Posted on 07/08/2009 11:34:19 AM PDT by yoe
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said Tuesday that the health-care reform bill now pending in Congress would garner very few votes if lawmakers actually had to read the entire bill before voting on it.
“If every member pledged to not vote for it if they hadn’t read it in its entirety, I think we would have very few votes,” Hoyer told CNSNews.com at his regular weekly news conference.
Hoyer was responding to a question from CNSNews.com on whether he supported a pledge that asks members of the Congress to read the entire bill before voting on it and also make the full text of the bill available to the public for 72 hours before a vote.
In fact, Hoyer found the idea of the pledge humorous, laughing as he responded to the question. “I’m laughing because a) I don’t know how long this bill is going to be, but it’s going to be a very long bill,” he said.
“Members clearly--and staff and review boards, they read them in their entirety. They go over it with members, and members read substantial portions of the bill themselves, but the issue is--I don’t know who signed this (pledge), but frankly the opposition has been very vociferous, not of the verbiage and bill, but on the concept that it incorporates,” Hoyer said.
Let Freedom Ring, a Delaware-based conservative organization, is circulating a pledge that asks members of Congress to promise to read the entirety of the final text of a health-care reform bill before they vote on it. They also are asking that the full bill be made available for review by the public for 72 hours before Congress votes on it.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnsnews.com:80 ...
All guilty, including the Republicans. Throw the traitors out...NOW.
umm..the tossing starts in 2010
I hope in 2010 that WE have the last laugh on these arrogant looters.
Tatt
Does anyone donate to the RNC anymore?
___________
Not me, not until they get rid of Steele. No way in hell. I donate to real conservative candidates regardless of what state they are in.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090513/ap_on_go_co/us_house_ethics_1
Article not found or expired on Yahoo! News
well what do you know
Here’s my response from my Senator Sherrod Brown, after I asked for his support of a bill allowing reasonable time for Senators to read a bill before the vote. Note, I did not indicate support for any act requiring the bills be read aloud. That’s his own take. I just asked for adequate time- a few days to a week.
“Thank you for expressing your support for the “Read the Bills Act,” an initiative of the group Downsize DC.
The sentiment behind this proposal – that elected representatives should understand what they are voting on – is a commendable one. The dangers of rushed debate have been amply illustrated in the past.
Unfortunately, this proposal would result in practically blocking any action by Congress at all. It requires that every bill, every amendment to every bill, and every law amended by every bill, be read aloud on the floor, before either chamber of Congress may vote. It also requires that, before voting, Members of Congress swear under penalty of perjury that they have sat through the entire recitation or previously completed the required reading. And it gives anyone the right to seek injunctive relief to prevent implementation of the resulting law, based on a claim that a single representative took a bathroom break during the marathon reading of an underlying provision of law.
I believe in developing legislation that would meaningfully and practically reform the House rules to give every representative an opportunity to look over pending legislation before casting a vote. I also believe that votes on major legislation should not be taken in the middle of the night, allowing the American people a practical opportunity to monitor the business being done in their name.
Thank you for sharing your views on congressional accountability.
Sincerely,
Sherrod Brown
United States Senator”
“Not me, not until they get rid of Steele”
I would love to know the names of the brain surgeons who put Steele in power.
Back door tyranny
When do we stop talking and get physical?
Tyranny:
1. arbitrary or unrestrained exercise of power; despotic abuse of authority.
2. the government or rule of a tyrant or absolute ruler.
3. a state ruled by a tyrant or absolute ruler.
4. oppressive or unjustly severe government on the part of any ruler.
5. undue severity or harshness.
6. a tyrannical act or proceeding.
I think that definition 1 sums it up pretty well, Steny!
P.S.: Get a man’s name.
Sherrod, Sherrod, I don't see how such an outcome could be called "unfortunate"! ;-)
Sorry, but there is NO ONE running the GOP. If they can't make political hay on this one, they can't make political hay!
So...the bills are too massive for the congress critters to read before voting? Well........how about they pass simple bills that only take one page to explain? I guess that would be too easy, or else make it too hard for them to hide their duplicity.
NOT ONE MORE PENNY TO THE RNC until the place is fixed...
As I recall, a few weeks ago the House Dems brought in a speed-reader to read one of these monstrosities if the Republicans so demanded. So the Republican leadership folded like the cheap suit they are. Make them read these ******* things.... but no: they’ve no testicular fortitude (as Gene Burns used to say).
What an ass.
““I’m laughing because a) I don’t know how long this bill is going to be, but it’s going to be a very long bill,” he said.”
Was there no “b)”?
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