Trendy: Oregon Democrats’ economist doesn’t read bill before testifying

By Michelle Malkin  •  April 7, 2009 05:15 PM

We have a President and majority in Congress who don’t read their own massive spending bills before passing them into law.

Now, the trend is catching on at the state level.

Oregon Democrats tapped an economist to attack a GOP recovery plan…after admitting he didn’t bother to look at the GOP bill before testifying against it.

Because nobody actually reads legislation anymore.

Not until after it’s signed, anyway…

See what others have said

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Comments


  1. #2
    On April 7th, 2009 at 5:18 pm, WarEagle82 said:

    Well, it is a Republican bill so it has to be evil…

  2. #3
    On April 7th, 2009 at 5:19 pm, theloneranger said:

    Oregon is a Liberal hell-hole anyway. I don’t find this at all surprising.

  3. #4
    On April 7th, 2009 at 5:21 pm, walterc said:

    In the words of Forrest Gump’s Momma “stupid is as stupid does.”

    Boggles the mind.

  4. #5
    On April 7th, 2009 at 5:34 pm, CantCureStupid said:

    Of course he didn’t read the bill. Reading is for peasants and sh!tstirrers. Let’s not clutter the debate with anything as vulgar and off-color as actual facts.

    Sheesh.

  5. #6
    On April 7th, 2009 at 5:34 pm, Uplander said:

    I feel like a school bus driver taking the ‘kids’ down the highway. There’s always a potential yahoo trying to press the envelope, but this time, too much, I’m hitting the brakes, not too hard, I don’t want to hurt any of my ‘charges’ not even the idiots. We are going to stop and ‘discuss’ some expectations and rules.

    We are at the point where the yahoos don’t yet realize the bus is slowing down, but we aren’t ‘There Yet’.

    Let’s see, what to do when the bus stops…

    Tea Party
    Drawn & Quartered
    Make ‘em walk
    Tie ‘em to the bumper

    I know as a bus driver my power is limited, but hey, these kids are gonna be running the world someday.

  6. #7
    On April 7th, 2009 at 5:35 pm, Mister P said:

    Oregon is a Liberal hell-hole anyway. I don’t find this at all surprising.

    I move to Oregon this week, so there is still hope ;=)

  7. #8
    On April 7th, 2009 at 5:43 pm, Ragspierre said:

    I have proposed a Constitutional amendment that would…among a few other things…make it a requirement that all legislators certify that they have (or they and their staff have read) and understood every bill before they are allowed to cast a vote on it.

    The penalty for a false certification would be the immediate calling of a special election, determined by a Federal lawsuit in which any citizen of the legislator’s state (for Senators) or district would have standing to bring the suit.

  8. #9
    On April 7th, 2009 at 5:56 pm, Uplander said:

    How strange. It’s almost as if we drop the chiluns off at preschool and when we pick them up after a hard day on the job their project for today was to write a new constitution. For some reason, maybe under instructions from a teachers union, we are expected to scrap the Constitution we woke up with this morning and go with the one the chiluns came up with after their nap, before they had their milk.

  9. #10
    On April 7th, 2009 at 6:06 pm, mcridge said:

    Mister P said: I move to Oregon this week, so there is still hope ;=)

    Moving to The Dalles later this month … maybe there actually is hope.

  10. #11
    On April 7th, 2009 at 6:06 pm, JustAThought said:

    On April 7th, 2009 at 5:35 pm, Mister P said:

    Oregon is a Liberal hell-hole anyway. I don’t find this at all surprising.

    I move to Oregon this week, so there is still hope ;=)

    Hey, irritate some libs. Drive a pick-up and put a McCain – Palin sticker on it. Better yet, find or make a Palin – Jindahl sticker and put that on it.

  11. #12
    On April 7th, 2009 at 6:07 pm, tpitman said:

    On April 7th, 2009 at 5:35 pm, Mister P said:

    Oregon is a Liberal hell-hole anyway. I don’t find this at all surprising.

    I move to Oregon this week, so there is still hope ;=)

    Well, as Professor Henry Jones said to Indy as they watched a book burning in Berlin, “My son, we’re pilgrims in an unholy land.”
    Thusly,as Harrison Ford said in another film, “May the force be with you.”

