Gonzo Lawmakers - Day 17

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.

*(Imagine Morgan Freeman speaking) Oh Lord...how long will it last?

* Gold dome. Good. Dave and Nwandi. Good.

* Top story. The Senate passes the pay for it now, get nuked later bill. This is the one that let's Georgia Power front load the cost of new power plants we may never see. Clark Howard hates it. That should tell you something.

* This baby is so big, we're already going to the live shots. We're leaving the doldrums, folks.

* Live shot is back in the Senate chamber. No one stealing office supplies tonight.

* 90 minutes of debate. 3 amendments. Now that's Octagon-style legislatin'! Now we're talkin'!

* Sen. Balfour (R-Loves Georgia Power) is the defending his pet and he's a little hoarse. Make your own joke here. Apparently the bill is good for everyone. If only we'd known that earlier. More jobs. Less unemployment. Reduces interest rates. Can it also tune my car?

* David Adelman (D-Probably Too Smart For Politics) argues this is the realm of the PSC.

* Democrats really came out against this one.

* Balfour is pretty hot. Tends to happen when your puppy is being kicked. He says there were no deals cut.

* Back to the live shot and there's a new skulker in the background!

* Wait. They didn't tell us the final tally. It was 38-16 to pass. No idea if the amendments survived.

* I've got a scroll on the bottom telling me that GPB is saying to hell with the DTV extension! We're cutting over on Feb. 17th! You want your Big Bird? Get with the times, luddites!

* And we move right to resevoirs and the drought. Huh? Wait a minute. That was the weirdest segue ever. Seriously. We went from not really closing out an issue so hot it riled the calmest man on talk radio to one of the most technical discussions possible. They are literally talking about federal vs. state control based on the size in feet of a resevoir. Very strange.

* Okay. This isn't even a bill. It's an "urging resolution" which means "beg congress to act". And we have to stretch the session out, why?

* On the House side, they banned using the word "Novelty" on a license. Even Nwandi looks disgusted.

* They cut that segment off quick. Thank god.

* The House also exempted sales tax on getting your plane fixed in our wonderful state. God help me, I wish owned a Cessna instead of a house.

* I swear to God, they are now talking about regulating interior designers. Let me introduce you to the Libertarian Party of Georgia...

* Now we're talking. Someone is claiming we're about to undue "centuries of jurist prudence". Oh, it's the "loser pays" bill. If you get your case dimissed after discovery, you pay your opponents legal bills.

* Here's Georgia Trial Lawyer's Buck Rogers again. He's agin it. Twiki has no comment.

* School Board ethics bill. The school board people agree with every thing in it except the provision that could result in having their butts removed from office. Imagine that.

* The Life Without Parole Bill from the Senate got a do pass from a House committe. This feels like a good bill but the response from the griftdrift lawyer caucus is mixed.

* Here's the second part of "Five for Fighting" legislation. Part of it is amending the definition of "combat veteran" to include those who served after 1975. That's a relic of the Vietnam Era. The second is to deal with veteran's facilities which includes the famous veteran's hospital in Milledgeville which is facing closure due to budget cuts.

* Karla Drenner is calling out Charlice Byrd in a morning order. (And we got a quick cut of Nwandi as someone apparently forgot the difference between preview and live)

* We may have discovered what that dude was doing in the Senate chamber last night during the live shots. All our senators woke this morning to a sheet of paper on their desks explaining how illegal immigrants are destroying the state of Georgia. The screed is courtesy of Sen. John Douglas. Sen. Douglas has never fared well in these parts but due to apparent temporary sanity, he's received a pass for the past few days. I think recess may be over.

* He waved around a report about the recent busts in Gwinnett County and babbled a bit about sanctuary cities. Disappointing. Moving on...

* They are down to quoting country singers to argue for trauma care funding. It's far too early for such nonsense. Adjourn now and save us all.

* More technical loophole crap. JUST GET TO THE BUDGET ALREADY!

* Nurses Day! Yeesh.

* A frustrating day leads to a frustrating episode. The slow down of the schedule has led to an extension of the pain. We are in the grind - the slow burn. The slavering beast budget still waits in the bushes. It ain't gonna get any better, bubba. But for this night, try to sleep tight, cause it's a wrap.