Ask The Speaker

I'm super-excited to be attending Netroots Nation in Austin next week. One of the coolest things they're doing is a Q&A with Speaker Pelosi. But I join Nick's concern about the questions people want asked:

For those of you who plan on going to Netroots Nation, or watch Speaker Pelosi's appearance on UStream, I encourage you to go to "Ask the Speaker" and rate the questions that you think are most important.

At the risk of being curmudgeonly, the Speaker's time is really, really valuable. Do you really want it all to be spent asking her questions about FISA, impeachment, and subpoenas? All of it? really? I'm voting down every question that's ahead of "Will Congress pass universal health care?", and I encourage others to do the same. Protecting civil liberties and ensuring that there are consequences for the Bushies' actions are important, but it doesn't need to be the first twelve issues she gets asked about.

Honestly. The Bush Administration is over. What does impeachment do now? FISA passed, what's solved by arguing with her over it now? The important questions are about what will happen next year.

For instance:

Will Congress increase Amtrak funding?

Will universal healthcare pass the new Congress?

Fixing the Defenestration of Science.

100% Failed Abstinence-Only Programs.

Go vote.

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Do you really want it all to be spent asking her questions about FISA, impeachment, and subpoenas?

Yes! What the hell was the point of electing a Democratic majority if they are acting exactly like the Republicans?

All of it? Yes!

really? Hell, yes! None of the other topics even matter.

i think we spend far too much time wrapped up in red tape debating past actions. while it makes sense to punish people for doing things wrong, and trying to learn from mistakes, the beauracracy has gotten so convoluted that it sucks up far too much in the way of time and resources. Of course, the same could be said for presidential elections - just imagine if we put all that funding towards medical research instead.