The Importance of Reading Documents Before Making a Decision
Dennis AuBuchon
July 16, 2009
The topic of this article is a critical one. While this article is focused primarily on legislation being enacted in Congress it is important to stress that nobody should sign documents or vote on anything without first reading them. Many mistakes can be made if decisions are made without accomplishing this task. Sometimes there are those who say I have read it and it is fine and we sign them without reading first. This is a mistake. We should never take the word of someone else when signing any document or voting on anything without reading it first. This point applies to every individual but it is critically important when an individual holds a public office.
Many issues face our nation and the world in these economic times and I feel to some extent they may be getting better. Those who hold elected positions within the various government organizations must not act harshly and make decisions on the fast track. It is not a time to throw caution to the wind as the saying goes just to get things done. There is much legislation being created to address the needs of our nation and rightly so. Those who we have elected to represent us in all levels of government must take their responsibility seriously and there are some that do. The principle of reading before signing or voting on legislation is an important aspect of performing the duties of an elected official.
Concerning our elected officials it is important to take the time to read and understand any legislation before making a decision to accept it. Mistakes can be made which can change the course of our nation if legislation is not read before votes are taken. Granted there is much action which needs to be done at all levels of government to help turn around our economy. The speed at which some legislation is being enacted should be cause for concern. Recently there have been issues raised as a result of legislation passed at the federal government level in Congress. There have been reports that the first stimulus package was not even read by many of our elected officials in Congress and as a result conditions existed that if the document had been read could possibly have been removed. Proper evaluation of any legislation must take place to make the right decision regardless of party affiliation.
The point of the above statement is that while there are issues which need to be enacted more readily than others to address issues in the economy it is not a time to blindly pass legislation. This is not meant to imply that nobody read the legislation as there may have been some who did and for those who read the document before voting, I applaud them. Another piece of legislation is currently being processed concerning healthcare. While there is a need to revamp our healthcare system to some extent rushing to enact legislation for this critical area of society is not a way to get things done right. Major legislation should be given the time to properly evaluate the content and how well it addresses the situation.
There will be other acts of legislation in the coming days that are necessary to address issues facing our economy. These decisions must be made on the need and the content to address the need not trying to enact legislation on the fast track. Another area of concern is that legislation enacted into law should have bi-partisan support. Granted there may be differences of opinion on how to address problems but all political parties should be open to approaches to resolve issues. No one party or person has all the answers and the public demands that Congress work together for the public good. While there have been examples of the political parties working together to address some issues it is not something which occurs as often as it should.
I respect the various elected officials in such locations as Congress as they have a responsibility which has not faced this country in years, if ever. The decisions they make and how they are made will have an impact on the future of our country for years to come. The current healthcare legislation currently has many issues in it which I feel will impact businesses and individuals like never before. One such issue is penalizing businesses or individuals if they choose to not offer or purchase health insurance. There are businesses today that cannot afford to offer healthcare or the level of healthcare their employees need. Forcing businesses to provide health insurance is not a way to solve the problem of the uninsured or underinsured.
There currently is an effort to expedite the passage of healthcare reform and I do not have a problem to have this legislation have a higher priority over others that are in process. Many pieces of legislation are created each year and I am sure it is difficult to read every word in legislation being brought up for a vote. This however is what we have elected our senators and representatives to do. I feel part of the problem as it appears to be that there is too much legislation is created separately which could be combined in a single document. While this may make the legislation larger it would reduce the quantity and thereby provide more time to analyze the proposed legislation and make a decision.
Another problem which has been in the news is the process of earmarks by our elected officials to show they are doing something for their respective districts or states. I do not have a problem with our elected officials providing evidence they are supporting their districts or state. What I feel needs to happen in this area is to propose valid legislation that has a sound basis and clearly defines the need and how to address it. Creating legislation which cannot stand on its own pollutes the volume of work to which our senators and representatives must precious time. Legislation that has a sound basis even though it directly supports a need in a state or district is not earmarks though some have categorized them to be. The time of our elected officials at all levels must be spent wisely in properly reading and analyzing legislation being created before they decide on their position both on the issue and how it is addressed. Let us tell our elected officials at all levels that we expect them to read everything before making a decision. Good decisions are made by reading first and analyzing the actions for the issues being addressed.
