The discussion here earlier today about taxes, the state budget, and new House Speaker Robert DeLeo was really about the workings of the House and the state of democracy in it. That is the focus of a story in the new issue of CommonWealth magazine, due out tomorrow. Because the budget debate has made the topic so timely, we have posted the story early on our website.
Click here to read “Strings attached.”
Michael Jonas
Executive Editor
CommonWealth
Please share widely!
Your story about the Study Group and the impact that Rep. Scortino and then-rep Eldridge had shows that the decline of the major media is also an opportunity for energetic citizen activists and letter writers, at least in my opinion as well as that “knowledge is power” and the homework/research done by the study group demonstrated that kind of power.
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p>I strongly recommend the reading of that linked article, folks, to one and all.
Michael Jonas nails it.
My only quibble is that you could have been even harsher on the members. Yes, there are some good, intelligent people like Rep. Sciortino. But for every one of him, there are three parochial schmucks who only care about things like their stipend, their offices, and the ability to hire their friends. Their #1 concern for their district is getting earmarked dollars, and thus they owe their allegience to whoever controls those dollars — the respective Ways & Means committees. Is there any surprise that Murray Money and DeLeo Dollars have led those two to control of their chambers? Your typical member doesn’t give two shits about policy; they care about their own advancement (or survival) in “the system.”
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p>But at the end of the day, these people are the products of democracy. We’ve met the enemy and it is us. I’d love to see a “Reform Democratic” ticket but I won’t hold my breath.
the article (which is really terrific) also slighted the role of the Speakah in providing insulation for Reps from their own district’s political activists. It used to be easy for them to “sign on” to bills important to constituents when they knew the Speaker wouldn’t allow it to come to the floor. They can tell the folks at home “I’m behind you, but I don’t know if it’ll ever reach the floor.”
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p>The Speaker’s role in providing cover has been working for Reps. for years; if the article slighted one aqspect of the situation, I think it was that role. Local people spent more time asking, “Why didn’t my idea get heard?” than they did asking, “Why’d you vote for DiMasi again?”