Oz is attempting a novel approach to ensuring quality legislation:
Politicians in an Australian state could be breathalysed before voting after reports of bad behaviour by MPs.
In the latest incident, New South Wales MP Andrew Fraser resigned from his frontbench role after shoving a female MP after attending a Christmas party.
In September, state police minister Matt Brown resigned after allegedly dancing in his underpants at a drunken party in his parliamentary office.
Several MPs have now backed a proposal to supply breath test kits.
“Honestly, if you are going to have breathalysers for people driving cranes you should have breathalysers for people writing laws,” New South Wales Greens MP John Kaye told the Sydney-based Daily Telegraph newspaper.
Only think of the reduction in silly bills coming out of the Commonwealth of Massachusets over the years, had this sensible plan been in effect.
Silly bills from the state legislature are but nothing compared to the pious bloviating we would have been spared if a certain spheroid senator from Massachusetts had been breathalyzed out of his undeserved office before Christmas 1962.
Congress would be more higly regarded if drunkenness provided an excuse for their behavior, especially legislative behavior.
On the comic front, however, our insane clown Congress has provided us with notables such as: Barney Frank’s boyfriend’s pimp business run out of Frank’s house;
Teddy Kennedy’s driving record and fatality, (and his hutzpah naming his dog “Splash!);
Foley’s eamil antics with pages;
Ms Fanny Foxx and her Congressman escort cavorting in the fountains;
ex-President Clinton’s redefinition of “sex” after soiling offices, dresses and reputations;
William Jefferson (D., LA) and his $90,000 in the freezer [and still in Congress??};
“Ace” Cunningham, seduced by the dark side to our embarassment; and
Ted Stevens’ ignorance as to the funding of his palatial home.
There are enough former state governors in various prisons to form at least a basketball team, perhaps a baseball team.
Iliinois’s crooked politicians (convicted and otherwise) are sufficient to form an entire league.
And there are more, but the point is, “WE ARE NUMBER 1″ when it comes to miscreant politicians.
They ought to make our lawmakers pass criminal background checks before they would be allowed to vote.
If they did, votes would look like Hockey scores.
To hell with all of them.
Nose: I’m more inclined to have them reveal their credit scores. They’d make the worst of society look good.
Best.