Gonzo Lawmakers - Day 13

A daily recap of the Georgia Public Broadcasting show "Lawmakers". The show airs weekdays at 7:00pm with a replay at 5:30am the following weekday.

Day 13

* I predict a lot of State of the Judiciary

* Chief Justice Leah Sears is leaving the court this June, so this might get interesting. I'll admit the idea of the judiciary appearing in the chamber of politics makes me itchy. But that's the game we play in Georgia so let's motor on.

* No call for raises. The judges are doing there part to help with the budget crisis. Good lord, state judges haven't had a raise in a decade? Is that possible?

* We're seeing tape of previous speeches where Chief Justice touted her philosophy of family and marriage being the bedrock of society. It is these moments which make me cackle when some "so-called" conservative reflexively calls her a "libruhl".

* First live shot. There's Valarie and there's the familiar three lights in the background.

* A personal opinion, Chief Justice Sears will be remembered as one of the lions of the court.

* A bill about selling insurance. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. STOLI - huh what? Suddenly this got more interesting. Oh wait. It's a government acronym. Nevermind.

* Bill to remove statute of limitations on crimes against chilluns. This has potential to be more interesting than an insurance bill. Currently you only have 7 years after a child turns 16. The bill faces no opposition.

* This is the doldrums of the session. Just about all we are going to see are technical bills which while important are boring as hell or bills nobody wants to oppose like the statute of limitations bill.

* Sen. Gail Buckner wants to save some youth outdoor program from the budget cuts. Wake me when the pandering is over.

* Sen. Fort once again talking on predatory lending. The streak continues.

* Extended coverage of the State of the Judiciary. Even Republicans pointed out this is one of the best speeches recently seen in the chamber. Take the time to head to the Lawmakers website and watch the whole thing.

* A couple of tort reforms were filed today. One is Governor Perdue's "shield" for the pharma companies. This is a big one and an important one so we'll discuss it in detail when the debate starts.

* A Senate committee recommended do pass on SB31. Go here to see what the cheapest man in America thinks of this clunker.

* Something about education grants. It involves charter schools which interests me but once again, we're in the doldrums. What we need is for Sunday Alcohol Sales to come up for debate.

* Ask and ye shall receive. The home schoolers were at the Capitol. They want access to sports and other recreational activities. And who is held up as their standard? Tim Tebow of course. Ugh. I'm not necessarily against home schooling per se, but there's something that bothers me about people who refuse to participate in a school because they think it's crap then use the legislature to force said crap factory to let them access the few parts they think will benefit their children. It smacks of selfishness.

* Very little snark today. I blame the Chief Justice. She just brings too much class to the joint. That's a wrap.