A Good Yarn~I Say Again~ You Can't Make This Stuff Up~

LOL we are three days into the 2011 Arkansas Legislative Session and already there is so much going on it is impossible to keep up with.

Let's get this straight, legislators getting helicopter rides, chauffeured trips & knitting lessons? And we can't tweet during meetings?

Some think it is nitpicking to be troubled by the state sponsored travel that Senators Harrelson and Madison enjoyed on Monday. But I think it is indicative of the attitude the majority of Arkansans are feed up with from elected officials.

Speaking of knitting, after having commandeered an Arkansas State police vehicle Senator Sue Madison was knitting yesterday in one of her committee meetings. Okay maybe that is a little too critical; after all she has more important things to do than be bothered with the overseeing of lawmaking for tens of thousands of Arkansans.

This knitting episode might be one reason the “Old School” Arkansas Legislators are fighting to keep live streaming (that tax payers have already spent nearly half a million dollars installing) and cell phones out of committee meetings.

It would be a little incriminating for us taxpayers to witness the lackadaisical ways of some of our legislators.

I Don't Think They Get It~

I was surprised this morning to hear about Sen.Steve Harrelson's helicopter shenanigans, especially given the resounding message Arkansans sent in November screaming for fiscal restraint. How many elected officials were listening?  

Constituent patience is running lacquer-thin when it comes to political elitism and arrogance.  I was under the impression that point had been sent loud and clear. I am not sure the excuse: “I don’t drive in bad weather” will pass the litmus test of monetary moderation with voters. Yet this was the reason Sen. Sue Madison offered for summoning the Arkansas State Police on Monday to drive her from her home in Fayetteville to Little Rock for legislative events. Wonder how many of us normal folks from NWA made the journey in our own vehicles just fine.

The news story in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette this morning stated that the “State police troopers also drove three to five other lawmakers to Little Rock for part of their trips.”

Now I don’t know who these other lawmakers were (although I plan to find out). Nor do I know the whole story behind Sen. Harrelson’s and Sen. Madison’s state-sponsored travel. But what I do know is that the state of Arkansas has some serious spending problems.  And we really don’t have the so-called balanced budget the Governor constantly pontificates about, which is explained in the blog post: “Balanced Budget? NOT”. We also have the looming unfunded unemployment money borrowed from the feds that is well over $400million, by now, we must somehow repay.

It is incumbent on us to respectfully and consistently remind our elected leaders that they are public servants and, as such, need to be very prudent in the decisions they make to spend our money. As for me?  Well, I’m not inclined to spend it on privileged helicopter rides and personal chauffeurs. But, hey, that’s just me speaking~ again.