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yardieyesterday at 9:38 PM3 repliesview on HN

Not sure if you are aware but we rarely directly get to vote on these things. You vote for a representative and hope they vote in a way that serves your interests. But now, we have omnibus bills. And it's 50/50 loaded with things we want and things we don't. The same bill that funds Pre-K will also have a section to fund a kitten shredding machine. But if you vote against it all voters will hear is how you don't want to fund education.


Replies

realoyesterday at 9:48 PM

I do not live in the USA, but my understanding of those omnibus bills is that they are government blackmail of its people.

I remember being horrified the first time I heard this was legal in the USA.

How can the US citizens accept such a brutal denying of good governance is beyond me.

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cyberge99yesterday at 10:40 PM

It wouldn’t have mattered because the Horowitz Foundation donated them to avoid governance and regulations.

mothballedyesterday at 9:52 PM

IIRC FDR pioneered the contemporary use of this to ram through progressive legislation, in particular social security by essentially packaging it up so the needy would get nothing in other programs if social security wasn't passed.

Though I wouldn't be surprised if the idea goes back to Roman times.