Lawmaking: sometimes the sausage comes with a funny smell
Reporters call covering the legislature “watching them make the sausage.”
A lot goes into making sausage — not just in terms of labor. I suspect that if some people knew more about the ingredients that went into the sausage they ate, they might choose another menu item.
Lawmaking works the same way.
For the most part, it’s labor intensive including measuring the value of lobbyists and tossing in “extras” to get support. Most laws undergo significant changes before a final bill gets passed — lots of ingredients get added that the original chef or chefs did not intend to use.
Meanwhile, the public tends to ignore the lawmaking process. Sometimes people find it too complicated or frustrating (or both). Often they resign themselves to the fact that they have little control over the process or the ingredients.
But technology offers some help.
All states and the federal government or myriad Web sites dedicated to watching them can provide public access to lawmakers and bills they introduce. And once a bill gets created, it becomes pretty easy to follow its progress — and to follow who does the pushing or the pulling. The public can use the same Web sites to contact the lawmakers. Still, some people don’t want to wade into the butcher shop.
I think having some fun with the process might nudge folks into getting more involved. To start, go to your state Web site (Kentucky’s example: http://kentucky.gov) and track down the corniest bills you can find filed in the current session.
Then come back to the iCitizenForum site and share with readers what some of your state legislators have decided to make law.
I live in Kentucky, and by all accounts the state teeters on the brink of disaster:
- The deficit looms at a half-billion dollars.
- The General Assembly cannot agree on budget cuts or revenue-raising measures.
- The state pension fund cannot keep pace with the obligations it must meet.
- Public schools (K-12) cannot make progress toward federally mandated proficiency.
You get the picture. Maybe it’s the same picture in your state. Yet, despite the impending disaster, some Kentucky legislators still have time and energy to cobble together and push forward:
- A bill to make the Corvette the state’s “official” sports car.
- A bill to make burgoo the state’s “official” meal.
- A bill to make the city of Somerset the state’s “car cruising” capital.
- A bill to make “Original Recipe” Kentucky Fried Chicken the state’s “official” picnic food. (I smell an amendment coming from the “Extra Crispy” lawmakers.)
- A bill to make “cornhole” (also known as beanbag toss) the state’s “official” game.
Now if Kentucky can come up with a ledger of needless laws such as these, surely your state can do as well.
So, take a step into your state’s sausage-making factory and pull out some winning “links.”
And then let your iCitizenForum pals know what you found.
Resources:
- National Conference for State Legislatures
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