  12. #13
    On April 7th, 2009 at 6:13 pm, RTater said:

    Uplander – you’d better watch your step:

    Bus driver accused using brake to discipline kids

    Apr 7, 3:29 PM (ET)

    BRATTLEBORO, Vt. (AP) – A bus driver accused of slamming on the brakes to discipline children on her bus when they misbehaved was arrested. Police said the sudden stops caused the elementary school children to hit their heads on the seat in front of them or fall on to the floor. No one was seriously injured.

    According to WCAX-TV, the 38-year-year-old driver was charged with careless and negligent operation.

    Information from: WCAX-TV, http://www.wcax.com

  13. #14
    On April 7th, 2009 at 6:21 pm, Uplander said:

    On April 7th, 2009 at 6:13 pm, RTater said:
    Uplander – you’d better watch your step:

    Bus driver accused using brake to discipline kids

    Yeah, I know, but ‘we’re all bozos on ‘THIS BUS’ I guess.

    Actually I’ve retired. I’m now a ‘Cat Herdsman’

  14. #15
    On April 7th, 2009 at 6:21 pm, AlohaGuy said:

    Lefties are affect driven. It’s how they feel that counts, therefore understanding is unnecessary.

  15. #16
    On April 7th, 2009 at 6:24 pm, AlohaGuy said:

    Michelle, you’ve done this guy wrong – he deserves to have his name published, so he will get the credit he deserves for his ignorance.
    Robert Whelan – ignorant economist.

  16. #17
    On April 7th, 2009 at 6:28 pm, txvet2 said:

    On April 7th, 2009 at 5:35 pm, Mister P said:

    Oregon is a Liberal hell-hole anyway. I don’t find this at all surprising.

    I move to Oregon this week, so there is still hope ;=)

    ABANDON HOPE, YE WHO ENTER OREGON

  17. #18
    On April 7th, 2009 at 6:35 pm, madmonkphotog said:

    What. An. Idiot.

  18. #19
    On April 7th, 2009 at 6:38 pm, MarcoPolo said:

    Nobody read the Patriot Act the first time around, IIRC.

  19. #20
    On April 7th, 2009 at 6:43 pm, WrshpMzshn said:

    Mister P said: I move to Oregon this week, so there is still hope ;=)

    mcridge said: Moving to The Dalles later this month … maybe there actually is hope.

    With you joining us, that’ll make three conservative families in Oregon!

  20. #21
    On April 7th, 2009 at 6:46 pm, Ragspierre said:

    MarcoPolo said:

    Nobody read the Patriot Act the first time around, IIRC.

    And your point would be…(even if what you said is true, which I doubt)…

  21. #22
    On April 7th, 2009 at 6:47 pm, hawkeye54 said:

    Oregon is a Liberal hell-hole anyway. I don’t find this at all surprising.

    Not all of Oregon is that way, yet. Or so my wife’s sister claims. Says she, much of southern Oregon still leans to the right mostly. Except for the town (Ashland?)which holds that Shakespeare festival which she can’t stand. Too many former Northern California Libs there she says.

    Which is why she and her husband bought a house in Grant’s Pass with plans to move there at retirement, thereby adding to Oregon’s conservative numbers.

  22. #24
    On April 7th, 2009 at 7:11 pm, zyzzyg said:

    The unfortunate reality is that far too few bills are read in their entirety by everyone who should.

    Often, as long as a Legislator has their ‘paragraph’ in a bill, that is all that matters. Or, an opposing Legislator will skim a bill looking for heinous language that could be used to stop the entire bill.

    It has been ths way for a very long time. And, we have rolled with it to our own demise.

  23. #25
    On April 7th, 2009 at 7:12 pm, Phileosophos said:

    Actually, if you think about it, this makes perfect sense, Ms. Malkin. Remember, liberals are the folks who believe that the constitution says whatever it needs to say to further their “progressive” agenda. That’s how things explicitly contained within it (e.g., gun rights, capital punishment, etc.) aren’t really there, while things not mentioned at all (e.g., a right to privacy such that abortion is a secular sacrament) are indisputable.

    With that in mind, it’s easy to understand why they don’t need to read anything. That bunch of humpty dumpty’s prefer simply read whatever they want into whatever legislation needs it. Sure makes it easier to have your way, don’t you think?

  24. #26
    On April 7th, 2009 at 7:13 pm, Regulus said:

    If you know how the liberal mind works, none of this surprises you.

    The ordinary scientific method requires gathering all of the available evidence, analyzing it and following it wherever it leads.

    Liberals stand this process on its head: they begin with the Cherished Preconclusion, and then work backwards — cherry-picking only that “evidence” which “proves” what they think they’ve known all along.

