This afternoon, I had an Andy Rooney (may he R.I.P.) moment when reading the Front Page story, "Senate punts on indefinite detention of American citizens".
Did you ever notice ...
the lack of journalistic style that happens when trusted media sources don't fully identify the subject they are discussing??
'PLEASE ... What is the Bill # ??' was the subject of my reply to the above mentioned Front Page Story:
PLEASE ... What is the Bill # ??
dKos is no different than the daily newspapers, including the wire services, in the consistent lack of properly identifying legislation. Also, to me, 'good reporting' is based on answering ALL the OBVIOUS interrogatives, not just a few of them.
WHAT IS THE BILL # ?? so it can be accessed at thomas.loc.gov.
Have you ever tried to research a Bill at government websites without a Bill #??
The horrible common practice in writing about legislation is to identify it by SUBJECT MATTER, instead of by its NAME!
I want the proper name of the subject under discussion ... or I don't care about reading anybody's opinion, where I can't go to the source on my own.
Austerity is the opposite of Prosperity
by josmndsn on Sat Dec 03, 2011 at 12:23:23 PM CST
When I write a letter or email to my US Representative or US Senators, I don't like writing about something in vague, general terms. I prefer to be specific, so as not to come across as being considered as just a whinny constituent. Being specific means knowing the title and number of the legislation for which I am expressing my concern.
Congressional staffers are quick to respond (2-3 months later??) with form letters that generalize the subject matter, while lauding the Congreessman or Senator for their excellent efforts on the subject with a thank you for my interest in the matter.
I've been writing letters to Congress for decades and this return robo-correspondence is tiring.
I always ask at least one very specific question in my correspondence, but ...
WAIT FOR IT ...
I never get a specific answer. (Yeah, you knew)
The only way I can effectively express myself is at the ballot box.
However, between elections mechanical responses to my correspondence is at the least, extremely disheartening.
Please, dKos staffers and membership, help me be a good voter by including the complete title of legislation, along with its Bill/Resolution Number when discussing important legislation.
Example: Many at dKos know the basic content of Arizona Senate Bill, SB 1070, because a few resourceful reporters, answering ALL the Interrogatives, posted links to to the State of Arizona website, when they first did stories about the legislation.
How much of the useless legislation passed and signed into law during the 112th Congress do you know by its proper title and/or number??