"Little Jack Horner sat in a corner,
Eating a Christmas pie;
He put in his thumb,
And pulled out a plum,
And said, "What a good boy am I!"
Like the nursery rhyme character, Missouri lawmakers this session are putting their thumb print on ongoing programs - in some cases, after four years of inattention.
Recent examples include actions to change an existing farm-to-school program and Common Core education standards.
Since 2010, University of Missouri Extension has operated a program to provide locally grown food to schools and other institutions. The program is funded largely by a federal grant.
Lawmakers this session are considering a separate state policy to establish and operate a farm-to-school program. As proposed, the state operation would not necessarily serve as a conduit for the federal money.
Also in 2010, Common Core was adopted by Missouri's State Board of Education after the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers worked to develop more rigorous standards for math and English curricula in the schools nationwide.
Although many school districts - including Jefferson City - are nearing full implementation, those preparations may be undone by lawmakers this session.
Common Core proponents view legislative intervention as belated, unnecessary and costly. Why, they wonder, have lawmakers paid scant attention to Common Core for the past four years?
Some lawmakers say the program was not publicly vetted, that Gov. Jay Nixon committed Missouri to it with no input from lawmakers or the general public and that no one was told about it.
Although Common Core is not a federal initiative, it is supported by President Obama and has attracted criticism for its national scope.
That criticism has gotten the attention of lawmakers, who recently advanced legislation to revoke Common Core and replace it with yet-to-be-determined state standards.
The question arises: Are lawmakers being responsible or egotistical?
Do they believe they can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of these programs?
Or is this legislative hubris - an egotistical belief they must stick their thumbs in every state operation so they can boast - "what a good legislator am I"?