Twas the day before the special session, and all through the House (and Senate), not a lawmaker was stirring, not even a mouse.

Pardon us for stealing a few lines of Christmas prose to get your attention, but tomorrow Mississippi lawmakers will return to the Capitol to debate a law that will — on Saturday — double the legislators’ own retirement benefits. And if the Legislature doesn’t repeal the law that increases members’ retirement perks, it will truly be Christmas in July for lawmakers.

The debate will come in a special session that was called with the lone purpose of correcting this controversial issue.

In case you haven’t heard, lawmakers are in hot water after voting themselves double the retirement perks than other state workers are given.

By calling the special session, our lawmakers’ original poor decision-making will cost state taxpayers about $30,000 for the one-day session.

Lawmakers quietly passed the bill in the regular session earlier this year and managed to do so with little fanfare. But after the details of the added perks became public knowledge, lawmakers have been avoiding the issue like it was the Dr. Seuss character &uot;The Grinch.&uot;

Each lawmaker who voted for the bill should be ashamed that our financially strapped state is forced to waste another $30,000 to correct a stupid mistake. And Gov. Ronnie Musgrove also should accept some of the responsibility. He allowed the bill to become law without his signature – thus avoiding the appearance of his approval.

All we have to say to lawmakers is they’d better watch out, and they’d better not cry on the next election day.

Voters will certainly be making their lists and checking them twice …