Rep. Steve Berch Newsletter - The rest of the story . . .
The rest of the story . . .
(RESEND: The tables have been enlarged to make them easier to read. I apologize for any inconveneince.)
My fellow District 15 legislators, Sen. Fred Martin and Rep. Codi Galloway recently mailed a legislative update letter providing their selected highlights from the 2021 legislative session. I respect and applaud them for communicating with our mutual constituents. It is an important responsibility neglected by many legislators.
It is also important that constituents get a balanced perspective, which is what this edition of my legislative newsletter attempts to provide. As the famous radio commentator Paul Harvey would say, “Now you know the rest of the story.”
Paul Harvey
Here is what my District 15 colleagues said in their newsletter about the selected bills they chose to write about, along with my comments on each:
But wait, there’s more!
I appreciate my District 15 colleagues highlighting these bills. However, there were several additional legislative actions of significance that were not mentioned in their newsletter. This is unfortunate, especially since the entire back side of their newsletter was left blank.
Here is are some additional highlights from the 2021 legislative session that our constituents might have wanted to hear about (all of which – and more – were included in the two legislative summary newsletters I emailed and posted on Facebook earlier this May):
It’s a question of balance
Again, I commend Sen. Martin and Rep. Galloway for mailing their legislative update letter, and I’m sure our constituents who received it were appreciative. It also illustrates a political reality that voters should keep in mind: A balance of power is essential for good government.
We abhor monopolies in the private sector because they often serve their own interests at the public’s expense. Monopolies don’t work much better for the public in the legislature either.
Good ideas and good people come from all directions. When one political party has total control of government for decades on end (it doesn’t matter which one), they tend to decide what and how much to tell you.
A balanced representation in government creates its own form of checks and balances – each side making sure voters get “the rest of the story.”
