Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Congress
Back in high school--actually, even now in college--teachers are always harping about how students don't listen to the people talking in front. Some are sleeping, others are passing notes or whispering among themselves, still others are just plain zoning out. The one in front is left talking to him/herself.
You think we students are really the rudest, most inconsiderate scums in the universe? Ha. Watch a session in congress and come back to us and tell us we're don't listen.
Not that I'm saying the members of the congress are scums. Well...some of them are. But to be fair, some are actually okay. But if one of them ever teaches a class and yells at the students for not listening, or for being late or skipping classes all the time, I will have no choice but to laugh at their faces.
I, along with the rest of Polsci 100 under Mrs. Jayme-Lao, witnessed the earlier part of the session in congress. The woman who briefed us before the session mentioned that it would start promptly at 4. 3:30, and the session room was still basically empty. None of the members were still there. 3:45. Same goes. Maybe one or two have walked in. 4:00. Yep, the session started. Doesn't mean that even 10% of the house of representatives were there already. Nope. Not even 10%.
And then, one of them went up to one of those podiums set up along the aisles, and started to read the speech he had prepared--which was, I have to admit, very convoluted, and very, very long (ever heard of the miniskirt strategy?). Sure, I would also have to admit that I wasn't really listening either, as I could barely understand what he was talking about. Something about the tariff commission and tax on sugar. He was talking about Tang and Kraft. But a bored student would have at least pretended to listen. The representatives? Ha! None of them were even bothering to listen. Some were walking around. Some grouped together and started talking and laughing amongst themselves. One was, I think, on the internet. Others were talking on the phone. Even those sitting in front beside the Speaker of the House weren't listening. Oh, and most of them weren't even there.
I guess it bewildered me a little. No, not a little. A lot. I mean, they're representatives of the country, talking about things supposedly relevant to the nation (even if I can't understand them). You would think they would hold formal sessions...or at least a better organized one. Man, it's so much worse than a classroom setting, I'm telling you.
I was tempted to ask about that during the open forum with Minority House leader Francis Escudero and Reps. Gilbert Remulla and Justin Chippeco. Someone beat me to it, though, and I wouldn't have found the guts to ask it myself.
No time to say what exactly they answered to that. Dad's here.
# Lyn found a missing piece @ 6:36 PM 
