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.1137 In an unrepresentative sense that many would deem fortunate, most38 legislators are considerably better educated than the general population.39 Whereas only 16.6 percent of Arkansas citizens were college graduates in192 The Power and Politics of the Legislative Branch1 2000, 54 percent of all 2001 lawmakers had at least a college degree (and2 all but a handful had spent some time in college), and over 20 percent had3 a graduate or professional degree (though these numbers do denote a drop4 in education levels from the pre term limits era).As the education data5 suggest, and as the part-time nature of the legislature practically compels,6 the legislature is also markedly unrepresentative in terms of occupation.7 A realtor or banker, the owner of a furniture store or car dealership, may8 have the time flexibility and financial security to adjust his or her schedule9 to a regular session of two months or more, increasingly frequent special10 sessions, and countless committee meetings and constituent obligations11 in between.The realtor s administrative assistant, a bank teller, and the12 furniture and car salespersons who must be at work if they are to receive[192], (7)13 an income, simply cannot serve.Understandably, then, the great majority14 of Arkansas legislators are self-employed, mostly owners or proprietors of15 business or agribusiness establishments; real estate, investment, or insuranceLines: 90 t16 brokers; or professionals.The number of farmer-legislators sharply declined  17 through the twentieth century into the next century, and, more surprisingly,0.0pt Pg18 the percentage of lawyer-legislators has dropped steeply in recent decades:  19 from 58 percent of the senate and 39 percent of the house in 1949, to 20Normal Pa20 percent of the senate and 9 percent of the house by 2001.What has alwaysPgEnds: TE21 been true and remains so, however, is that only a handful of Arkansas22 legislators, as compared with most Arkansas citizens, work for wages as23 the employee of somebody else.12[192], (7)24 The compensation for Arkansas legislators has become much more gen-25 erous than it was in the recent past.A 1992 constitutional amendment raised26 the annual salary and allowed limited pay raises to be instituted by statute.27 As a result, as of 2002 legislators made $12,789 a year, which together with28 various per diem payments, expense and travel allowances, can amount to29 about $25,000 annually.For someone otherwise profitably employed that is30 enough to break even, and for a retiree it is a nice supplemental income.It31 is not however, and is not designed to be, a full-time income on which to32 support a family.1333 Obviously, most of those in the informal pool of eligibles (middle-aged34 white males with long residence, an acceptable religion, a good education,35 and occupational flexibility) do not seek a legislative seat.What might36 motivate those relative few who are attracted to the legislative arena?37 One of the most thorough investigations of state legislators ambitions was38 done in the 1960s by James Barber, who concluded that there were four39 basic types of legislators, distinguished in terms of personal motivation:The Power and Politics of the Legislative Branch 1931 Reluctants, who are pressed into service by the local elite to keep some2 wholly unqualified and undesirable individual from winning an open seat3 by default; Advertisers, who see legislative service as a means to economic4 self-advancement (especially true of fledgling lawyers in past times when5 they could not legally advertise); Spectators, possessing modest ambition6 and limited skills who nevertheless enjoy the ego-building fellowship of7 their colleagues and attention from their constituents; and, least numerous,8 the Lawmakers, who devote an exceptional amount of time, energy, and9 leadership to the actual formulation of legislation and management of the10 legislative process.More recent analyses of state legislators nationally sug-11 gest that Reluctants and Advertisers are rapidly disappearing, that Spectators12 are diminishing, and that serious Lawmakers are increasing, a generalization[193], (8)13 that seems applicable, with some qualifications, to Arkansas as well.1414 When Arkansas legislators are asked to identify what drew them to the15 legislature and what they like about serving there, they most frequentlyLines: 94 to 116 respond in terms of community service and helping people.They also,  17 however, mention their general enjoyment of and interest in the political0.0pt PgV18 process as well as the prestige and influence associated with the office.  19 Like state legislators elsewhere, then, some combination of altruism andNormal Page20 ambition, of public-mindedness and private desire, stimulates those with anPgEnds: TEX21 existing predisposition toward politics to make a try for the legislature when22 an inviting opportunity arises such as the term-limiting or resignation of23 an incumbent or a new seat created by reapportionment.15[193], (8)24 Still, several aspects of the Arkansas legislative recruitment process are25 somewhat distinctive [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]