Sunday, February 27, 2011

An Open Letter to Legislators

I’m having a hard time understanding legislators leaving a state to avoid debating and voting on important issues. Regardless of what side of the aisle you are from it seems to me that leaving for any reason is circumventing the democratic process which elected you and to which you are called to serve.

I’m sure there are issues here that I don’t understand but my understanding of the democratic process in our republic is that the majority rules. In the Indiana House right now there are 60 members of one party and 40 members of another. That provides a majority but not enough to form the 2/3 attendance required to vote on issues.

Abandoning your post because you are in the minority and not getting your way is using a cheap legislative tactic to enforce the will of the minority onto the will of the majority. In the elections in November our state elected a majority. If you lose your agenda and desires due to that majority then I would think you would have a fairly clear platform on which to run during the next election.

Since you have opted to leave I hope the voters in our state will remember that during the next election. Leaving because you are not getting your way is childish in any situation regardless of the reason. I know if I was going to run for office your actions would give me a clear platform.

Please return to work. While you tout that you are not taking pay while you are gone that isn’t admirable it is pathetic. Accept that you may lose and move on but don’t hold the majority of a state hostage trying to reverse the Madisonian Dilemma.