I’m reminded of what President Kennedy said after the Bay of Pigs.

       “Victory has a thousand fathers, defeat is an orphan,” the President said, accepting responsibility for the mission’s failure.

       In the public’s mind, we are all at fault for our failure to fund the budget during the 90 days of the legislation session.  No branch of government or single elected official is the responsible orphan.

      The post-session finger pointing is to set the political stage for the agenda at a special session. 

      Will slots legislation be considered when we reconvene or put off until next January?

 — 

       I love the legislative process, but even I need a reminder about the impact of the bills we pass upon people’s lives.

      Matt Gonter testified for my bill imposing a 25% penalty on people who improperly obtained a homestead property tax credit. 

       Matt is a private citizen who has been working to identify people who have wrongly taken this benefit. 

       I invited him to the bill signing. 

       “I can’t wait to attend,” he responded on Facebook.

        I wrote in return, “Your enthusiasm about the bill signing and what we were able to accomplish is a great reminder to a 30-year veteran such as myself that the decisions we make in Annapolis can affect people’s lives in a very positive way.” 

             Matt suggested that I invite a friend of his who has also worked on this issue. 

            I did, but this person declined, saying that others had contributed much more than he. 

            In my response, I wrote, “Victory has a thousand fathers, defeat is an orphan.”