’)Laws applying to 300 million people will, by design, be long. That’s just a fact, and not only is conservative bellyaching about long bills stupid… it’s hypocritical.
Five of the top 10 longest bills in the past decade were written by Republicans. In fact, the House health care bill is a mere 68 words shorter than a transportation measure introduced in ‘05 by Alaska Republican Rep. Don Young.
Here’s the top 10, with GOP bills in bold:
1. 314,900 words, ‘Affordable Health Care for American Act,’ 2009, Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.)
2. 314,832 words, ‘Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users,’ 2005, Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska)
3. 314,573 words, ‘Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,’ 2009, Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.)
4. 296,111 words, ‘Consolidated Appropriations Act,’ 2005, Rep. James Kolbe (R-Ariz.)
5. 276,849 words, ‘Consolidated Appropriations Act,’ 2008 Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.)
6. 274,559 words, ‘No Child Left Behind Act,’ 2001, Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio)
7. 258,205 words, ‘National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008,’ Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.)
8. 250,286 words, ‘Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008,’ Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.)
9. 246,984 words, ‘Consolidated Appropriations Resolution,’ 2003, Rep. Bill Young (R-Fla.)
10. 226,492 words, ‘Energy Policy Act,’ 2005, Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas)
You’re talking about a bunch of people who would bitch if their ice cream was cold.
You don’t understand. If it happened YESTERDAY, the GOP has forgotten about it.
Bonus, and let me be the first: IOKIYAR
“read the bill!”-Greta Van Surgery
Did you catch this foolery over at Redstate?
Words in the Senate healthcare bill:
(including the various forms of each, e.g. plural)
Pages = 2074
Shall or Shall Not = 3607
Provide = 1910
May or May Not = 1047
Secretary = 2500
Penalty = 163
Sanction = 8
Oversight = 39
Study = 150
Report = 789
Require = 1025
Authority = 115
Culture = 40
Allow = 162
Cost = 562
Fund = 563
Fee = 234
Tax = 183
“Internal Revenue…” = 104
Enforce = 47
Government = 117
Qualify = 482
Apply = 1741
Monitor = 55
Rule = 310
Certify = 177
Law = 283
Authorize = 408
Reasonable = 61
Compare to:
Freedom = 2
Free = 15
Liberty = 0
Choice = 40
Choose = 4
Own = 11
Constitution = 0
Federalism = 0
Words in the Senate healthcare bill:
(including the various forms of each, e.g. plural)
Pages = 2074
etc. etc.
The downside of a searchable on-line document.
Also:
Apple pie = 0
Right to Life = 0
Chimps on unicycles = 0
Ten Commandments = 0
Marge Simpson = 0
“Whoa, dude” = 0
On the other hand, I counted no less than three “don’t tase me, bro” citations in the Bill. And Section 2687 is the most convoluted and sneaky RickRolling ever.
And it isn’t just the length, it’s the time being granted by the Masters of the Congress to actually see what it’s saying. God forbid anyone should actually READ the law that nationalizes one-sixth of the economy…
“And it isn’t just the length”
Don’t believe it. They’re just trying to make you feel better.
“it’s the time being granted by the Masters of the Congress to actually see what it’s saying. God forbid anyone should actually READ the law that nationalizes one-sixth of the economy”
That’s a silly point imo.
1. Members of the House and Senate have had plenty of time to read their respective bill. All the time these clowns spend whimpering ‘mommy, teacher made me read a book and its soooooo long’ would be laughable if so many people who’d snicker at their kids for such a line didn’t swallow this one hook, line, and sinker. But as I note below these lying clowns weren’t going to read it anyway. They know how they will vote already and they won’t waste their time.
2. The very premise implies a naive belief that our representatives read any bill at all. With very few exceptions – they subsocntact their homework to their aides. With the exception of those sitting on committees where bills come up for negotation and discussion, by the time a bill reaches the House or Senate floor – these clowns will vote on ideology and not content. At best they’ll get a summary from their legislative assistants. At worst they’ll get a visit from an assortment of lobbyists and swallow those descriptions of the context.
What is really saddening when you are up here and watching this up close is how absolutely pedestrian our elected officials are. People with first-rate minds, people who actually study the issues rather than simply make sound-byte sized pontifications about them are few and far between.
And just in case it wasn’t clear my comments about the low levels of intelligence, dilligence, and probity found in our hallowed halls of congress aren’t limited to Republicans. They are of general applicability.
the law that nationalizes one-sixth of the economy…
Aw, and you were doin’ so well up to there. Too bad.
Comments like that just make me think we on the left just need to embrace our most socialist impulses on some of these issues. I’m more conservative than your average liberal, but especially after the last year I’m more than willing to jump on the nationalized Canada/UK style hippie liberal health care system.
#1. NCLB was written by Kennedy. Boehner’s bill is just a stenographic copy.
#2. Republicans controlled the House for 7 years (and the Senate for 5.5) and yet *only* have 5 out of 10? The statistics say they should have written at least 65% of the bills.
PS: Who wants to be that Democratics are WELL represented in spots #11-25? Otherwise, why stop at 10?
Happy Thanksgiving to You and Yours!
Is this a rebuttal?
Why do I get the feeling that the people complaining about the length of the bill also used to whine to their school teachers about the length of Lord of the Flies as well?
#2. Republicans controlled the House for 7 years (and the Senate for 5.5) and yet *only* have 5 out of 10? The statistics say they should have written at least 65% of the bills.
Good point. You see, unlike the Democrats trying to get shit done, all the Republicans did was whine about how gays and liberals were destroying the country.
how gays and liberals were destroying the country.
You mean they aren’t?
#1. NCLB was written by Kennedy. Boehner’s bill is just a stenographic copy.
Well, forgive us for not giving the GOP something less onerous to copy.