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![So in small New England towns, as I have described before, legislative decisions are made in what is called “Town Meeting.”
You’ll note the capital letters, because, seriously, this is New England and we do stuff like the Pilgrims or the Puritans or the Minutemen did, AND WE NEVER CHANGE BECAUSE THAT’S THE WAY WE DO THINGS HERE, DAMMIT.
Anyway, know how efficient a city council can be with a dozen or so members? Imagine that efficiency, and spread it out over a few hundred members. And then votes are cast with a voice majority (the side who wins is the loudest) or a hand-count of every yea-nay vote.
I’ll pause here to give you time to pour yourself a scotch, or finish the one you have and pour another.
Yeah. So. Brookline Town Meeting last week heard a proposal to require public hearings of warrant articles (basically proposed regulations) before they come to a formal yes or no vote (it’s Article 9).
The proposal’s intent was to give people a chance to hear the pros and cons of any article at a public hearing without the pressure of having to decide on it, like, right away.
But luckily, town officials convinced Town Meeting that’s super-duper hard because of scheduling and, you know, stuff (again, check out article 9), so the proposal was sent to another town committee for study.
[COMIC]
So to recap: a plan for making public policy deliberations more transparent and accessible was sent by one committee to another committee for review before it goes back to the first committee in some as-yet-unknown new form for another vote in the future.
DAMN RIGHT.
Also, thanks to the TAB for finally discovering the secret to Goro’s “bureaucratic delay” fatality.](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4x128JE6f1qzvu0mo1_500.jpg "So in small New England towns, as I have described before, legislative decisions are made in what is called “Town Meeting.”
You’ll note the capital letters, because, seriously, this is New England and we do stuff like the Pilgrims or the Puritans or the Minutemen did, AND WE NEVER CHANGE BECAUSE THAT’S THE WAY WE DO THINGS HERE, DAMMIT.
Anyway, know how efficient a city council can be with a dozen or so members? Imagine that efficiency, and spread it out over a few hundred members. And then votes are cast with a voice majority (the side who wins is the loudest) or a hand-count of every yea-nay vote.
I’ll pause here to give you time to pour yourself a scotch, or finish the one you have and pour another.
Yeah. So. Brookline Town Meeting last week heard a proposal to require public hearings of warrant articles (basically proposed regulations) before they come to a formal yes or no vote (it’s Article 9).
The proposal’s intent was to give people a chance to hear the pros and cons of any article at a public hearing without the pressure of having to decide on it, like, right away.
But luckily, town officials convinced Town Meeting that’s super-duper hard because of scheduling and, you know, stuff (again, check out article 9), so the proposal was sent to another town committee for study.
[COMIC]
So to recap: a plan for making public policy deliberations more transparent and accessible was sent by one committee to another committee for review before it goes back to the first committee in some as-yet-unknown new form for another vote in the future.
DAMN RIGHT.
Also, thanks to the TAB for finally discovering the secret to Goro’s “bureaucratic delay” fatality.")
So in small New England towns, as I have described before, legislative decisions are made in what is called “Town Meeting.”
You’ll note the capital letters, because, seriously, this is New England and we do stuff like the Pilgrims or the Puritans or the Minutemen did, AND WE NEVER CHANGE BECAUSE THAT’S THE WAY WE DO THINGS HERE, DAMMIT.
Anyway, know how efficient a city council can be with a dozen or so members? Imagine that efficiency, and spread it out over a few hundred members. And then votes are cast with a voice majority (the side who wins is the loudest) or a hand-count of every yea-nay vote.
I’ll pause here to give you time to pour yourself a scotch, or finish the one you have and pour another.
Yeah. So. Brookline Town Meeting last week heard a proposal to require public hearings of warrant articles (basically proposed regulations) before they come to a formal yes or no vote (it’s Article 9).
The proposal’s intent was to give people a chance to hear the pros and cons of any article at a public hearing without the pressure of having to decide on it, like, right away.
But luckily, town officials convinced Town Meeting that’s super-duper hard because of scheduling and, you know, stuff (again, check out article 9), so the proposal was sent to another town committee for study.
So to recap: a plan for making public policy deliberations more transparent and accessible was sent by one committee to another committee for review before it goes back to the first committee in some as-yet-unknown new form for another vote in the future.
Also, thanks to the TAB for finally discovering the secret to Goro’s “bureaucratic delay” fatality.
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…or post-ironic.
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![It’s May, so obviously people are paying attention to the upcoming elections.
The Brookline TAB reports this week on the awesomeness of out-of-district campaign donations to candidates vying to replace U.S. Rep. Barney Frank [COMIC].
