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 27
* There is much meanness in the air. Some of it touched GPB two days ago, but that is a story for another time. The ichor of mean oozed all over the floor of the Senate yesterday. That's a story for now.
* The amended budget passed the Senate. Once again, this was the easy one. The stimulating covered most of the short fall. With Governor Perdue downgrading revenue expectations almost daily, it's the big budget which will be the beast.
* Republican Jack Hill didn't say it directly, perhaps the deep part of his elephant brain refused to allow the tongue to twitch, but he just admitted that without the stimulating, the property tax relief would not have survived.
* Valerie's in studio! It's an end of the week tradition. Sharp suit. She's going to tell us about the transportation overhaul. This thing is shooting through the assembly like it had a drunk night at Taco Bell.
* Once again, Tommie Williams doesn't want to blame the good people of the DOT - just the system. We have a new transportation montage including a lonely, inert front-end loader. It makes me sad.
* GPB is now on twitter which allowed me to follow some of this debate. Sen. Steve Thompson apparently tried to pull a Mr. Smith. I hope we got film. But sadly no. Based on the twitter updates there was something about a tip jar and homilies of such duration, the print jockeys started doing crosswords.
* A bill to inform marriage applicants if they have sickle cell led to an amendment to allow constitutional officers to conduct marriages which led to someone asking Speaker Richardson if they have to call him reverend. And I'm the one accused of being on drugs.
* Some technical stuff that is so weird instead of showing the floor debate, Lawmakers rolls tape from the committee meeting. I don't think anyone understands it which frightens me.
* Here comes the meanness and Brittany is live at Hogwarts to explain.
* Quick summary. Sen. Eric Johnson (R-It Was Rape In My Mind) wants failure to pay taxes to become an ethics violation. Sen. Robert Brown, he's on the list of delinquent taxpayers, then delivered a speech that was filled with weird meanness not usually seen in that august chamber. You can listen to Sen. Brown's full speech here. Check back here on Monday to read the thoughts of a former tax agent on this whole ugly affair.
* WHOOPS! The gremlins are back. Classic frozen tape moment. Some poor Republican looked like the proverbial deer in the headlights.
* A bill to allow a judges to revoke probation if someone commits a crime in another state. Once again, we don't have this already?
* Still no tape. There is much mumbling in the background. I suspect they've resorted to voodoo rites again.
* Minoo!
* The freaking strip club tax passed out committee. We won't let you buy a six pack on Sunday and we're going to tax the hell out of people attending entertainment we don't like. Republicans - this is your Georgia GOP. Oh my word, the bill's sponsor Sen Jack Murphy just said there is a direct correlation between strip clubs and child prostitution. These disingenous scoundrels deserve to be tossed in a lake full of cottonmouths.
* We had something to do with the arrest of the President of Sudan? What? Apparently one of the usually useless resolutions the scoundrels hand out like candy at Halloween was quoted in the international indictment. How very weird.
* Emily is live at Hogwarts. Something about revoking a supplement to high performing teachers. The education stuff this year is very convoluted. The bottom line is they're scraping to find money to do anything.
* Poll time! It's about Senate Bill 31 - the Pay Now Nuke Later bill. And 100% of respondents say Georgia Power shouldn't get the money up front!
* End of the week which means Tom Crawford time.
* The scoundrels are leaving town on April 3. It's like a birthday present to me!
* The freaking Octomom bill - a limit on the number of embryos implanted during fertility treatment. It's of course sponsored by a Republican. I'm going to ask a question and I'm going to keep asking it - please raise your hand if you still claim Republicans in this state want to keep government out of our lives.
* A bill to require those testifying before committees to swear an oath. This thing dies every year. It got a do pass from the sub-committee but it now has to pass the rules committee.
* Alan Freedman is in studio and have mercy, he's wearing a blue and pink tie. I think the high-def just burned my retinas.
* The new schedule means back to the five day week, so we'll all be back Monday evening. Until then, that's a wrap.
Friday, March 06, 2009
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3 comments:
One of the reasons among others that I don't write a political blog anymore is I have nothing but anger for these people.
The speech by Mr. Brown is the most entertaining thing I have heard so far this year.
" I used to think Mr. Limbaugh was an oxymoron, until I found out he was an oxycontiac"
I watch the house proceedings every day they are in session.. this has to be the worst in history, zero is getting done to move the state forward. In fact we are going in the opposite direction. Three people hold all the power at the capitol, the rest really ought not to bother showing up. It's a serious joke on the voters and tax payers if you think you are being represented.
Nasty-you betcha.. just wait till the session is over and the Gov race heats up
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