Eat the peas
Formulating fixes for our dysfunctional state legislature has become a cottage industry. Popular suggestions: fire the leaders (assuming you can tell who they are); dock everyone's pay; make them all sit at the table until they eat their peas. Rick Lazio (former GOP candidate for the US Senate) suggests: "Senate? We don' need no steenking Senate," proposing a single-house legislature like Nebraska's.
This is the Empire State; maybe we just need an emperor. Caligula had no trouble with Rome's legislature; he could get his horse appointed to the Senate. The whole horse--he was probably thinking, "Why leave the job half done?"
Caption: Caligula parades his horse Incitatus before the Roman Senate.
posted by Dale Hobson @ 6/25/2009
3 comments
3 Comments:
It is so laughable but maddening as well. Especially, when you hear about the salaries and other perks they are continuing to receive. What other state workers would get paid for not showing up to work? I'd like to see every last one of them lose their re-elections (anyone want to start such a campaign?). But unfortunately when it comes time to vote, we often like (or forgive) our representative and want the rest of them out.
I envy you. I'd take feuding over going bankrupt, any day. No kissing and making up in my state's future.
-- a public broadcasting colleague in California
Bravo! Care to run for state senator? Don't even think about it; you're much too good a writer and thinker. And you've got a conscience; you'd never fit in.
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