Biting the Hand That Feeds Me

Spring in Massachusetts is an interesting time for the state employee of the executive branch. It's the time of year that the Governor presents his (in this case) budget commonly known as House One to the state legislature for their consideration. At this point, state workers working in programs wait to see what the legislature will feel are priorities, given the governor's framework as delivered.

It is at this point that the legislature tends to stop thinking of this as a Commonwealth, and more of some strange, perverted, modern version of the Holy Roman Empire. A conglomeration of some 351 (2?) cities and towns over 160 representative districts and 40 senate districts with individual needs. So once a budget is done by the Governor, it's time to go for the pork or bring home the bacon or whatever piece of the pig that you want to serve your district and constituency.

Frankly, the budget is the most important work of the legislature all year, in some states, they would go home for the next few months, meeting on an irregular basis, leaving the governing to the, wait a second, Governor. In Massachusetts, we have had some 16 years until now of overwhelming margins in the statehouse being Democratic while the corner office was held by a Republican of various skills and attentiveness. The Governor would make proposals that usually would be overridden by the huge majorities in the legislature in what may or may not have been a positive relationship, but generally congenial and occasionally humorous

Then there are the earmarks. One man's pork of course being another man's gazebo. It is often strange what people may feel is positive for economic development. For many of us as state workers, (well those of us who are concerned about good government, but that's a story for another day) we don't know why the process takes so long or why any legislator would want to fund a program in a line item in his/her district that has no real accountability, oversight or "experts" supervising the use of the taxpayer's hard earned dues towards a civilized society.

I guess the standard arguments would be that legislators know the districts better than those bureaucrats in name your relevant agency or that they want to get the services to districts without the heavyhandedness or ineffectiveness of the state bureaucracy. Name your poison, and I'm sure that would play well back in the districts, "the state's leaning hard on us with unfunded mandates", etc. "That's OK, I know a line item I can stick this in, and there's a guy in Orange who needs a bridge fixed." Nothing necessarily insidious or corrupt about the process, but what's wrong with legislating and voting on these things openly?

This is the common refrain this time of year, that we shouldn't let the thick bureaucrats get in the way of the work that needs to be done. But what is the difference between what should be funded and what is likely a luxury. In fact, much of what is funded through these "pork" projects may actually be a decent use of funds but in these days, but how does this get decided? Is it a thorough process or a situation of expediency. Is it for the good of the Commonwealth, spending some what limited funds where they are most needed and will be used the best or is it because someone knows someone who thinks someone is doing a good job and these funds will serve a specific political or local interest that can't be funded through local funds?

In our city there is a proposal to install lighting on a football field. Anything wrong with that, heck the football team could have lights and their parents and fans, but is this the job of the state legislature? Should the people of Pittsfield, Haverhill or Great Barrington be funding lighting in our fair city? Is this a serious equity issue? One would say not, it doesn't add to any particular economic development for the good of the state as a whole, improve the tax base, etc. Probably one of those things that would be better done through a local city tax, bonding or even through the use of booster or private funding. Hell, I'll start you off with the first twenty bucks.