The State Rock Song: A Small Rant - as posted on April 24, 2009

Today, it seems that the most important thing on the agenda of the Oklahoma State House and Senate is the State Rock Song.

Really?

But, seeing as it is a Friday I was willing to excuse this until I started doing the math...

Number of Senators 48
Number of Reps 101
Minimum salary per legislator $38,400
Days in session 160
Total salary cost $3,878,448.00
Cost per session day $24,240.30
Cost per session hour (8 hour work day) $3,030.04
Cost for 2 hours $6,060.08

Again, the $38,400 is the MINIMUM salary. You get paid extra if you are the chair of a committee or if you are the Speaker of the House (btw, I think this salary is BEYOND reasonable). However, if the House and the Senate spent a COMBINED amount of time totalling 2 hours to debate, vote and revote on this bill (including all of the time it spent in committee and the time writing the bill) it cost the Oklahoma tax payers a MINIMUM of $6,060.08 for us to get a state rock song...Seriously?

Isn't there something more important to do with our money? Even on a Friday? Commercial moment:

Price of State Legislators' salary: $3,878,448.00
Price of State Legislators' salary per hour: $3,030.04
Estimated minimum price to vote on state rock song (only to have it overruled by the Governor): $6,060.08
Spending the Oklahoma taxpayers money by doing something that will actually matter in 48 hours: Priceless