"Free at last. Free at last..."
Okay, I'm using the word free pretty loosely here, but the legislative super-duper special session is over. What a long, strange trip it has been. Summer can officially start now. I know you were waiting patiently.
On social media and in comments I keep seeing the same silly sentiment -- "Throw the bums out!" I get it. Government seems broken at best, and if you aren't a discerning viewer of such affairs they may all seem like the problem. I wonder if the same folks that want to rid us of all our elected officials also look at the light over their bathroom sinks and when one or two of the bulbs are out replace them all. Don't get me wrong, I know there are a few dim bulbs to put it kindly in our Legislature, but there are some bright spots too that should be noticed.
The Democratic Independent House Minority and the Senate Minority have had to deal with more insanity than the staff at Bedlam. Really. Sen. Mike Dunleavy after weeks and weeks of corrupting Erin's Law with his personal social agenda voted with the unanimous body to pass the law after all of his Papa Pilgrim amendments were stripped. Wow. After so many Alaskans had to relive their own rapes and molestations on record, in letters to the editor, social media and correspondence with the Legislature, he decided not to stand his ground. I suppose he felt his anti-Planned Parenthood masters had been served enough.
During a Senate hearing, co-chair Anna MacKinnon decided naming names wasn't appropriate. A man testifying about the importance of Erin's Law wanted to read the names of the representatives in the House who opposed it. Um, seems to be on topic, but according to Anna, "We are here to speak generally about the law. We don't name names here ..."
Oh, the irony. Regarding a law that teaches children it is safe to name names of the people hurting them, it is Anna logic that we not name names of people blocking the law. Brilliant.
I will name names. Reps. Dan Sadler, Tammie Wilson, Mike Hawker, Craig Johnson, Lance Pruitt and Wes Keller are the sorry lot who opposed protecting children.
While the Republican majorities across the board twist their arms to pat themselves on the back because they were able to protect the profits of Big Oil and continue funding expensive and needless projects, I'd like to remind them they lost. They lost. I know it may be a shocker to them, but the public realizes the David and Goliath story that just played out. (By the way, Republican majority, you are the giant Philistine in this story.)
The Democrats weren't willing to join a three-quarters majority to fund the budget with the Constitutional Budget Reserve with so many necks on the line. They held the line. The Republican majority then said they'd raid the Alaska Permanent Fund. Okay. Do that. Then it's on you. You're going to raid the Permanent Fund to pay for oil tax credits while cutting funding to schools, old people and state employees. That's going to go really well for you until it doesn't -- like on a certain Tuesday next November. They blinked.
Hats off to the minority for hanging in there, standing their ground and making sure they funded a budget that kept promises to employees, covered education and elder care. Truth be told, I didn't know they had it in them, but I'm pretty sure there were some people scratching their heads wondering who that kid was with a slingshot and how that giant was laying on the ground cold.
The closing statements were crazy at best. Sen. Dunleavy took top billing for the word salad he presented: "Some of those cows that escaped a haircut this year ... are actually going to be butchered next year."
What cows is he talking about? Sacred cows? I mean the guy butchered enough legislation this year to qualify for a slaughterhouse subsidy. Cows? Do you mean fully cutting the ferry system? Eliminating public education? Firing our state workers?
I swear that man's cryptic cow talk could make the little girl on the Milkman box lactose intolerant.
We don't know how much the extended sessions will end up costing. I do know that no Democrats in Anchorage will file for the per diem they are entitled to. We'll see which Republicans will take a check for sleeping in their own beds.
After the Alaska Safe Children's Act, containing Erin and Bree's Laws, passed, I read Erin Merryn's Facebook post celebrating the 26th state in the union to pass a law to help protect children from what happened to her.
"I have worked with a lot of great legislators all over America on Erin's Law," she wrote, "but Representative Geran Tarr fought above and beyond any other state to get this law passed and was just as determined as I was to make it happen."
Thank you, Geran. Thank you to the determined minority. It is a righteous fight you have won.
And as for the bums ... you all know what to do.
Shannyn Moore is a radio broadcaster.
The views expressed here are the writer's own and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, email commentary(at)alaskadispatch.com.