 What's in
a Bill Name?
Rep. Ron Paul
Texas Straight Talk
Aug 12, 2008
Recently Congress passed the
American Housing Rescue and Foreclosure Prevention Act., also
known as the Housing Bill. Its passage was lauded by many who
are legitimately concerned about foreclosures and the housing
market in our country's economy. I was asked how I could vote
against a bill to help American homeowners, but I found this
bill to have more to do with helping big banks than helping average
Americans.
The answer is that there is
more to any bill than its name or the headlines surrounding it.
If one only paid attention to bill titles, one could happily
vote for almost any bill put to a vote on the floor. Titles do
not tell the complete story of a bill's provisions, and many
titles are downright deceptive and come close to emotional blackmail
of legislators. But we cannot afford to be fooled by fancy titles.
The housing bill could perhaps be more aptly named The Big Banking
Bailout at Taxpayer Expense Act as large sections of it were
written by big banking lobbyists according to Evans and Novak
reporter Tim Carney's Capitol Hill sources. At least that title
would be honest.
Also, many of these magnanimous
sounding foreign aid bills and so-called human rights resolutions
have counterproductive and hypocritical language tucked into
the fine print. The recent bill on China was a good example.
This resolution calls on China to hold meetings with the Dalai
Lama without preconditions, when that is something our own government
will not do with Iran. How our government has the authority to
tell China what to do it [is]
beyond me, especially when we demand something so hypocritical.
On foreign aid bills and legislation that on the surface seems
very charitable, upon closer examination we find strings attached
and a lot of manipulation of the marketplace. Many times, these
bills purport to help the destitute, but actually help multinational
corporations or prop up dictators that might otherwise be deposed
by their people.
The other point to take into
consideration on legislation and House resolutions is that intentions
are not enough. It is not enough to want to solve a problem with
legislation, and name a bill to that effect. The crafters of
the legislation need to demonstrate a clear and honest understanding
of the problem, in order to put forward a realistic strategy
to solving it. Too many times, I just don't see that. Instead
I see more taxes, more restrictions, more violations of the Constitution,
and more unintended consequences.
One shouldn't judge legislation
based on titles, good intentions, or what someone says the bill
will do. Imagine if all the legislation in the history of this
country actually did what the title of the bills proclaimed they
would do. How very different this country would be! There
would be no poverty, no drugs, no crime. In fact if it was that
easy, Congress by now would have probably repealed the law of
gravity, and supply and demand as well, and replaced them with
unlimited wealth and given all Americans the power of flight.
What a fanciful world our legislators live in at times!
Though I am at times accused
of being mean-spirited regarding the many bills I vote against,
I don't so much think of my vote as against the legislation,
as much as FOR the Constitution, according to my duties
as a Congressman.
Aug 11, 2008
Rep. Ron Paul
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