Thursday, May 11, 2006
Pennsylvania Angst
Along comes another poll purporting to gauge Pennsylvanians’ view of the direction the state is headed. And it comes as no surprise that there is a lot of dissatisfaction out there. According to the latest “IssuesPA/Pew Poll”, half of those surveyed aren’t happy with the state’s direction and 67 percent say the legislature can be trusted only some of the time or never. Ouch!! What an indictment of elected officials.
But will the public’s dissatisfaction with the legislators translate into a major ousting of incumbents? Probably not. People complain about the legislative bodies but think their own representative or senator is doing a good job. Otherwise, how does one account for the 98 percent reelection rate of incumbents?
So what people are really saying is either: (1), the General Assembly as an institution is flawed and produces bad outcomes, or (2) a majority of legislators other than their own are rotten people. Or it could be a combination of the two. If the General Assembly is a faulty organization then we will probably need a Constitutional Convention to fix it, assuming it can be fixed. If people believe that legislators other than their own are bad then unconsciously what they are saying is, “my fellow citizens are pretty stupid or too lazy to do anything to replace the dreadful lawmakers.” Not a very attractive view of one’s fellow citizens. But is it a wrong view when voters continue to reelect legislators who have arrogantly used their office to enrich themselves or friends.
Sounds like an argument for term limits. The cost savings would be substantial. No need for pension plans or lifetime medical benefits. Legislators could focus on solving the state’s problems and not have to kowtow endlessly to powerful special interests.
But will the public’s dissatisfaction with the legislators translate into a major ousting of incumbents? Probably not. People complain about the legislative bodies but think their own representative or senator is doing a good job. Otherwise, how does one account for the 98 percent reelection rate of incumbents?
So what people are really saying is either: (1), the General Assembly as an institution is flawed and produces bad outcomes, or (2) a majority of legislators other than their own are rotten people. Or it could be a combination of the two. If the General Assembly is a faulty organization then we will probably need a Constitutional Convention to fix it, assuming it can be fixed. If people believe that legislators other than their own are bad then unconsciously what they are saying is, “my fellow citizens are pretty stupid or too lazy to do anything to replace the dreadful lawmakers.” Not a very attractive view of one’s fellow citizens. But is it a wrong view when voters continue to reelect legislators who have arrogantly used their office to enrich themselves or friends.
Sounds like an argument for term limits. The cost savings would be substantial. No need for pension plans or lifetime medical benefits. Legislators could focus on solving the state’s problems and not have to kowtow endlessly to powerful special interests.
