CA: Costa takes aim at Legislature (part-time legislature / FairDistricts.com)

Ted Costa, one of the orchestrators of California's successful recall election last fall, now wants to ask voters to knock the state Legislature down to part-time status.

It is a notion that has circulated around the Capitol a lot lately and even has been mentioned by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in the throes of his frustration with lawmakers during the state budget impasse.

Costa is proposing a constitutional change to cut the legislative year by half, with lawmakers meeting for 90 days between January and the end of June.

"The legislators (would) have more time to spend in their districts, and they owe their allegiance to the people in their districts," he said Wednesday. "We think it's very unhealthy for them to stay here year round and rub elbows with all of the special interests up here."

In a taped interview on National Public Radio's "Morning Edition" on Wednesday, Schwarzenegger said he had not made a decision whether he would campaign for a measure shrinking the legislative calendar. "It's just an idea," he said.

The sooner the better. The pissants up in Sacramento waste their time and dither on world shaking things like trying to prohibit "Redskins" being used as a mascot. What a disgusting bunch of fat, overfed, overpaid, selfish, conceited morons.

The Legislature has suffered persistently low approval ratings. In a Field Poll issued in late May, just 27 percent of voters approved of the Legislature's work and 52 percent disapproved.

But critics of plans to cut its job to half-time say it would give too much power to the governor and interest groups that would stay in Sacramento year round.

"The challenges we face in California are frequently large and complex and require more attention, not less," said Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez, D-Los Angeles. "If we weaken one branch of government, another will be strengthened; in this case, the governor. The monied special interests and their lobbyists who already have too much clout ... will be strengthened as well."

Fabian Fabian Fabian... liar liar,, pants on fire .. girly-man.

The Gub is as answerable to the people as was the previous Gub. Don't worry, the special interests are on notice. We, the taxpayers are fed up and about to kick some major booty.

Besides, the Rats are no saints when it comes to special interests as the last few years so clearly have shown.

The Rats have become a ruling class and answerable only to themselves and their special interest handlers.

Time to bust up the nest and make government work for the people instead of working them over in a teetering economic state.

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