    Thus, if I’m a liberal Oregon legislator in this case, the Cherished Preconclusion is that because the letters “GOP” come before “Recovery Plan” it must de facto be bad. The “economist” I choose to cherry-pick with his testimony needn’t actually know the details of what he’s talking about, so long as what he says reinforces what I already “know.”

    As for living in Ecotopia Oregon, as long as you avoid the Portland Metro area and its massive case of Penis Envy when it compares its libtard credentials to those of Seattle — “Half of Seattle with All of the Traffic”(TM) — then your odds of finding a good place to live go up considerably.

    Also a good idea to avoid Eugene (home of the University of Oregon, a.k.a. “The Berkeley of the Northwest,” a.k.a. “The University of Zero”), Salem (home of the one-party donkey government) and Ashland (a pretentious little town with much, much more than its quota of pretentious little people).

    Then all you have to do is get used to the weather. After slogging through Alsace-Lorraine in 1944, General George Patton remarked that,

    “In the final settlement of the war, we should insist that Germany keep Alsace-Lorraine. I can think of no greater burden than to be saddled with this miserable little country where it rains every day and the wealth of the people is measured in assorted piles of manure.”

    Sounds like he sent some time in Oregon…

  25. #27
    On April 7th, 2009 at 7:25 pm, single stack said:

    On April 7th, 2009 at 6:46 pm, Ragspierre said:
    MarcoPolo said:

    Nobody read the Patriot Act the first time around, IIRC.
    And your point would be…(even if what you said is true, which I doubt)…

    Unfortunately, Marco Polo is correct. No one read the Patriot Act before it was signed as there were no copies in existence when it was passed. In fact, it was still being written when Congress voted on it and the President signed the only copy in existence at the time of his signing.

  26. #28
    On April 7th, 2009 at 7:32 pm, Ragspierre said:

    Very well…

    So…?

    Does that change the verity of my proposal…?

  27. #29
    On April 7th, 2009 at 7:51 pm, mom2jack said:

    Oregon is a Liberal hell-hole anyway. I don’t find this at all surprising.

    Well, some of us are in the front line trenches, so don’t count out the whole state. Actually, it’s mainly the I-5 corridor from Portland to just south of Eugene (and then Ashland) which are the the most liberal. The rest of the state runs more red.

  28. #30
    On April 7th, 2009 at 7:53 pm, cicerokid said:

    Democrats can read?

  29. #31
    On April 7th, 2009 at 8:07 pm, Old Country Boy said:

    To all of you chilluns that are talking about how the Bush/hitler patriot act was passed: this old man remembers that it was based on the rigged, flawed 9/11 commission report – remember where the Justice Department person responsible for the “wall” between agencies exonerated herself? They also got Clinton exonerated. I also remember that the republicans fought it tooth and nail, except the MSM was making the accusation that they would be the blame for anything that happened if they didn’t pass it in its entirety. Bush signed it because it was forced on him by the MSM and the Dems. What’s the matter, hadn’t you learned how to pay attention post 9/11?

  30. #32
    On April 7th, 2009 at 8:10 pm, AlohaGuy said:

    Democrats can read?

    It’s comprehension that’s the major problem…

  31. #33
    On April 7th, 2009 at 8:11 pm, PhredE said:

    In all fairness to my beautiful, if often maligned and equally misunderstood state, I’ll offer the following:

    1. I’m not going to defend the Economist! (nor anyone that would testify on significant legislation that doesn’t have the sense to read the subject matter first – duh!)

    2. Lars Larson – [Conservative] radio talk commentator, guest on national news programs, etc. lives here in the Portland area. … He isn’t the only one…

    3. The most accurate characterization of the political dynamics here, really (IMHO), is one of rural vs. urban. Depending on who/how you count… about 70% of the population lives in the largest 5 or 6 cities. The rural areas are very conservative typically. The larger cities (probably with the exception of the Medford and other SoOR areas [lots of transplanted Californians...]) leans strongly “blue”. The most ‘liberal’ enclaves which persist at the moment would certainly include: Eugene, Ashland [mostly transplanted Californians...] and to a lesser degree, the Portland metro area.

    HTH

  32. #34
    On April 7th, 2009 at 8:13 pm, AlohaGuy said:

    To all of you chilluns that are talking about how the Bush/hitler patriot act was passed:

    As I recall, they claim to have been duped by the man they think is the stupidist who ever lived…hehe.

