The tension in the Senate was chilling…W.D.‘s group had 12 members and Dempsey’s group had 12 members on the Appropriations Committee in 1981. The one non-committed Senator was Harry Johnston of West Palm Beach. It seemed that no amendment could be adopted because both sides voted strictly down the line with the “W.D.” or the “Dempsey” group. Sounds a little scary hearing it here, an exact 30 years later, huh? But, with his usual straight face Senator Johnston asked the Committee Chairman to simply pass the amendments down to him and he would dispense of them at his own discretion–one Senator in lieu of twelve. Actually, it was not funny at the time, but only underscored the near insanity of strict “party line” votes flying in the face of the governance model created by our constitutional founders. I find one of the most appealing attributes today in government–Washington, Tallahassee, or the local City Council is independent and contrarian thinking. But how do you inculcate it in today’s poisoned political environment?
