New App Finds ‘Virtual’ Way to Fix Congress

[MindMover]

Every day it seems a new app hits the market seeking to solve the most benign problems facing the smartphone-wielding masses. But how about a much bigger problem — like fixing Congress, an institution with an approval rating hovering around 13 percent?

“If you want to be able to hold Congress accountable, then you have to know what it is doing,” said Ted Henderson, the creator of Capitol Bells. “Living with the 21st century technology we have, you should be able to do that without turning on the TV.”

Henderson, 29, started Capitol Bells almost a year ago in a fit of nostalgia. He had been a staffer for former Rep. Dale Kildee, D-Mich., who retired in January 2013. Henderson found himself out of work and out of the loop on what was going on just miles away from his apartment.

“Being on the Hill, knowing when votes are starting is the thing that kind of drives what’s happening,” Henderson said. “So it kind of became, if I feel this disconnected… no wonder everyone else feels so disconnected.”

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2014/04/new-app-finds-virtual-way-to-fix-congress/

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I think this is definitely a way to contribute your opinion on what you want in our government ... excellent idea and will be expanded soon ...

[JayhawkSD]

1. This is all well and good.

But your local paper prints the voting records of the Representatives in your area and of your Senators, usually weekly. All you have to do is look for the listings. They are seldom difficult to find, and the votes almost always include a brief synopsis of the bills along with the votes.

[MindMover]

2. The app includes the ability for you to vote for measures/bills/laws ... real time

I do not think the newspaper has that ability .... real time ....

[JayhawkSD]

3. And I think that ability is fun, but essentially useless.

When I lived in Tucson someone porposed that the water arriving from the Colorado River via the Central Arizona Project should be "recharged," meaning it should be dumped into the aquifer and pumped out via the existing groundwater pumps as needed. The ground would filter out the impurity it picked up in its 350 mile journey across the desert in an open trench, and soften the hardness which was the result of evaporation.

Some nut opposed it because he feared the wanter would move underground to Mexico and we would lose it and demanded that it be put directly into our water system. City officials, our elected representatives, voted and decided it should be recharged. This nut was not satisfied and mounted a campaign to get a public vote. Much demogougery resulted in the public voting against recharge.

The water was put into our system and all hell broke loose. No one could drink the water, it tasted like battery acid, and many could not ebven bathe in it. It corroded the pipes of the delivery system and dissolved the impellers in the pumps. It build up carbonate deposits in faucets and shutoff valves. The upshot was that it had to be switched to rechgarge and tens of millions of dollars spent repairing the city water system.

Sometimes it is better not having uninformed citizens voting on things.

Not that I think any harms will be done because... Do you really think legislators are going to hear the Senate/House bell and go to the floor reading their iPhone app to thell them how to vote?