“Full-time” legislature’s endless vacation
When was the last time you got a 12 week vacation?
While you have been worried about your job, your business, your kids’ remote learning, and what’s the next Baker closure target, the legislature has not met once in full formal session. Who knew that during a pandemic the legislature would have no pressing issues? Don’t worry. They have been collecting their pay and perks.
Normally the legislative session ends on July 31st in an election year. However, due to COVID-19, the House and Senate extended their respective voting sessions indefinitely because they could not get all their critical work done by the end of July. But, since then it has been crickets at the State House.
Of course, they could not meet in August with the Primary election on September 1st. That time was needed for campaigning.
With two months between the Primary and General Elections, you would think that they might be able to squeeze in one formal session of voting. It is safe to say that’s not going to happen with only days until the election. Unbelievably, these workaholics have dropped the ball. We all have to be understanding that they needed time to recover from their normal schedule of meeting one day per week.
Their failure to convene a session goes way beyond time off. It’s about saving their jobs by postponing taking potentially career ending votes until after the election.
Other than the extremists like Ayanna Pressley, who wants to defend taking the police out of schools or prohibiting them from investigating gang activity in our schools? Hence, the infamous Police Reform bill has been stuck in conference committee negotiations. It’s likely to reappear Thanksgiving week when the public is not paying attention.
Right before an election is never a good time to raise taxes especially with the economy spiraling downwards. So, the Transportation Climate Initiative, which will raise your gas tax and create new carbon taxes, is stalled.
We have heard very little about the state budget, because Beacon Hill is having a hard time grasping the fact that when no one is working no one is paying taxes. The day after the election the breaking news will be the Commonwealth’s completely unsuspected budget deficit and the legislature’s need to raise taxes. After living this private sector only shutdown, they are going to hit us with tax hikes to pay for all the hacks who have been “working” from home. That’s a double ouch!
With the upcoming Bacon Hill lame duck session, brace for impact. It’s going to be costly.
