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Now that Executive Secretary Terri Ackerman is leaving I have some thoughts
on the future of this town:
1. The attitude seems to be if the
elected official says they need to
raise taxes that the taxpayer shoudl
bow down to them, worship the ground
they walk on, and throw all the money
they want at them. This is one
taxpayer that refuses to do that.
I still have seen no proof the town
needs money. And no i'm not going to
take your word or anyone elses that the
town needs the money.
2. I've lived in this town for alot
of years. Today I have zero confidence
in any of our elected officials. Trust
is something that town officials need to
earn, I don't trust them by virtue of
having been elected.
3. One of the requirements for the position of running this town is the
desire to make this town the best it
can be. It is not a stepping stone
to be governor, senator, representative,
or some other office.
In the final analysis i'm not optimistic of who runs the government.
They are all liars who are in it for
the money, their egos, and to gain
power. Rich or poor, male or female,
democrat or republican, they are all
in it for money, ego, and power.
After following politics for all these
years i'm convinced they're all in it
to build up their egos, get power, and
get rich at the taxpayers expense.
After follwing politics for 50+ years
i'm extremely cynical of our leadership
in this town.
By Frustrated voter
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Do something about it
Take out papers for town meeting member and run. If you are already in TM, get on a committee. Run for School Committee, they could use some fiscally responsible minds on that board.
Don't just complain, jump in and make a difference.
By trying to make a difference
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A respond
Dear Frustrated,
Normally I do not post to this site, but I feel the need to respond to your thoughts - such that they are. At the outset I agree with last poster: Not happy? Do something about it. It is so easy to sit on the sidelines and criticize town officials - elected and appointed - but apparently not as easy to throw your own hat in the ring to see if you can do better. Trust me, I'm often as skeptical as the next about politicians, but I will stop short at out-and-out dismissing them, because you know what? They are doing something that you're not doing: giving their time. Anyway you slice it, they are giving their time. So, run for office and lead the town down a brighter path.
In specific response to your post, I must say that if you've been following politics for as long as you say you have, your thoughts are surprisingly simple and unsophisticated.
(1)You say ''I still have seen no proof that the town needs money.'' Fair enough, but in almost the same breath you say you'll never believe town officials, even if they do offer such proof. How do you reconcile this?
(2)You say ''I don't trust (town officials) by virtue of having been elected.'' This is a surprisingly idiotic statement. Would rather all officials be appointed by one person or one board? You could say you do not trust politicians and their motives, but you cannot base distrust on the fact that they were elected - the alternative would leave residents absolutely no say in who runs the town. Yes, yes, oftentimes elected officials get their because they have more money or are in kahoots with special interests. But again, consider the alternative.
(3)And looking at your ''final analysis'' - skimpy and unchallenging as it is - makes me doubt the more that you've been following politics for, as you say, more than 50 years. If you have, you'd know that first off, elected town officials could not possibly be doing it for the money. Ego, sure. Money, be realistic! Only one town board - selectmen - are paid, and we're talking maybe a member gets $1,000 -$3,000 a year (the salary would be easy enough to confirm). The school committee are volunteers. All other town boards are the same. So, among your elected officials, the only ones getting paid are selectmen, and do you think these sums reflect their desire to, as you say, get rich? And in terms of power, again, think outside the box. In reality, town officials like selectmen weild very little power, relatively speaking. They grant licenses and approve budgets and so forth. They serve an important function, but on the state's power ladder they exist on a bottom rung, slightly lower than our state representatives. If these people were that power hungry, wouldn't they seek out a position where the power dividends are greater?
So, just some thoughts in response. I think we all have a right to feel frustrated at some of the things in this town - poor roads, school cutbacks, etc - but we also have a responsibility not to base our frustration on simplistic and sententious conclusions such as yours. Doing so is taking the easy way out.
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A response
Dear Frustrated,
Normally I do not post to this site, but I feel the need to respond to your thoughts - such that they are. At the outset I agree with last poster: Not happy? Do something about it. It is so easy to sit on the sidelines and criticize town officials - elected and appointed - but apparently not as easy to throw your own hat in the ring to see if you can do better. Trust me, I'm often as skeptical as the next about politicians, but I will stop short at out-and-out dismissing them, because you know what? They are doing something that you're not doing: giving their time. Anyway you slice it, they are giving their time. So, run for office and lead the town down a brighter path.
In specific response to your post, I must say that if you've been following politics for as long as you say you have, your thoughts are surprisingly simple and unsophisticated.
(1)You say ''I still have seen no proof that the town needs money.'' Fair enough, but in almost the same breath you say you'll never believe town officials, even if they do offer such proof. How do you reconcile this?
(2)You say ''I don't trust (town officials) by virtue of having been elected.'' This is a surprisingly idiotic statement. Would you rather all officials be appointed by one person or one board? You could say you do not trust politicians and their motives, but you cannot base distrust on the fact that they were elected - the alternative would leave residents absolutely no say in who runs the town. Yes, yes, oftentimes elected officials get there because they have more money or are in kahoots with special interests. But again, consider the alternative.
(3)And looking at your ''final analysis'' - skimpy and unchallenging as it is - makes me doubt the more that you've been following politics for, as you say, more than 50 years. If you have, you'd know that first off, elected town officials could not possibly be doing it for the money. Ego, sure. Money, be realistic! Only one town board - selectmen - are paid, and we're talking maybe a member gets $1,000 -$3,000 a year (the salary would be easy enough to confirm). The school committee are volunteers. All other town boards are the same. So, among your elected officials, the only ones getting paid are selectmen, and do you think these sums reflect their desire to, as you say, get rich? And in terms of power, again, think outside the box. In reality, town officials like selectmen enjoy very little power, relatively speaking. They grant licenses and approve budgets and so forth. They serve an important function, but on the state's power ladder they exist on a bottom rung, slightly below our state representatives. If these people were that power hungry, wouldn't they seek out a position where the power dividends are greater?
So, just some thoughts in response. I think we all have a right to feel frustrated at some of the things in this town - poor roads, school cutbacks, etc - but we also have a responsibility not to base our frustration on simplistic and sententious conclusions such as yours. Doing so is taking the easy way out.
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