State of the Union by Carl Moore

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Buzzy-One said, 3 months ago

Markie one note, say something worthwhile,will ya instead of always the same wornout ideological crackpot mess.
omQ R said, 3 months ago

A Sisyphean challenge?
slug_queen said, 3 months ago

Mark, abortion has never been part of the health care package. That’s bovine exhaust on your part.

And dear, dear Carl. Obviously he’s forgotten Medicare, which is government run and pretty durn well at that.

But even better- there’s a government-run healthcare program out there that is efficient, well, run, and covers millions. And just who is this program?

TriCare. It covers our military and their families, and has consistent high marks among the insurance industry. (http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS211409+16-Jan-2009+BW20090116)

Government CAN do health care, and they can do it well. And i-d-i-o-t-s like Carl Moore, who isn’t doing anything constructive towards solving the current problem should be ashamed of themselves. It’s not like they have an actual solution.
sablebrush5 said, 3 months ago

One of the aspects to government-run healthcare not talked about much is the effect it has on the most important development in healthcare in the last century.

Beginning about the 1900s or so medical care stopped being a negative and began to be a positive. That is, up until then, most doctors’ efforts actually made patients worse rather than better (blood-letting etc.). But about that time, medicine took off and began to seriously improve the health of patients. Since then the pace of improvement has accelerated. It is this steadily increasing improvement in science and medicine that is the goose that lays the golden eggs - increasing longevity and health.

When government takes over the healthcare system this steadily upward rising curve begins to bend and slow to the point of very little improvement at all. This is the case with European systems and Canada. The only reason their healthcare sytems deliver better medicine at all is because of the inventions, new drugs and medical devices created in the United States’ free-market system. The inventors, entrepreneurs and creative geniuses that produce this cornucopia of healthcare improvement are just like everyone else - they not only want to do good, they want to make money and increase their wealth. In a free-market system they can do that. In a government-run system they are stymied by price controls, regulations, and bureaucratic muck.

With nano technology just beginning, stem-cell and genetic engineering showing so much promise of even greater benefits in the future, do we really want to kill this “goose that lays the golden eggs” by letting the government take over our healthcare system, a sure-fire recipe for medical stagnation and mediocrity?
rricchhterr said, 3 months ago

takea billion doller industry, try to reform it where people ar’nt left behind, this is what you get. take stereotyping, putting anything in one nice neat little package, your mind closes. so l ask you, again marktrail, you seem to think you know everything, if your god, made satan, then who is worse?? forget about what is right, or responsible, it’s all about the almighty doller, period, real sad…
gbrucewilson said, 3 months ago

If Medicare works so well, why is it bankrupt? Same for Social Security. My doctor has stopped taking Medicare patients because it costs him more to treat one than the government will pay him. Why can’t you people understand that the government does a bad job providing ALL services? Post Office and DMV for two examples. We don’t have enough doctors now and BHO proposes to cut doctor pay and add 45 million patients. Can anyone say rationing?
mytinytown said, 3 months ago

slug_queen
Have you read the 1,100 pages to say abortion is not part of the package? I bet not, but again, I could be wrong. But credible source and there is several say otherwise. You say medicare is good ran system? Have you used it? I must say I have not, but I do have experience with medicaid though. They like to change your doctors to ones that are nowhere near your house with out informing you first. They require tons of non-sense to treat an illness that is critical, as well they pay lousy upping the price to uninsured and insurance companies. Hmmmmmmmmmm.
Maybe the insurance companies are out of control do to the government already and the answer would be GET THE GOVERNMENT OUT completely.
You really believe the government can run something well? Where is the proof? According to Emperor Obama they can’t even send someone a letter efficiently. FYI The military, even though government ran, is alot different the citizens
Maybe we “idiots” do not have a solution, but we do have the knowledge to know the government is NOT the answer. Ans the idiot now is…..?.

satipera4
This is going to sound rough, but it is true.
If you go to any US hospital they say the MUST treat anyone, so if people are dying, it is mostly their own faults.

