One particular complaint prevalent amongst Tea Party goers was that Congress rushed mammoth legislation into law without ever reading it. If you recall, Congress passed the 1100 page, $787 billion Stimulus bill while providing Congressmen/women less than 24 hours to even read it. It was said that if it didn’t pass immediately, economic armageddon would ensue. The $700 billion bank bailout known as TARP was also rushed through Congress in just a few days under threat of catastrophic economic collapse. These are glaring cases of congressional dereliction and presidential bullying.

However, there is very little criticism, especially by those who chide Obama and the Democrats, of an older, more famous bill which was thrown together in a frenzied haste: The Patriot Act. Over 300 pages, the Patriot Act was passed without a single member of Congress ever reading the bill. Hundreds of pages of indecipherable legalese, the Patriot Act was presented to members of Congress only 15 minutes before the vote. It required some constitutional law scholars dozens and dozens of hours to read, analyze, and digest the Patriot Act afterwards, and some of these scholars questioned the constitutionality of several aspects of the act. Yet, it was passed in an hysterical environment under the all-encompassing justification of national security.

Whether one agrees or disagrees with any or all of these bills, all of us agree that such monumental legislation should not pass unless there has been sufficient time to deliberate, debate, and analyze the potential consequences. Rushed legislation is a recipe for potential disaster and unintended consequences. Instead, these bills should be far more readable and much more concise. But, most importantly, they should cite chapter and verse in the Constitution, so that the Federal Government does not abuse its enumerated powers.