Return to Sender
I will freely admit to not spending as much time at the Legislature during this special session as I thought I would have. I’ve still managed to keep tabs on everything via watching lawmakers on the Internet, a few phone calls and some text messaging. And surprisingly enough, even though I’m not there, I have come to the conclusion I have not missed a thing.
Republicans want a 2-year budget, Democrats want one year. Republicans want a school funding formula that follows the student, Democrats want money to go to school districts. And don’t even get me started on the CIB.
Regardless, if lawmakers don’t pass a budget by the end of the month, then each one should write the taxpayers a check for how much they’ve been paid for the past six months. The only thing lawmakers have to do when they convene is pass a budget. That’s it. All the other stuff is extra. So if they don’t pass a budget by June 30, they haven’t done their job. And if you or I don;t do our jobs, we don’t get paid. Why should lawmakers be any different?
The average salary in the legislature is about $44,000 in salary, mileage, and other benefits. So if there is no budget by next Tuesday, somebody needs to write the taxpayers a check for six months worth of work that didn’t get done.
June 23rd, 2009 at 7:17 am
I've never agreed with the Star's lumping into a legislator's salary expense money. Many legislators actually do have those expenses. Implying that per diem is income to them is unfair.
Of course many Indy area legislators don't have those expenses. What they really need is for per diem amounts to reflect whether a legislator actually has to drive a long distance and rent a hotel room. right now everyone gets the same per diem.
June 23rd, 2009 at 8:12 am
Remember that these folks are regular people with real lives and real jobs as well. I am sure many of them do not wish to be there either right now. Many of them want to be home in their regular life. But the fact remains that we do not have a budget yet. I would rather pay them a small amount more (compared to what is being spend on hundreds of other projects) to get a good budget done.
It would be worse to force bad legislation, and a bad two year budget. Their are many other wastes of taxpayers money that deserve outrage first. Let them do the job right.
That being said, the leaders of the parties (Kenley and Bauer) should feel some pressure for allowing things to get here. If lawmakers had a budget presented that they could accept, they will vote for it. Instead its a tug-o-war between 15 people while 135 watch and wait to vote.
June 23rd, 2009 at 8:15 am
p.s. making them fork over money would be mean as well. Many of these guys and gals have to pay to be here, even if only missing their regular jobs. And I doubt the pay we give lawmakers is worth the hassel they must go through to be lawmakers.
June 23rd, 2009 at 9:23 am
They make up for it with special (free) license plates, ego trips, “informational meetings” with lobbyists, free tickets to events, etc. Did I mention the ego trips? Priceless.
June 23rd, 2009 at 1:25 pm
The Indianapolis Star reports that a bill has passed the Indiana Senate allowing Governor Mitch Daniels to operate the State of Indiana after June 30 if no budget is passed during the General Assembly's Special Session. While this, on the surface, seems to make sense, if you think about it, it does not.
This bill allows the Governor to continue under the 2009 budget, but it kicks the very heavy can of the the 2010-2011 budget debate down the sidewalk. Democrats charge that the bill amounts to a power grab by the Governor (and we all know that the Gov. loves to power grab).
While the bill passed the Senate, 32-18, it is not likely to pass the Democratically-controlled House. Passage of this bill in the House would also mean that this Special Session, which has cost Indiana taxpayers millions, would have been a complete and utter faiure. The bill would also take away the very large stick that the General Assembly holds over the head of the Governor as well.
While many of the cards are in the hands of the Governor as he has fought the budget debate on his home turf, the June 30 deadline gives the Democrats in the House a chance to work out a budget with the Republicans in the Senate and then put it on the Governor's desk to sign. In effect, if this bill were to pass the House, that could happen before June 30, and the Governor could just punt the budget out if he doesn't like it. He has no stick of re-election to worry about, either.
Bottom line is that there are extreme differences between the GOP and the Democratic budgets, and those should be resolved by compromise. Removing the June 30 deadline will take away the sense of urgency for compromise.
