Making law in secret by "unanimous consent"

[unixronin]

U.S. Senator Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina) voices concerns that the Senate passes over 90% of legislation without any debate, without amendment, and without a roll call vote.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again.  If you think your bill needs to be passed unread and without amendments or a recorded vote, then I suggest that on the contrary, it almost certainly means it should not be passed at all.  Because if your bill is a benefit to the nation, then why do you need to hide it from the nation until it's a fait accompli and conceal who voted to pass it?

Comments

[randwolf.livejournal.com]

Madison used the term "republic," by which he meant a government where the will of the people is expressed via elected representatives. The terms have run together over time in common usage, though, and saying "republic" without qualification creates confusion, so I prefer "democracy;" the technical distinction of Madison's time seems to me no longer of much value.

It remains the case that the Senate is, as it has been since the foundation of the republic of the USA, representative not of the people as a whole, but rather of the will of wealthy and powerful elites.