FWD [GrokLaw] - It's Final - MA Goes With Open Documents

[Jeff Kinz]

On Fri, Sep 23, 2005 at 10:41:44PM -0400, bmcculley at rcn.com wrote:
> >From: "Michael ODonnell" <michael.odonnell at comcast.net> 
> >I listened to the audio metioned therein and I am happy
> >(and a bit surprised) to be able to report that Secretary
> >Kriss sounds like he not only has a clue but could write
> >a book full of them.  How did a guy like that end up in
> >government?  Well, at any rate - Yay!
> 
> Wandering off topic into political commentary (something never
> before done on this list! :-) I must respond.  I think this
> comment was baseless and objectionable.

Well, not completely baseless...
Both Kriss and Quinn are clueful and exceptional but you have to keep
in mind that the experiences people remember most are the negative ones
with 'leaf node' personnel who are, at times, deliberately clueless
(because it keeps them out of trouble. :-))

I have no problem with people wanting gubamint to do a better job.
If we don't, it won't.

> From personal experience with many governmental officials I
> will say that many if not most are very clued in - problem is

Yes, and most people deal only with the "un-officials" which is where
the impression of cluelessnes is based. (I think...)

> not the people, it's the system that forces them to clue into
> how competing divergent interests must be served to make
> anything work.  Result is government to the least common
> denominator.

Isn't that "Lowest common" in this case ? :-)


> 
> The results may be suboptimal (at best) but let's be fair to
> the folks who put up with unimaginable amounts of crap to
> serve in public office.  Care to imagine how much pressure
> Secretary Kriss might've endured, or being subjected to in the
> aftermath of this decision?  

I first met Quinn and Kriss over two years ago and this effort was
already well underway, as well as other less prominent efforts in the
same direction.

As long as they continue to hold their current positions in the
hierarchy and keep being supported by whoever is the current governor
they have the pressure well under control.  Some of the responses
to their efforts have been quite entertaining.

For Example:
The MA DOR is currently running on really outmoded PC's - W98 or worse for 
most desktops......  wonder where they might be going next?  Their
attempts to negotiate deep discounts from MS 3 years ago went largely
(and snidely) unrequited.

> Amazing thing is that anyone with
> a clue would subject themselves to the vicissitudes of
> governmental office to serve the public!

Appointed positions like Kriss' are largely immune unless the appointee
does something phenomenally stupid in public. Like only work 8 hours for
a 40 hour paycheck, or get caught using public money to pay for a harbor
cruise with topless ummm "staff" on board.. ;-)

If nothing else, politics in Mass. are amusing!


> 
> Sorry for the interruption, we now return you to the regularly
> scheduled meaningless torrent of bits that is Internet spam
> today...
> 
> -Bruce McCulley
> 
> ps - good to hear about that decision, sounds like a win for
> the good guys!

Let us hope!


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-- 
speech recognition software was used in the composition of this e-mail
Jeff Kinz, Emergent Research, Hudson, MA.
¡Ya no mas!