(02-01-2019, 12:35 AM)TheO-LineMatters Wrote:

(01-31-2019, 06:34 PM)copycat Wrote: 1.  End base line budgeting  2. Make each and every bill a single issue.  No riders, no add on's.  Make every single expenditure stand on it's own merit.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   It's not difficult if you have the desire to do it, and that is the issue.

Such a simple fix, yet people act like this is impossible. It's just common sense.

It goes against the theory of how Congresses work.
There are three categories of bills, call them X,Y, and Z.
X is stuff I want to pass
Y is stuff I don't care either way about.
Z is stuff I'd never ever vote for.
The Y category is larger than you think.  Even yours.  You might think you care about politics but you probably don't actually have a strong opinion about most of the things that get discussed in congressional committees. That's the Y.
The other problem is, a lot of the stuff in your X category is stuff that other people put in their Y and Z categories.  You'll never persuade the Z's, but maybe you could persuade the Y's.  
"Hey, brother, will you help pass this thing that's an X for me but just a Y in your book?"
"I don't care about it.  Let's talk about my X.  I care more about that."
"Oh, I don't care about your X.  That's just a Y for me.  How about you vote for my X and I'll vote for your X?"
"How do I know you'll hold up your end?"
"We'll put them in the same bill!"

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