One of the main duties of lawmakers is to show up for work and carry out constitutional and statutory obligations. That includes, primarily, passing a budget.

Yet at both the state and federal levels, lawmakers have shown chronic disregard for accomplishing that basic task.

In the private sector, there would be consequences for failing to perform or show up for the job. The same standards should apply to lawmakers.

State Rep. Karen Whitsett, D-Detroit, has been absent from 51 of the 66 House session days this year, where attendance was taken, including the all-night session during which the annual budget was passed. She was the only lawmaker not in attendance.

That means the lawmaker has missed 77% of session days where attendance was taken this year, according to a Detroit News review

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