... regardless of party. The very minimum we the people can do is insist that our representatives actually READ the bills they vote on! IMO, voting on (for or against) bills without even reading them should be a fireable offense, regardless of the party they belong to.
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Defending Liberty in Congress
By Rep. Justin Amash
October 10, 2016
...
A couple weeks ago, the House considered H.R. 5606, the so-called Anti-terrorism Information Sharing Is Strength Act, or the “Anti-ISIS Act.” I’m sure you won’t be surprised to hear that this bill has little to do with stopping terrorism. It was listed among the suspension bills for the week, meaning leadership intended to have it fast-tracked through the House, skipping committee and all the other normal procedures. In exchange for the fast-track process, suspension bills need a two-thirds majority to pass instead of just a simple majority.
Unlike most offices, my staff and I actually read all the bills—yes, even the suspension bills. ... Most offices take leadership at their word when a bill is put on the suspension calendar—they assume that if it’s up under suspension, it must be fine. Needless to say, that’s not how my office works. We read and think about each and every bill...
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To everyone's surprise, the bill failed, read why - Cato's Letter Vol. 14 No. 4 http://tinyurl.com/zuevbzd |
