Being a state legislator isn’t rocket science.
Don’t take it from me; take it from the state legislator who told me that last year. We were discussing how our government in Nashville is failing Tennesseans. He used the expression out of frustration, but I’m using it literally here.
It’s the job of state legislators to make the best and highest use of their (taxpayer-funded) time and our tax dollars. That doesn’t require specific expertise. It requires human decency and horse sense. If rocket science is involved — which it conceivably could be in Tennessee — they should listen to the rocket scientists, then legislate accordingly.
The 132 members of the Tennessee General Assembly are insurance agents, Realtors, lawyers and farmers; small-business owners (plaques, pest control); or self-employed (jeweler, storyteller, auctioneer). They’re all experts in some things but not most things. Just like us.
They don’t necessarily look like us: They skew older; many are retired. And 86% of them are men. These are the people with the resources and flexibility to relocate to Nashville every January through April for around $34,000 a year.