Why haven't more congress critters read the bill(s)?

Sure, it's a thousand pages, but a lot of that is boiler plate. Don't lawyers have to read contracts all the time? Is there anyone in Congress who hasn't gone to college? Just what is the problem here? Take a day and sit down and read the damn bill! Having people stand up and say, "Why no, ma'am, I haven't read the bill but I assure you everything is fine and dandy" just doesn't look good for our side.

At one point a woman, referring to the health care reform bill (H.R. 3200 ) introduced in the House of Representatives, asked Senator Sanders "Have you read the entire thing?" He admitted, "No, 'cause I'm not in the House."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-jon-lapook/the-health-care-debate-th_b_263833.html


Ok, he is a Senator and it is a House Bill, but his reply is in the category of sorry, this isn't my table.

supporter of single-payer.

John Conyers stirs up controversy, asking 'What good is reading the bill?'

by Jonathan Oosting | MLive.com
Wednesday July 29, 2009, 9:21 AM

U.S. Rep. John Conyers (R-MI 14), speaking at a National Press Club luncheon last week, raised eyebrows when he said, "I love these members that get up and say 'read the bill.'"

"What good is reading the bill if it's a thousand pages and you don't have two days and two lawyers to find out what it means after you read the bill?"

The statement resonates loudly as the House rushes to bring health care legislation (the 1,000-plus page (HR 3200) to a vote by Friday, which is beginning to look unlikely.

more: http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2009/07/john_conyers_stirs_up_controve.html

His line about the lawyers is odd since he himself is a lawyer, and as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee he undoubtedly has several lawyers working for him.

Then we can bang our heads against there being (as I recall) 4 different House Bills and one in the Senate as well as a promissed vote on Single Payer that might just disrupt everything.