write them in crayon so the folks in Congress are comfortable reading them.
 
Re: Should politicians be required by law to read the bill themselves before signing

Enforcement should be pretty simple, if not to actually read the bill, then to at least be present while it's read.

Schedule a reading, require absolute silence in the Hall, and make presence for the entire reading mandatory to vote.

This is the sort of requirement we place on students, Congress should be able to live up to it.

People will of course say that such a requirment will never be implimented. It certainly won't.

Unless we demand it.
 
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Re: Should politicians be required by law to read the bill themselves before signing

Plus, there is simply no way to enforce it.

It's self-enforcing -- no politician will ever again publicly claim that they "didn't know" about something in a bill without there being a direct consequence, and if they refuse to claim ignorance we can hold them responsible for their votes.
 
Re: Should politicians be required by law to read the bill themselves before signing

No it would not be even possible to read tens or hundreds of thousands of pages.

Then they shouldn't make dictionary or encyclopedia size bills if it is too difficult for them to read.
 
Re: Should politicians be required by law to read the bill themselves before signing

I dunno, politicians have other stuff to do than to read bills.
It'd kinda leave them no time for other kinds of work.

To a point, I agree.
But they should learn how to write a bill that is readable, without extraneous wording. Take some lessions from our founding fathers...
 
Re: Should politicians be required by law to read the bill themselves before signing

Who in their right mind signs something before reading it? It is idiotic. The bills the politicians sign will affect American lives directly. They have the duty to actually read what is in a bill before they pass it. The notion that doing so is too much of a hassle is absurd. That is what politicians are paid for. We pay their salaries. They owe it to us to read the bills.

At the very least, politicians should have a chance to read the bills if they want to. Nobody in the House read the Cap and Trade bill because it was rushed through so quickly. Hundreds of pages were added at 3AM the morning of the vote. Nobody read the Stimulus package.

I dunno, politicians have other stuff to do than to read bills.
It'd kinda leave them no time for other kinds of work.
Other work? Like what? Campaign for their re-election? Have an affair in Argentina? Operate a gay prostitution ring in their basement?
 
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Re: Should politicians be required by law to read the bill themselves before signing

Yes they should read every line for the sake of the people!
 
Re: Should politicians be required by law to read the bill themselves before signing

Eh. Limit each bill to 5 pages. And require a debate of 20 minutes per bill and a maximum of 5 bills passed per day. Prior to the debate, a mandatory reading session of another 20 minutes for each bill. And read the bills out loud.

Simple bills. Mandatory reading and debate. Out loud. On Cspan.
 
Re: Should politicians be required by law to read the bill themselves before signing

Eh. Limit each bill to 5 pages. And require a debate of 20 minutes per bill and a maximum of 5 bills passed per day. Prior to the debate, a mandatory reading session of another 20 minutes for each bill. And read the bills out loud.

Simple bills. Mandatory reading and debate. Out loud. On Cspan.and force the general public to watch and listen and learn ???That would be a new one...
Quite good ideas....you must be a closet liberal....:rofl.
None of this is possible.....
We need law-makers who know a little about "economy of operation"...and RESPECT....
The entire system is in need of reform...
 
Re: Should politicians be required by law to read the bill themselves before signing

Eh. Limit each bill to 5 pages. And require a debate of 20 minutes per bill and a maximum of 5 bills passed per day. Prior to the debate, a mandatory reading session of another 20 minutes for each bill. And read the bills out loud.

Simple bills. Mandatory reading and debate. Out loud. On Cspan.

I think the politicians should be forced to read the bills and or the amendments they author out loud as well as explain it in layman's terms why we need in front of a tv camera and the other politicians should read the bills before voting for or against them and explain on why they voted for or against or why they took the chicken **** route of abstaining on tv. That said no one should be forced to watch it. The idea behind is to have volunteer groups,watchdog groups and opposing parties watch and record various clips so that the politician has the fear that he or she will metaphorically be hanged by his own words if they do something they shouldn't have. This would make the bills shorter since no one wants to stand there and read bills the size of dictionaries or a collection of encyclopedias. This would also eliminate a lot of unrelated spending and pork since no one would be able to sneak anything in since they would have to read out loud in front of the whole world.
 
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