Congress has a chronic legislation problem. They suffer from the belief that they are performing work or helping constituents when they are drafting legislation. Personally, I would like to see thousands of pages of legislation repealed. I think we should only have 300 pages of laws. That way, most people could read, understand, and therefore comply with the law. That being said, I put together a list that I believe can help everyone, including congress, identify bad legislation before it becomes law, and therefore improve the efforts from Washington DC.
Was it written by special interests or for special interests?
If the answer is “yes”, then it is probably bad legislation. Special interests rarely benefit the public at large, and most special interests groups would wither away were it not for the public teat that they so vigorously suck at to stay alive. Legislation funding special interests in any way should not become law.
Does it exempt certain groups of citizens?
ObamaCare is a great example of really bad legislation. It fails each one of the tests described in this list. But there is now a long list of states, unions, and groups of citizens that have been officially exempted from this law. Why? Laws should benefit all of the citizens, not just a few. If you have a law that will benefit 51 percent of our nation, then you need to start over.
Is congress exempted from the law?
I do not understand why people are not outraged when congress passes a turd of a law, and then exempts themselves from it. Congress has their own social security, health care, and retirement. They made special Cadillac programs for their exclusive benefit at the expense of Americans. It is unconstitutional, which means against the law since many Americans have trouble understanding what constitutional means.
Does it have a sunset provision?
A sunset provision means that congress was unable to do its job. They were afraid of the consequences of the law they passed. A good law does not need a sunset provision. If you know it needs to be re-evaluated down the road, then it is not a good law.
Does it have automatic annual budget increases?
Welcome to the corrupt and insane world of baseline budgeting. If your budget increases by 10 million and you only spend 5 million more than the previous year, you can claim to have cut 5 million out of your budget; even though you increased it!
Is it over 10 pages?
A copy of the US Constitution is only 10 pages. If the entire country could be outlined and managed with a 10 page document, why do we have laws today that are measured in thousands of pages? The answer: bad legislation. It is unreasonable to expect Americans to be familiar with thousands of pages of laws, and even our so-called representatives in congress are unable to read the bills before they pass them.
Is it an enumerated power in the US Constitution? Does it take power or oversight away from the states?
Good bye: Dept of Education, Dept of Labor, Dept of Housing and Urban Development, Dept of Health and Human Services, Dept of Energy, etc. These are just the bigger unconstitutional departments. The actual list of bureaus, offices, departments and agencies are several pages long. Abolishing them overnight would immediately end the current recession and begin to restore freedoms that have been stolen from Americans.
Did it originate as part of the “New Deal?”
The “New Deal”, just like Obama’s “Fundamental Transformation” of America is code word for imposing Communist/Marxist policies on Americans. Communism has starved or killed more people around the globe than all natural disasters or plagues combined. Beware of federal legislation that seizes control of, or legislates: education, health, labor, or the economy.
By now, you are thinking that most of the legislation of the last 70 years is unconstitutional, and you would be correct. The best way to save America and help Americans is not to pass more legislation. We need to demand that congress repeal legislation and remove government agencies. As for me, they want to call the Republican party the “Party of No.” As a Conservative, however, I’ll be the party of “HELL NO!”
