On Mon, 9 Dec 1996 22:50 B. Schirloff shared with us an excerpt from the
December 1996 Parkinson's Action Network "Action Reporter",
an "Advocacy Report for the Parkinson's Community - Parkinson's Bill Will
Come Back Next Congress" by Robert Dolezal. An excerpt from that posting,
near the conclusion of the report, read as follows:
Two separate issues emerge from this experience.
First, is government functioning properly when one or two individuals,
because of committee status, can prevent consideration of legislation favored
by the majority of Congress?
Second, is any moral or ethical purpose served when a life-sustaining
resource is trashed?
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It seems to me in the first issue that govt is functioning properly.
Legislators don't just introduce new legislation (ususally composed by
lobbyists) to committees, and then get together to vote on what ultimatel
emerges from the committee process. They can bring pressure to bear, when
they want to, on individuals who, because of committee status, can preclude
legislation from getting to the floor for a vote. They can speak publicly
about the individual or the committee. They can make it known that they
will refuse to vote for such an individual's pet legislation, they can offer
trades to vote for that pet legislation if the indivdual will change his
mind about the subject one. They can vote aginst returning the individual
to that committee or against electing him to some more powerful committee he
wants to join. They can maneuver, through power trades, to stuff that
committee with powerful figures who can dissuade the individual. They can
bring in Senators or members of the Executive branch to talk to the
individual, positively or negatively, on the consequences of his actions.
Legislation merely "favored" by a majority of Congress can be
frustrated by an individual or two. Legislation made important to a
majority of Congress, through relentless pursuit by groups such as ours,
will find a way, through pork barrel swapping or otherwise, to bring the
individual in line.
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