  33. #35
    On April 7th, 2009 at 8:15 pm, rightisright said:

    With you joining us, that’ll make three conservative families in Oregon.

    Don’ forget us old, retired, single, conservatives that live in this hell hole(Orygun)…don’t we count?

    Regulus, you about covered it, stay away from those 5 major areas. When you say Eugene you need to think Springfield also,my residence, sorry to say…invested with illegals and food stampers with hords of kids. I thought they taught ‘em about contraceptives in schools now.
    Can’t forget Corvalis, home of Orygun State Univ.that place is as liberal as Eugene, People’s Republic on the Williamette. Maybe it’s the water in the Williamette River that’s doing it.

    Problem is this state is run by a bunch of burned out dope smokin’ hippies from the 60’s and libs from Kohlifonia, who sold high in Kohlif. and moved here and bought 3 times the house for 1/2 the price, then drove up the cost of land along with everything else. of course they hold office and or are “professors” in the colleges.

    Been here 10 years(too long), it’s one very depressing place in the winter. Only ranks like 24th in rainfall, problem is it takes 5 or 6 months in the winter to do it. I’m referring to the west of the Cascades, east of the mountains is high desert country. Cold winters, hot summers, but they do get bright blues skies in the winter after the storm moves through.

    Got carried away, sorry, the economist appears to be like most of the legislators in the state.

  34. #36
    On April 7th, 2009 at 8:16 pm, PhredE said:

    “Been here 10 years(too long),…”

    You’re a newbie. (I’ve been here 40+) D

  35. #37
    On April 7th, 2009 at 8:17 pm, curiozities said:

    On April 7th, 2009 at 7:13 pm, Regulus said:

    …the liberal mind works…

    Sounds like a couple of contradictions there. First, liberals have minds? And second, if liberals do have minds, they work? :-)

  36. #38
    On April 7th, 2009 at 8:20 pm, AlohaGuy said:

    Ashland (a pretentious little town with much, much more than its quota of pretentious little people).

    These are people who can’t afford to pretend to live in Sausalito.

  37. #39
    On April 7th, 2009 at 8:20 pm, hunter said:

    This topic touches on something I have been thinking about recently. The people that are proposing these bills and laws and then voting on them without reading them, and that includes reading what is stuffed into their own bills by others, really have no business passing 99.9 percent of these bills/laws.

    After 200 years off passing laws, aren’t there enough? I have been thinking that all members should be paid a hugely reduced salary, but should also have a hugely reduced workload. We don’t need any more laws. They should be charged with passing a limited budget that covers the military, protecting the borders, and filling any federal appointed vacancies that have become open in the previous year.

    These should not be full time jobs. And I know that I am going to hear about doling all of the money back to the states and who would decide who gets what, but if we limited the federal government to what the intended purpose of it was, they would not be collecting confiscatory amounts of money that they are then able to decide, by passing laws/bills, how to spend.

    Maybe it is time to make senator and representative a part time job again.

  38. #40
    On April 7th, 2009 at 8:24 pm, AlohaGuy said:

    if we limited the federal government to what the intended purpose of it was, they would not be collecting confiscatory amounts of money that they are then able to decide, by passing laws/bills, how to spend.

    How would Barney Frank live now that the brothel in the basement is closed?

  39. #41
    On April 7th, 2009 at 8:26 pm, RabbidSquirrel said:

    On April 7th, 2009 at 6:13 pm, RTater said:

    Uplander – you’d better watch your step:

    Bus driver accused using brake to discipline kids

    Back in the day, we had a cigar-smoking retired good old boy sheriff as our bus driver. He carried a wooden paddle on the console next to him and had no problem with stopping the bus in the middle of town, coming to the back of the bus and dragging your butt out and whooping you with it whenever he needed to.

  40. #42
    On April 7th, 2009 at 8:27 pm, hunter said:

    How would Barney Frank live now that the brothel in the basement is closed?

    I guess he would have to prostitute himself instead of pimping others.

    Oh wait, sorry about that I lost my head, he already is isn’t he!

  41. #43
    On April 7th, 2009 at 8:43 pm, rightisright said:

    You’re a newbie. (I’ve been here 40+)

    Compared to you I am, it was a culture shock moving here coming from Utah. Now it looks like Utah has gone from Deep Red to a pale purple(Sen. Hatch and Bennett).

    Not surprised they don’t read the bills, it’s a lot of patting each others backs or giving a “I’ll remember that”.

