Would You Like Cheese With That Whine?

Sacramento lawmakers are unhappy with their jobs. Recent complaints by members of the Legislature include: People don’t appreciate them; solving problems is hard work; they don’t have the power they think they deserve; their retirement is mandated by term limits; there is no lucrative pension; and their pay is being cut — although they will remain the highest paid lawmakers in all 50 states at nearly $100000 annually along with a car and another $30000 a year in tax free expense money.

If lawmakers don’t like their jobs their dissatisfaction is not nearly as strong as that of the general public. The October Field Poll showed the Legislature’s approval at a record low 13%.

“Who wants to grow up and be held in low esteem by 87% of the people and have to deal with the budget and not have a darned thing to say about it” Assemblyman Juan Arambula told the Los Angeles Times.

Imagine in a state with 12.5% unemployment — and underemployment closer to 20% — record high foreclosures massive public debt a state budget likely to be $20 billion in the red next year and some of the highest taxes in the nation Californians are asked to worry about the morale of Sacramento politicians a privileged class that fought tooth and nail to get where they are.

With representatives held in such low regard it is hardly a stretch to say that most Californians feel freer and safer when the Legislature is not in session. Even other prominent elected officials have weighed in on the dysfunctional and corrupt nature of the California Legislature. Commenting on the negative regulatory environment in our state Attorney General Jerry Brown said the state has adopted 30000 laws since he was governor. “We’re overloaded by too many rules” he said in a speech. And even Treasurer Bill Lockyer a former state senator told a meeting of Democratic lawmakers several weeks ago that most of their legislation was “garbage.”

So the burning question is: If all the legislators left the Capitol and closed the door behind them how long would it take anyone to miss them?

For a superior model of how a state should operate one only need look to another large populous state: Texas.

Texas is a low tax state — no income tax — compared to California and the public services the state provides is no worse and is in some cases better. Public school children are one to two years of learning ahead of California students of the same age.

So when it comes to governing what is the major difference between California and Texas? Texas has a part-time Legislature. Lawmakers meet a maximum of 140 days every other year and are paid $7200 annually.

Wouldn’t it be great if instead of drawing the narcissistic self-serving career conscious politicians that dominate our Legislature we had more candidates who actually looked at elected office as public service? Candidates who like those who serve in our armed forces or the Peace Corp see service as a sacrifice on behalf of the entire community? Candidates who have actually demonstrated success in the private sector and are willing to take a pay cut to go to Sacramento to do the right thing on behalf of the voters who sent them there?

This may be asking a lot but it is not asking too much in a state of 37 million millions of whom are more qualified to hold office than those now representing us but are unable or unwilling to make legislating a full-time job.

Those at Citizens for Californian Reform www.reformcal.com believe a part-time citizen Legislature would lead to better government and are gathering signatures for a ballot initiative that would make legislators part-time and would cut their pay correspondingly.

Perhaps the best argument for a part-time Legislature is that the full-timers are already whining about it. And the best indicator of the real value of any initiative is the degree to which members of the legislature think it’s a bad idea.

Jon Coupal is president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association — California’s largest grass-roots taxpayer organization dedicated to the protection of Proposition 13 and the advancement of taxpayers’ rights.