At 34 hours, health bill a longer read than Harry Potter
<< Coburn and Obama >>
It’s true that politics are tough to talk about at parties, and often it’s wise to keep one’s political opinions at bay, but this is just too good to pass up. Regardless if you are a Republican, Democrat, or somewhere in the middle, this piece of information is a telling tale of bloated government tactics. It’s practiced on both sides, so it’s best that we laugh at it rather than cry.
It turns out that Senate rules provide the right for a bill to be read in its entirety before debate on it begins. Another rule suggests “three readings prior to its passage.”1 These seem like logical rules – if a bill can’t be read and fully understood by all those voting on a matter, how can a genuine voting process possibly occur?
Here’s where it gets humorous and sad all at the same time. The ever popular health bill, which still needs to be approved by the Senate, is a ridiculous 2,074 pages long! We’re talking longer than two of the longest Harry Potter books, people! Republicans may request that the bill be read in its entirety, and it is estimated that it would take about 34 hours to finish! Oklahoma Republican Tom Coburn was the one pushing for it but has since backed off. Either way, his point has been made.
Whatever your affiliation, everyone can agree that 2,000 pages for a single bill is absurd. “Earmarks,” “pork barrel politics,” or whatever else you want to call it, it’s simply preposterous. At least now you can talk about it at your next dinner though!
Read on:
Associated Press – GOP senator backs off threat to read health bill
msnbc.com – Lincoln ‘still reviewing’ health bill
OpEdNews.com – Let Us Read the Health Bill Before You Pass It (from July ’09)
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows special sneak peek. Behind the scenes footage and a teaser clip for the film, which is due out at the end of next year. http://digg.com/d31C8yY