Revolt: Time for rank-and-file lawmakers to oust ‘leaders’
Published 12:00 am Sunday, June 7, 2009
The people’s business continued to take second place to political posturing as this year’s regular session of the Legislature came to a dismal end at midnight Thursday.
Taxpayers — and rank-and-file members of the Legislature itself — have every right to be outraged. If the political bosses don’t get their priorities right in a yet-to-be called special session, junior members must revolt. The delegates who’ve been left to twiddle their thumbs need to remember they have the numbers to oust the blowhards. They already know they’re the ones who will take the heat in their home districts for an abysmal failure to provide universities, public schools and state agencies authority to operate after June 30.
Mississippi has a lot of company in the fiscal uncertainty prevailing all across America. Almost every state is seeing revenue declines, many by far larger margins than has occurred and is foreseen here. Most other states, however, have seen their elected representatives meet the crisis — no matter what it took.
Here, we’ve seen a Senate where “leaders” have been far more interested in demeaning the House than crafting a compromise. And we’ve seen a House, where “leaders” have been far more focused on trying to embarrass the Senate.
This is not about whether Gov. Haley Barbour wants to be president or whether Senate Appropriations Chairman Alan Nunnelee, R-Tupelo, will run for Congress or whether the entire Senate is the country club set while the entire House is for the working man. It’s about numbers — plain old numbers.
For the budget year ending in 23 days, revenue has not met expectations. For the year that starts July 1, projections are at least a $400 million shortfall from the record $5.6 billion or so in 2007 General Fund revenue.
It’s a pie. It’s smaller. It still has to be sliced. The decisions aren’t easy because, at least we would hope, the state doesn’t spend hundreds of millions annually on anything that could easily be tabbed as “optional.”
But families are dealing with the recession. Businesses are dealing with the recession. Cities and counties are dealing with the recession.
In the state’s case, at least there is a $360 million reserve and hundreds of millions in new federal stimulus money.
Given the atmosphere that has prevailed in the Capitol, it’s not clear what it will take to get the anointed ones to do their duty. The rank-and-file must speak up, however, and let conferees know, in Mississippi parlance, it’s past time to fish or cut bait.