The trouble with extreme ideas is they often keep getting worse

I vividly remember the first time I heard the expression, "this bill is a solution in search of a problem." I was a young legislative liaison for a state agency, and we were supporting legislation that the industry we regulated believed was unnecessary. Their spokesperson used the line in his committee testimony against the bill. "That was a good one," I thought with an envious smile regarding the quip. But after the hearing, the agency went to work documenting the alleged and elusive "problem." Then we had a meeting with the industry to discuss solutions that would eliminate the need for the legislation. Problem solved. That was thirty years ago. Politics and legislative strategy have both changed since then. The 2025 legislative session in Indiana begins this week. After the holidays have passed and the ceremonial and celebratory dust has settled from the most recent election, the big ideas start landing on paper and become introduced as bills. There are always some doozies. Many of them comically looking for the problem to justify their own hilarious solutions.   Connect with Michael Leppert Visit michaelleppert.com to read the full post and links to any resources or articles mentioned. Twitter @michaelleppert  Facebook at Michael Leppert