Harnessing Git: A Necessary Tool for Politicians
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Chapter 1: The Power of Git in Politics
Every software engineer is familiar with Git, a vital tool for monitoring changes within code and facilitating collaboration across projects. This software enables multiple developers to work on the same files concurrently, maintaining a record of alterations and offering robust merging functions.
Even in a complex software environment, where there may be hundreds of thousands of lines of code dispersed among thousands of files, Git simplifies the integration of changes and the review of file histories. It's an incredibly effective toolkit, which makes it surprising that very few professions have embraced it. Numerous fields could leverage Git's capabilities—politics being one of them.
Photo by Marco Oriolesi.
Section 1.1: Legislative Complexity
When Congress in the United States approved the Covid-19 relief bill, it included far more than just financial support for small businesses and unemployment benefits. The legislation also addressed seemingly unrelated matters, such as penalties for profiting from pirated streamed content, the decriminalization of transporting water chestnuts across state lines, and tax incentives for Nascar.
These are examples of rider bills—provisions inserted into larger legislative packages that often diverge from the primary focus of the bill. When such rider bills are added to spending bills, presidents typically face a dilemma: they must either endorse the entire bill or veto it, risking a government shutdown if the legislation is critical.
A significant issue for lawmakers is the sheer volume of pages in these bills, which are frequently revised by various stakeholders. Bills often contain convoluted language, such as “Subsection A of Paragraph 1 will be modified to […].”
Section 1.2: A Call for Change
This approach is outdated. If politicians utilized Git, they could easily monitor every amendment and identify the individuals responsible for specific changes.
The skeptic in me suggests that some politicians may feign ignorance of version control tools, possibly because they benefit from the ambiguity surrounding the readability of these ever-evolving bills. It might be simpler to pass questionable laws when they are hidden within larger legislative packages.
Next time you hear a politician lament about their inability to review a revised bill promptly, remember they could have employed contemporary tools to manage modifications more effectively.
Chapter 2: Video Insights
The first video titled "Get Out You SENILE Old Git!" features President Biden discussing his decision to end his presidential campaign for the sake of democracy. It highlights the complexities and challenges faced by politicians today.
The second video, "What Are Mr. Beat's Political Views?", delves into the political beliefs of Mr. Beat, offering additional perspectives on the current political landscape.
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