Speed reader on Cap. Hill. Was this supposed to be funny?

[inchworm]

I saw a clip today that Congress hired a speed reader to read the 900- page climate bill out loud so fast that no one could understand any of it. Then the speed reader didn't even finish it. Not to mention that not a single person who voted on it read (or listened to) the whole thing! Who's stupid idea was this? Was it supposed to be funny? I consider it an insulting mockery and a total waste of taxpayer money. I'm totally disillusioned. I doubt I will ever vote for an incumbent again --of any party. What a group of buffoons.

Inchworm

 

[patandchickens]

Look, it's just a stupid anachronism lingering in the rules of congress. They have to read a bill out loud before it gets voted on. This probably made sense in 1790 before the invention of mimeograph machines and congressional aides; but these days, it is not like ANYBODY is relying on the read out loud version of anything. They have electronic, not to mention printed, copies to peruse at leisure.

It is not something to get all in a swivet about.

Best to have it speed-read so's not to waste undue amounts of TIME, anyhow

Pat

 

[Big Daddy]

That's true. Everybody makes a big deal about the congressmen not reading the bills all the way through. They have multiple aids that read the bills for them and give them a summary of pertinent points and how they will effect their re-election chances. Then they decide how to vote. They don't have time to read a 900 page bill. How long does it take you to read a 300 page novel? Take it times 3 then x 3 again for the legalese and boredom factor.

 

[reinbeau]

What should get everyone in a swivet is that they don't even read what they pass! And inchworm, I don't blame you a bit for being upset by it. They damned well should read and understand what they're passing, not have dribs and drabs spoon fed to them. Cutting them slack because it 'takes too long' is precisely the reason why we're in the state we're in now. Everyone gets a pass. I can't say the word I want to say.

 

[Big Daddy]

What should get everyone in a swivet is that they don't even read what they pass! And inchworm, I don't blame you a bit for being upset by it. They damned well should read and understand what they're passing, not have dribs and drabs spoon fed to them. Cutting them slack because it 'takes too long' is precisely the reason why we're in the state we're in now. Everyone gets a pass. I can't say the word I want to say. http://annzoid.com/images/smileys/thun.gif

Well lets see. You are a congressman wanting to understand what's in a bill. It's only 900 pages, so you read it a paragraph at a time. You need to make a lot of notes because you aren't a super computer and by the time you get to page 50 you have forgotten most of what you read. So for every bill they pass and all the different changes they make the congressman is expected to read and make notes then a summary and figure it out.

Back to the real world. A congressman is like a CEO. They have peons to do all the scutt work. Add in the fact that a congressman has to raise 20,000 every day to get enough money to run for re-election. They don't have enough hours in the day to read every word of all the bills they vote on. Then do all the glad handing and dinners and speeches and baby kissing and all the other wasted stuff they need to do to maintain their power. It's politics and it will never change because they make the rules.

 

[reinbeau]

Oh, yea, they're way too important to be bothered with all of those details. Right. Sorry, but I don't buy it. Back to the real world, which is crumbling beneath us because a bunch of morons in Washington couldn't be bothered to read one of the most far reaching, expensive, convoluted bill at all before they voted on it - the so-called Stimulus bill. What was it, something like 16 hours from the time it was posted until they voted? They most definitely aren't too busy to read what is going to affect the lives of millions for generations. So people like you can accept that bad behavior from them - and people like me will continue to try to force change. Real change, not slogans.

 

[Wifezilla]

If you are an elected official, and your job is to pass laws, I think reading and understanding what you vote for would be a prime requirement of the job.

If their PEONS are doing all the work, lets save ourselves a lot of money and get rid of the congress and just keep the peons.

 

[sylvie]

Why not set limits on the length of the bill so that it can be read and understood in the allotted time before voting?
Hire better bill writers rather than than speed readers.
Hire real bill writers rather than those supplied by special interests and lobbyists.

Those in Congress participating in the crafting of the bill know what it contains, but the legalese in the final form is what makes it massive.
IMO.

 

[FarmerChick]

A speed reader is just not useful period. If it can't be understood, why bother?

BUT Congressmen etc. must have assistants. NO ONE can read all that is needed of them in that office....therefore the assistants read certain info, take their notes etc. and pass that info on so an informed decision can be made....off that brief info, a person can pick out what might need to be questioned etc. etc.

And the next people, the peon, might be your next Congressman, you never know, so they need the experience also in learning all the jumble.

 

[Aidenbaby]

I'm with Sylvie. But better yet, on top of making the bills shorter, why don't they put it into plain old English? That way, those of us that don't speak legaleze can understand it. I'm not a dumb person; I've tried to read some of this type of work and frankly find it difficult to get beyond the first paragraph. How are we supposed to know our rights and know what tax dollars are spent on if we can't read the instructions?