Stumbo's love-hate affair with legislative realities

You can always tell when it's the first month of the General Assembly. Frankfort's politicians don't want to really do anything that smacks of controversy in the least, thus encouraging opponents to file before the end of January to run in the next election. At the same time, they want to offer Kentuckians the illusion of working hard for you.

Take, for example, House Speaker Greg Stumbo's latest political stunt: Suggesting that Kentucky abolish its House and Senate and just have a single legislative chamber.

Herald-Leader Jack Brammer heroically does his part to keep taxpayers from guffawing aloud by being sure to report that Stumbo thinks a unicameral legislature "would permanently end bickering between Kentucky's Republican-controlled Senate and Democratic-led House."

Just when you thought it couldn't get any goofier in Frankfort, Stumbo expects us to believe that he doesn't "know if the people of Kentucky would be interested in something like that or not, but I think it's worth some debate at least."

You've got to be kidding. We've got budget challenges, high unemployment, a failing education system and out-of-control health care and pension costs and Stumbo floats the idea of a one-house Legislature?

Brammer does his part here, as well, by writing that "about half the world's sovereign states are unicameral, including the most populous -- the People's Republic of China ... "

It must have slipped Brammer's mind to also report that it's known as Red China, where dissent often is discouraged at the end of a gun barrel. He also forgot to mention that our Constitution was born out of a vigorous debate of ideas and ideals.

On top of all that, Stumbo turns around and says he doesn't know whether he would be for it. He must really love the attention but hate debating the really tough issues.