Government is getting better, are you?

There has been tremendous anger directed at government in recent years, from ordinary voters, from tea party members, from Republican politicians from Ronald Regan forward, and from right wing political shock jocs.
They all have had a lot of material to work with. From Great Society programs started under the Democratic Lyndon Johnson Administration, things like unlimited welfare payments, mega housing projects for the poor and currently, generous long term unemployment benefits, lots of wonderful sounding but ineffective programs have been tried. Many programs needed amendment and most of the failed attempts to guarantee minimum income to all have appropriately been scaled back.
But there was more for people dissatisfied with the government to complain about. Government operations –bureaucracy- has had a big target on its chest, from the cesspool for political patronage that was the Massachusetts Port Authority, to the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, to other places in state government jobs were available for the politically connected and those who helped politicians get elected an re-elected. This was abusive. Pension systems were rigged to make the taxpayer into the breast that just keeps on giving. Benefit packages were doled out to unions to keep getting their help in re-electing Democratic Party politicians year after year.
The taxpayer could legitimately say, keep your hands out of my pocket, until you clean up your house first.
Well, my fellow citizens, the house is almost finished being cleaned up. The Patrick-Murray Administration has gotten rid of the state authorities where the deadwood and dead bodies were laid to supposedly work. The Mass Turnpike, Mass Port and the sweetheart deal for workers in the MBTA are no more. The pensions system’s worst abuses were eliminated and the whole system is now under review for amendment and improvement. 2000 state jobs have been eliminated over the past few years. Hiring freezes and unpaid furloughs of workers were instituted. Lean has hit state and municipal government.
Recently, in Boston, police, fire, teacher and other municipal unions have finally agreed to give up some of their bloated benefits, especially the overly generous health care benefits they have received.
In Worcester, the teachers union one of the two police unions, the fire department union and one of the municipal unions have agreed to benefit reductions as well.
Folks long overdue change has finally come to state and local government. They have become more responsible. Change should also now come to how we all view our government.

WCRN 830AM midday report with Hank Stolz, Brian Herr and me, Randy Feldman. Every Tuesday at 12:50 pm hear a new opinion piece, and Fridays at 12 noon to 1:00 pm discussing the issues of the week