Dear Legislators,

Get over yourself. You think that because 40,000 people voted for you to represent them that you get to hold people hostage all freaking day long because you want to hear yourself talk? Guess what, your constituents don’t care about 99% of the bills that you are filing and debating. They do care about the budget, which, let’s face it, it’s going to take five Special Sessions to work through. 

I know, you don’t have real lives or jobs, but some of us do. And being locked in a committee meeting for 15 hours, while you skype in a group of “experts” to talk about an issue that no one cares about anyway is disrespectful. 

So, for all of you legislators out there moaning and crying that the budget crisis is unsolvable, here’s a fun stat:   Last session, the cost per day per Senator to be in session for 140 days was $15,178.  The cost per day for a House member was $3,559.64. This session the budget in the Senate is $16,146 per day per Senator and $3,683 per day for House member.  Nice budget cuts, lege.  Don’t you think your constituents would rather have you debate fewer issues, in lieu of say, firing all the teachers in their school district?

You wonder why state agencies aren’t productive and chastise them for not accomplishing more. But when you mandate that the head of an agency, the CFO and all of the major program administrators sit all day to listen to the same speeches in different hearings all week for 5 months, that’s not productive. 

Go home already.