the auroran sunset (![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} tithonus) wrote,@ 2005-09-21 09:42:00 |
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| Current mood: |  tired |
| Current music: | Deep Blue Something - Breakfast At Tiffany's |
| Entry tags: | congress, constitution, corruption, politics, porkbusters, reform, us politics |
calls for a "truth-in-legislation" amendment
as mentioned previously， the us congress is currently in political problems and many are attempting to use these problems as an opportunity to force reform。
at the time i mentioned term limits。 i have since mentioned the "porkbusters"' attacks on financial corruption。 yet another interesting angle of attack is the "truth-in-legislation" amendment：
A single-subject, descriptive-title (hereinafter, SSDT) requirement for all Congressional bills — more popularly labeled a truth-in-legislation amendment as suggested by law professor Brannon Denning and attorney Brooks Smith (see their “Uneasy Riders: The Case for a Truth-in-Legislation Amendment,” 1999 Utah Law Review 858) — would only help cure some of the legislative abuses inflicted upon the populace by both chambers of Congress. The Denning/Smith version would read: "Congress shall pass no bill, and no bill shall become law, which embraces more than one subject, that subject being clearly expressed in the title."
The SSDT rule has roots as far back as Roman law. [...] Forty states require the SSDT rule for state bills. [...]
Admittedly, an attempt to place the SSDT requirement into the U.S. Constitution was defeated in the Senate during a previous Republican administration, that of Lincoln in 1864; a SSDT amendment proposed by Kentucky Sen. Powell was defeated by a 37-6 margin.
The SSDT rule has roots as far back as Roman law. [...] Forty states require the SSDT rule for state bills. [...]
Admittedly, an attempt to place the SSDT requirement into the U.S. Constitution was defeated in the Senate during a previous Republican administration, that of Lincoln in 1864; a SSDT amendment proposed by Kentucky Sen. Powell was defeated by a 37-6 margin.
while most are suggesting such an amendment on the basis of cutting pork and horse-trading， it would also have the advantage of greatly slowing the congress， as each item of likely-dubious new law would have to be debated separately。
this has the potential to snowball。。 if those interested can keep the pressure on and focussed。 a chance for america to once more demonstrate why it leads the world。 "all that is needed for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing"。
