Congressman John Conyers Says There's No Purpose to Reading Health Bill

During his speech at a National Press Club luncheon, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Democratic Congressman John Conyers  (D-Mich.), questioned the point of lawmakers reading the health care bill.“I love these members, they get up and say, ‘Read the bill,What good is reading the bill if it’s a thousand pages and you don’t have two days and two lawyers to find out what it means after you read the bill? Source

Now we know the reason the Democratic Congress does not read the bills they pass, the legislation is too complicated for them to understand.  Is it too much to ask that our "representatives" understand what they are voting on? for the This is a shocking betrayal of the public trust, a betrayal that has happened often during this congress.

• This past February, the Congress voted on an almost $800 billion stimulus bill that they hadn't read. This one bill single-handedly increased the national debt by 160%.  The bill was over 800 pages, and the members of the House received the bill at 11 pm the night before they were to vote on it. The vote couldn't be delayed because Nancy Pelosi was going on vacation to Italy.

• When the House Energy committee passed the "cap and tax" bill. The legislation was over 900 pages, once again the people voting for the bill hadn't read it. In fact, committee chair and one of the bill's sponsors, Congressman Waxman admitted that he didn't even know what was in his own bill (see video).

• Congressman Waxman thought the suggestion that his committee members read the tax and trade bill before they vote on it  was so funny that he "flipped the bird to the voters" by hiring a speed reader to present the bill:

• When the final 1,200 page bill passed the house, there was no time for the Congressmen to read the bill, especially the last 300 pages which were added to the bill at 3am the day of the final vote even if they wanted to.

• Many Voters have asked their representatives to make a pledge to read a bill before they vote on it, a very reasonable request. Congressman Steny Hoyer found this request hilarious.

This raise the question, "why are we electing these people?"  or at the very least, "why are we paying them?" They don't read what they are voting on, and by admission they wouldn't understand the bill even if they had read it (or maybe they don't want to take the time)

Time and again our Congress proves the famous words of John Adams:

In my many years I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm, and three or more is a congress.