X-Message-Number: 23519
Date: Thu, 26 Feb 2004 12:25:03 -0500 (EST)
From: Charles Platt <>
Subject: The nature of legislation
References: <>

A well intentioned post on CryoNet reads in part:

"Someone on that thread at the Cryonics Cafe suggested that
since the bill has already been beaten...."

This is like someone saying, after Roe vs. Wade, "Now that
the abortion debate is over...."

I'm afraid the world doesn't work that way. If you were a
legislator who introduced a bill that didn't work in its
original wording, would you just say, "I guess regulating
that industry was a bad idea," or would you try a rewritten
version of the bill in the next legislative session? The
answer of course may depend on factors such as whether
influential special interests are involved, whether your
popularity will benefit from pursuing the issue, and whether
it will result in favorable press coverage.

I am not saying that Rep. Bob Stump is making these
calculations. I don't know the man, his motives, or his
record. I'm just observing a general pattern in politics. I
have seen this pattern in numerous initiatives, from attempts
to outlaw sports betting in Las Vegas to attempts to control
indecent content on the Internet. Legislators are paid, in
part, to create legislation. We should expect them continue
trying to do so.

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