Speed Reading Legislation--No Joke!

You know the radio commercials that make a joke about fine print by having a speed reader breathlessly read through the required material?

That's how our current majority in Congress views the legislation they pass.

One of the few tactics open to a legislative minority in the U.S. Congress is to demand that the full text of any law be read before a vote. Given the size and utterly incoherent complexity of virtually all legislation these days, this is an onerous and time-consuming task.

Democrats have come up with a response. They've hired a speed reader:

Democrats in the House Energy and Commerce Committee have taken a novel precaution to head off Republican efforts to slow action this week on a sweeping climate bill. They are hiring a speed reader. Republicans on the committee have said they may force the reading of the entire 946-page bill -- as well as major amendments that measure several hundred pages -- all aloud. This is a procedure lawmakers have a right to invoke.

Legislators have become so accustomed to not actually reading the bills they vote on, that they're willing to publicly flaunt a procedural requirement to do just that. That they are not embarrassed by this fact reveals their utter contempt for the citizens who have to abide by the reckless laws they pass, under threat of prosecution.