  42. #44
    On April 7th, 2009 at 9:03 pm, zorro said:

    I can just hear the music playing in the background as economist Robert Whelan approached the committee…

  43. #45
    On April 7th, 2009 at 9:03 pm, Laree said:

    I added the Fox Video so much for a New Era In American Race Relations.

    http://youhavetobethistalltogoonthisride.blogspot.com/2009/04/neil-cavuto-al-sharpton-acorn-call-for.html

    Al Sharpton and Acorn call for Sheriff Joe Arpaio to resign

    I watched Al Sharpton do the same thing to Imus and Bernard McGuirk Joe Arpaio is not a racist.

  44. #46
    On April 7th, 2009 at 9:09 pm, rightisright said:

    something tells me Sheriff Joe will tell ‘o Al & Acorn where they can put their resignation request.

  45. #47
    On April 7th, 2009 at 9:46 pm, Flyoverman said:

    Why would the economist want to read the bill? Why waste time?

    Since he, no doubt could not refute the bill on its merits, he just picked standard Attack Plan A or maybe B and repeated them like the mind numbed paid political hit man that his is.

  46. #48
    On April 7th, 2009 at 10:13 pm, TomB said:

    As we say in the industry, “RTFM”. Although maybe it should be RTFB for legislation.

    It is a FINE manual, I promise.

  47. #49
    On April 7th, 2009 at 11:37 pm, RetFireman said:

    Well of course he didn’t read it. It was a GOP recovery plan. That alone means that it would never have a chance in hell of making it to begin with.

    Since it was GOP and not Dem, then that was all the more they needed to know. What was inside didn’t matter a lick. Unless it is done by the Dems/Liberals, it will never matter.

    The hypocrites will always get their way, and if anyone thinks anything will come of this, I have some swamp land in the Mojave I would be interested in developing with you.

  48. #50
    On April 8th, 2009 at 12:27 am, SpeakEasy said:

    First make all legislation limited to one central idea that stands or falls on its merits. Second outlaw riders tacked onto bills that just siphon money out for pet projects. Not ONE dime should be spent unless specifically voted for by the majority. Last, all votes should be a yea or nay- no present or abstintions. Make your reps take a stand one way or the other. No more flying under the radar. I think we can all see how that is turning out.

  49. #51
    On April 8th, 2009 at 1:51 am, RetFireman said:

    No more riders PERIOD. Nothing should ever be tacked on to a bill. The bills should be voted on AS WRITTEN. All that extra poop is just ridiculous. Not really sure how that even got started or was allowed to happen in the first place, but it should be stopped.

  50. #52
    On April 8th, 2009 at 5:23 am, graysonret said:

    Politicians don’t read bills. It is much easier to check and find out what their main re-election contributors want. What they decide is what the politicians decide.

  51. #53
    On April 8th, 2009 at 10:35 am, cheapseat said:

    the salon paglia article linked on drudge points out many of the points we conservatives have made for years. media bias, conservative issue criticism vs liberal personal criticism, and a host of other worthwhile topics. good read, but question and answer bottom to top email format is a bit confusing.

  52. #54
    On April 8th, 2009 at 2:05 pm, happyscrapper said:

    My husband has a cousin in Eugene, Oregon and we have visited him many times. It is absolutely beautiful country out there. Unfortunately, the cousin is a moonbat liberal. He is a good guy, but loves to dig in and turn the screws. We have to be nice to him because my husband is in his Will and he is fairly well off and over 80 years old. That stubborn old buzzard will probably outlive both of us! Don’t get me wrong, I actually have a (grudging) fondness for him!

    By the way, Oregon’s neighboring state, Washington, has banned phosphates, which includes most detergents that actually get anything clean. Now the population of Washington is using a black market system and/or crossing the border to bring in Cascade, etc. I would find all of that quite humorous…except that it is coming to a state near you!

  53. #55
    On April 8th, 2009 at 2:08 pm, happyscrapper said:

    On April 7th, 2009 at 7:51 pm, mom2jack said:
    Oregon is a Liberal hell-hole anyway. I don’t find this at all surprising.
    Well, some of us are in the front line trenches, so don’t count out the whole state. Actually, it’s mainly the I-5 corridor from Portland to just south of Eugene (and then Ashland) which are the the most liberal. The rest of the state runs more red.

    Don’t take it personally when people malign your state. I live in Minnesota, so you can imagine the kind of flack I get!

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