Sausage Making

Have you ever heard it said that making laws is kind of like making sausage, it's better not to see them being made? It is an interesting analogy. Apparently John Godfrey Saxe is the first to have made that observation:  http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Godfrey_Saxe  And oddly enough, some sausage makers have taken exception with the comparison:  http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/05/weekinreview/05pear.html?_r=0

The essential meaning of the reference is that it is messy business making either laws or sausages. How many of us have tried making either one? If you read the NYTimes link above you will have to appreciate the irony as Mike Pence complained about how complicated legislating has become and Republicans pledged to post online any legislation that is up for a vote for at least 3 days before a vote. Ha! Ha! Ha!

If you were elected to Congress, would you know how to get legislation passed? Where do they teach the process? Well, the truth is that most of us don't know. And, we would likely be appalled at the deal making that goes into getting any bill to the floor of either house of Congress for a vote! It isn't as simple as many think it is. You can read the process here:  http://votesmart.org/education/how-a-bill-becomes-law#.VIisbPRDuSo This is sort of like reading a document telling you how to ride a bicycle. You will have "head" knowledge but not actual experience. Still, it is good to know the process. But, like riding the bicycle, law making takes skill and practice. Once the deal is done, the end result isn't always what we'd prefer. Often, there are provisions added that we don't like but must accept if the bill is going to get enough support to get a vote. That's reality folks. Just like the raw material that goes into those sausages, the wheeling and dealing that surrounds getting legislation passed isn't pretty. But it is the reality of how things get done.