Alaskan legislators have failed (again).
When those of us working in the public and private sector do not do our jobs we face disciplinary action up to, and including, termination. Not so with our legislators whose incompetence is being rewarded. Since they failed to do the job we Alaskans elected them to do within the allotted time frame, they all continue to get their pay and per diem. What incentive do they have to do their job in a timely manner without going into extensions and special sessions?
Dealing with the state budget should have been job No. 1 right out of the gate, but they wasted valuable time on many other much less important items. Every student knows that when you have a pile of homework to do, you don’t put off the tough stuff until last.
Another result of their failure is to threaten all state workers with the possible loss of their jobs. They did the same exact thing last year and pink slips were mailed out. Because they didn’t pass a budget on time, state government would not be funded. This is the worst kind of politics.
In these fiscally challenging times the Legislature should lead by example. Instead of getting paid more to decide what to cut and who gets less, how about bringing a headline like, “Legislature finishes ahead of schedule and under budget!” I’m not holding my breath.
Being a public servant means serving the public. While some of our legislators seem to have forgotten that, I hope the voters remember it come election day. They work for us (or should) and when they don’t, it’s time for them to get a pink slip.
Eric Gucker,
Ketchikan