Wackos on Parade

The Meeting Last Night

I was preparing to head home last night on a rainy evening when my boss reminded me that we had a “command performance” to attend at city hall.  The state transportation secretary has been making a series of “town meetings” around the state to gather input.  The boss felt it was important that we were present.  Even though he was right, I think I would have preferred facial surgery with a rusty butter knife.

I wrote in an earlier blog about voices of inappropriate worth and they were out in full force at the meeting.  One of the biggest problems with full democracy is that allowing everybody a voice means the ones usually talking are loudmouths no one wants to hear.  Massachusetts has a really destructive tendency to coddle people who make noise even if what they are saying is nonsense.

We had one lady, one of our more ardent complainers, who claimed to be blind.  She had a guide dog who was obviously not trained to be a guide dog. She was also reading from a list of issues she wanted to present as well as pointing out different people in the room.  I’m guessing her “blindness” has more to do with the benefits Taxachusetts lavishes upon her than it does with her ability or lack thereof to actually see.

The biggest complainer is an elderly lady who shows up at every government meeting in Worcester to complain, usually in a very viscous and personal manner.  She claims to have lived in New York City, Miami, and Milwaukee.  I’m thinking the government agencies in those cities paid her bus fare to a new city just to get rid of her.  She shambled into the room yesterday and made her usual vitriolic remarks and then said that she should be appointed to the board overseeing transportation planning because it was her idea in the first place.  I’m not sure placing a nihilist on a planning board is the best way to get anything done, but we’re talking the People’s Republic of Massachusetts here so anything is possible. 

The true “winner” of the night though was another slightly off balanced lady who claims to walk eight miles each way to get to her temple each Friday.  She loudly stated that 75% of Worcester was disabled and she was their spokesperson.  It went downhill from there.

I was most impressed with the government officials present.  Their ability to keep a straight face when confronted with such idiotic posturing was nothing short of breathtaking.  While this was truly a rugged time to get through and pointed out the ugly side of democracy, I still think Churchill had the right of it:  “It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried.”

 
I did take the time to wander around city hall which has some great architecture, marble stair cases, soaring ceilings, and fine woodwork.  It reminds me of a time when government service and ideals were considered a lot more lofty than what I witnessed last night.

Worcester City Hall Interior

Worcester City Hall - Central Stair Case