Saturday, February 28, 2009

This should be our next Amendment to the United States Constitution...

"Congress shall pass no law that each member of the House of Representatives has not fully read and attested in writing to having done so to the clerk of the House of Representatives, and each Senator has not fully read and attested in writing to having done so to the clerk of the United States Senate two days prior to the final passage of that law."

There is no reason that 3/4 of the states of our union would not ratify this amendment long before the 7 year (more like 7 months) time frame required in order for its passage in Congress to become part of the living and guiding document we call the United States Constitution.

Not one member of Congress, not even the President himself read all or even most of the bill that President Obama signed on February 17th in Denver, Colorado before it became law. I am ashamed of our government. I am appalled that they have no more respect for the people they represent and who pay their salaries than to rush through the largest dollar amount of spending in one piece of legislation in the history of our country with nary a clue for what they were casting their vote.

A budget has been sent from the White House to Capitol Hill by the President in excess of Three Trillion ($3,000,000,000,000.00) that includes an amount three quarters the size of the bill just passed as a down payment for national health care. If your member of Congress and Senators won't take the time to read the most important legislation since the great depression before casting their vote to stimulate the United States economy with projects like a magnetic high speed train from Disneyland in California to Las Vegas in Nevada (one might argue a train from heaven to hell) how much time will they give to making good decisions about how to manage life and death for our least fortunate citizens?

Congress will obviously not enforce its own rules or even follow the campaign promises of the newly elected President of their own party. It is critically important that you contact your Member of Congress and Senators and tell them you want them to co-sponsor a Constitution Amendment requiring all legislation be verifiably read two days prior to final passage. Send them a copy of this proposed language and demand action. Your rights must be preserved regardless of your party. Your Congress must work for you.

Don't wait... e-mail, fax, pick up the phone, or write to them today.

Chris Filby