Editorial

Lawmakers Too Often Believe
That They Can Break The Rules

In the federal congress, very often legislation that is passed to regulate the activities of everyone nationwide are specifically exempted from application to members of the congress itself, and therefore members don’t have to bear the burdens they impose on others. The Massachusetts legislature isn’t any different, and anyone who follows state politics knows that state reps and senators very often pay no attention to the laws that everyone else must follow; the old saying that if you’re a Massachusetts legislator you’d have to shoot someone on Main Street in broad daylight in front of a crowd in order to get arrested has always had more than a grain of truth.

Unfortunately, and all the more so because clearly the intentions were honorable, on Friday night, November 7^th, Matthew Patrick, a Democratic state rep from the Upper Cape, provided everyone at a political meeting in the Mattacheese Middle School in West Yarmouth with an example of how such thinking gets ingrained.

At the very end of the meeting, when Moderator Lawrence Brown had already asked the indulgence of the several hundred people present in order to continue past 9 p.m., so that people who had been waiting to speak could in fact do so, Rep. Patrick cut in front of those who had been patiently awaiting their turn and essentially used his elected position to take the microphone. Moderator Brown politely acceded to him, providing the deference lawmakers are used to receiving. But then when Patrick spoke beyond his three minutes, he turned to Brown and said, "I know I’m past my three minutes, but I’m a state rep…"

At that point, Moderator Brown should have used his authority to move to the next speaker, but it’s admittedly hard to overcome the natural respect most people have for elected officials and tell them when they’re wrong.

Moderator Brown tacitly agreed and Rep. Patrick then proceeded to continue talking and began a lengthy dissertation about state issues. It was all well intentioned, and his points would have been good had they been more succinct and within the rules for everyone else, but they were neither. It was unfortunately an example of legislative hubris; the rules are for other people, not for lawmakers, and it was a small example of an abuse of power.