Tom Keane’s op-ed piece, http://www.boston.com/news/politics/articles/2010/12/04/politicians_no_more_favors,
copy and paste to read, is spot on and I hope Rep. Brownsberger takes it to heart and introduces legislation that will institutionalize it’s message.
Key take away: “Exceptions create the appearance — if not the reality — that the rule of law doesn’t apply to all. They breed cynicism about government, a belief that it’s all about who you know and not what is right. Legislators aren’t headhunters or social workers. If they want to get people jobs or deliver other favors, they should go into another line of work.”
Totally agree that exceptions create cynicism. Totally agree that legislators are not head hunters and it makes no sense institutionally for the pathway to a probation job be through a handful of legislators.
But I do think that there is an unavoidable social work component to being in politics — helping people does not mean that you help them to things to which they are not entitled. A great many people that ask for help with individual issues in my office are people of very limited means, often disabled, who have no previous relationship to me. They call because they’ve seen my name some place. We do what we can to help them connect with appropriate resources and we feel very good about that work.
I agree that legislators have a number one duty to focus on the major challenges of the state. But I don’t think that means we should turn people from the office when they call with individual concerns.