Aggravation in Montgomery

Everyone is on edge right now in the state capitol and I cannot imagine it will get any better any time soon. There is no one issue driving the aggravation just whole bunch of things that have created the perfect storm. The Senate lock down, the bond issue fiasco, left over animosity from the previous election, the list could just go on and on.

The entire State Senate would have to be at the top of my aggravations for this session. While I agree with the Republican minority on the operating rules of the Senate I think at the end of the day the voters are not going to care one way or the other. All of us who keep up with the insider politics of Montgomery watch these things more than most of the voters. As politicians we like to think everyone is going about their days intently glued to the inner works of state government. Nothing could be further from the truth. What most constituents throughout the state think is that nothing is getting done in Montgomery and everyone both Democrat and Republican is to blame for it.

Another recent problem that I know causes a lot of stomach ache has been the basic decentralization of political power in Montgomery. Some would say this is good because it gives more Representatives and Senators a stronger voice in the process. I would agree with this argument. Of course one side effect of this decentralization is that power struggles and the inability to reach a consensus is really amplified. This leads to more gridlock. A good example of this is the current legislative battle. Right now you have Democrats and Republicans fighting over the bond issue while you have some Democrats and Republicans for that matter, interested in sticking it to the Governor and the Governor looking to do the same to some in the Senate. At the same time different groups are struggling to figure out a way to gain a political advantage over others. Still a fourth group feels that the bond issue does not include enough for their local projects like UAB. All that sound pretty clear? If it does please let me know because it can get a little confusing to me at times. Its like a football game, you need a program to find out who is on what team today! And the program might change again tomorrow.

At the end of the day all the confusion can be quite aggravating. It is also part of the process. As Alabama gets closer and closer to parity in the legislature and Republicans pick up seats (and yes we will continue to pick up seats) government will have a harder time running smooth. That is not necessarily a bad thing in some cases because it does require more deliberation in the lawmaking process but it still makes it more aggravating for those trying to get things done.