Many issues face our nation and the world in these economic times and I feel to some extent they may be getting better. Those who hold elected positions within the various government organizations must not act harshly and make decisions on the fast track. It is not a time to throw caution to the wind as the saying goes just to get things done. There is much legislation being created to address the needs of our nation and rightly so. Those who we have elected to represent us in all levels of government must take their responsibility seriously and there are some that do. The principle of reading before signing or voting on legislation is an important aspect of performing the duties of an elected official.
Concerning our elected officials it is important to take the time to read and understand any legislation before making a decision to accept it. Mistakes can be made which can change the course of our nation if legislation is not read before votes are taken. Granted there is much action which needs to be done at all levels of government to help turn around our economy. The speed at which some legislation is being enacted should be cause for concern. Recently there have been issues raised as a result of legislation passed at the federal government level in Congress. There have been reports that the first stimulus package was not even read by many of our elected officials in Congress and as a result conditions existed that if the document had been read could possibly have been removed. Proper evaluation of any legislation must take place to make the right decision regardless of party affiliation.
The point of the above statement is that while there are issues which need to be enacted more readily than others to address issues in the economy it is not a time to blindly pass legislation. This is not meant to imply that nobody read the legislation as there may have been some who did and for those who read the document before voting, I applaud them. Another piece of legislation is currently being processed concerning healthcare. While there is a need to revamp our healthcare system to some extent rushing to enact legislation for this critical area of society is not a way to get things done right. Major legislation should be given the time to properly evaluate the content and how well it addresses the situation.
There will be other acts of legislation in the coming days that are necessary to address issues facing our economy. These decisions must be made on the need and the content to address the need not trying to enact legislation on the fast track. Another area of concern is that legislation enacted into law should have bi-partisan support. Granted there may be differences of opinion on how to address problems but all political parties should be open to approaches to resolve issues. No one party or person has all the answers and the public demands that Congress work together for the public good. While there have been examples of the political parties working together to address some issues it is not something which occurs as often as it should.
I respect the various elected officials in such locations as Congress as they have a responsibility which has not faced this country in years, if ever. The decisions they make and how they are made will have an impact on the future of our country for years to come. The current healthcare legislation currently has many issues in it which I feel will impact businesses and individuals like never before. One such issue is penalizing businesses or individuals if they choose to not offer or purchase health insurance. There are businesses today that cannot afford to offer healthcare or the level of healthcare their employees need. Forcing businesses to provide health insurance is not a way to solve the problem of the uninsured or underinsured.
There currently is an effort to expedite the passage of healthcare reform and I do not have a problem to have this legislation have a higher priority over others that are in process. Many pieces of legislation are created each year and I am sure it is difficult to read every word in legislation being brought up for a vote. This however is what we have elected our senators and representatives to do. I feel part of the problem as it appears to be that there is too much legislation is created separately which could be combined in a single document. While this may make the legislation larger it would reduce the quantity and thereby provide more time to analyze the proposed legislation and make a decision.
Another problem which has been in the news is the process of earmarks by our elected officials to show they are doing something for their respective districts or states. I do not have a problem with our elected officials providing evidence they are supporting their districts or state. What I feel needs to happen in this area is to propose valid legislation that has a sound basis and clearly defines the need and how to address it. Creating legislation which cannot stand on its own pollutes the volume of work to which our senators and representatives must precious time. Legislation that has a sound basis even though it directly supports a need in a state or district is not earmarks though some have categorized them to be. The time of our elected officials at all levels must be spent wisely in properly reading and analyzing legislation being created before they decide on their position both on the issue and how it is addressed. Let us tell our elected officials at all levels that we expect them to read everything before making a decision. Good decisions are made by reading first and analyzing the actions for the issues being addressed.