This is a critical week for state government and every spouse of
every lawmaker wants to know, "Honey will you be working late on
Thursday night?"
Those "honey's" hope not but with this bunch you can never be
certain.
Thursday night next is, of course, the final day for lawmakers to
wrap up the new budget and if they miss the deadline, does the term
"shutdown" ring a bell?
Go back to last February when the governor advised her colleagues
that it would be a neat idea to conclude the new budget by July first.
That way the schools and local governments would know how much moola
they had to conduct their business which commenced on that very date.
It was a laudable objective from Gov. Granholm and there on that
cold winter's night, the legislative leaders joined in the optimism.
One of them even expressed hope that it could be wrapped by June first.
After all it was an election year, and lawmakers would look oh so
competent if they got the job done early even though the deadline was
October first.
Ain't optimism grand?
Well you know what happened. June first came and went. Followed
by July first and shortly after the 4th of July, those hard working
lawmakers basically took the entire month off to campaign for their
jobs putting your needs as citizens on hold.
O.K. we all understand self-preservation, but with the August 3rd
primary out of the way, everyone would certainly get down to work and
get this budget done around Labor Day.
How foolish to even think that.
Now to be fair, democracy is not supposed to be quick and dirty and
the term "deliberation" is not a four-letter word, but really, did it
have to come down to this with the shutdown clock ticking toward a
midnight deadline?
In the end the shutdown will be averted but it might be by the hair
of their chinny chin chins.
So for all you legislative spouses out there, keep Thursday's
din-din in the oven.
And for all your citizens out there, keep your fingers crossed
legislators make it home to eat it.