We Gather Together

Friday 14 January 2011 - Filed under Uncategorized

This is the first week of business in the 107th General Assembly of Tennessee, and I’ve been observing intently. Granted, there’s still time for the overall course to change (thankfully), but so far it’s looking like business as usual, which isn’t a good thing given their usual way of doing business (and the fact that such a massive changing of the guard in the last election should logically make things different). Our government’s first duty is to do no harm to its citizens. More laws and regulations are not necessarily the best solution to every problem. In other situations, they are exactly what is needed. The first quality we should look for in our politicians is the discernment to judge when they can help with the problems of their constituents and when it is best for them to exercise legislative restraint. The ability to listen to their constituents and the intelligence to understand the issues then guides them in making the right choices in those instances where new laws are the best solution. Ultimately, however, a particular political ideology is less important to look for in our leaders than loyalty to the integrity of our political system. Every American’s first oath is to uphold the Constitution, not their party platform, and the Tennessee Constitution holds a similar place for the people of Tennessee. Everyone has ideas for new laws we could pass. Few of us are cautious enough to question how those ideas might have unintended consequences. Even fewer of us are wise enough to exercise their power appropriately.

Tennessee has a long tradition of abhoring government meddling while standing in desperate need of government assistance. We want to be left alone to live the way we prefer to live, but we are also a very poor people statewide who cannot afford to meet their own needs without mutual assistance. Even those of us who are seeking independence are still dependent, as was demonstrated by the membership of the Tea Party being composed significantly of people on government entitlement programs. The louder people scream that they are being held down by the government, the more it is evidence that the government should be doing more of the right things (building infrastructure), not less of the wrong things (lowering taxes). The results of the last election told us this is still the case loud and clear, but it’s looking like the people we elected were still too deaf to hear it.

There are basically four kinds of legislation: 1) unnecessary laws that do no harm, 2) unnecessary laws that do harm, 3) necessary laws that do unintended harm, and 4) necessary laws that do good. Necessary laws that do good are the only laws that our politicians should be passing. Necessary laws that do unintended harm shouldn’t be passed, but proposed and discussed, so better solutions can be worked out. Most new criminal law falls under this third category. We hear about some heinous act and immediately want to legislate against it generally, even when it might unintentionally do more harm to the public good to treat it as more than a rare outrage. The members of the Tennessee General Assembly have an unfortunate tendency to focus on passing laws from categories #1 and #3 with occasional flirting with #2 (their preoccupation with outlawing gay marriage springs to mind, for example), and only a rare foray into #4. For example, take a look at the recent Constitutional amendments they’ve proposed. In terms of lawmaking, it doesn’t get much more serious than amending the Constitution, but they only want to do it to knock down straw men and protect us from imaginary dangers. Was the right to hunt and fish seriously under attack? No. Does our Constitution currently allow an income tax, and will adding language that forbids it make any difference at all? No. It’s much ado about nothing. It’s vanity and talking points and campaign commercials. It’s tilting at windmills. They’re looking busy passing unnecessary, feel-good measures while Tennesseans need food and jobs and public infrastructure. They fiddle while we burn.

Sen. Brian Kelsey seems to believe that amending our Constitution to eliminate the possibility of an income tax that is already not a possibility under our Constitution will encourage employers to bring new jobs to Tennessee. Sure, okay. Everyone likes the sound of lower taxes even when it’s not in our overall best interests. Given what’s already in the Tennessee Constitution, it’s a pointless, feel-good measure. But you know what corporations also look for when evaluating potential locations for new business? Public infrastructure. Transportation, education, energy, communications, all of which are areas Tennessee has become woefully inadequate to provide in large part because our government does not have the revenue to build it and the free market doesn’t yet have a customer to justify it (or is inadequate to meet the needs of those customers). If we build it, they will come, but we have to invest in it first. Experts would suggest that an income tax is the most fair and efficient way to do this, and will pay off for taxpayers in the long run, but instead of advocating sacrifice for the common good the Tennessee GOP would rather cannibalize our children’s future for lower taxes now. Nevermind that you’re probably paying a higher percentage of your income under the sales tax scheme, anyway. They’d rather give you fewer services for more of your money without you noticing.

Sen. Andy Berke had some really good ideas to help stimulate the economy. It’d be great if he’d, you know, file some Bills based on those ideas. Or any Democratic Senator, for that matter, I don’t mean to just pick on him. I realize that the Tennessee Democrats don’t have enough votes to pass gas at this point, but show some life, people. If you can’t make them lose, make them kill your best ideas. Those ideas deserve to be heard, and they deserve a fighting chance to eventually become law. When they’re killed, I promise we’ll scream about it. When the time comes, we’ll make the people remember who was trying to do good things and who was hurting Tennessee by playing politics. There will be another election someday. The only thing worse than the Republicans doing meaningless shit in the face of suffering is the Democrats doing nothing at all. You’re the Minority party now, so start acting like it. Nip at Ramsey’s bootheels, or better yet get together and chase him day and night like a pack of rabid wolves. There’s freedom in having nothing left to lose. Learn from the example of the Tennessee GOP. Be as annoying to them as they’ve been to us. Don’t shy away from the fight just because you’re going to lose. We expect you to lose. Most people in Tennessee are losing right now. But we still expect you to fight. Most people in Tennessee are still fighting. Show us what you’re made of, and maybe Tennesseans will give you a comeback. The people love an underdog.

2011-01-14  »  admin