Republicans Deep Into the Crazy with Their New Majorities

So what have Republicans been up to with the governorships and legislative majorities they won last November? Turns out, a whole lot of really crazy stuff. And that's not even taking into account Wisconsin's Scott Walker.

In Ohio, Gov. John Kasich called police officers idiots. Watch the video here. What a great way to inspire confidence in our first responders! Remember 9-11 anyone?

In Arizona, the Republican leader of the state Senate got into a fight with his girlfriend and when police were called, he claimed legislative immunity so he wouldn't get arrested. That's what I call real family values.

When they're not fighting to stay out of jail, Arizona Republican lawmakers are also setting themselves up as 21st century secessionists, passing a bill to allow the state to nullify any federal law it doesn't like. Didn't we fight a civil war over that?

Still in Arizona, Republican lawmakers want to create a special license plate for tea baggers, with the proceeds going, not to the state road fund, but to promoting tea party causes. No, I'm not kidding. Did David Koch file for bankruptcy or something?

But enough about Arizona. The Republicans in Texas are showing they're in touch with their crazy side, too.

In the Lone Star State, a Republican lawmaker wants to put people in jail for two years if they hire an undocumented worker -- unless they hire them as nannies or gardeners for their private homes.

Attacking state employees is part of the script for all Republican governors and lawmakers this year and Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad is no exception. On the campaign trail, he critized public employees for benefits that he said were too generous. And now that he is elected and drawing a salary as governor, he's continuing to collect the pension he drew for the years he was governor previously. Unlike other state employees, his pension won't be offset by his salary because he signed a special law exempting elected public officials from the deduction. And his pension will get even bigger now that he has returned to state employment because the governor's salary has gone from $105,000 to $150,000 a year. When it comes to double-dipping, Branstad is a "do as I say, not as I do" kind of guy.

And there is also the old Republican stand-by, attacking health care. A Florida lawmaker wants to impose a $5 million fine on any doctor who asks his patients about gun ownership -- something doctors do to encourage people to keep their guns locked up so children can't get at them and kill themselves accidentally. The sponsor claims the law is necessary because otherwise the federal government would use doctors to create a gun ownership registry via the health reform law. Totally false, of course, but why let that stand in the way of getting lots of free publicity.

And speaking of guns, Republicans in South Dakota want to make it legal to kill people who perform abortions. Guess that proves there are limits to some people's pro-life positions.

But nobody could be more pro-life than the Georgia lawmaker, who wants to make miscarriages a crime if the woman can't prove it was spontaneous. Now that's smaller government, isn't it?

I'm not even through a fifth of the states, but you've probably got the drift by now. How much more crazy can it get? I'll bet we haven't seen nothing yet.