I spoke last weekend to the San Diego Libertarian Party. Sue was with me. We made new friends. We put faces to names of friends I’ve only corresponded with. We connected with old friends: Several DC Downsizers were there.
I thought my speech went quite well. The questions were awesome. And I’m pleased to see this letter to the editor.
This letter to the editor of the San Diego Union-Tribune is concise and on the mark!
February 3, 2006
Make legislators read their legislation
Recent editorials have identified some of the many problems with Congress. While these editorials are long on rhetoric about special interests, earmarking, K Street lobbyists, etc., they all lack any workable solutions.
An innovative approach proposed by DownSizeDC.org is the “Read the Bills Act.” Under RTBA, every senator and representative would be required to attend sessions where bills would be read to them in their entirety. If RTBA were to come to a vote, it would be political suicide to vote against it because any member of Congress doing so would be taking the position that they don’t want to know what they are voting on.
Imagine how concise bills would then become. Huge omnibus bills would likely become a thing of the past (who would want to listen while 1,000-plus pages are read to them?). And if bills containing earmarks and special-interest concessions were exposed to the light of day, it’s less likely that they would be passed as well. Perhaps then we would truly no longer have “legislation without representation.”
MEL PINNEY
San Diego
THANKS MEL!
OK DC Downsizers, now it’s your turn!