Australiasiaville
12-08-2007, 02:22
Do you believe they are beneficial? Or should legislation be passed separately on its own merit, and riders are a dishonest shortcut? I personally feel that it is an absurd and unnecessary system. Other countries get by fine without it, why does Congress (and wherever else the practice is used) need to resort to these underhanded tactics that are so open to abuse.
And for the record, from wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rider_(legislation)):
In legislative practice, a rider is an additional provision annexed to a bill under the consideration of a legislature, having little connection with the subject matter of the bill. They are usually created as a tactic to pass a controversial provision which would not pass as its own bill. Occasionally, a controversial provision is attached to a less important bill not to be passed itself but to prevent the bill from being passed (in which case it is called a poison pill). Use of riders is customary in many legislative bodies, including the Congress of the United States.
EDIT
Yay, 100th post.
And for the record, from wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rider_(legislation)):
In legislative practice, a rider is an additional provision annexed to a bill under the consideration of a legislature, having little connection with the subject matter of the bill. They are usually created as a tactic to pass a controversial provision which would not pass as its own bill. Occasionally, a controversial provision is attached to a less important bill not to be passed itself but to prevent the bill from being passed (in which case it is called a poison pill). Use of riders is customary in many legislative bodies, including the Congress of the United States.
EDIT
Yay, 100th post.