Because We're Massachusetts, And The Rest of the Country Is Not

Yesterday's Boston Herald did an entire spread on what cities and towns are doing to trim their budgets during this economic recession. Some towns for opted for painless cost savers, such as swapping out regular bulbs for CFC's while others are closing town halls 3-4 days a week. With 351 cities and towns in this state, most of whom have under 30,000 residents, there is one huge cost savings that is rarely uttered:

Regionalization

Yes, regionalization - oh horror of fucking horrors. Surely Anne Hutchinson was kicked out the Massachusetts Bay Colony for suggesting less. While just about every other state deals with most municipal services, including fire depts, police, and education on a regional or county level, Massachusetts insists on creating tiny fiefdoms of overhead. Protecting Johnny Football Hero's job as town police sergeant without considering more efficient or modern options is just one more reason why we're Massachusetts and the rest of the country is not.

Other than the fact that there are townie egos in play, there is absolutely no reason on earth why neighboring towns can't combine school systems, public works departments, and fire and police services. To an extent regional school systems already exist. Why not extend that mentality towards our other governement-provided services?

The small town folk of Massachusetts may mean well, but their political power grabs are an expensive luxury that we can't afford anymore. The spigot of money from Beacon Hill is obviously shut off and Prop 2 1/2 is nothing more than a temporary band aid. Small cities and towns need budget overhauls, and combining services with neighboring towns is one way to streamline services and create permanent cost savings.