Jack Elliot, Jr. provides the numbers behind running the Legislature

Jack Elliot, Jr.'s opinion piece in the Clarion-Ledger gives us some interesting numbers concerning the cost of the Legislature.  Some excerpts:

From April 12, 2011 to May 3 of this year, it took $22,056 of coffee and $13,406 of bottled water to wet the whistles of legislators, staff members and just about any member of the public who wandered through the Capitol.
...
Overall, it cost taxpayers $20.6 million to run the Legislature for the 13-month period ending May 3, according to the annual report released by the state auditor's office. The previous 13 months, it was $18.5 million.

It's a good read, and I recommend it.  It's always a good thing to be informed about the cost of the government.