John Baer: Legislature wraps up another tough year of 'work'

THIS POST originally appeared on Philly.com's Baer Growls blog yesterday. (A brief discussion between John Baer & Baer's editor, a/k/a BE.)

JB: Yo, Boss, merry and happy are we!

BE: And by "we" you mean?

JB: The Capitol crowd. The Harrisburg herd. For the Legislature, the holidays are here and the "peoples' business" is done for the year.

BE: Um, what business, exactly, was done?

JB: The usual, of course: as little as possible. The Senate is gone, and the House is in a couple of days next week to pass a ridiculously gerrymandered congressional districting bill.

BE: And vouchers, state stores, shale tax, highway and bridge funding?

JB: Gone, not happening, failed

and not touched. Because, in the case of highway and bridges, that's actually something the public needs that would create/protect jobs and enhance public safety. And here's an account detailing flops for vouchers and shale.

BE: But surely they did

something?

JB: Yep. Passed and sent to the

guv legislation to get tougher on abortion clinics.

BE: And for this we just gave

them a pay raise?

JB: Well, technically, they gave

it to themselves. Well-deserved, doncha think?

BE: Let me get this straight: A

Republican Senate and a Republican House with a sitting Republican governor is ending a full year of legislative - dare I say - "work" and leaving town to celebrate the holidays with a new pay raise after taking care of its own by making silly-shaped legislative and congressional districts designed to protect incumbency and imposing new, stricter standards on legal abortion clinics that those in the medical profession say will result in some clinics closing?

JB: Couldn't have said it better

myself, Chief. How do you do it? And, remember, next year is an election year, so the prospect of them doing ANYTHING controversial, ANYTHING to draw attention to themselves, is bleak to nonexistent.

BE: Well, for those who like

consistency in government . . .

JB: Good point! Republicans

AND Democrats are sure consistent in making certain they spend tons of time and money spinning their wheels before grabbing raises and leaving town. And, don't forget, Congress is holding up its end, proving the only Ho's aren't in Harrisburg.

BE: When you think about it, it

kinda makes you want to . . .

JB: GRRRR?

BE: That's what I was thinking.