It’s been two years since the last Bipartisan Guide to Ridiculous Legislation, but I’m happy to announce the Guide is back to track the most absurd bills in the 2011 legislative cycle.
It’s the perfect year, too.
Both locally and nationally, U.S. citizens are seeing some of the most reactionary law-making in years. The political atmosphere is decidedly partisan … and sometimes just plain mean. There are hundreds of new politicians looking to make a name for themselves with opportunistic legislation. And with record numbers of laid-off reporters and bankrupt media companies, it’s an impossible task to track the hundreds (thousands?) of bills coming up for a vote.
That’s where the Guide comes in.
But this year, I’m doing something different: I will focus mostly on federal legislation as oppose to only focusing on Florida’s fair share of foolish ideas.
I
f you remember from the past two installments of the Guide, I’ve used some kind of graphic to rate the idiocy of featured bills from 1 to 5. In 2008, I used “Bumper Nutz,” those wildly-colored genitals that rednecks like to put on the back of their trucks. In 2009, in honor of Florida Rep. Darryl Rouson’s “bong tax,” I rated ridiculous legislation with 1-5 bong hits, with “5 bong hits” being the most stoned bills coming out of the Florida Legislature.
This year, with the Tea Party movement changing the face of politics in Florida and nationally, I thought the rating system should reflect this new (bizarre) phenomenon of U.S. politics.
So I’m using teabags. I will rate bills by 1 to 5 teabags, with five teabags representing the worst concoction of a law – reactionary, wasteful, and of course, ridiculous.
For a complete list of all previous posts, click here.
(Photos of teabags courtesy of Andrew Coulter Enright / Flickr under Creative Commons licensing)
Enrique says:
TO; Geoge C, VA, & Indy,Hi George, I alawys read you posts.Thank you alawys from here, for your well placed words and insightful comments. With regards to you and Indy, from your first paragraph on Greece: I just wanted to share a couple of notes. I was in Europe for one month about seven months ago. Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain and France, all in dire fiscal straights. Rioting and demostrations, every where. The world bank (centered in Germany) bailed-out Greece shortly after my trip. Over 70% of the Greek population are employed by the government. The government cut, cut, and cut again, putting thousands of Greek citizens out of work. Unemployment across most of Europe is staggering.We rarely hear about these facts here in the states pointed you by Indy .(thank you for the re) I go on the BBC site for international news or Fox International to get data. I’m certain others probably do the same. The one feeling I got there, IS the feeling I have here now.The fear in peoples faces and the depair and hoplessness.Like you, I read and reread numeous solutions for the USA, impending crises .The bottom-line as sordid as it sounds: No one wants to rock the boat over indecison and like Greece, our Federal Gov’t has morphored into a dsyfunctional { ism } You, H.F. and thousands of us here, have ask and ask for someone to “do better” for months. I believe they won’t in this administration.It will take the 2012 election to change the maggots. Millions of American already lost a major part of their 410-K retirement funds from the last cover-up by our government. After the crash, millions more will end-up with a zero, at the end of their dream sheets. And I hope I’m wrong .Who ever is playing God right now with America’s future has one foot in hell, already.
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