Anyone that knows me knows that I am a Resolution girl. I believe that the New Year is a great opportunity to make yourself a better person in all aspects of your life. When we were growing up, my parents had us write our resolutions down every New Years Eve and then they would put them in a drawer. They were a constant reminder in that drawer and by the next year we would pull them out and see how far we had come. My children now follow that some tradition.

Being a legislator, this is also the time when constituents let us know what they want from government. With this new website, I am looking at this blog portion to be a therapeutic way of me writing my thoughts out about the issues we face in Columbia . . . sometimes venting! This will allow you as the reader to comment on my thoughts or write your own thoughts or comments as you see it. I’m hoping for increased communication with the people we serve.

Like many people across the state I also have a wish list for my government. This is my wish list for what I want from Government this year:

1. Revising the education funding formula and reforming education to the level where every child has the same educational opportunities regardless of where they live or what their county’s tax base is.

2. A complete overhaul of our tax system revising our band aid approach to our tax structure so that it is balanced and fair. There is a proposed committee that will talk about it .I don’t want to talk. I want legislators to feel the burn, make the hard decisions, say this is the year and let’s knock it out.

3. Small businesses need to have access to healthcare for their employees at rates that are affordable allowing them to be competitive with large industry in the state.

4. Zero-based budgeting in our budget process. Look at each year as a clean slate and reevaluate every request for efficiency and effectiveness as opposed to giving money to a program or an agency just because we always have. We will never be an efficient or effective state government until we stop talking and start acting like we would in a small business or as we do in our personal households with regards to our state finances.

5. Appreciate the value of a dollar and remember that this was someone’s hard earned money. Tax dollars were always intended to pay for the core functions of government. Any additional should be given back to the taxpayers for them to spend as they see fit not for legislators to decide what charitable program or local project should be funded.

6. Require legislators to vote on the record. If it is important enough to be debated on the floor of the House/Senate then its important enough to be on the record, Those votes belong to the people and I think that government should give these votes back to their rightful owners. When we start having legislative votes on the record in the form of a Bill we will see a conscience and level of accountability that is currently lacking in our state legislature.

7. We have 170 legislators that bring a lot of knowledge and experience to the table. If a legislator sees or thinks something is wrong, they need to speak up and say it and not run from the leadership paddle.

8. The public needs to understand the value of their voice. Good policy always happens when the public gets involved. The people will always be the conscience of good government. Speak up . . . not just on Election Day.

9. No more feel good legislation passed that makes the public think they got something that they really didn’t. Prime example was when we passed Earmark Reform as a Rule instead of a Bill. The legislature will have a press conference that implies the public got something, but in reality its swiss cheese covered in loopholes that means nothing. It happens every year.

10. Those in leadership in both houses should understand that we, junior legislators, are elected just like they are and are sent to Columbia with a purpose. True leadership comes when those 170 voices are allowed to be heard, treated with respect, and accepted as representing a constituency that is a part of our state.

So that’s my wish list for 2009. Now it’s your turn. What’s yours? I would love to hear your thoughts or wishes. Happy New Year!