Hoosier Advice to Their Lawmakers
The Indianapolis Star posted a list of suggested advice by regular Hoosiers to the newly-convened legislature today. Some good and not so good comments were listed. Among them were the usual, taxes, all-day kindergarten, still ticked off about Daylight Savings Time... There was plenty of that to go around. One stood out to me, though, and I'll reprint it below:
"Go home. Leave things the way they are. I think we'll be all right. I think we have enough laws."
I have to say...I like that person's train of thought. I think she doesn't go quite far enough, though. Perhaps a look at the laws and taxes currently on the books would be worthwhile as well. In the spirit of the great Andy Horning's "Sunset Law" proposal, the legislature should take a year or two and go over existing law, excising those bits of legislation that are either out of date or sorely unnecessary when referenced against Indiana's Constitution. Alas, I'm not sure we'll see this during the current or any other session. Lawmakers seem to be about making new laws only. Some turn out to be very good and help further define our freedoms. Some turn out to be just the opposite, restricting freedom in deed or through taxation.
So, consider it fellas. Consider taking an early vacation, especially if the next law you propose is as frivilous as sobriety and a clear conscience might indicate. You could start a trend. Maybe the US Congress could learn from the example you set and meet less often as well. All this would mean more vacation time for you and your family and less burdensome legal code for the rest of us. Call it a win-win.
Maybe it's just wishful thinking.
The Indianapolis Star posted a list of suggested advice by regular Hoosiers to the newly-convened legislature today. Some good and not so good comments were listed. Among them were the usual, taxes, all-day kindergarten, still ticked off about Daylight Savings Time... There was plenty of that to go around. One stood out to me, though, and I'll reprint it below:
"Go home. Leave things the way they are. I think we'll be all right. I think we have enough laws."
I have to say...I like that person's train of thought. I think she doesn't go quite far enough, though. Perhaps a look at the laws and taxes currently on the books would be worthwhile as well. In the spirit of the great Andy Horning's "Sunset Law" proposal, the legislature should take a year or two and go over existing law, excising those bits of legislation that are either out of date or sorely unnecessary when referenced against Indiana's Constitution. Alas, I'm not sure we'll see this during the current or any other session. Lawmakers seem to be about making new laws only. Some turn out to be very good and help further define our freedoms. Some turn out to be just the opposite, restricting freedom in deed or through taxation.
So, consider it fellas. Consider taking an early vacation, especially if the next law you propose is as frivilous as sobriety and a clear conscience might indicate. You could start a trend. Maybe the US Congress could learn from the example you set and meet less often as well. All this would mean more vacation time for you and your family and less burdensome legal code for the rest of us. Call it a win-win.
Maybe it's just wishful thinking.
posted by Rob Beck | 6:19 AM
1 Comments:
The Star also got it right on today's editorial about gerrymandering. The practice is wrong, and the districts need to be taken out of the hands of the political parties and turned over to a disinterested party- such as a panel of retired judges.
This is one of my campaign's key issues, so I was delighted to see the Star take my position exactly.
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