The Indy Star had a pretty blistering editorial about the House GOP’s refusal to allow a floor vote on Mayor Peterson’s pet legislation designed to consolidate Indianapolis/Marion County government, lower taxes, and build a more efficient government. The House GOP, you may recall, was the group who waxed sanctimonious about how evil the House Democrats were for blocking floor votes when they boycotted a couple of session days. The Star’s editorial is entitled House GOP must get out of the way.
Republicans like to claim they stand for lower taxes and smaller government. You wouldn’t know it by looking at the Indiana House.
Republican leaders in that august body are refusing to allow a vote on legislation that would help Marion County build a more efficient government and avoid higher taxes.
The only logical explanation for the stubbornness is a bad case of partisan politics. The most visible champion of local government consolidation is a Democrat — Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson. And House Republican leaders dislike Peterson more than they detest higher taxes and inefficient government.
Personally, I’m a political realist. Blocking votes on legislation is part of the game, and, since, on the whole, that means fewer laws and regulations, I regard it as a positive. But, the House GOP banged “THE PEOPLE OF INDIANA DESERVE A VOTE!” drum pretty hard when the House Dems walked off the floor. Hypocrisy bugs me more than additional laws. I don’t really know anything about the IndyWorks legislation, so I don’t really have a position on whether it is meritorious.
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