The Legislature That Lives in Infamy

In 20 or 30 years, the final act of this year’s legislative drama may all seem pretty trivial, perhaps because none of the issues were really settled and because there are more battles to come. But for the people who run the state—the lawmakers and executive branch officials—and those who make up the regular cast around them, it was a very unnerving event.

An angry crowd of shouting, shoving citizens—whipped up by demagogy-for-profit media personalities—descended on the Capitol to have their say on the state’s budget and the prospect of an income tax. They said it loudly, insistently, and, in a few scattered instances, with hurled stones. Some observers, many of them even sympathetic to the cause, termed the protesters a “mob.”

It was, depending on point of view, either a disturbing or victorious event in a Capitol that has survived nearly 150 years of turbulent times, including occupation by the Union Army during the Civil War and, much later, the battles over civil rights. What everyone can agree on is that last week’s budget showdown—which left the state once again without fundamental change in a flawed revenue structure—along with the accompanying demonstration, was historically notable.

Whether it was the climax of a decline in the generally civil tone of state politics or just another downward rung on the ladder remains to be seen. But this final act clearly will have ongoing consequences for the state. To help understand what happened and why it matters, the Scene offers a variety of perspectives.