The Read the Bills Act

The REAL ID Act is a cruel, cruel law. This act, by itself, failed to pass the Senate. That is why Rep. James Sensenbrenner tacks it on to a war spending and tsunami bill, which passed both Houses easily. This REAL ID will require every American to get a national ID with national characters which will be scanned through a national database, with additional requirements made solely by the Secretary of Homeland Security...can you say, "Your papers, please!"

Now, there is the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. This act is not so cruel as the REAL ID Act, but it is meaningless. Gambling, like drugs and prostitution, is a victimless crime. Besides, there are legal Indian casinos, horse tracks, and even government-run lotteries. So by itself, this act would be hard to pass. That is what Sen. Bill Frist foresaw. So he shoved this bill to a port security bill, which again passed both Houses easily when Congress was trying to finish so they can start campaigning for re-election.

This first law hurts every American. This last law hurts American businesses and American poker players. Both are dishonest laws pass in a dishonest way. And I know the next dishonest law is on the way.

Putting these two bills into a "must-pass" bills is deceiving. They knew the bills will pass with very little deliberation and examination. There must be a cure to this system, and DownsizeDC has it. It is called "Read the Bills Act". It says that every congressperson must, by penalty of perjury, read (or have read) the entire law, plus amendments, before it can be passed. And it has a seven-day grace period before it can be voted. In that way, the laws Congress will write will be shorter and simpler, and Congress will be honest. No more REAL ID Act, and no more Internet Gambling Act.

DownsizeDC also has a "Write the Laws Act" , where only Congress alone can write laws, not be lazy and delegate to someone else who will write laws for them (e.g., the Federal Reserve). In the near future, DownsizeDC will introduce the "One Subject at a Time Act" (the title speaks for itself; "One Subject at a Time" also will definitely cure those two deseases mention above). Now, I have little confidence in asking Congress to do anything (I rather would do it myself), but if that is the case, I want DownsizeDC to back me up.