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October 21, 2005
Some of What Happened This Week
Tennessee House Majority Leader Kim McMillan (D-Clarksville) was accused of entangling herself in a major conflict of interest, and today went on the defensive against her detractors. Like Matthew White before me [can't find direct link], I'm somewhat conflicted on this "citizen legislature" thing because even though I agree with the principle, and with the desire to maintain legislators' strong connections to their local communities, it has two major drawbacks: 1) some professions, by their natures, are arguably prone to potential conflicts (attorney is not the least of these), and B) many people are effectively or even specifically prohibited from being a citizen legislator by their occupations, and this isn't exactly, well, fair. Look more closely at these two points together, and you'll uncover even more: many of the very professions that allow the necessary flexibility for a term or three in the General Assembly (accountant, [insurance] agent, attorney — that's just the A's, y'all) are the ones most susceptible to conflict. It's like the serpent is flicking his tail, pushing the apple closer to Eve's hungry mouth. The citizen who has to show up every day to a job with a boss has no chance to participate in self-government. Do we need to change the entire structure of this and employ a full-time legislature? I'm still not convinced, but part of me observes the fact that we essentially have a set of career politicians in the part-time legislature, and thus views with skepticism the argument that we'd be abetting career politicians. And, like Bob Krumm, I'm somewhat opposed to term limits (though we employ them for various executive positions) but maybe that would be the countermanding factor necessary to stimulate turnover. Then we put the lock on the revolving door so folks don't just come right back and lobby (a year? so lame), and, well, I'm still not convinced, but I'm getting closer — because we would've eliminated sticky situations of the type that Rep. McMillan currently endures.
Chattablogs got on a pogo stick: forget the scooters, boys. Flipping a light switch up, then down every few minutes is so much more fun. Today, the pogo stick was put away because someone dropped some Quaaludes by. (You know that I mock because I care.) (I think the 'ludes were provided by Bloglines, which helped itself to a few too many first.)
Mark A. Rose confused the terms 'derision' and 'intolerance.' The former can be "liberally" employed without invoking the latter. Or is that too subtle a distinction for some to navigate?
The 2006 Senate race in Tennessee is gaining in both national profile and blogospheric pressure. Nathan Moore delivered my favorite post on the absurd (read: desperate) attacks on Bob Corker. That's just the Republican side. Someone rolled out a new blog for Rosalind Kurita. Don't count this lady out, folks. Yes, Congressman Junior will be tough to beat in the primary. So tough, in fact, that Lincoln Davis and others decided to stay out of it. Kurita refuses to be intimidated, and that's an admirable quality, in certain situations (not so much in others). Now, the real question on the 2006 U.S. Senate race: where are my Libertarian, Constitution, Green, Independent and Natural Law candidates? Time's a-wastin', people. I need names and websites/blogs.
Elections , Government , Miscellaneous | By joe lance | 12:00 PM