Big brother, little brother

"The whole session was a mess. And that includes even before it started."

I am starting to get the picture of the last failed legislative session. The newspaper called it chaos towards the final minutes of the session. On this point, the paper might be right. The more I hear about it, the more it sounded like the passage of ObamaCare. All that was missing was Nancy Pelosi shouting, "We need to pass bill so we can understand it."

The whole session was a mess. And that includes even before it started. First off, it was a huge miss to have it the same time as the MNGOP convention. Our representatives wanted to be a part of the convention, and most of us wanted them up there with us. In the future, make sure they are not in conflict with each other.

Next, prior to the session starting, there should have been cornerstone items agreed to. These cornerstone items would have also been agreed to by the respective caucuses. That way when the session starts, all that remains is the "wordsmithing" of the bill(s) and the formality of voting on them. For example, the Social Security fix should have been one of the cornerstones. No funding for SWLRT, another one. And no gas tax increase, yet another one. Until cornerstones are agreed to, there is no purpose to waste the time and money in having a session.

When Ronald Reagan got his tax cut package through Congress, there was very little if any targeting. We ALL benefited. The rising tide DID raise all the boats. This POS "Don't stop believing" tax bill is terrible. It does NOTHING for many of the folks who are paying the freight. And for seniors who need relief more than any other group in this state, they got Jack Spit from this bill.

Right now, our state legislature is looking an awful lot like Washington. It is for sure a big brother, little brother scenario. The folks who elect representatives, be it nationally or state wide, expect something other than mayhem. They want transparency. They don't want back room deals. They don't want gridlock or deadlock. They sure the heck don't want omnibus bills so convoluted that just about anything can be hidden inside of them.

If (and that is a big if) the Governor calls a special session, let's hope this time the homework is done in advance. As far as I am concerned, item one on a special session will be to fix Social Security. Then maybe a CLEAN and inexpensive bonding bill. If these two can't be done, then why bother having one.