Jackson Jambalaya

 Sometimes it’s the juxtaposition of things that gets your attention. Without the timing that throws them together you might not consider them in context with each other.

Last week a visit to the North Jackson Rotary Club reminded me of Rotary’s transcendent motto, “Service above self; he profits most who serves best.”

This followed my contemplation of one of the Bible verses I receive by text each day, “Learn to put aside your own desires so that you will become patient and godly, gladly letting God have His way with you” – 2 Peter 1:6. This wording from The Living Bible caught my attention.

Then there was the story in Mississippi Today headlined, “Rank-and-file legislators have no influence in budgeting process because they gave it away.” That followed an earlier story suggesting House Speaker Philip Gunn uses closed GOP caucus meetings to strong arm members into supporting his positions. 

In the first story long-time government reporter Bobby Harrison explained that in 2012, when Republicans took over both the House and the Senate, Speaker Philip Gunn and then Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves pushed through significant rules changes. In particular, these new rules severely restricted opportunities for rank-and-file members to amend appropriations bills for the benefit of their constituents. As Harrison noted, this year “legislators are sitting on an unprecedented revenue surplus of more than $2 billion,” but due to those rule changes, “most members will have little say in how those funds are spent.”

In the second story editor Adam Ganucheau wrote, “rank-and-file members often feel forced to vote for a policy they may not personally support or feel their district would support over fear Gunn or other House leaders will retaliate against them.”

The Rotary motto and the Bible verse describe the ideal public-servant legislator for our representative form of government. At its best this form of government consists of selfless representatives voicing the interests of their constituents, working through contested issues, then coming together to make government serve the diverse interests of its people. 

At its worst this form of government yields power to special interests and enables autocrats to dictate policy and practice. The two stories in Mississippi Today portray a House of Representatives moving in that direction. 

Constitutionally, each legislator serves as the voice of his or her constituents. When powerful interests can use secrecy and intimidation to silence and ignore those voices, they deny those constituents representation. Not only is that contrary to the way American government is supposed to work, it has the aroma of the despotic power our forefathers revolted against.

Now, representative government seldom works at its best. Money, special interests, and strong egos always shape results. But neither does representative government work for long at its worst. I served in the House when enough representatives finally got so tired of Speaker Buddie Newman’s heavy-handed ways they forced a change.

Open and honest debate plus transparency go a long way toward making representative government work as best it can. Representatives owe at least that to their constituents. 

“Power corrupts, and when you're in charge, you start doing things that you think are right, but they're actually not” – Star Wars creator George Lucas. (KF note: Irony, Mr. Lucas)

Crawford is a syndicated columnist from Jackson.