I also would like to salute one brave Republican for joining the Democratic caucus in voting against the Senate bill. Senator Jean Leising of Oldenburg bucked her own party's ceding of control to the Governor. Bravo to her!
Gentle readers: The budget debate must be solved by June 30 or all parties lose. It's time for the powers to come together and work something out and stop these silly political ploys that may work out in a more powerful Governor's Office. Mitch Daniels already controls the 25th Floor of the City-County Building, the Superintendent of Public Instruction's Office, the Secretary of State's Office, the Treasurer's Office, and the Indiana Senate. He doesn't need the House, too. Speaker Bauer and the House Democrats need your support now more than ever. They are the only thing standing between the State of Indiana and an unchecked Governor.
June 23rd, 2009 at 3:12 pm
More accurately, if you or I don't do our job, we might still get paid BUT WE CERTAINLY WILL GET FIRED!
June 23rd, 2009 at 5:20 pm
“Remember that these folks are regular people…”
I disagree. One is forced to wonder at the 'real' motivation for anyone to enter politics.
Remember, in the end, these folks want to GOVERN you. They, and they ALONE, know what is best for you and your family.
June 23rd, 2009 at 6:10 pm
I changed my mind after hearing Representative Stilwell talk. How does he have “no idea” whats in the Senate passed budget??? They been working for days on it. Its on the internet. He can read it, watch it be debated, and know up to the minute what it says. And yet he wants to complain that he just got it and has no idea what it says!!!! Do your job and keep up.
If a common citizen can have an idea of what the Senate budget says, so can the Representative.
June 23rd, 2009 at 6:13 pm
That is simply not true. They do not go into politics to control people. It is also not them alone deciding how to govern. Every bill passed gets the input of the people. Individuals and groups can offer solutions and ideas. Work on legislation goes beyond 150 lawmakers alone deciding whats best.
If nothing else, we decide on who we put in that position. And they know that.
June 23rd, 2009 at 8:09 pm
I ran into Cindy Noe at the Meridian Kessler home tour. She took a good half an hour to talk to my friend Neil, who lives in her district. She expressed a good amount of frustration with how things are (not) progressing.
June 23rd, 2009 at 8:26 pm
CIB: If bankruptcy is a true long-term alternative, and we can't get a CIB audit and more $ from the Colts and Pacers, I'm all for bankruptcy. If it's really not, and the convention (certainly not sports) business REALLY is an economic generator for the state, share an estimate of what each legislator's district will be losing if they don't get on the stick. If that finally gets their attention, then give the rest of the state some representation on the overseeing board, whatever it is. Also appoint one consumer/taxpayer rep who's not in lockstep with either party: Ogden, McGuire, Shepard or Melyssa come to mind. Name somebody else who isn't beholden to Republicans or Democrats. Hold the board meetings AT NIGHT, when taxpayers can attend. Don't rule-out privatization if the savings can be guaranteed. Demanding education funding increases when tax revenue is in a steep decrease demands frugality SOMEWHERE.
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Budget: Maybe 1 or 2 years as a bargaining chip for either party if & when it gets close. It's going to be real, real ugly and detached from reality with sidebars like demanded disclosure of hotel worker salaries, gambling expansion ever-looming, and an attempt to stifle the charter schools that apparently most of the state wants.
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The whole budget dance seems a lot like California if you read about it. There, the Democrats don't have the votes, but they have teachers, and unions, and state worker constituencies they have to support even if they get vetoed- because that's their people. Economic reality really doesn't matter, does it? It's go down with the ship fiscally if necessary, but go down with “your people”.
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I don't mind a 2% increase in education spending. I mind it if we're not cutting elsewhere in the budget to pay for it. In the current unemployment situation, I think I'd be more inclined to pay attention to unemployment to keep families afloat instead of education. But, I'm more concerned about spending money we don't have that quibbling over which issue is THE most dire.
