Time for part-time legislators?

Some people think it's California that has the most dysfunctional state government in the country, because California has bipolar disorder and is prone to violent mood swings. Not many states would elect to the governor's office Ronald Reagan and then, immediately after, Jerry Brown

Others think Texas has the most dysfunctional state government in the country. Texas doesn't have a great reputation in the rest of the country, except for being the state-sponsored murder capital of the nation. Texas state government gave us both Tom DeLay and George W. Bush so that doesn't exactly inspire a lot of confidence.

In reality, New York has the most dysfunctional state government in the country. Our state pols aren't quite as colorful as the Govern-ator or as dangerous as DeLay. But there's no question about it: casting aside the "defense" industry, Washington is a model of virtue and transparency compared to Albany.

Most people I know hold a lower opinion of Albany than Washington because Albany's dysfunctionality affects their lives more directly. The most egregious example is the state budget. The first and most fundamental thing any legislative body must do every year is pass a budget. Whether you think a government should be large or small, it does exist and needs to be funded.

The law (snicker) says that New York's budget must be adopted by 1 April. New York hasn't passed an on-time budget since 1984. Earlier this week, legislators adjourned until August without having passed a budget. The last time there was an on-time budget, Ronald Reagan was in his first term as president, English soccer clubs did well in Europe and Michael Jackson was black.

That's 20 consecutive years without an on-time budget. It's a neat trick if you can get away with it. Maybe next year, all citizens should refuse to send in their state tax returns until the legislature enacts a budget. If they don't have to follow deadlines, why should we?

Late budgets infuriate school districts and, by extension, local taxpayers. Districts are required by state law to submit budgets for public approval in votes that occur in late May. In order to prepare something that complicated, they need to start working at least month before. Except since there's almost never a state budget in April, school districts have absolutely no idea how much funding they're getting from the state. They plan conservatively and end up raising school taxes higher than perhaps they would otherwise and it causes a public backlash. Some budgets get voted down for that reason. If the legislature could ever pass an on time budget like their job description demands, districts could have more accurate numbers.

Now, a few years ago, the legislators gave themselves a 30-something percent pay raise. But in response to public disgust, they also made it so they wouldn't receive their paychecks after 1 April until they approved a budget. Though unfortunately, they get the full amount once they do so, therefore the incentive isn't quite as great as it could be.

This year, the legislature did absolutely nothing, except give a big tax break to amusement parks, most of whom are based out-of-state, at the expense of local governments. But they passed on the most important issues facing the state. Such as...

-Education reform. The state's highest court mandated the legislature to revamp the state's education funding. The court alleged that New York City schools were allegedly disadvantaged by the current Byzantine funding formulas. The court ordered the legislature to pass a new funding system by 30 July or it would appoint a panel to impose one, though it made clear it was loathe to do so. Our fearless leaders passed on the issue and adjourned until mid-August*.

[*-When the court appoints the panel, you can expect to hear sniveling about "the court usurping the legislative function"... which could be accurate only if the legislature actually functioned.]

-Drug law reform. All three state legislative leaders agree on the need to reform the state's draconian drug laws. But so far, agreement in principle hasn't translated into agreement in action. They seem more interested in being able to tell voters "I support drug law reform" than actually doing reform. As with so many other issues, none of the leaders have shown actual leadership in pushing this issue.

-Medicaid. Another huge issue is state mandates regarding Medicaid (for the poor). Due to the money crunch in Albany, they've placed greater and greater burdens for Medicaid on to the shoulders of county governments. Washington County, a neighbor to my own, provoked a near-revolt by increasing taxes by over 30%, due solely to increased Medicaid costs; county officials said that excluding Medicaid, spending was actually down a few percentage points.

The main problem, it seems, is the personal loathing between the Republican governor and the Democratic Assembly speaker (the Republican Senate leader seems to work with the others better). It doesn't help the Democratic cause that the Assembly speaker is possibly the only person in the country who makes the governor appear charismatic. The speaker not only IS an old-style machine politician, but he comes across as one. The speaker and the governor spend less time energy talking to each other than they do attacking each other through the media.

This is a main reason why I joined the Green Party. I realized that not only had national Democrats forfeited their status as vertebrates, but Democrats in Albany were just as complicit in for the morass in Albany as the Republicans.

So here are my solutions to the mess, in no particular order:

1) Part-time legislators. A friend of mine, with whom I almost never talk politics, made this suggestion. She made it because her husband's a lawyer and knows how many absurd laws are on the books in New York. Her theory is that full-time legislators have more time to pass more inane laws than part-time legislators. The way I figure, if they're not going to do a full year's work, why give them a full year's pay?

2) The Mom solution. My Mom's solution to the budget impasse is simple. Put all the legislators in a closed room with no windows and poor ventilation. Feed them nothing but rice and beans. Lock the doors and don't open them until they come to an agreement. It won't take months.

3) An independent redistricting commission. This is a huge one. One of the reasons there's a chronic mess in Albany is because legislators aren't held accountable. In too many cases, they CAN'T be held accountable. The legislature gerrymanders so much that almost all the districts are overwhelmingly Democratic or overwhelmingly Republican. I've heard the NY legislature has a higher incumbent re-election rate than the Communist Chinese national parliament. Many legislative districts are so uncompetitive that incumbents run unopposed. This commission is likely to never be created precisely because it should. The one thing that legislators ARE competent at doing is protecting their personal interests. Iowa is the only state that has an independent commission to redraw Congressional and state legislative lines. Not surprisingly, they have the highest percentage of competitive races in the country.

4) No B.S. If the Mom solution violates environmental laws, then there's also my No-B.S. solution. If the 1 April deadline has passed and there's no budget, legislators can't discuss anything else. They can't pass anything until they pass the budget, unless there's a state of emergency declared by the governor or president (and even then, they can only discuss stuff related to said emergency). They can't pass Fido's Law, requiring the public humiliation of anyone who doesn't give their dog low-carb cookies. They can't pass a resolution congratulating the East Podunk High quiz team on their progression to the national quiz tournament semifinals. Since they don't do anything substantive, they need this sort of grandstanding and showboating to bring home to voters in the fall.