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.

* Good gracious. I'm 11 days behind. This is from Feb. 11. But it's a weekly recap which means Project Tom Crawford.

* Supplemental budget passed the House. This is the bridge budget which gets us to the end of the year. Although this is normal, it's a bit more grim this year.

* First up is the Minority Leader, Dubose Porter. He's running for Governor dontchaknow. And his wife might be running for Lt. Governor. I think I speak for bloggers of all stripes in saying, RUN CAROL RUN!

* Porter is skewering the Republicans on cutting education and not taking up his pet bill to collect uncollected sales tax.

* Scowling House clerks! The streak continues!

* Rep. James Mills is praising the budget because it's less spending. Well, it is but certainly by default.

* Regional sales tax plan. The difference between this year and previous sessions? The Speaker of the House is joining the Governor and the Lite Gov at the press conference. The exorcism of the Ghost of Glenn Richardson begins.

* Rep. Doug Stoner (D-Loves The Camera) pushes the Democratic alternative. They want the vote to happen this year. On the Georgia Gang (taped one week after this episode of Lawmakers), the AJC's Jim Galloway said some Republicans are whispering the Democrats may have the framework that could have pass. This is a good indicator of how desperate everyone is to pass some sort of transportation plan.

* More debate on the supplemental budgets. And as always, the Halls of Fame are easy targets. Keving Levitas (D-Metro Griftdriftland) is grilling Rep. Ben Harbin (R-Needs A Shave) about how they keep trying to kill these things.

* Rep. Jill Chambers is very excited about some unclaimed property she's found. Somehow she's going to convert it to cash and wants to buy trooper cars. I swear I hear the sound of speeding MARTA bus headed for the spot she's standing on.

* More budget debate. Culver's kid, the only Independent in the chamber, is asking Harbin about some money for studying mental health. I'm pretty sure the Lawmaker gang just wanted a chance to try the letter I on the chyron.

* The bank loan renewal thing (it was that weird thing in the House the other day) passed the Senate and becomes the first bill to hit the Governor's desk. Bobby Franklin, author of the eternal HB 1 that outlaws every form of abortion, is probably sulking that always being the earliest pre-file once again fails as a strategy to win the first bill derby.

* Leadership series. Senate Democrat Leader Robert Brown. He's talking about tax structures. Given his recent troubles with getting his own taxes filed, this is kind of funny.

* Another bill that passed the Senate last year but not the House now passes committee. The Ghost of Speaker Richardson moans. This bill is the one that would allow the Governor to step in and replace school board members. Fruit from the poison tree that was the Clayton School Board.

* It was poor peoples day at the Capitol. So of course they have a band full of hippies playing reggae.

* Lara Fawaz. Poor thing looks cold.

* The poor people's rally has signs that match their theme. And there's Nan Orrock! Mark one up for the liberal cred.

* Tom Crawford time! Oh lord. He's gone monochromatic. Someone check to see if he has ties to the sepia lobby. And I'm pretty sure my grandma made a few quilts out of the material in his tie.

* Anniversary of the founding of Georgia. Thank goodness we are getting more special interests pieces! Gives the kids something to do. Perdue just said 1773. I think he meant 1733. Education in Georgia really is suffering.

* Lawmakers flashback! Somebody's going to jail! This is dealing with the Capitol Renovation Scandal back in 1984. The fiscal officer for the Legislature was indicted by a grand jury. Here's Speaker Murphy. And there's a microphone jacket for 94-Q! That station is currently Star 94 and plays Lady Gaga 24 hours a day. I reckon back then they did actual news. And this is my favorite piece of Lawmakers ever! We saw it last year. They used to take phone calls during the show and then House Rep. Roy Barnes is getting an earful from some irate yahoo. "C'Mon Roy! Give us some answers!"

* Some shots of the Haitian fundraiser mentioned yesterday. Or 12 days ago. I'm so confused.

* Time for Ricky Bevington's Book of Doom! Winter storm advisory! School boards suing charter schools! Locusts! Missing girl found dead! Water Into Blood! Actually this is rather sad. It was that poor girl who lost her life in Haiti.

* Lawmakers returns next tuesday. Which was actually last tuesday. Next, I'll explain the magic of quantum mechanics. Until then, that's a wrap!