One of Nancy Pelosi’s famous lines was, “We need to pass the bill so we can find out what is in the bill.” We all laughed. We thought she was trying to push the legislation. Actually it is worse than that: She was stating the standard operating procedure (SOP) of our elected officials. With the passing of the recent spending bill it is obvious that the Republicans at least never read a bill until after it is passed and then they only read it to find out what loopholes they can use for their own personal benefit. We see this pattern over and over again.
Is there any way that we can cut the pork and earmarks out of the legislative process? There is but I am not sure the voting public has the drive or attention span needed to produce results. We need to keep a record of what our elected officials do and when it is time to vote try to get rid of the ones that don’t measure up. We also need to be willing to give up our pet projects for the good of the country. Keep in mind that one man’s bacon is another man’s pork.
It also involves getting more involved in the primary process. California has gutted their elections with open primaries and voter registration. Those of us that have not been overwhelmed by the one party state need to get involved before the party’s candidate is selected. In many areas the winner of the primary is a done deal in the general election in both parties.
So can you name your representatives? I know my state senator and congressman. I need to learn my state assembly member. I then need to find out how they have voted on bills I think are key to the survival of the Republic. If I am successful I will wax more eloquent. If I bog down you won’t hear about it again.
homo unius libri
Ignorance is the greatest handicap of the American voter.
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