June 23rd, 2009 at 8:32 pm
Sorry Abbie,
We won't get a check and we won't hold our politicians accountable.
We (most) are sheep. Baahhhh. We follow our party/people.
And the politicians continue to get re-elected. And Hoosiers continue to put up with this thing we call a “democratic republic government.
June 23rd, 2009 at 9:19 pm
I agree with Mr. Opinionated's comments. I worked in the Indiana Senate for three sessions. Most of the people there are just ordinary people trying to do a good job. I agree they often fall short of that, but people who imply they don't work hard, don't have good intentions, I don't think that's usually the case.
June 24th, 2009 at 4:26 am
The 'People' are rarely heard in these so-called public meetings. I've been to enough of them. I see the special interests, lobbyists, and other government entities having the opportunity to address our elected reprobates.
BUT, when it's time for the taxpayers to speak (after waiting for hours), the meetings are adjourned.
“Every bill passed gets the input of the people.” Really? Why didn't government give us the opportunity to vote on the new Colt's playground?
They admitted — after the fact — that if the People were given the opportunity to vote on the 'project', that it would have been voted down.
If those reprobates were REALLY there for “We the People” and not “They Themselves”, then they would NOT vote for their own payraises — they would defer to us. They would not vote for that golden insurance policy for themselves and their families.
I could go on and on. Most here don't seem to be a naive as others.
Good motives may always be assumed, as bad motives may always be imputed. Good intentions will always be pleaded for every assumption of power; but they cannot justify it, even if we were sure that they existed.
It is hardly too strong to say, that the Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good intention, real or pretended. When bad intentions are boldly avowed, the People will promptly take care of themselves.
On the other hand, they will always be asked, why they should resist, or question, that exercise of power, which is so fair in its object, so plausible and patriotic in appearance, and which has the public good alone, confessedly in view?
Human beings, we may be assured, will generally exercise power, when they can get it; and they will exercise it most undoubtedly, in popular Governments, under the pretences of public safety, or high public interest.
It may be very possible, that good intentions do really sometimes exist, when Constitutional restraints are disregarded.
There are men, in all ages, who mean to exercise power usefully; but who mean to exercise it. They mean to govern well; but they mean to govern. They promise to be kind masters; but they mean to be masters. — DANIEL WEBSTER, IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES ON THE PROTEST AGAINST EXPUNGING, MONDAY JANUARY 16 1837
June 24th, 2009 at 4:43 am
Individually, I'm sure Paul is right. But get the whole herd together and the behavior of the group sure changes.
Just a select few determine which way the herd is supposed to jump. Those select few are less likely to be ordinary people trying to do a good job.
And, for the rest, I doubt they even see that their lack of individual responsibility to their constituents is happening.
June 24th, 2009 at 4:43 am
Paul, while I generally agree with your comments, I must part company here. I have a very healthy distrust of anyone who wishes to be a politician. They would have to labor long and hard to convince me that their motivations are genuinely altruistic.
I want people in there who will honor and cherish the words and intent of our Constitution, not try to find ways around it. I want elected officials who take their oath of office seriously, even if it causes them hurt.
If the provisions of the Constitution be not upheld when they pinch as well as when they comfort, they may as well be abandoned. — Justice Charles Evans Hughes
And I certainly do NOT want people in there who enforce our Constitution “as interpreted by the Supreme Court”, or some other Lawyer in a Robe (LiaR). Judges often appear as frustrated legislators; people who can't get elected to 'make law', so they legislate from the bench. Thus we get 'case law'.
I certainly have a distrust of anyone who makes a career out being an elected official. Let them serve a term or two, then go home. Keeping fresh blood in our Statehouse would keep fresh ideas in the pipeline, and might help to hold the lobbyists at bay.
June 24th, 2009 at 3:00 pm
That's a far better sentiment than return to spender.
June 24th, 2009 at 8:00 pm
That's a far better sentiment than return to spender.