Sleeping On Job Is Political Rite in Sacramento

Wall St. Journal ^ | October 02nd 2009

[Steelfish]

OCTOBER 3

Sleeping On Job Is Political Rite in Sacramento All-Night Sessions Mean Legislators Pack Toothbrushes, Cologne

STU WOO

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- After 11 years as an elected California official, Abel Maldonado says he has finally figured out how to survive legislative sessions in Sacramento. His secret: Visine and Lil' Wayne.

That is because many of the most important sessions at the statehouse turn into grueling all-nighters. "You don't sleep," says the Republican state senator from near Santa Barbara, Calif. "You lay back there in the chambers, you doze off, and you have important pieces of legislation that come up that spend billions of dollars. And you're like, 'OK, what do I do here?'"

The Visine eyedrops help keep his eyes open during votes, Mr. Maldonado says. Listening to rapper Lil' Wayne on his iPod keeps him energized.

Lawmakers in statehouses across the country have always faced constitutional deadlines to pass budgets and bills. That often means they have to stay up all night to do so. But Sacramento's Capitol -- faced with a king- size budget crisis this year -- takes the crown as the all-nighter capital.

The legislative process is particularly pokey in California, where gerrymandering has resulted in a hyper-partisan statehouse. Bills are often debated for months without resolution. The state is one of only three in the nation that requires at least a two-thirds vote to pass budgets, making consensus all the harder to achieve.

This year, the state had to debate the highly contentious budget twice because of the fiscal crisis. Legislative leaders say they must lock their members in the statehouse overnight to get bills passed. If they turned out the lights at midnight, nothing would ever get done.

California lawmakers have pulled at least six all-nighters in the chambers so far this year.

[BAW]

Abel Maldonado is one of the three Republican idiots who sided with the Democrats to increase our CA income taxes by an average of $1000 to $1200 per family per year. We will pay these increased taxes for at least two years because of him.

We the Voters voted NO to a series of tax increases, accounting shell games, and teachers union blackmail presented to us on May 19, 2009. No no no no no.

We do not forget. We will vote again and vote Abel Maldonado out of office.

[dragnet2]

Put his head on a GD stick

[Achilles Heel]

There is a recall petition for Anthony Adams who voted for the tax increase—I believe the car tax increase due each year. He swore he wouldn’t, and then caved in!

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

This is nothing new.