To: Members of the Legislature
June 25, 2003
Re: House Ways & Means Committee Budget
We anticipate that Governor Romney will veto
the Finneran Power Grab, and we hope that you will vote to sustain
that veto.
We all know that the issue is not about legislative
housekeeping and creating new committees. It’s about adding
committee bonus pay without the presently required statute.
The real issue is whatever is important to any
legislator, what is chosen for the campaign literature, what
constituents want.
To House Democrats: In a democratic House,
when the day comes that your issue is to be voted on, you have a
chance to persuade other legislators to vote with you.
In a leadership controlled House, with even more
legislators beholden to the Speaker for extra pay, you have only the
chance that the Speaker and those who follow the money allow you. If
you don’t make the Finneran Favorite cut, your issues won’t
matter. And throughout your term in office, if you don’t toe the
line, you won’t make the cut.
To House Republicans: This power-grab allows
the Speaker to spend taxpayer dollars without gubernatorial oversight.
Once he has the potential to reward 2/3 of the House with extra pay,
he has the ability to override any gubernatorial veto. The public
rationale for electing a Republican governor for balance is gone.
To the Senate: Your branch seems to be going
along with this as a professional courtesy to the House Speaker.
Better its members should be professionally courteous to its
constituents and support the balance of power concept.
Absolute power in the House controls your issues
too. Speaker Finneran will be able to override or sustain any veto he
wants. What does this do to the balance of power with the Senate?
To All Members: Last week, all but four
legislators present in each branch voted by standing vote to put an
emergency preamble on this bill. On this vote, all legislators will be
recorded in favor of democracy, or in favor of "Finneran
Rules."