‘Republicans Didn’t Read the Bill’, and Other Possible Common Ground between Progressives and Conservatives

To our left-leaning friends currently criticizing Republicans in the House for apparently not having read the bill they just passed, a few thoughts:

1.  I agree with you!  Seriously, to that extent, shame on Republicans in Congress.  “‘I don’t think any individual has read the whole bill,’ Representative Tom Garrett of Virginia said.”  This is no way to run a republic.  We elect these men to represent us; the parliamentary work of crafting and considering bills is literally their job.  Bothering to read the thing is almost literally the least they could do.

The Latest on the Cincinnati Parking Sell-out: Referendum Kick-off Drew Surprisingly Large Crowd; Court Hearing This Week on Whether to Allow Referendum

Yesterday, according to WCPO:

CINCINNATI – People who oppose the city’s new parking plan began collecting signatures Sunday in an effort to get the issue on the November ballot.

The kick off event, led by Cincinnati City Councilmember Christopher Smitherman, Amy Murray and Pete Witte, took place Sunday at Oakley Square.

Witte said the event exceeded expectations, especially because of the short turnaround time event organizers had to put it together.

Walker Wins, 53-46

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker beat the recall yesterday.

Tightening the Belt?

(Tightening the screws?)

I’ve talked before (here and here) about the possibility of a constitutional amendment to address the structural problems with our democracy that make it tend toward a more and more bloated government.  Apparently Senator Orrin Hatch has proposed a balanced-budget amendment several times before, but this time, as I’ve suggested, the current political climate could actually make it happen.  In fact, this writer says that new Senator Rand Paul will also be proposing a balanced-budget amendment of his own.  Better too many than too few!

In other news, I’m encouraged to hear that new Tea Party-type congressmen and the American people may actually be serious about dealing with the problem of government spending.

Update (February 10th, 2011): National Review Online reports (with links to further details) that the conservatives have won this internal debate among House Republicans:  “GOP Will Fulfill ‘Pledge,’ Cut $100 Billion”.  It’s only one battle, but as far as it goes, I think this is great news!

New Patch on Old Cloth?

(Or do I just want to teach an old dog an old trick?)

The Constitution originally provided that, while the members of the House of Representatives would be elected directly by the people, members of the Senate would be chosen by state legislatures.  This part of the Constitution remained unchanged for most of our country’s history.  Then, about a hundred years ago, the Seventeenth Amendment made senators directly elected, like congressmen.