I think every bill that doesn't get passed is like that, because most of the deliberation goes on in committees. If you look at the history of how the constitut

I think every bill that doesn't get passed is like that, because most of the deliberation goes on in committees. If you look at the history of how the constitution came to exist you'd find out that it has worked like that since before Congress in its present form existed. I wouldn't be cynical about it though, because advertising a bill to an audience of legislators (and to the public through things like posting a link to it on HN) puts the ideas in people's heads and has an unquantifiable effect on making it happen in the future.