Saturday, June 27, 2009

Where are those Tory supporters of Obama?

President Obama and the White House has officially abandoned yet another promise that was going to make his administration so wondrous to behold and live under. During his campaign he made it clear that once legislation is passed by Congress it will be posted on the internet for five days before he signs it, so people can read and comment. No law is law in the US until the President has signed it.

Having not done as he had promised so far, he has now announced that it will not happen. There are all kinds of excuses but the problem is that socialists like President Obama want to push through as much legislation as possible in as short space of time as possible. Popular reaction and transparency would get in the way.

This is of particular importance at this stage:
The explanation of the policy change also presupposes that there is meaningful opportunity for public involvement while legislation is still pending and subject to revision. Yet as the debate over the Waxman-Markey climate change bill illustrates, this is not a fair assumption. As Jim notes below, the House is preparing to vote on an 1,000-plus-page bill that was subject to a 300-page amendment last night — an amendment that was not even available to many members of Congress until today. Most members of Congress have had no meaningful opportunity to read, let alone digest, the bill. The same is true for most legislative staff. Forget the public.

If legislation of this sort, which establishes the first-ever regulatory controls on the most ubiquitous byproduct of modern industrial society, imposes new efficiency requirements on all-manner of appliances and consumer products, could trigger the imposition of tariffs on foreign products (likely in violation of U.S. trade commitments), furthers the federal government's environmentally destructive love affair with corn-based ethanol, contains numerous provisions drafted or urged by various special interest groups, and (at least in one version) contained provisions designed to create a
national housing code, can be adopted by a House of Congress within hours of being written (let alone becoming public), then any claim of transparency in government is a farce.
As we know the Waxman-Markey passed the House, 219 to 212. How many of those 219 read the Bill or the 300 page Amendment? And the public? Oh well, they can just lump it.

Where are all those Tory supporters now?

4 comments:

  1. I guess the 52% must be getting confused by now, perhaps this could be used for a test for common sense, Obama?, global warming caused by man? answer yes to one or both and you fail and no one should trust your judgement, or even allow you to vote.

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  2. Ivan the Yid from BradfordJune 28, 2009 at 2:00 PM

    Come on Helen. You have a long quote in your posting beginning : 'The explanation of the policy change . . ' Two whole paragraphs of quote in fact. Where is the quote from ? Could you please show sources/links to quotes, it makes your postings more informative .

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  3. The quote is from Volokh Conspiracy to which there is a link in the previous paragraph. Key word: announced. Follow it and you will find the whole story from which I quoted two paragraphs.

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  4. Those 8 Republicans will have the devil of a time getting reelected....if that is their plan. Hopefully, the Senate will kill the entire scheme, but they cannot be trusted as one should have concluded after the impreachment trial of Clinton.... They never looked at that evidence at all.... Gee, just like the House reps who never read the Waxman-Markey!

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