The
Rational Argumentator
No Sunlight on the Omnibus
One Christmas tradition Congress could do without is
the broken process of passing the annual Omnibus Spending Bill, which we
recently did right before the holiday recess.
Every December Congress fights and argues over
spending and never seems to be able to pass the necessary appropriations until
the very last minute. There is panic and threats of government shutdowns and
reduction in essential services. And they always threaten the essential
services, as if there is no waste they could possibly eliminate instead. This
past December, right on cue the administration warned about dire civilian
defense department layoffs if the money didn't come soon.
And so at the very last minute the Omnibus was rushed
through in a whirlwind, just in time to save the day. Members of Congress had
less than 24 hours to read the nearly 3,500 page bill before a vote was taken.
The bill was supposedly much too important to waste time reading it.
I feel differently. I feel the important bills are
the ones we should take especial care to closely examine.
However, we are led to believe that if the Omnibus
bill failed, horrible things would have happened. But the situation is a setup
that ensures our government spending balloons every year just as the elites and
special interests dictate. The vast majority of Members of Congress don't
actually know what the money is being spent on until after passage and by then
it is too late.
To address this flawed and corruptible process, I have
proposed a very simple change called the Sunlight Rule, which mandates that
bills be presented to Congress and staff for review in their final form no less
than 10 days before they come to the floor for a vote. This would allow the
representatives of the American people time to read the bills before having to
make a decision on them. Every now and then you hear criticisms of congressmen
and women for not reading the bills. That is a problem, however in cases like
the Omnibus spending bills, a few hours is not nearly enough time to comb
through and evaluate the hundreds of pages they contain. The rules do not
currently specify any amount of time that must be allotted for Congress to read
or deliberate any legislation before a vote. That needs to change.
Congress should read the bills. But to do
that requires an appropriate amount of time. More appropriately phrased,
Congress should be ALLOWED to read the bills. And no member of Congress should,
in good conscience, vote affirmatively on a bill they haven't fully
analyzed.
I am hoping that in the New Year more of my
colleagues will resolve to take a stand for honesty and due diligence in
representing the people of this country and that we can enact the Sunlight
Rule. With it, we will be a wiser, more open Congress and our decisions in
Congressman Ron Paul of
To learn more about Congressman
Ron Paul, visit his Congressional Home
Page.
See Ron Paul's official website regarding his run for President in 2008.
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