Thought of the Day 07.10.09

One of my favorite pieces of recent legislation is House Resolution 615 being offered by Representative John Flemming (R-Louisiana). In short, it would encourage Congressional members who vote for Barack Obama’s health care plan to actually use that plan themselves rather than the much more luxurious system they currently enjoy.

His idea, of course, is that we should be very suspicious whenever the cook doesn’t want to eat the food, and perhaps forcing him to do so would serve to improve its quality. At the very least, when the lawmakers suffer (or benefit) along with the rest of us, their own self-interest will help deter the passage of bad laws. But why not go even one step farther?

I know it wouldn’t work for everything, but what if Congress led the way on all innovative legislation by volunteering to be the test subjects for it themselves? Rather than making one giant new law for everyone, why not try it on themselves first to make sure it’s good? If they aren’t willing to do so, then they obviously aren’t really convinced of its value.

I guess I’d just like to see Congress put its medical care where its mouth is.