Things like this are why I wanted to move to New Hampshire.

In that most representative of public assemblies - the bustling House chamber of the New Hampshire State House - there's an old rebellious notion:  In matters of personal responsibility, don't always err on the side of safety.  After all, it's the only state not to require that adults wear seat belts.

So when a bill came up in early April to consider allowing robotic traffic cameras at the busiest crossroads, mocking laughter from the gallery preceded the measure's demise.

(Originally reported here by the redoubtable amanda42)

It's about time some state stood up to this particular brand of highway robbery.  I find myself not overly surprised, and definitely pleased, that it was New Hampshire.  The article goes on to state that a North Carolina court recently ruled private companies may not profit from traffic enforcement, throwing doubt on red-light camera programs in North Carolina; that Virginia has declined to renew its red-light camera program after the sunset clause of the law enabling it took effect, and will shut down its red-light cameras on July 1; and that the city of Baltimore, Maryland is being sued for $10 million on charges that it shortened its amber lights to increase red-light camera revenue (only one of many jurisdictions to have done so).

Fuckin' A.

Which Historical Lunatic Are You?
From the fecund loins of Rum and Monkey.

Dude.  I can deal.  ( The result page goes on to relate.... )

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( Footnotes )

So, it passed.

The "emergency" military spending bill, that is, by a unanimous 100-0 vote of the Senate.  Naturally, some of the senators present wrung their hands and lamented the unwiseness, danger, etc. of the Real ID Act attached to it as a rider, but voted for it anyway.

Not like they ever had any other intention, huh?  This practice of appending unpopular bills, or those deemed likely to be ill-received by the public, as riders to bills that "must be passed" will continue until our Congressmen stop voting for any bill which has such a parasitic rider attached to it, REGARDLESS of how "vital" and "necessary" it is.  But really, what reason do they have to do so?  The current practice of riders is good for them.  It allows them to whine and wring their hands and decry a bill that they know the public will not like, then go back to their offices to gloat over having gotten it passed while publicly looking as though they had opposed it.

What's needed here is very simple.  What's needed is an act that unconditionally bars the attachment of riders to bills, period.  Germane or not, supporting or opposed, popular or unpopular -- it doesn't matter.  Ban them all.  If we try to ban only non-germane riders, there will only be endless argument about the definitions of "germane", "rider", "attach", and "is".  Let everything stand or fall on its own merit.  Allow ONLY amendments that alter the existing language of a bill, and then only with the agreement of the bill's author(s).  If you don't think your bill can pass on its own merit, then maybe you shouldn't be trying to pass it in the first place.

And while we're at it, no more of this "Insert the words 'not in any regard' into line three of paragraph fourteen of page ninety-seven of chapter four of the Intentionally Obfuscated Mumbling Act of 2004, after the word 'shall'" crap.  Spell out what you're doing and cite the entire sentence you're changing -- if you're changing "The Transport Security Agency shall be answerable to Congress..." to "The Transport Security Agency shall not in any regard be answerable to Congress....", you should be required to admit what you're doing and not hide it behind little fragmentary changes.

This would be a crucial step to getting our Congress back under control and putting an end to bullshit like trying to sneak the Real ID Act in under the radar.  And that, of course, is exactly why Congress always has, and always will fight any such legislative reform tooth and nail.

"This reform would serve the public good .... well, FUCK the public good."

(And yes, you can take those last five words either way.)