The looming meltdown

Hold onto your hats. There may be yet another version of TABOR/TPA coming out this week. The vote on a constitutional amendment designed to limit government spending is only a few days away but some are suggesting the Assembly could produce more versions.

In a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article today, Rep. Mark Gottlieb discusses the two competing proposals to amend the constitution and mentions this:

"Where will we be at the end of the day?" Gottlieb said. "Maybe somewhat of a melding of the two."

All of these attempts to do something as serious as amending the constitution in the manner of a college student pulling an all-nighter to get a term paper done because it was put off until the last minute may have consequences for those calling the plays in the Capitol.

As the Journal Sentinel points out, the legislature finds itself in exactly the same place it was two years ago. The end result of that was the Senate Majority Leader losing her job. When you combine the lack of leadership with this:

It may be a record: 109 special-interest groups have told the state Ethics Board they are lobbying on a proposal that would amend the Wisconsin Constitution to put limits on state and local government spending.

And 81 of them - including local governments, unions, health care providers, the Wisconsin Catholic Conference and AARP -are trying to kill what Republican legislators call the Taxpayer Protection Amendment.

Only five groups are registered in favor of the amendment..."

You may have the ingredients necessary for some dramatic changes.