WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM A GOVERNOR?

      For the last thirty years I have been reading letters to the editor, oped pieces, attending community meetings, listening to radio talk show callers, and so on and so forth.   Everybody has a gripe; and most of the gripes are legitimate..but the vast majority of people  are merely  rehashing the things that governors have done incorrectly.  We feign surprise when a governor screws up. We’re outraged, infuriated, upset, horrified, etc., etc., etc..  We really should be angry, outraged, upset, and disgusted with ourselves.

        First; why aren’t we voting?  Too few people even bother to have a say.  Second; why don’t we take  the time and energy to make sure that the candidates actually know and understand what it is that we expect of them, correction;  what we should DEMAND of them?

    We don’t have a clear picture in our own minds about what we really want.  And if we don’t even know what we want, we should not be bitching and complaining when we don’t get it.  We never give them any mandates during their campaigns. Unless we do that, we will just have to take what they decide they want to give us…and it will NOT what we want, but what THEY want.  If we don’t get actively involved, candidates have no fear of us, because they are in charge, and we are merely the  recipients of their ineffectiveness.   For the most part, we do a take-off on that old phrase: I can’t define porn, but I sure know it when I see it”. Well, in this case, we can’t define what constitutes an bad governor, but we sure recognize one after he or she screws up.  Then, of course, we spend a lot of time complaining about it.    As long as we don’t define what we want, we will never get it.

    When you applied for, and got a job, one of the first things that a boss and/or, a supervisor did, was to tell you exactly what the job entailed and exactly how they wanted you  to do the job.  DO THE SAME FOR POLITICAL CANDIDATES.

THE CAMPAIGN IS THE CANDIDATE’S JOB APPLICATION.  They want to work for us.  So we had better tell them how we want the job done.  USE THE BLOGS, THE RADIO SHOWS, THE LETTERS TO EDITOR, YOUR VOCAL INPUT AT THE CAMPAIGN MEETINGS THEY ATTEND, AND AT THE DEBATES THEY ARE IN.  Use every opportunity to educate them about their responsibility to YOU, the boss.     

      Let’s take a little straw poll of what your demands are for the next governor.  I WILL SEND THEM YOUR DEMANDS THE PROBABLY CANDIDATES:  LT. GOVERNOR CARNEY/  STATE TREASURER JACK MARKELL/  MIKE PROTACK AND VERY PROBABLY ALAN LEVIN.  You will  note that I did NOT include their political parties….for once, just once, let’s forget parties and talk people…the quality of their character; not their damn political party affiliation.  What do you want to see accomplished by the next governor, on one or more of these areas:

EDUCATION/   CRIME/   HEALTH  CARE/ ENERGY/

LEGISLATIVE REFORM/ WASTE IN GOVERNMENT/

TAXES/  GIVING TOO MUCH TO CORPORATIONS/ 

UTILITIES COSTS/ AND ANYTHING ELSE/ REFERENDUM/ OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL

Active governors can do a tremendous amount of good, or bad, or they can lay back and do nothing.  IT’S ACTUALLY UP TO YOU TO DECIDE WHAT YOU WANT.

I repeat….I will get your responses to all the candidates, and I’m sure you will get responses from them..DEMAND one!