It's Broke. Time to fix it. Article #1

It's broke . . .

Okay, so we got politicians in Washington that are known to do the least amount of damage when they are on recess. The economy has a spike upwards, the stock market is strengthened, and, due to the lack of toxic hot air spewing from those who only love the sound of their own voices, the temperature in our nation's capital returns to non-global-warming levels. But since they DO spend time in Washington pushing through legislation, and since that seems to be their only purpose (spending the PEOPLE'S money), here is an idea to help control the fiscal damage they produce: One Bill, One Vote, No Riders.

One of the reasons that spending is so out of control, is that there are so many items attached to a bill that has nothing to do with the original bill. You have heard the phrase "pork-barrel spending".

Initial bill (thanks Schoolhouse Rock!)



After the bill makes the political rounds . . .

How in the world does money to investigate the affect of fruit flies on road construction have to do with defense spending? (Okay, I made that example up, but to be honest, the actual spending is less believable.) Nothing. Not a thing. So, how do those things possibly pass? They pass as riders. Have you heard John Kerry say he voted FOR something BEFORE he voted against something? Once you have picked yourself up from the floor, and think about it, you realize he may ACTUALLY be telling the truth. Here's how: He voted FOR something only because he was voting FOR something that this particular item was attached to. When that same item later comes up for a vote he can vote against it. You see, just because a politician voted on something in a way you disliked, does not mean he was not properly representing you. You have to determine if the item was a rider on a bill that he SHOULD have voted for. (This logic also works in the reverse.) By the way, this was only an example; he may really be as insane as he sounds.

The solution is that each bill presented ONLY receives a vote for THAT bill. No riders. If you want spending to take place for that bridge to nowhere, it MUST be voted on separately. This would first eliminate such spending (who wants to admit to ACTUALLY voting for such things), and second, provide a more accurate voting record to view at election time.

And one other thing: with One Bill, One Vote, No Riders, the need for a Presidential line-item veto becomes moot.

. . . time to fix it!

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