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Friday, October 01, 2010
Ind. Gov't. - "We can no longer afford tolerating remnants of the spoils system as the necessary cost of our form of government"
Indiana Supreme Court Justice Theodore R. Boehm spoke from the bench at his retirement ceremony yesterday, September 30, 2010. In a serious moment, he talked about the current economy impacting "public safety, education at all levels, and a deteriorating infrastructure, not to mention public transportation, libraries and parks, and a myriad of amenities that nourish thriving communities."
"Yet," Boehm continued, "we are often unable to implement programs that can provide better service at less cost." He cited examples in all three branches of government, examples that are "costing us money and degrading the quality of service we can and should expect from government:"
- The Kernan-Shepard analysis of county and township government identified a number of steps that could be taken to modernize our nineteenth century form of local government. When Indiana started out as a State, the only government that really mattered to most people was local government, and it was quite useful in a horse and buggy day to have the seat of government within one day’s ride from every citizen. In today’s world of internet communications and interstate highways those considerations are largely obsolete. Yet we cling to duplicative and grossly inefficient ways to accomplish the work of government.
- A second example comes from the judicial branch, where in some parts of the state we have systems of judicial selection that work well, but in Marion county, for example, we have a scheme that purports to place the selection in the hands of the voters, but in practical effect leaves it under the control of a few party officials. There are several pernicious results, not the least of which is the judges become a vehicle for raising funds for political parties. Despite widespread derision, even ridicule of this system, few in government have the will to challenge it.
- The legislative branch has its own problems. There seems to be an emerging consensus that Gerrymandered legislative districts are a bad thing. If the vast majority of districts are dominated by one party of the other, the primary election, not the general election becomes the decision point in selection of most legislators.
And the selection is inevitably reflective of the center of gravity of the dominant party, not the population as a whole. The result is a polarized legislature composed of very few mediators, compromisors, or centrists.
Boehm closed: "What to do about these questions and many more are subjects for greater exploration at a later date. For now, ... I hope they will be in the public dialog and ultimately the citizenry will demand reform. I hope to be a voice in that discussion."
Posted by Marcia Oddi on October 1, 2010 08:51 AM
Posted to Indiana Government