quote:

Originally posted by satch:
Members of Congress and Senate don't usually read the Bills, their staff does and tells them what's in it.

For a large number of elected officials on capital hill this is completely necessary because they're simply too stupid to be able to read/grasp the bills they're voting on. I could provide a list to prove my point, but we all know at least a couple morons in Washington that fit in this category.

The word "usually" should tell you something. The more important the legislation, the higher up the ladder the legislation is reviewed. At some point all the staff can do is tell the legislator where to look in a thick pile of proposed legislation. That's because (1) at some point the legislator is going to have to be able to discuss specifics with staff, the press, the lobbyists and the constituents and (2) at some point the legislator is going to have to offer specific alternatives. If the legislator doesn't know the specifics well enough to discuss them, the legislator's going to get rolled like a drunk in an alleyway in those conversations.