Posted by
Disgruntled in NY on Monday, August 03, 2009 11:16:51 AM
I think the "read the bill" issue is resonating with many voters because it is an issue that does not require any specific knowledge or expertise to understand. Voters by necessity delegate decision making authority to elected officials who are supposed to immerse themselves in details needed in order to determine a prudent course of action (for example, with respect to healthcare or any one of a number of other different complex issues). Many voters are upset with those of their representatives who don't "read the bill" because such representatives appear to have abandoned the trust that many (most? all?) voters have placed in them to make decisions on their behalf. Although there may be times of true emergency when it will not be possible for all of our representatives to have read every word of a statute they vote for, healthcare is most certainly not one of those times. Many bills are passed before they "see the light of day" because, as we know sunlight is the best disinfectant.