Daily and Sunday Review - News - 12/01/2005 - Will Rep. Tina Pickett go along to get along or, stand on her own?

Daily and Sunday Review - News - 12/01/2005 - Will Rep. Tina Pickett go along to get along or, stand on her own?: "Will Rep. Tina Pickett go along to get along or, stand on her own?

12/01/2005
State Rep. Tina Pickett, a Republican who represents Sullivan County and much of Bradford County in the Republican-controlled state House, has made it clear that in her view, in order to be effective in the legislature, rank-and-file members must stay in line and not openly challenge the leadership.

Apparently, for her, this is a guiding principle to which we take exception, and challenge her to publicly respond to the following sound analysis and worthwhile advice, originally published in the Harrisburg Patriot-News:
The great and noble concept of "one man, one vote," handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court 40 years ago, continues to be flawed in its execution.
It's true we no longer have widely disparate representation by districts, as back when in New Hampshire, to cite one example, one state assemblyman represented a town of three people and another represented one with 3,244. Then, a resident in the former exercised 108,000 percent more power at the state capital than a resident in the later.
In accordance with Reynolds v. Sims, each Pennsylvania state House member represents roughly 61,000 people, each state senator roughly 243,000. That is not to say that all Pennsylvanians are equally represented. Real power rests in the hands of a relatively few legislators who make the big decisions and disproportionately assist their own district's - and their loyal legislative followers - with the state's largess.
Rank and file lawmakers of both parties have long acquiesced to this arrangement, to the great detriment of truly representative government, by following the time-honored tradition of "getting along by going along."
But one of the consequences of the embarrassing legislative pay increase/pay repeal is that it has emboldened backbenchers in at least one caucus. Some House Republican rank-and-file members are pushing for major changes in how the Legislature operates.
* They want reinstatement of a tough lobbyist disclosure law.
* They want powerful committee chairmen limited to three terms, or six years.
* They would ban 11th-hour bill changes by the House Rules Committee, a device often used to barrel through controversial measures with little debate or consideration.
* They want a look at restricting post-election "lame duck" voting sessions.
* And they want a study to look at shrinking the size of the Legislature.
We urge them to stick to their guns, recognizing that no district has sent a representative or senator to Harrisburg to serve as second banana. Every legislator, regardless of his or her seniority, has been equally empowered to carry out the people's will.

©Daily and Sunday Review 2005 "