Why the Legislature is Broken

For the past several weeks, our wonderful Legislature has been at an impasse over the State's budget. As we near the July 1 deadline for passing a budget, there seems to be no movement. Of course, I have come to expect very little from our Legislature in terms of leadership and statesmanship, and they have continued to meet my low expectations.

The real problem is they have no incentive to fix the problem. No one runs against an incumbent anymore. They have no real threat of being kicked out of their cushy part-time job. Because of this, they are free to respond to their real constituencies. These can be special interest groups, lobbyists, the Governor, or whomever. This invulnerability allows them to posture with impunity. They can draw lines in the sand and call it integrity, when it is in fact showmanship. The legislature bows to their real masters, who are, for the most part, no longer the voters.

As a Democrat, my thinking is the Republicans are following the orders of Hailey the Hutt. I am sure my Republican friends say the Democrats are in the thrall of the Speaker, or perhaps the Black Caucus. It doesn't matter. No one is living this job for life unless they want to, barring scandal, the only thing that they fear. Of course, even then, they bow out and are not voted out. But clearly, fixable problems are not getting fixed.

Think about it. If you and I were in a room, or say 4 or 5 of us, and we were faced with this problem, we'd be having beers together by 5:00 tonight. House and Senate leaders are at odds over how much to tax hospitals to help pay for Medicaid. There is going to be some tax, so we meet, look at the two figures and start splitting the difference until we hit a number. Problem solved and I've got the first round at Happy Hour. Another sticking point is a plan supported by Gov. Haley Barbour and Senate Republicans to reserve $60 million in federal stimulus funds to protect the state against possible lower revenues in future years. The Democrats aren't sure that the money can be so reserved (it is for stimulating, after all) and want to spend it to help the State. Again, it is an all or nothing negotiating stance. Real people, who have better things to do than waste time, would work a compromise, like, I don't know, spend some and reserve some. It is called compromise, after all, and like a T-shirt I once saw said, "this ain't rocket surgery".

But these fine public servants don't see it that way. And since we are never going to vote them out, they can continue to play hardball, to the detriment of the working stiffs of the State. It's a cozy little club and a good time away from home for them.

What's the solution? Draft the Legislature. Set up a lottery, have all adults register and pick numbers. Everyone serves a two year, three year, four year, whatever term. After that you're done. Not enough time to line your pockets, and maybe an incentive to do the right thing. No need to worry about former legislators becoming lobbyists, because the guys and gals they knew are gone, and so is their influence. Of course, these guys would also have no worries about getting kicked out, but at least we would know they were going on a date certain. The mechanics of passing the laws, etc. would be handled by staff. If you are worried about those staff members becoming too powerful, limit their employment too.

See, it's all solvable. I think I'll work on the Middle East next. Let's see, where did I put Obama's phone number?