What did I learn?

[Author’s note from the future - This assessment was written mid-May 1983 as a requirement to graduate Dr. Egbert’s State and Local Government class. I tried to take the 1,000-foot view. The judgments I made, even as little as a month later, in late June at the end of the 1983 session, is more dark, more sober and deeper in the weeds: seen from inside of a hole in the ground. Still smoldering from the battle.

This earlier assessment is less visceral and more optimistic. In retrospect, read after the distance of four decades, it reflects my total experience better. The end of the session reflections that I made in late June are heartfelt, but they were made immediately after I emerged from the fox hole.]

A final journal entry for the purpose of satisfying my contract with Dr. Egbert is in order.

It looks like you were right, Dr. Egbert. Back in January you stated that reorganization would not, in fact, occur. It appears at this juncture that reorganization at the House level is purely an academic exercise.

All the time and effort devoted to proposing different government structural solutions, diving deep into the rational for government agencies and their functions, approached from various philosophical perspectives, was for naught. Every piece of legislation dealing with reorganization has fallen into a Senatorial void. Not one bill has been voted out yet. The atmosphere is jaundiced by the meddling of the Chief Executive. But I am getting a little ahead of myself.

The session began with a bang. Though many times removed from leadership, I was not hampered by being on the outside. My isolation was expected. My freshman status in the body gives me virtually no political capital and no allies to rally. Though irreverent at first, I soon began to appreciate some of the tradition. I find ceremony to be a way to kill two birds with one stone. First, it tends to legitimize the output. Second, it serves to keep tempers controlled by containing them within the operators of the formal legislative process. Strict adherence to the parliamentary game plan allows both sides ample opportunity to get even. Several times I witnessed legislation that was pushed through or stalled by the appropriate motion at the proper time.

In addition, some motions from the floor can provide comic relief. Frequently, a representative will ask a parliamentary question along the following lines: "Mr. Speaker... If I hate little children, am against public education, and may have a member of my family in the John Birch Society, will I vote yes on the question?" In this instance the Speaker responded, "Representative Daniele, if you are all of the aforementioned, I suggest that you abstain?” It brought the House down. Especially given the tense atmosphere created by the bill being considered and the contentious floor debate that ensued.

At times these parliamentary games can be annoying. But the thing that really bothers me is being misled. Or, frankly, the thing that unnerves me most are the flat out lies. We are lied to about the deficit situation. We are lied to regarding the revenue raising capability of the Uniform Business Tax (UBT). We are lied to about the "carrot" of the carrot and stick: the Supplemental Budget. Of course, it leads one to wonder how much of the result is due to our own individual negligence and our desire to justify going along with leadership’s program. Some of us went along to satisfy our own private agendas. Mostly though, we just bought the program hook, line, and sinker.

My presentation of these conclusions does not mean this has been a negative experience for me. On the contrary, overall, my experience has been very rewarding. I fell in love with the "action.” The combined experience of sponsoring and following through on legislation has been an education in and of itself. Learning how to barter using abstractions as currency has allowed me to sharpen my bargaining skills. Contributing constructively to the free flow of debate without being divisive is a talent I did not possess before going to Concord. I feel very positive about acquiring this new skill at this point in my life.

One experience that I believe impacts me the most, much to my surprise, is the newfound ability to put an issue behind me, win or lose. If one allows a single issue or event to dominate their life, then one is doomed. Witness the champions of the Bottle Bill. They went into a deep depressive tailspin after the word came from the Senate regarding the fate of their baby: committed to Interim Study. They were devastated by the news. Had other battles registered on their radar, something to devote their energy towards, then the ride down would not have been so hard and fast. They had nothing to pick themselves up for, something to reward themselves for all the effort, for all the time they spent in Concord. Unfortunately, for many of them, that was not the case.

Working on the Committee has two advantages. The foremost is the potential to steer the whole process by engaging in dialectical deliberations. One can have an impact, even if it turns out to have been merely academic, on some important pieces of legislation. Secondly, no matter how politically diverse, a committee can form strong personal relationships between its opposing members. For the most part the members on our committee are representative of the whole legislative body. Most of us, regardless of our political stripes, are committed to doing the right thing. We recognize the importance of compromise, but sense when to be intransigent. One can only give up so much to strike a deal.

One skill I did not come away with is patience. In fact, it is one of my greatest deficits. Yet, patience can be a liability, too. I only have so much time to play power broker. Patience is not a virtue given the short legislative session. But sometimes, I need to remember that the short legislative term is just that: one short term with many sessions to follow. The effort on anything worth accomplishing may take generations. I still have plenty of time. If for some reason I cannot stop myself, I know the world does not come to an end on May 21,1983; but it sometimes appears like it will. They tell me that I’ll be mellow with age.

Just like the man from Freedom, MO, said, "Show me!"