gbrucewilson
Exactly!
Vasmosn said, 3 months ago

It isn’t true that any US hospital must treat you. It’s true that they must treat you in an EMERGENCY. You can be dying slowly of any number of diseases and they will NOT TREAT YOU. Unless you can prove that they’re going to get paid. And the reason Medicare and the Post Office have financial troubles is BECAUSE they are non-profit and not trying to take your last dollar. As much as we complain about the price of stamps going up, there is no where in the world you can get the service of the post office as cheaply. And if your doctor has stopped taking Medicare patients it just outlines the need for healthcare reform even more! Since you’re so down on the government, then stop electing people to it and let it be truly a government of the people, by the people and FOR the people. And if the government is so incapable of running anything well, despite the fact that it is the oldest business-like institution in the country, show me examples of the private industry doing it better? Don’t mention all those companies the GOVERNMENT had to bail out because they couldn’t do their jobs.
Lewreader said, 3 months ago

Oh, you have an arm falling off. Get form 1040 and get in that long line over there. We’ll be going on break in ten minutes.
mytinytown said, 3 months ago

Vasmosn
Yes I did miss that, I am sorry. I should have worded things different.
BUT if you are about to die, it is always an emergency.
Yes healthcare reform is a great idea, but it should be ran by the people, not the inefficient government. FYI the post office is government ran, so this should make it “not for profit”. As would be the new Obamacare.
Why could those companies not do their jobs? I’ll admit greed is a big part, but I believe the government played a bigger part in the whole mess.

satipera4
Not really, but are people not responsible for their own actions? Yes they are.
waitliftin said, 3 months ago

It is astonishing to me that of all the posts only one person, mytinytown, has realized where the real problem lies, that fact that the government purposely wrote a 1000+ page document knowing that no one who will vote on the document will actually read it.

That is what makes this exchange of arguments so humorous, we are all just sheep echoing what we have heard from the news outlets we chose to view as credible sources, because chances are none of us have read the bill, we have more important things to do like read comics.

My one argument is topical to the situation and that is there are no government run systems that are as good as the private system, Medicare, welfare, the post office etc.

Satipera, I have noticed after reading this post for quit a while that you in fact have no ability to read what so ever, you only continue to espouse ignorance. Tiny said that the American hospital has to treat someone who needs care regardless of the state of their insurance or lack there of, so if you take the time to read and understand what that means you should be able to know that dying because you have no insurance is a myth propagated by proponents of the health care bill. If you were to be dying and went to a hospital they would be in fact required by law to treat you. I do not know how that could be said any clearer for you to understand; that if someone was claiming that someone else died due to lack of insurance that is not true. And yes the tax payer would pick up the bill in this case but because most hospitals try to stay not for profit they welcome the tax write off of treating someone who cant pay, as long as it does not become too overwhelming.
mroberts88 said, 3 months ago

That is a very good point waitliftin, if someone cant pay, the hospital must still try and help them.
oldlegodad said, 3 months ago

Why are you people rehashing this toon? It is a REPEAT!!
HectorPriam said, 3 months ago

Considering the fantastic job the government has done running social security and medicare, how can anyone deny that government run national health care would be an equally fantastic success?

Besides, opposing Obama’s plan is nothing more than vicious racism!
GJ_Jehosaphat said, 3 months ago

Good Point oldlegodad - Why rehash a REPEAT toon? My guess it’s a bad case of “Gas” from so much “baloney” being fed to the public.
Carl Moore’s bio talks about his life in the 60’s so he’s probably old enough to be on Medicare.

Re mytinytown Rant: “You say medicare is good ran system? Have you used it? I must say I have not, but I do have experience with medicaid though. They like to change your doctors to ones that are nowhere near your house with out informing you first. They require tons of non-sense to treat an illness that is critical, as well they pay lousy upping the price to uninsured and insurance companies.”

Calm Down - Chill U’ve got a baby on the way that U’ve talked about having medical problems. So does being angry at The Government which provides Health Care to your wife (and family) seem justified?
Be Thank-Full Dude - U could be in alot MOORE trouble if that was You trying to hold up the “Rock” of Health Care Costs instead of President Obama.

Remove GOV.-RUN off the Rock & HEALTHCARE being held up by the American Public is a more truthful picture.

Hope the Government & Public Health Officials get your support in making enough Flu Vaccine available - H1N1 & the regular old killer flu variety - for this winter’s flu season….
jack75287 said, 3 months ago

Mikey Obama cuts them down on the one hand and works with them on the other side so of either way this strip is great.
jack75287 said, 3 months ago

Satpirea the same thing that happens when the government says they will not help some one because they are to old or have to wait a year for treatment they might die. With our system it is that a might.
mytinytown said, 3 months ago

satipera4
I actually said MOSTLY their faults. So no contradicting 2 sentences.
I will say again.
If you are dieing (of course not dieing slowly of cancer, etc.), you are able to go to any hospital in the USA and get treatment.
waitliftin said, 3 months ago

I will speak up.

