'Not really addressed by the recent ethics controversies'
I'm with Charley: I'm frustrated with all the talk of ethics reform, etc. It's missing the point. Sure we need more transparency in government. Sure we need tighter campaign-finance and lobbyist laws. But the problems of Massachusetts go much deeper into the government bureaucracy. We literally have laws and rules on the books that encourage abuses by hacks -- double-dipping pensioners, personal-injury scammers, do-nothing public watchdog entities, independent agencies and judicial branches, unsupervised workers stealing bridges and toll money, etc., etc. Then there are the laws and rules that aren't on the books but should be -- anti-patronage policies that comply with constitutional rulings, independent budget appropriations to the auditor and Inspector general, etc., etc. If the task force comes back without specific recommendations on how to reshape the bureaucracy, then it will have failed. ...  ¶ 5:55 AM