Who's covered by Holden's executive order?

The periodic hearings of a special committee of the Missouri Senate looking at Gov. Bob Holden's order establishing public-employee collective bargaining continue to yield amazing revelations.

The latest: From the governor on down, officials of the Holden administration who are charged with implementing the order don't know who is covered by it.

That's right: The people who issued this order aren't at all sure who, or how many, among the 60,000 state employees are affected by this unprecedented usurpation of legislative authority. This was the news made at an Oct. 31 hearing that was reported in our pages but little-noticed by most of Missouri's news media.

The order applies only to executive branch departments directly under the governor's control. Other departments that are governed by constitutionally independent boards, such as the Missouri Department of Transportation and Department of Conservation, aren't covered.

The number of employees appearing to be covered is about 30,000, but Office of Administration director Mike Hartman -- the only high-ranking administration official willing to testify before the committee -- said the exact figure isn't known.

Addressing Hartman, Sen. Larry Rohrbach, R-California, had this to say: It is interesting the order covers employees under the governor's direct control, but you don't know who they are. It is an interesting way to run a railroad.

Indeed.

Picking his way through the minefield the governor has created, Hartman delicately responded to Rohrbach: "I think as we work to answer some of these questions, the executive order could be modified. ... But I don't think it is necessary to start over."

Said Sen. John Russell, R-Lebanon: "I never saw an administration so in bed with the unions."

That is the judgment being arrived at by ever-larger numbers of Missourians, including thousands of the rank-and-file state employees who will soon have to start paying the Holden lug of $23 per month on their paychecks. That is unless the lawsuit challenging the order succeeds.

For the sake of constitutional government and a proper balance of power between co-equal branches of government, here's hoping it does.