As the hijinks of the legislative and budget process lurches along, the "day-counts" are becoming a kind of interesting subplot…to me anyway. Now, with all the conventions over and the bill deadline over, it now can become time for the media to focus on why the Republicans should give in to a tax increase. Hey, everyone else is. What I mean by the day-counts is that today is the 70th day since the June 30 fiscal year or "working deadline" came and went. The latest budget ever was signed Sep. 5 so we have that record going for us, 70 and counting.
Then, counting down, for us legislators termed out this year, we have 79 days until we have to get our stuff out of our state offices, November 26 at 5 PM, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. They want a couple days for the incoming crop to have their offices switched over, ready on the day of their swearing in Monday, Dec 1 at noon.
Our terms are technically until November 30 at midnight [83 days] so I guess my constituents will have to call me or our staff by cell or at home for case work issues those last 4 days. Or maybe they find a way to do without their state legislators for 4 days as perhaps they prefer instead to fall asleep watching football after a nice turkey dinner and get up at 4 AM next morn for that insane first day of Christmas shopping.
We have the Sep. 30 deadline for legislation getting signed or vetoed, the clock ticking on hundreds of bills that need handling by the Guv’s office. 22 days to go there. Will we get a budget in time to have the Guv not veto all the bills as vowed…well except for a few bills on "super double secret probation non veto status" like the High Cost Rail bond fix bill. Or, play chicken with an entire year, good or bad, of legislative work by 120 elected members of the Senate and Assembly. Every day that goes by as Sep. 30 approachs is one less day to "vett" the nearly 1000 bills to be sent downstairs from the Assembly or Senate desks.
Of course there is the election, the countdown which is at 57 days, when so much will be settled politically going forward…veto-proof state or federal houses or not, who will be in the White House to decide if that veto pen gets any action or not.
Then there are the 2010 elections, with many campaign committees already open, "only" 21 months away but I won’t fatigue you with those numbers now…
So with the budget at 70 days late and 83 days left of this term [or careers of those termed out] what happens when those 2 trains meet? Will there be some kind of harmonic convergence, will gravity stop at the 76.5 day halfway point? Will there be a budget showdown at High Noon on the West Steps? None of these of course, even though this legislature seems to sometimes think it is important enought to stop gravity, but we do meet this week Monday and Tuesday for sure to likely take up budget proposals. The Senate has been meeting almost everyday, usually at 4 PM for a little while before the "let’s wear down 2 Republican Senators" default mode kicks back in. Don’t worry, they still have to wear down at least 7 Republicans in the Assembly for a bad budget/sales tax increase bill too.
The far fetched joking around a few weeks ago, that the new members getting sworn in Dec. 1 will get the budget vote dumped in their lap is becoming just a little less far fetched. I might get my knuckles rapped for even saying that but it just hasn’t been very productive with the Dems "outwait 2+7 Republicans strategy." This coming week should truly be revealing, I think we can get there. But, our side isn’t caving in. Even with the End Of Days.