Photo by Anne C. Savage, special to Eclectablog
After spending time reading and writing and thinking about the post I put up earlier, “Michigan Republicans stealing bills introduced by Democrats to deny them legislative victories”, I ended up in a funk. I realized that there are actually some areas of common ground between our legislative Democrats and Republicans. They actually DO agree on some things and on some good legislation.
But the politics in this state (and elsewhere, too, I’m sure) have become so toxic that our politicians are fighting to get credit for anything that could be described as “good”. They are so intent on pandering to their constituents and making sure “the other guys” don’t get credit for anything positive that they will steal each others legislation.
Here’s thing: these bills they are stealing from each other? Those are the things they actually AGREE on. Actual living, breathing bipartisan agreement. It’s astonishing. Watching the news you wouldn’t think that it existed but it does exist.
And these areas of agreement, what could arguably be called the best things to happen in our state legislatures, are being polluted and perverted by pandering, craven desires to get credit at the expense of political opponents.
If I were running for state office, I would seriously consider taking a stand on this. Taking a pledge to never appropriate one of my opponents bills and to never put my name on a bill that was appropriated from the opposition party. And I would shout to the high heavens every time my opponents did it. On a go-forward basis whoever has the idea gets the credit. And if my opponents had a good bill then, by Goddess, I would support it, even if they get the credit.
That’s what good government, good lawmaking would look like.
It’s very apparent that it’s not what it looks like today.
UPDATE; This story has been updated HERE.
