Is it possible to simplify bills in congress so it's easier to gain bipartisan support and action on specific issues?

[Anomalism]

So to simplify it, they should divide the bill into “chapters,” which each giveaway having its own chapter, introduced by a summary sentence in bold At the start of the chapter. Then, there should be an “overview” section in the beginning of the bill, listing the bolded summary so that readers may go straight to the more obnoxious proposed laws.

Thus….

Chapter 14: The recently expanded “child tax credit” will increase to $8,000 per child per year, an amount not subject to taxation, and provided to all parents with a HHI of $150,000 or less, including illegal aliens, with American-born children.

That would require the kind of transparency that makes slimy lawyers shake in their boots.

 

[Anomalism]

I suppose it would depend on the issue at hand. Few modern problems lend themselves to simple solutions. The biggest problem is finding ways to make laws that do not bind the rich to same kinds of responsibilities and penalties as regular people.

Point me to any one of these disaster bills that couldn't be broken down and simplified at least to some extent. They don't even try.

 

[Harpy Eagle]

The "why" seems easy to me.

The things we actually hear about that are hidden in these bills are a drop in the bucket. There are many more hidden agenda items in there we never even know about. Our govt. doesn't really care if we the people want these things or not. It has become about what THEY WANT. So they create several hundred page monstrosities in order to get THEIR PET PROJECTS passed rather than what is best for US.

and we allow them to do it.

 

[22lcidw]

Yep. This is one obvious fix to the problem: Smaller bites taken one at a time, so that they can be fleshed out, debated, revised as needed, and passed. But these people aren't going to change the system under which they operate.

Look at what they can do: They can hold a bill hostage until they can get their pork tossed in, so the pork just piles up from all over the country. They can throw in things that have NOTHING to do with a bill so they can push their agenda. So these bills become so fat and convoluted and expensive that they become virtually unrecognizable.

The problem is THE SYSTEM. It incentivizes these people to behave the way they do because it rewards their top priority: Re-election. Evidently we're fine with this, especially those on the ends of the spectrum who only care about "beating" the other side.

#ForwardParty

The Progs came to power. Even if it is near even in D.C. they use it to go for the jugular. "Never let a crisis go to waste". And of course, "When they go low, we go lower". But Progs compete mostly with themselves to go lower. Lost in all of this is...if we need 500 billion dollars for Infrastructure, we do not need 1 trillion dollars for all of the additions. Most likely, 500 billion would have done a good amount of repair and rebuilding. And One Trillion for reconciliation would be good enough. No new permanent social programs that will never leave and only expand.

 

[Mac1958]

The Progs came to power. Even if it is near even in D.C. they use it to go for the jugular. "Never let a crisis go to waste". And of course, "When they go low, we go lower". But Progs compete mostly with themselves to go lower. Lost in all of this is...if we need 500 billion dollars for Infrastructure, we do not need 1 trillion dollars for all of the additions. Most likely, 500 billion would have done a good amount of repair and rebuilding. And One Trillion for reconciliation would be good enough. No new permanent social programs that will never leave and only expand.

I know, it's all the other tribes' fault. Got it.

 

[Remodeling Maidiac]

It seems to me that riders on bills cause issues too often. The devil is always in the details. I understand that sometimes a bill requires many pieces to move, and that it can't always be some small and simple text, but so often it goes way beyond just fleshing out one idea. They constantly try to be sneaky and tack other bullshit on, and both sides are really bad about this. Why does some random piece of legislation that could potentially get bipartisan support have to have some controversial shit about abortion in it? If it's not abortion it'll be some other wedge issue.

Why?

If I wanted a bill to pass I wouldn't include stuff like that. I would focus it as much as possible in an attempt to make it more reasonable and palatable. Are our politicians fucking idiots or is there some kind of conspiracy going on here? It's hard to tell sometimes.

They're not idiots. That how the opposition kills a bill. They add poison pills on purpose.

A better question would be why do we need congress writing new bills all the time to begin with? Nothing on this planet changes so fast that we need new legislation to regulate it argued daily...NOTHING.

Congress should be a part time job unless the nation is under duress.

 

[JackOfNoTrades]

Libturds are not capable of governing. The self centered bastards who can't even run their family or personal lives. Their lives are so so miserable that they govern by hate and jealousy

Time card punchers and alarm clock button pushers have no business making decisions that can hurt lives

Look at this GD mess libturds voted in by fraud

Oh, you mean like conservitards can rule any better?....cause they can't. Conservatism has absolutely no policy success stories in the last FOUR decades. Yet the believers still push the same failed economic and social policy beliefs year after year, hoping against hope that this time, their policies will work because "we're in charge now"....The last guy in the White House had a Republican majority for two years and couldn't get anything done besides a sweetheart tax deal that wasn't his idea in the first place. Memba repeal Obamacare?...how'd that work out? Sorry, but you're throwing stones in a glass house. Republicans have proved over and over they cannot govern their way out of a wet paper bag.

