Marzian-Wayne amendment would let the Kochs sibs run the Ledge; oh snap, they already do
By BERRY CRAIG
AFT Local 1360
Get ready to vote on getting rid of the General Assembly.
Okay, not really.
Reps. Mary Lou Marzian—of Viagra bill fame—and Jim Wayne are sponsoring House Bill 571, a proposed constitutional amendment that would deep six the Senate and House “and vest all legislative power in ALEC, the Koch Brothers, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce.”
The Louisville Democratic duo introduced their bill Tuesday. Marzian and co-sponsor Wayne are House veterans. They know hogs will fly before their pet passes, but that's not their point.
Marzian, like Abraham Lincoln, is fond of using humor to draw attention to serious issues.
Anyway, the text of HB 571 says the amendment would go to the voters for ratification under a part of the constitution that the lawmakers are fine with preserving.
The ballot question would read: "Are you in favor of abolishing the Kentucky House of Representatives and the Kentucky Senate and vesting legislative power in ALEC, the Koch Brothers, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce?"
In 2016, Marzian satirized sponsors of sexist anti-abortion bills.
She sponsored HB 396, a measure requiring men to see a doctor twice and get signed permission from their spouses before they could get a prescription for Viagra or similar drugs for erectile dysfunction, the Louisville Courier-Journal reported.
Marzian claimed her bill was “merely an effort to protect men's health and ensure they are informed about a drug with potentially dangerous side effects,” according to the C-J.
"I want to protect these men from themselves," the paper quoted Marzian, a nurse. "This is about family values." Indeed, HB 396 had a clause to discourage fornication: husbands would have toswear on a Bible that they'd only pop blue bombers to have sex with their wives.
At any rate, the Marizan-Wayne "amendment" would merely confirm the status quo in Frankfort.
Republican Gov. Matt Bevin is a tea party-tilting, social Darwinist union-buster beholden to the right-wing moneybags named in HB 517. With precious few exceptions, House and Senate Republicans are, too. They share his greed-is-godly, screw-the-unions politics. Same as Bevin, they're fans of "45," demonize Democrats and think GOP stands for "God's Own Party."
Keep siccing 'em, Mary Lou.