Hear, See and Print No Evil

Hear, See and Print No Evil

Leave it to state legislators to make US politicians look good. (April
Simpson, "Legislators dump US mandates at 'Tea Party,'" Boston Globe, August 6,
2007) With a 14 percent approval rating among voters Congress is lower than the
president in opinon polls. But state officials go out of their way to waste time
and to make it look as if they do something. Their first priority is to keep the
campaign funds flowing into the bank.
Next is to create and maintain a positive image. Throwing empty boxes into
the harbor fits the bill, bringing the fawning media toadies. This boondoggle
costs the taxpayer $1.5 million.
Choosing Boston as the site for this self-serving taxpayer funded gathering
indicates that these state politicians know of the one-party unaccountable
government in Massachusetts. They may know how the Boston Globe looks away when
the government abuses its power. The Globe does not want to jeopardize any of
its sources. Ahem!

Roy Bercaw, Editor ENOUGH ROOM

Legislators dump US mandates at 'Tea Party'
By April Simpson,
Boston Globe Staff
August 6, 2007

Mimicking American colonists, four state senators from across the country staged
a modern-day Boston Tea Party yesterday, this time protesting an overreaching
government on the mainland.

"Instead of throwing tea in the harbor, we want to dump some of the unfunded
federal mandates that we've been saddled with by Congress over the years," said
Senator Richard T. Moore, who represents the Worcester and Norfolk districts in
the state Legislature. "It's easy if you live in Washington to vote for a
program, especially if you don't have to pay for it."

From the deck of a 137-foot schooner docked at Rowes Wharf, the four legislators
swung hollow crates marked with unfunded federal mandates above the murky waters
of Boston Harbor.

But it was just a ceremonial toss, imitating the 1773 protest against British
taxation without representation.

"We don't want to get arrested," Moore said while pretending to throw overboard
a crate marked $12 million to fund No Child Left Behind, a law that raises
standards for new teachers and has stringent requirements for public schools to
raise students' test scores.

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