It is absolutely not my responsibility to pay for those who do not want to work hard enough to be able to afford it on their own.

I worked my way through school and paid for it as I went; I then worked my way through law school paying for that as I went. I now work 70 hour weeks trying to become the best lawyer I can be. Because of my hard work I get a high salary and great benefits, $8/month coverage for me and my wife with $10 co-pay. We were told by the head partner that if this health care bill passes then all of our rates will triple, I realize that is still really good insurance even if the rates triple; but that’s not the point.

Obama is placing the entire burden of paying for the lazy scumbags of this country squarely on the shoulders of the middle class. We might not get a direct tax hike but you would have to be ignorant to believe that we will not be paying more for items that come from companies that are being taxed more.

I wish people would wake up and realize that if this bill is so good then why is there a provision written in there about congress and the president not having to participate in the proposed plan? Why are we striving to be like the rest of the world, America has always tried to break away from the status quo of the European countries and we have done a nice job so far. They might not like us but they always turn to us when they need help in a fight or with technological advancement and even medicine.
GNWachs said, 3 months ago

@Satipera

If you are asking a serious question, there are serious answers. Newton: for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

If you add 47 million previously uncovered people to our health care system the other 250M+ will get less care. It is like taking a pie and asking do you want 6 slices or 8 slices. Same size pie.

There will longer waits. The proponents here say so what I will wait an extra 2 weeks. It won’t be 2 weeks it will be 3-6 months. The first item cut will be doctors fees and hospital reimbursement. You people are mature, if you cut my payment I will give you less of my time.

There will not be death panels but there will be remaining years quality of life assessments. What does that mean? If you are 75 and have breast cancer and it will cost $100,000 to do surgery it is not cost efficient.

As a physician some of these retractions are not a bad idea but don’t lie to the public and tell them they won’t occur. They will!
Shaliach said, 3 months ago

satipera4 made a point about providing healthcare for those who cannot afford it.

If that is the issue–and I think it is–then we don’t need a complete overhaul of our healthcare system.

In my state, the working poor are uninsured, underinsured or often between jobs, and don’t meet the income threshold for Medicaid.

They need help–maybe in the form of a tax credit or subsidy–to buy private health insurance.
jack75287 said, 3 months ago

Satipera I did not insult you. So don’t insult me. You ask what happens if people are with out insurance. The result will be the same thing when the government says they will not help some one because they are two old or have to wait a year for treatment. They might die. With our system the might is a better chance that is shown with our survival rate. If you want to insult I could tell you to learn to read.

If anyone ones the low down on Obama and insurance companies here it is:

http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/2009/08/17/health-reform-fattens-big-insurance-and-taxes-the-young.html
mroberts88 said, 3 months ago

satipera, I will if I can, but if not, i’ll try and find out what the score is. My opinion is that if you cant afford anything else, use the government healthcare.
Shaliach said, 3 months ago

PBS reported that one of the reasons the cost of medicine is so high in the United States is because of the government.

Hospital fees have risen dramatically in the past few years, in part to cover the cost gap of those who rely on underfunded public insurance, such as Medicaid.

Government payments to hospitals and doctors only cover a small portion of the cost of treatment. The remaining charges are collected in higher fees from everyone else.
mroberts88 said, 3 months ago

satipera, I’ve said it before, I’m hoping for a close, good game. However, I wont mind it a bit if Arsenal takes it 6-1 again :)
mytinytown said, 3 months ago

GJ_Jehosaphat
Not angry at all. Just making some valid points about how it is ran. It just sucks. It would be no better under the Cuban (Obamacare) style health system.

mroberts88
“My opinion is that if you cant afford anything else, use the government healthcare.”

That is what it is for. It sucks, but it is better then nothing. It is a pain, but it is better then nothing. If you make to much to use it, cut your spending and see if that helps.
mytinytown said, 3 months ago

gotta go, wish I could see how all comes along today, but need to make another trip 1hr and 15 min away because i am on a government ran healthcare system.
mroberts88 said, 3 months ago

tiny, i’m not saying I want to use it, I’m on a family halthcare deal. I’m just saying that instead of making everyone use it, only those who cant afford anything else.
Shaliach said, 3 months ago

From The Canadian Press

The incoming president of the Canadian Medical Association says this country’s health-care system is sick and doctors need to develop a plan to cure it:

We all agree that the system is imploding, we all agree that things are more precarious than perhaps Canadians realize.

