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On Politics Richard Borreca |
Why has public lost
interest in Legislature?It is nearing 6 p.m. on May 3, all the lights are on at the state Capitol, as the day-long House and Senate session edges into the night. The 76 men and women are making history by overriding a governor's veto while still in regular session.
The bill gives millions in public employee pay raises, which Gov. Linda Lingle says the state cannot afford. For the first time in Hawaii, a governor vetoes a public worker pay raise and the Legislature roars right back to override the veto.
Here's the number of people in the Senate gallery watching the action: 0. The House manages to muster two spectators, while three Hawaii Government Employees Association executives linger outside.
During Thursday's closing session, the Legislature drew 18 spectators in the House and 25 in the Senate. Two television cameras watched the House, while the Senate went unrecorded by any of the four commercial television channels.
The lack of interest in the doings down at the Capitol continued through the evening news as the closing of the Legislature was downgraded to the second news block. At 10 p.m., one station even ran a video report of a car fire with no injuries in a Chinatown parking garage before it made room for a hurried read of the legislative happenings.
Why don't we care about the Legislature anymore?
It wasn't too long ago that the Capitol galleries were crowded with closing-day onlookers. The directors and deputy directors of state departments would track their legislation from the gallery. Lobbyists would follow along to see how everyone voted and measure their effectiveness.
At night, the courtyard between the chambers would be a meeting place for community groups looking to exert the last pound of pressure on an issue.
Republican Sen. Gordon Trimble offered several reasons for the news media's lack of interest. "We don't get the coverage because we are boring ... we come, we meet and then recess," he said, adding, "After a while, Trojan horses, fake reform and disingenuous legislation are no longer news because we do it all the time."
One retired legislator, Russell Blair, agreed that the Capitol show is dimming, but he thinks a combination of TV and the Internet is responsible. Many legislative hearings are served up on the public access channel, Olelo. And you can track your favorite bill at www.capitol.hawaii.gov
But the Olelo coverage can't give you the same experience as being there. Nighttime public hearings, a once-common convenience for the working public, are now rare. The scripted legislative ending also muted any suspense about the outcome.
Democrats complain that the Lingle administration still hasn't caught on to the importance of personal relationships in lobbying. If a committee chairman doesn't see a department director in the audience, there is a temptation to assume the department doesn't care.
Or it may be that the long list of convictions and fines for campaign spending violations and corruption have led the public to believe that the fix is in and actual working of government is irrelevant.
If you have the answer or a suggestion, I'd love to hear it, because it is getting lonely down here.
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
Richard Borreca writes on politics every Sunday in the Star-Bulletin. He can be reached at 525-8630 or by e-mail at rborreca@starbulletin.com.