Bill Foster: “What I'm fishing for is, what is the balance of, you know, human suffering and death versus economic goals?”

This made the discharge petition much more effective at its intended purpose, which is sort of to operate as a safety valve against, you know, the Speaker's rather dictatorial power.

I have been amused for a long time at how can it be that there is legislation supported by 70 or 80 percent of the public, a clear majority of Members of Congress, and yet we are not allowed to even vote on it.

If you made it anonymous, you would allow Members to sort of probe support for centrist legislation.

Frankly, when I read about this, it triggered my PTSD from the AIG situation with credit default swaps during the financial crisis.