We know that there must be change. We’re all running flat out, we’re all just trying to stay ahead of the immediate day-to-day demands.

Canadians have to understand that the system that we have right now - if it keeps on going without change - is not sustainable.
DavidDow said, 3 months ago

True, FarLefty: If Americans could wake up from their delusion of capitalism (which died a century ago), and if our government & our media weren’t in the hands of wealthy big corporations, then we would have universal single-payer health-care, and we wouldn’t be spending $3000 per capita MORE than any other industrialized nation.

Slug, the success of Medicare &, more importantly, its universal acceptance strengthens my faith that America may have universal single-payer health-care before I die. One must note that all the astroturfers shouting against health-care reform haven’t devised a suitable plan & haven’t denied that current U.S. health care is in crisis & about to collapse.

Ronshua: Your remarks are unreadable. I suspect tht you went to private school.

Sable: What’s the evidence behind your claims?

Satipera: Some of these people die. Most of them go to emergency rooms, where they sit for eight hours before they get treated at much greater expense than visits to doctors would be. Many of them go to public clinics where they pay what they can to be seen briefly. Yes, your assumption in your last remark to TinyT. is correct. As for your point about “socialised medicine”, TinyT. is like all Americans: We are all socialist-capitalists. The only difference is that some of us realize it, and others of us—TinyT. being one—don’t.

Gbruce, would you scrap Medicare? If so, then how would you ensure that your mother & grandmother get healthcare?

TinyT., your experience with Medicaid shows that it needs more attention, not that it needs to be scrapped. It has been a political football between different Congresses & different presidents. As for evidence of government-run success: Every federal elected official has excellent health-care (government-run). The V.A. system, though not without problems, runs quite well, taking care of our military. Our military itself, government run, and the world’s best. I imagine, for one last example, that you take interstate highways regularly: the government keeps those up quite well. Your claim about hospitals, replying to Satipera, is not accurate. Private hospitals will frequently shunt the indigent to public hospitals, where they will sit for more hours before receiving treatment—and all this takes place in emergency departments, which are quite expensive. Something run by the government, by the way, IS run by the people. My best to your wife.

Vas., you make some good points, thank you.

Waitlift., your complaint about the size of the bill shows how little you know about the legislative process. Not all need read a great deal of the bill. Did you read every single word in all your mortgage documents? As a lawyer, do you read every word of every document relating to every case? You know that law is made up of boilerplate. In addition, legislators write bills to cover a multitude of contingencies and to ensure that they will mean what the legislators WANT them to mean. Furthermore, members of Congress have staffs to read these bills and to be expert in their various points. Finally, virtually nothing passes through Congress until hundreds of people have stuck their fingers into it. Many members have something to add or to say that must be in the bill to earn that members vote. Thus, bills are huge.

As to your claim, Waitlift., that “the private system” does everything better, I await your call to the private fire department when your house catches fire. Please see above for a short list of many things that the government does better than your “private system”. I could add: public education is, overall, more successful than private; state- & federal-run prisons are more secure & less abusive than are private-run prisons; local police forces are better than private security.

I could continue. For instance, why do we have a government-run judiciary? Let’s privatize it! Judges can apply for work, like everyone else. We can enter the McCourt, the Wal-Court, or Courtbucks, where we’ll pay a fee for services & hope for fairness. Whaddaya think, Waitlift.? Would that make for proper & fair due process?

By the way, Waitlift., did your head partner provide a REASON that your insurance rates will triple? Finally, you claim that President Obama will hurt the middle-class with this health-care reform is completely inaccurate. He suggests taxing the wealthy. This plan will help the middle-class, which continues to pay obscene health-care increases.

Wachs, health-care is not a pie. Thus, your analogy fails. The long waits are not the fault of too many people already in the system. They are the fault of doctors squeezing in too many patients, because they have huge overhead in order to deal with insurance companies.

