Actually, it might not be over
Several senators are still talking about the grocery tax bill. Some people are threatening to filibuster everything unless it is brought up again and passes the BIR.
I think the BIR and the filibuster needs to go. Or maybe just the Senate needs to go.
Edit: Someone reminded me that if it can’t pass the BIR, it can’t pass. Because it’s a constitutional amendment, both require a 3/5 majority. So the whole filibuster threat is pointless. They don’t have a 3/5 majority. It can’t pass.
Listening to the Alabama Senate is not healthy.
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Comment by Hilary
Right now, I’ll vote for the Senate to go…
Comment by Dan
I can go with the Nebraska model.
Comment by Hilary
I love the 3rd sentence under “History”.
Comment by walt moffett
Do we really want a legislature that works continuously at churning out new laws and pork barrel projects for the home folks?
From the standpoint of “leave me alone”, a fractious, hyper-partisan, ego tripping legislature is a good thing. The result seems to be fewer laws.
Comment by Dan
I would normally agree with you, walt. But that’s just a handy phrase, and I don’t live my life by those. In Alabama, the Senate is dysfunctional enough so that it isn’t helping anyone.
Comment by Montgomery
Is it that the Senate is dysfunctional by nature, or that the House merely churns out so much legislation by rote action that the Senate must feign inaction in order to kill much of the unneeded legislation sent to them by the House?
Comment by Dan
If it were just pretend inaction and tension, I don’t think there would be fist fights.
Comment by walt moffett
Dan, maybe it would be helpful to post what makes an effective legislature in words that are not handy phrases.
To me, an effective legislature is one that stays out of my way, but also passes the bills I have a selfish interest in (grocery sales tax repeal, HB20, improved prison conditions, a level funded state budget). Whats yours?
Comment by Dan
I’m mainly thinking about how legislation is required in order for the government to stay out of my way. Gourmet Beer Bill, for example.
Actually, that’s all I care about right now. I want them to remove restrictions on beer.
Comment by Publius
Hank Sander is carrying Vivian Figures toilet water. why? because Sanders gets between 3 & 400K per year from your taxes for his “national voting rights moozeum”. Not to mention what he is able to corral in terms of ‘gifts’ in exchange for favorable votes by all democrats in the legislature. This is how these cretins do business. Now, if he gets 3-400k per year to put 26 family and friends on the payroll, how much does he get in Federal Money?
Sanders is and old school thief that benefitted by white democrats cutting deals with him for black votes. Today, Sanders has a difficult time cutting his deals. Many of his ‘friends’ are under indictment and many others are silent shills for the Feds. His day is coming. Lawd, we aint no ways tired. How long? Not long? I dream of an Alabama where a man is judged by the content of his character, not the color of his skin. If this were today true, 40 years after MLK told the world of his dream, bottom feeding self serving black thieves like Sanders and his ilk would have been indicted long before Siegelman, and his white equivocating dixie mafia miscreants. It is time for black people, including Sanders to stand on their own two feet and stay out of our wallets. God said, A man cant stand on one leg. Jesus, Lord, for over 100 years blacks have stood on one leg, costing society to develop a 3rd leg, just to pay for them in the name of just-us. MLK would scratch out of his grave if he had the chance. Blacks have raped his life for their own enrichment. We are all worse off today, because of it.
Comment by walt moffett
While we can quibble over words, I think we are in same dimension. Where we differ is whether the result is a bug or a feature.
If your bill dies there is next year as mine have maybe next year, maybe not. Until then, maybe the Rupture will occur, maybe a tentacle won’t hit the snooze button or Starbuck walks out of a blue police call box during the inaugural address.