One of the most important lessons my family taught me while I was growing up is that hard work is a virtue. When there’s a job to be done, you do it and you do it right.
But sadly, that just doesn’t seem to be a governing principle on Beacon Hill these days.
This past Wednesday, the House and Senate walked away from a pile of important unfinished legislative business. The Legislature adjourned its formal business for the holidays under the cover of arcane internal rules that suspend the consideration of formal business until January.
While the members of the General Court go back to their districts to celebrate the holiday season, most of their constituents don’t have that luxury. Whereas families across Massachusetts are normally accustomed to gathering around fireplaces or a Christmas tree to celebrate the season, this year those meetings are more likely to be sobering kitchen table conversations about the economy and its ill effects.
Now, more than ever, the General Court has a duty to take action on important bills that are designed to help our state government, cities and towns, businesses and families survive these economic times and emerge from the recession stronger than they were before. This is not the time for business as usual on Beacon Hill, because the times in which we live are truly unusual.
We should be enacting laws to create jobs in our state. We should be supporting education reform. We should be balancing our budget and putting cost-saving reforms into place to make future fiscal years better. We should be passing municipal relief legislation to help cities and towns preserve needed local services. We should be strengthening our public safety laws to protect our streets. We should be finding ways to promote alternative energy in Massachusetts. And lots more.
But we’re not doing any of these things right now. Instead, legislators abandoned their responsibilities and chose to go home for the holidays.
Massachusetts residents deserve better.
I believe the Legislature should call itself back into session to finish consideration of several pending matters over the next few weeks. The people of Massachusetts can’t afford to wait until January (or beyond) to see these matters debated by the House and Senate.
Do you agree? Please let me know. I’d be curious to know your thoughts. Please post a comment below.