In conclusion, let me note that none of the voices here spewing against health-care reform has proffered a counter-proposal. It’s amazing that we can hear so loudly voices coming from heads buried fully into the sand.
GJ_Jehosaphat said, 3 months ago

Ah - the Health Care Reform Issues are a Churning - what will we all do if the Doctors decide they’ve had enough with “THE SYSTEM” as it is TODAY (Private Insurance Companies, Medicare, Medicaid, TriCare). Each with their Own Special Rules to fill out forms, processing delays, pre-authorizations & the $$ to purchase the required medical software & the equipment & the data entry personnel…etc.

What if Doctors called in Sick because they’re sick & tired of hearing All The Political Bickering! Seems they (AMA) are in support of Health Care Reform.

As for Socialized Medical Health Care - I think of the overworked and under appreciated Social Workers who have to deal with “The System”.

Think about how Complicated The System is & How would U go about trying to get HELP! You would be better off calling “some government Social Worker &/or Public Health Department” than calling a Private Insurance (concerned with bottom lines & profits) Company to get help.

Want even more “fun” - try going to a doctor who wants payment up front (due at the time of your appointment) & fill out the Insurance forms YourSelf & then WAIT for Re-imbursement! Then perhaps U may appreciate the reforms being proposed by President Obama & Members of Congress.
(BTW - this may happen to U If U Go Outside of Your Preferred Provider List determined by Your Private Insurance Company &/or Medicare).

As for the ER argument regarding having to help folks who are “dying” - U don’t want to have to wait in the ER for your turn (if U R Dying) because it’s filled up with folks who don’t have a clinic to take care of something before it gets to be life threatening. Which I think is the point that “The System” has been broken for quite a long time & needs some major overhauling to get it Healthy for the Staff as well as the Patients!
jack75287 said, 3 months ago

satipera4

Another man shoes. I cannot believe you said that considering I wrote your comment down and showed how it related to mine. satipera4 back at you.
waitliftin said, 3 months ago

Daviddow you win, you have officially said the dumbest thing I have ever read on this site, I can only hope that you have no clue what so ever what a lawyer does or how the law process works. “As a lawyer, do you read every word of every document relating to every case?” Of course I do, if I did not I would miss something important hidden in the disposition and would go into further proceedings ignorant to all the facts and would be laughed out of any proceedings. That would cause me to lose my job.

If I had a mortgage I would have read every single word of it, twice, to make sure I was aware of every single facet of the contract that I am signing my name to. I, however, chose to live in an apartment and save my money and bought my first house for $45,000.

I actually know a lot about the governmental processes, and I find it amazing that any citizen would be happy with something of this magnitude being passed into law with out every single person voting on it having read it. I have complained for a long time about how easy it was for different “authors” to hide things in the bills, but I thought this was the era of change, the era of transparency? Is that not what Obama said he wanted?
waitliftin said, 3 months ago

The insurance companies provide a service. Every single American has the freedom to not have insurance. Just like if the government takes over health care and uses tax payers money to fund it, every single American has the freedom to not work, so they are not paying taxes and the system will fail. For some reason that story sounds familiar?
mroberts88 said, 3 months ago

Daviddow, If I hire a lawyer, for whatever reason, he better have read everything regarding that case. Congress should read things before they pass it.
jack75287 said, 3 months ago

Here is a short article were both the Current President of the Canadian Medical Association and his soon to be replacement both agree that Universal Health Care is not the best and is sometime bad for patients. It goes on to say that private health care should be welcomed.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,539943,00.html
Shaliach said, 3 months ago

In a campaign stop in Florida on Sept. 20, 2008, candidate Barack Obama said:

If you don’t have health insurance, you’ll be able to get the same kind of coverage that members of Congress give themselves.

Congress gets the best healthcare in the world, and it is paid for by the very taxpayers who can’t afford to buy it for themselves and their families.
waitliftin said, 3 months ago

Satipera please tell me what private industry provides anything when they dont make a profit, unless it is for the reason of a tax write off in which case that still helps the bottom line.
DavidDow said, 3 months ago

Waitlift., you didn’t read every word of my previous remark. I worry about what you think “every word” means. I have watched & worked with lawyers. They flip through the pages of boilerplate, skimming to ensure that there are no surprises; then, the read what they need to from the important pages of the document.

As I said (which you didn’t read), every member of Congress has a staff that reads every word. Different staff-members have different areas of expertise. They advise the congress-member, who asks questions so that he/she will understand what he/she must for this bill.

