You gotta love the Utah Legislature.
In bill after bill, the 104 lawmakers require various people to do things – no texting while driving, can’t buy liquor on major holidays, must wait 72 hours before you can get a legal abortion, and on and on.
But Tuesday state senators rejected a resolution that only SUGGESTED that legislators visit their local schools on a regular schedule, a total of 16 hours each year, and then file a short report with the State Board of Education about each visit within seven days.
Oh, the complaints the opposing senators professed against the idea – the VERY IDEA – that legislators be forced to do something.
No, scratch that, Sen. Aaron Osmond, R-South Jordan, who throughout 2011 may have set a modern day record traveling the state getting input on his education reform bills, in SJR26 just ASKS lawmakers to make these regular public school visits.
They don’t have to do it. But if they didn’t, well, their missing visit-reports would be noticed on the state board web site.
Several senators said they go to public schools all the time, but they do so quietly, without seeking recognition, credit or praise.
And they don’t want to be forced – or even expected – to do so.
Kind of like helping little old ladies across the street – you do it out of your own goodness.
And to be forced (no, wait, it was only suggested) that you should or have to help little old ladies across the street, well, that’s just plain un-American.
You guessed it, Osmond’s bill failed in a 8-21-0 vote.
Senators then got back to the real business of the Legislature – passing bills that make other people do things that are good for them.
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16 hours per year is very little time to spend finding out what the average teacher already does before giving them more to do.