Most people are at least vaguely familiar with the behaviorist BF Skinner. If not, he can be looked up. Decades after Pavlov founded CLASSICAL conditioning using dogs(more canine talk in a moment) as his subjects, Skinner founded OPERANT conditioning using other animals, mainly mice. In a nutshell, operant conditioning is behavior modification based on CONTINGENCY, a word that all lawyers ought to be familiar with, including Ayotte and Abbas (Chair of the Senate Children and Family Law).
It’s time for our legislature to stop rewarding what I call “adult political tantrums” in the Corner Office. The Damn Emperor had a few of them in the 8 years of his regime, and now Kelly is having hers. Why? Because they’re effective. When a kid gets the results s/he wants by kicking and screaming, and the parent doesn’t properly take charge of the situation, there’s no incentive to change the behavior. I think readers can see where I’m going with this.
We haven’t forgotten last year, around this time, when the budget bill (and its political wish list items) were going through the process. Queen Sharon and Regina tried to reason with Kelly over her demands for Group 2 largesse. They pushed back, initially acting as the “adults in the room,” though sadly caving as she held HB2 over a barrel. Let’s not forget that, especially seeing that it’s an election year.
The Corner Office’s bad behavior that was reinforced was the tantrum, and it seems to be working again because of what I call a “Group 2 Jr tantrum.” Kelly wants SB498, which others have already written about, spoken about, and tweeted about. Regina sponsored SB498, demanding that Anthem cover children’s mental health services, and there were no cosponsors. Has anyone been wondering why nobody else in either chamber was interested? Rep. Carry Spier from the enemy camp called it a “hidden tax.” When EF Hutton talks, people listen, as the saying goes. When a Dem rejects a bill, calling it a tax, it’s a good idea to pay attention. A broken clock is right twice a day, but a closer look at SB498 is in order.
Now let’s talk about dogs, again.
We’ve all heard the words “poison pill” in the state house, and whether or not we have/had a dog, most of us know that the “pill inside a raw hamburger meatball” technique for medicating a dog is usually ineffective. I’ll add, as a sidenote, that Kelly and Regina are both “dog people,” and Regina inserted their darling SB498, which failed in the House, into an all-Republican-sponsored parental alienation bill(HB1323). The process went off without a hitch (or a roll call vote) in the Senate chamber, as did many other completely non-germane amendment parasites to their host bills in yesterday’s marathon session.
We know that it’s “horse-trading time” in both chambers, but there appeared to be an exceptional amount of it going on yesterday in the Senate, and the senators were either shameless, tired, or both! I’ll note that the Senate came to order at 10 am, and SB498 was inserted into HB1323 well after dark, taking full advantage of the human condition to avoid discussion. HB1323 was poisoned by SB498, and Regina was the Mr. Salt for Kelly “Veruca” Ayotte. Remember Veruca’s famous tantrums during the tour of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory? Her rich businessman father, not wanting to fall from grace, in his daughter’s view, was always trying to appease her infantile demands. Fear of PARENTAL ALIENATION much?
If the Senate is willing to stoop low enough to kiss Kelly’s backside, as they usually are, the correct bill to insert her current wish list demand into would be a women’s sports and safe spaces bill. That would be the ultimate situation for this picture.
