When Outrage goes Nowhere

All politics is local. We have heard that quote time and time again. But what does it really mean?

In his 1987 autobiography, Man of the House, Tip O'Neill told us that this is what his dad told him after his only election loss--a run for the Cambridge City Council.

"This was the only race I ever lost in my life, but in the process, I learned two extremely valuable lessons. During the campaign, my father had left me to my own devices, but when it was over, he pointed out that I had taken my own neighborhood for granted. He was right: I had received a tremendous vote in the other sections of the city, but I hadn't worked hard enough in my own backyard. 'Let me tell you something I learned years ago,' he said. 'All politics is local.'"

So, what does this have to do with my outrage today?

I won't go into a lot of boring detail, but there is some growing controversy in a town north of Boston called Lawrence. One problem is with the new Mayor, who also happens to be the State Rep as well. Two salaries, two pensions, two offices. I would think that would be illegal. But that is not bad enough. On top of that, our Governor is looking to give them $35 million dollars. $35 million is a lot of money for a Commonwealth that appears to be on the brink of disaster. I am not saying that Lawrence doesn't need it, but what are they going to do with it? Seems like a straightforward question. We want some transparency to see where that money is going. That's all. But here is the kicker, no one will tell us.

I went to the Commonwealth's website to look up the bill myself. Here is what I found. I have copied it from the website in its entirety:

"House, No. 4421
Presented by: Governor
Message from His Excellency the Governor (under Section 8 of Article LXXXIX of the Amendments to the Constitution) recommending legislation relative to providing for the financial stability of the city of Lawrence"

Huh? So, I called the Speaker of the House, Robert A. DeLeo. I wanted to know what this was all about.

Now comes the outrage part.

They placed me on hold at least 4 times, transferred my call to 3 other areas and clicked me off once. I kept calling back. I finally reached a person who actually talked to me. I had to actually beg her to listen.

Her name was Sandy. She was very nice.

She finally let me ask my questions without sending my call to the Hinterlands. She took my number but said that it was unlikely that I would ever get a call back. Nice.

I finally said to her, as politely as I could, that we have all pretty much had it with this type of government representation, the kind where it appears that we do not seem to matter unless it is election time. I further mentioned that I work hard for my money and that I should have some type of say as to where my tax dollars go or at least some understanding as to how it is being used. That I at least should receive an honest answer to a direct question. Didn't I deserve that? It is like I am a shareholder in a company that will not let me know where my investment stands. They demand the money. I have penalties imposed upon me if I do not pay the money, yet, I have no say. No say at all. I am told, essentially, to pay up and shut up. And there also does not seem to be any accountability for anything that happens up on Beacon Hill. I did, after all, elect these guys to represent my best interests. And now they just want me to go away?

We all talk a lot about wanting a lot more transparency in government. But the fact is, we really don't want to have to watch what our government is doing. We feel, however, that we must.

We are all so busy doing our jobs, taking care of our families, busy with the everyday flow of life. We really don't have time to babysit our elected officials and most times, we don't. We just just hope and pray that they are doing the right things. Sadly, they are not. And outrage is building. And so we feel we must use some of our very precious time and pay attention. And we are outraged that we must do so.

So to all of the guys and gals in my backyard, my elected representatives, the ones that took an oath and swore they would do the right thing; you better start paying attention. Because we sure are. And we don't like what we are seeing. And what we are seeing, is you. And our outrage is not going nowhere anymore. It is headed your way.

Take cover.