Who Is Representing Us?
by Larry Gilbert

Having just visited the Arkansas Capitol, let me pose the following for discussion that entails a double-edged sword.

While I support less government, there has been debate over our state Legislature with the concept of adding more elected members to our House and Senate. The thought being our breaking the ongoing Democratic control of both Houses. Having been in the pool of candidates tasked with "redrawing the lines," better known as Redistricting (Prop 11-Voters First Act), I can speak from personal knowledge that it was doomed for failure from the outset. For political correctness the three state auditors, a Republican, a Democrat and a Decline To State, were tasked with purging over 30,000 applicant names looking for the perfect team. That final group was based on the following five characteristics of "diversity." Gender, demographics, economic, political party affiliation and race/ ethnicity.

Let's look at some data based on my travels to State Houses of government. Arkansas has a population of 3 million. Their 100 House members and 35 Senators meet part-time. Do the math. Their House members represent only 30,000 constituents while their Senate number is 86,000.

California's 38-million population is served by 80 full-time members of the House and 40 Senators or 475,000 per Assembly member with 950,000 per each Senator.

Earlier this year we visited the Connecticut Capitol and learned that they have 3,600,000 residents being served by 151 in the House and 36 in the Senate, which breaks down to 240,000 per House Member and 100,000 per Senator. They have a part-time Legislature.

Let's throw Texas into the mix based on their population of 26 million. They have 150 part-time House members and 31 Senators representing 173,000 and 84,000 people, respectively.

We visited Oregon's Capitol in Salem during one of their off years and discovered that their 4 million residents are served by 60 in the House and 30 Senators. Doing the math, each House member represents 67,000 people while their Senators represent 133,000.

I agree with the statement that "all politics is local." Think about it. While I am not proposing our building a larger Capitol to house an additional 100-plus elected officials, I ask you to weigh in on whether you feel that our current Legislative body is effectively representing your interests or focusing on "special interests" who provide the access to massive sums needed for campaigning for reelection each term. I've seen their lobbyists on elevators or walking the halls calling on our elected officials during each of our trips to the Capitol. By now you see the picture. Your comments are welcome.