It’s convenient for voters, really, that most of the campaign contributions going to the two likeliest contenders - Democrat Joe Kennedy III and Republican Sean Bielat - is pouring in from people who can’t vote for them.
Because people who selflessly donate to candidates for whom they can’t vote are just that altruistic.
Anyway, it’s Kennedy who is the financial Voltron: At $1.3 million (and counting), he’s taken PAC money, donations from across the country, name recognition, a political clean slate and, yes, money from district residents and combined them into a Liberal Lion force of inevitability.
Bielat ran unsuccessfully against Frank in 2010; then as now, he tapped into his business experience, small-government philosophy and voter anger toward sitting politicians. Left unsaid during that race was the size of the government contract Bielat’s former employer signed to build robots, or other uses Bielat had for campaign contributions.
Meanwhile, Republican Elizabeth Childs, who has reportedly voted in more Democratic races than G.O.P. ones, also has the endorsement of several prominent Republicans.
Unfortunately, Bielat’s $176,000+ in donations (so far) dwarfs Childs’ $88,305. But she also collected about two-thirds of her donations from people living in the district, which also sets her apart from her competition.
Well. Congrats to that.](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4kzr6qUnC1qzvu0mo1_500.jpg "It’s May, so obviously people are paying attention to the upcoming elections.
The Brookline TAB reports this week on the awesomeness of out-of-district campaign donations to candidates vying to replace U.S. Rep. Barney Frank [COMIC].
It’s convenient for voters, really, that most of the campaign contributions going to the two likeliest contenders - Democrat Joe Kennedy III and Republican Sean Bielat - is pouring in from people who can’t vote for them.
Because people who selflessly donate to candidates for whom they can’t vote are just that altruistic.
Anyway, it’s Kennedy who is the financial Voltron: At $1.3 million (and counting), he’s taken PAC money, donations from across the country, name recognition, a political clean slate and, yes, money from district residents and combined them into a Liberal Lion force of inevitability.
Bielat ran unsuccessfully against Frank in 2010; then as now, he tapped into his business experience, small-government philosophy and voter anger toward sitting politicians. Left unsaid during that race was the size of the government contract Bielat’s former employer signed to build robots, or other uses Bielat had for campaign contributions.
Meanwhile, Republican Elizabeth Childs, who has reportedly voted in more Democratic races than G.O.P. ones, also has the endorsement of several prominent Republicans.
Unfortunately, Bielat’s $176,000+ in donations (so far) dwarfs Childs’ $88,305. But she also collected about two-thirds of her donations from people living in the district, which also sets her apart from her competition.
Well. Congrats to that.")
It’s May, so obviously people are paying attention to the upcoming elections.
The Brookline TAB reports this week on the awesomeness of out-of-district campaign donations to candidates vying to replace U.S. Rep. Barney Frank [COMIC].
It’s convenient for voters, really, that most of the campaign contributions going to the two likeliest contenders - Democrat Joe Kennedy III and Republican Sean Bielat - is pouring in from people who can’t vote for them.
Because people who selflessly donate to candidates for whom they can’t vote are just that altruistic.
Anyway, it’s Kennedy who is the financial Voltron: At $1.3 million (and counting), he’s taken PAC money, donations from across the country, name recognition, a political clean slate and, yes, money from district residents and combined them into a Liberal Lion force of inevitability.
Bielat ran unsuccessfully against Frank in 2010; then as now, he tapped into his business experience, small-government philosophy and voter anger toward sitting politicians. Left unsaid during that race was the size of the government contract Bielat’s former employer signed to build robots, or other uses Bielat had for campaign contributions.
Meanwhile, Republican Elizabeth Childs, who has reportedly voted in more Democratic races than G.O.P. ones, also has the endorsement of several prominent Republicans.
Unfortunately, Bielat’s $176,000+ in donations (so far) dwarfs Childs’ $88,305. But she also collected about two-thirds of her donations from people living in the district, which also sets her apart from her competition.
Well. Congrats to that.
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Yeah, being interesting would be nice.
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They can be just really intense, is all.
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Also, I have a collection of some of the Plain Toast Morning cartoons available at the Lincoln Arts Project gallery in Waltham this month… they’re $1, and make a perfect gift for people you don’t know really well, but are socially required to give something to.
(it’s the one with the unicorn on the cover.)
CALL FOR ART: Zine Show
We are looking for zines!
Please submit the following info on the zines you will be giving us: subject matter, the quantity you have available to give us, the size, and the price.
Please limit to 3 zines per person.
info@lincolnartsproject.com
DEADLINE: April 27
Show Dates: May 9 - June 9
Reception: Friday, May 25Lincoln Arts Project
289 Moody Street, Waltham