 

[Anomalism]

I know, it's all the other tribes' fault. Got it.

It's starting to devolve already. Let's all continue to stay focused on our agreement that this situation is ridiculous.

 

[Mac1958]

It's starting to devolve already. Let's all continue to stay focused on our agreement that this situation is ridiculous.

This is a problem that has existed for decades, and it's surely not getting any better.

We have to find a way to change the system under which these people operate, or it will not change.

That means holding both parties accountable and demanding better, or else.

The choice is ours to make. Or we can just choose to let it continue.

 

[Grumblenuts]

both sides are really bad about this.

There's the problem. "Two sides." Constantly, distractingly, appearing at odds for their own funding purposes rather than working together in the people's interest. The only way to fix this grift is for us to finally get serious and remove money from the process.

 

[Anomalism]

That means holding both parties accountable and demanding better, or else.

They're really good at divide and conquer. It's a complicated problem.

 

[Mac1958]

They're really good at divide and conquer. It's a complicated problem.

Yep. That's the incentive that the current system provides. These people are going to follow the path of least resistance so that they can keep getting re-elected.

Install strict term limits, ranked choice voting and publicly-funded elections, and you force their behaviors to change overnight.

#ForwardParty

 

[Anomalism]

publicly-funded elections

Conservatives think this is communism or something. They don't understand how much everyday Joe is empowered in the political sphere when you prevent a situation where you have to be buddies with millionaires and billionaires to compete.

 

[Lisa558]

Oh, you mean like conservitards can rule any better?....cause they can't. Conservatism has absolutely no policy success stories in the last FOUR decades. Yet the believers still push the same failed economic and social policy beliefs year after year, hoping against hope that this time, their policies will work because "we're in charge now"....The last guy in the White House had a Republican majority for two years and couldn't get anything done besides a sweetheart tax deal that wasn't his idea in the first place. Memba repeal Obamacare?...how'd that work out? Sorry, but you're throwing stones in a glass house. Republicans have proved over and over they cannot govern their way out of a wet paper bag.

No policy success stories?! Trump and his Republican Congress reduced the corporate tax to a globally competitive level and eliminated onerous business regulations resulting in a strong economy, a 50-year low in unemployment (record low for blacks), and a rise in real low-income wages for the first tIme in many years. We were energy independent. We started no wars. We had the southern border under control from the illegal swarm. We had a vaccine developed within 9 months, thanks to OWS, even though Fauci said it could take five years.

What have Biden and his swamp creatures done over the last 9 months, other than reverse all of Trump’s good policies, and cause a massive inflation, supply shortage, and masses of illegals swarming law enforcement? Biden even restored the money flow to Islamic terrorists HAMAS, which Trump had cut off!

 

[iamwhatiseem]

In America........

 

[JackOfNoTrades]

It's starting to devolve already. Let's all continue to stay focused on our agreement that this situation is ridiculous.

In the present governing system, there is nothing that can be done to solve this issue. To make each provision a standalone bill would be an administrative nightmare. Then you'd have to allocate the money for each expense which would make creating a budget another nightmare. Then we come down to what is a priority? Fundamental differences in party ideology, makeup of constituency, and personal beliefs make this an impossible ask in the present environment.

How does it get fixed? The short answer is, it doesn't. This is what we got (for the moment) and we're stuck with it.

 

[Mac1958]

Conservatives think this is communism or something. They don't understand how much everyday Joe is empowered in the political sphere when you prevent a situation where you have to be buddies with millionaires to compete.

Sure. Knee-jerk ideology over critical thinking, collaboration and innovation. That's a plague on this country right now.

 

[occupied]

Point me to any one of these disaster bills that couldn't be broken down and simplified at least to some extent. They don't even try.

Look at it like this: Every one of those congressmen have local interests to protect and promote. They might not read the whole bill but they go over the parts that apply to their state with a microscope and negotiate changes to better suit their constituents. Making everyone happy can bulk up a bill. That's just how it is.

 

[Anomalism]

we're stuck with it.

There's really no way to improve the situation at all? I'm pretty open to suggestions.

 

[Anomalism]

Look at it like this: Every one of those congressmen have local interests to protect and promote. They might not read the whole bill but they go over the parts that apply to their state with a microscope and negotiate changes to better suit their constituents. Making everyone happy can bulk up a bill. That's just how it is.

There has to be a better way. I don't accept being defeated by this.