We get what Republicans and a couple of Democrats are trying to do, but, as taxpayers and Michigan residents, the sideshow happening in Lansing right now is hard to watch.

Last week, in the last days of the 2023-24 legislative session, Republicans walked out of the Capitol because legislative leaders hadn’t put their priorities on the calendar for votes.

This week, two Republicans also walked out, robbing both the state House and the state Senate of quorums, meaning no legislation could be passed.

By Thursday, the absent state Senate Democrat had returned, giving that chamber a quorum and allowing state Senate leaders to resume business.

But not so in the state House, leading state House Speaker Joe Tate, D-Detroit, to on Thursday issue a “call of the House,” an arcane and rarely used order that allows him to direct state House sergeants at arms to drag absent lawmakers back to the chamber and bar the doors so business can continue.

Lawmakers who refuse could face criminal charges for failing to uphold the duties they’d been elected to perform. But then Tate adjourned the chamber until New Year’s Eve.

What a mess.

An unnecessary mess.

Republicans walked out because they wanted Democrats to put up for a vote bills that would address the pending elimination of subminimum wage for tipped employees.

The change would force restaurants and bars to pay waitstaff the usual minimum wage other employees get. Many restaurateurs say they can’t afford that and would either have to severely hike prices or they’d go out of business. Many servers worry patrons won’t tip if they know waitstaff get at least minimum wage, which would lead to them taking home less even though their base pay is higher.

The thing is, Republicans take control of the state House in January, having won more seats in the November elections. The tipped wage change doesn’t begin until February, meaning Republicans could push the change after they take power in just a couple weeks.

The Democrats will maintain control of the state Senate and Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will still be in power come New Year’s Day, meaning the Democratic walkouts could push their agendas then, too.

There’s no indication the walkouts changed Democratic leaders’ minds about their priorities. All it did was prevent other important work — including a bill in the state House that earned bipartisan support in the state Senate that would have forced more transparency on the Legislature and Governor’s Office — from getting done.

And it made Michigan look like a three-ring circus.

And it raised the temperature in an already burning political climate.

How disappointing.