Legislature must focus, prioritize

Every legislative session, the Alaska Legislature has one major piece of work it must complete to keep the wheels of government turning.

Hint — it has nothing to do with picking a state gun, issuing any number of new license plates for this or that special interest group, and it has not one iota to do with Sharia law.

Yet rumblings about the governor calling a special session to pass a 2012 state budget have already begun.

Really?

Weren’t voters clear in 2006 when they passed Proposition No. 1, which created a 90-day statutory limit to the legislative session?

We believe the message from the people here was plain and simple: focus.

Instead of spending time and tax dollars on frivolous, silly bills, the people of Alaska expect their public servants to focus, prioritize and get the job done in the time allowed.

These don’t seem like unreasonable expectations.

After all, anyone who works for an employer has struck a similar bargain to focus, prioritize and get the job done in the time allowed.

It makes a mockery of the process and the people to make light of our directives by devoting precious hours to bills that are fundamentally unnecessary. In what universe is it a priority to have the Legislature designate a state firearm?

More egregious than the fact that our legislators frittered away our time and public tax dollars on such superficial bills, is the idea that they would require a special session to complete the single task they were sent to Juneau to accomplish: pass a budget.

This behavior is disrespectful, irresponsible and wasteful. What would your employer say at 5 p.m. if you asked them to approve overtime after they had observed you spending the regular eight-hour work day busily updating your Facebook page, texting friends and taking personal phone calls?

We know our boss wouldn’t smile and happily approve that overtime, and we’re confident your boss would respond similarly.

So why should the people of Alaska settle for any less professional treatment from their elected servants?

Like parents who tell children they will only pay for the college classes they pass, maybe it would help elected leaders focus if we could require them to reimburse the public for money they waste on vacuous bills.

We won’t be supportive of extending the session past 90 days, or calling special sessions to pass a budget, until our elected representatives make fiscally responsible use of their allotted time.