AT THE TABLE
There
we were, at the Big Budget Meeting ready to decide state government
spending. The chair called the meeting to order and looked around.
“Is everybody here to spend the money
we get from the people?”
“The Executive is here!” said a guy
from the Governor’s office. “We’re the ones who propose the policy that
spends the money we get from the people.”
“The Legislature is here!” said two
guys. The taller one said, “We’re the House who gets it first, and pass
laws to dispose of the policy the Governor proposes, that spends the
money we get from the people.”
“The
Senate is here!” The shorter guy stood up. “We’re the Senate who gets it
best, who passes the laws the House gets first, who disposes the policy
the Governor proposes, that spends the money we get from the people.”
“So the Governor, the House and the Senate
are all here,” said young Shlumsky, a newbie rep. “Then who are all
these other folks?”
“We’re the bureaucracy,” said a couple
of people. “We’re the ones who’re furloughed at noon, implementing costs
that always balloon, passed from the Senate who gets it best, who passes
the laws the House gets first, who disposes the policy the Governor
proposes, that spends the money we get from the people.”
“We’re the public employee unions,”
said a guy in a uniform jacket with his name stitched on the front.
“We’re the ones who ask for the moon, to represent employees paying
union dues, who work for bureaucracies furloughed at noon, implementing
costs that always balloon, passed by the Senate who gets it best, along
with the House who gets it first, who disposes the policy the Governor
proposes, that spends the money we get from the people.”
“And we’re the retirees who used to
work, getting benefits from unions who ask for the moon, representing
the employees paying union dues, who work for bureaucracies furloughed
at noon, implementing costs that always balloon, passed by the Senate
who gets it best, along with the House who gets it first, who disposes
the policy the Governor proposes, that spends the money we get from the
people.”
Don't Forget Us!!
“I was wondering when you’d get around
to us!” A tall, well-dressed woman stood up. “We’re the agencies
who hand out the pork, taking care of
retirees who used to work, getting benefits from unions who ask for the
moon, representing the employees paying union dues, who work for the
bureaucracies furloughed at noon, implementing costs that always
balloon, passed by the Senate who gets it best, along with the House who
gets it
first, who disposes the policy the
Governor proposes, that spends the money we get from the people.”
“Don’t forget us!!” A lady jumped up,
wearing a color T-shirt with backwords kid-writing on it. “I represent
the advocates in color T-shirts all alike who come to Lansing to go on
strike, to support the agencies who hand out the pork, taking care of
retirees who used to work,
getting benefits from unions who ask
for the moon, representing
the employees paying union dues, who
work for the bureaucracies furloughed at noon, implementing costs that
always balloon, passed by the Senate who gets it best, along with the
House who gets it
first, who disposes the policy the
Governor proposes, that spends the money we get from the people.”
“Okay,”
said the chair. “So we have all the
players around the table.
Here are the advocates in color
T-shirts all alike here in Lansing to go on strike, the agencies who
hand out the pork and all the retirees who used to work, plus public
unions who ask for the moon representing employees furloughed at noon
who work for bureaucracies whose costs always balloon, and the Senate
who gets it best, along with the House who gets it first, and finally
the Governor who proposes all the policy the Legislature disposes to
spend the money we get from the people.”
“Is anybody missing?”
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