Next, you will tell me that you expect Supreme Court justices to write every word of their opinions. Where did you get your law degree? And what kind of law do you practice?
jack75287 said, 3 months ago

satipera4
Think please all that is in the story in the byline. Ok. Have a nice day. Just Read like I have asked you go to the bottom and what do you know there is another link that goes to the canadian press. Name and date and everything.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5jbjzPEY0Y3bvRD335rGu_Z3KXoQw
sablebrush5 said, 3 months ago

jack75287,

Contrary to satipera4’s snotty whine about your link I found it informative. Thank you.
GJ_Jehosaphat said, 3 months ago

waitliftin Re: “…what private industry provides anything when they dont make a profit, unless it is for the reason of a tax write off in which case that still helps the bottom line.”

Just Jumping in with something I learned while working in a Not For Profit Hospital (vs For Profit Hospitals):

“The term nonprofit refers to organizations that are neither for-profit businesses nor government agencies. Nonprofits are a subset of private industry. Nonprofit organizations may generate revenue, but this revenue cannot be distributed to owners or employees as they might be in a for-profit business. Nonprofits include, but are not limited to, hospitals, churches, educational institutions, social welfare organizations, and charitable organizations.”

http://doe.state.wy.us/lmi/1108/a3.htm

Just noticed that Slowpoke (Aug 17) is about Healthcare - It has More Validity Than Carl Moore’s Bashing of President Obama… and better artist expression!
waitliftin said, 3 months ago

David I got my law degree from Notre Dame and practice constitutional law. I did read everything you said and found most of it not really needing commented on. I just find it amazing that we as a people are happy about the fact that our elected leaders whose job it is to read these bills don’t. I actually do have a problem with that fact that judges do not research their own rulings or write them if that is what the case calls for.

It is a common tactic in law to try and bog down the other lawyer by writing huge amounts of erroneous information surrounding a very little amount of facts so that maybe they will miss something and you can get an easy win. Our politicians for the most part are very smart lawyers who employ this tactic frequently so they do not get caught trying to garner earmarks for their supporters. This bill is just an extension of that idea but on a massively destructive scale.

We pay these senators over $100,000/year and it is too much to ask that before they vote on something that is going to change the very core principals of America that they just might sit down and read it themselves first?
mroberts88 said, 3 months ago

waitliftin
We pay these senators over $100,000/year and it is too much to ask that before they vote on something that is going to change the very core principals of America that they just might sit down and read it themselves first?

Thank you for saying that, and no, it shouldnt be too much to ask.
jmworacle said, 3 months ago

When you take competition out of the equation there is no incentive fo keep costs down. When I sold insurance, I was selling a major medical plan that had a maximum benifit of $50,000.00. That was in the year 1975. It isn’t a coincedence that the only field in medicine that hasn’t skyrocketed is plastic surgery.
GNWachs said, 3 months ago

@waitliftin

As a Constitutional lawyer do you read The Volokh Conspiracy? My very favorite blog and I literally spend several hours a day enjoying it. Libertarian perspective but it is 30 % liberal and 30% conservative.
tizzo said, 3 months ago

FarLeft:

“Actually, that big rock? That’s the insurance companies spending millions of dollars a day to maintain their death-grip on American healthcare.”

I suppose it’s easy enough to forget, given the scant coverage it receives, but the insurance companies are in favor of – and spending enormous sums of money advertising in support of – the Obama plan.
tizzo said, 3 months ago

Regarding the banter on “read the bill” between Waitlifin and DavidDow:

Perhaps the admonition to read the bill could be better stated as “know what is in the bill”, to blunt the criticism that they don’t have to read the whole thing because their staff do it for them.

Recall that “read the bill” began to come up in response to congressmen disclaiming responsibility for certain pieces of legislation that have become unpopular with the public, namely TARP and the stimulus bill. In both cases, numerous congressmen have responded to criticism of their support for the legislation by claiming not to have read the bills before voting. What they are really claiming, however, is that because they didn’t have time to read the bills, they did not understand what they contained. This makes the “their expert staff read it for them” argument invalid, because if their staff had read the bill and summarized for them, they would have understood the content and, according to their disclaimers, they would have voted against the legislation.

The bottom line is that whether they read the bill themselves (which frankly they are essentially swearing to have done when they cast their vote), or relying on summary material provided by expert staff, they should at the very least understand what they’re voting for.

State of the Union by Carl Moore

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