Change I Can Believe in, Sorta

To answer your last question: Is Fox News the most watched news channel in America? Do I need to say more?

“Write with a specific person in mind. When writing Berkshire Hathaway’s annual report, I pretend that I’m talking to my sisters. I have no trouble picturing them: Though highly intelligent, they are not experts in accounting or finance. They will understand plain English, but jargon may puzzle them. My goal is simply to give them the information I would wish them to supply me if our positions were reversed. To succeed, I don’t need to be Shakespeare; I must, though, have a sincere desire to inform. No siblings to write to? Borrow mine: Just begin with “Dear Doris and Bertie.”
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http://www.plainlanguage.gov/whyPL/testimonials/buffet.cfm

I love how you write about an Act which the president signed into law and you write about Glenn Beck. You are obviously obsessed with him.

Joe, you don’t have to worry about losing your moral bearings as you never had any.

“Will government agencies have to send their employees to “plain writing” courses or seminars, and who will pick up that tab?”

I’d be fine with that.

As for “what is plain language?” I’d argue that the contributors and commenters at Swampland do it every day. Whatever differences we may all have, and there are many, we either understand each other or can quickly explain.

I don’t think it’d be hard for the government to adhere to that standard, even in legislation where it seems like language is used to cause misunderstandings.

“I mean, Jeez, what ever happened to common decency? Have we lost all moral bearings?”
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Died. Yes.

I work for Uncle Sam and you wouldn’t believe some of the instructions we get. I often feel that they’re witten by angry cryptographers with attitude on their last day at work.

First of all, is this entire blog entry a joke? Really, I couldn’t believe what I was reading.

Now that I’ve finished my open mouthed, wide-eyed reaction to your goofy diatribe, I’ll answer your “plain language regulator” question as if it was serious: Hire laid off editors from any newspaper across the country. Better yet, hire laid off English teachers or journalism professors.

Sheesh.

This just in: stuart z’s been hired to teach the “plain writing” course. We’re all doomed…
. Sorry, stu, couldn’t resist.

Pretty certain that would be considered Son of Stimulus and widely mocked by the right.

Anyone remember the attempt made to have all laws written in plain English at the national level?
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It happened a number of years ago and I believe it was doomed after a LOT of resistance from the lawyers (go figure).
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Somehow, all of those “wherewiths” and “parties of the first part” were deemed essential to good governance and good legal language.

I get that this is a blog and I generally am willing to accept a little levity from the Swampland crew. Still. Would it kill Joe Klein to take this even slightly seriously?

It seems to me that a major difference between Republicans and ostensibly moderate Democrats is that the former believe that government is inherently inefficient and flawed, while the latter are sympathetic to GOP complaints, but willing to believe that government can work.

For example, as V.P., Al Gore successfully implemented a number of real reforms that really made federal agencies work better. A GOP V.P. could never do that, because Republicans don’t believe it is possible for government to work.

A move toward Plain English regulations is the type of positive, progressive governmental reform that I would think that Joe Klein would embrace. It is disappointing to see him crap all over it without making any effort to ascertain whether this bill will actually accomplish what it appears designed to accomplish.

Joe Klein:
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“And how long before Glenn Beck sees this as part of the Great Crypto-Marxist-Wilsonian Conspiracy to wreck America?”
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Not so long.
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This has been another fun-filled edition of “Simple Answers to Simple Questions.”

square1 thanks for mentioning the work VP Gore did on “Reinventing Govt.” Mostly the media ignored his work because it wasn’t “sexy” or scandalous enough for the Clinton years.
They also had too much fun laughing at Gore and claiming he exagerrated about things that were actually true.
So the “plain language” initiative is funny too.

Joe wll be pleased to know that Glen Beck is not going to die. He announced several days ago that he was ill. He thought it wasn’t only a physical malady but his “ministry” gave him psychic scars. Weeping and gnashing could be heard from his followers.
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Well, just like that, he announced he isn’t going to die.
Hallelujah!!
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Elmer Gantry/Beck is spared.

All important questions, Joe; many can be answered by plain language experts. There’s a body of research that provides best practices, models that have and/or should be tested, but enforcement is up to the government. What’s been missing in the advocacy for passage of this Act is the public. Rile up the public to demand enforcement. Or wait until lawsuits hit the courts as they did with the ERISA requirement for plain language. Nothing motivates enforcement like the court.

Oral Roberts redux.

The problem here is that Joe is actually right. If a law like this was passed they would set up a board to write pages and pages of standards and regulations for what constitutes plain writing, and they would actually send people to plain writing class.
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But then maybe you could wade through some of the 17,000 pages of laws, rules and regulations that go into effect EVERY SINGLE YEAR. That’s right, every year these slimy cretins we call politicians see fit to pass another 17,000 pages of rules on what you can and mainly what you can’t do, and that’s just at the federal level.
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The truly sad and pathetic thing is that this is even an issue, but the fact that it is speaks volumes about the morons (read: lawyers) we elect to run this country.
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Also Joe, do you have some sort of gay crush on Beck? Seems you can’t go long without mentioning him.
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Oh wait, Forbes reports that Beck makes $32 million a year, now I know why you can’t go a day without mentioning him: you’re envious.