The Republicans have officially taken control of the House of Representatives, and they decided to commemorate the occasion by reading the Constitution out loud. It’s true that the action was largely symbolic. And many members from both parties got bored, looked at their fancy cell phones, and/or walked out before it was done.
Nevertheless, I like it.
Our government is supposed to be limited in its scope and power by the Constitution, so it’s a nice idea that some of our public servants will actually get exposed to the thing once in a while.
I like a couple of other new wrinkles, too. Bills are supposed to be available to the public online for at least three days before they are voted on (of course, this practice will be discarded when emergencies–real and otherwise–occur, I’m sure). Also, and perhaps most significantly of all, members of Congress will have to explain how the bills they introduce are supported by the Constitution. I imagine some of their explanations might get creative.
There are those who will argue that a document from over 200 years ago isn’t sufficient to deal with all the issues of our modern world, but that’s why we have an amendment process.
Will these changes in the House of Representatives solve all of our country’s problems? Yes, I’m confident they will.
Okay just kidding, but they do seem like things that will at worst do no harm and could potentially really help our country in some ways.