We’ve basically accepted the fact that government can’t get things done anymore. We have relegated the very concept of big ideas and big accomplishments to a quaint part of our not so recent past. In Massachusetts, there have been monumental failures. In Washington, the perpetually grim-faced John Boehner is a poster boy for stalemate. Our entire economy hangs by a thread, and a collection of nitwitted politicians seem to take perverse pride in the fact that they are miles apart.
But put that aside for a moment. Put aside the chronically low expectations, the fear that we’re about to fall off the fiscal cliff, the notion that we’ve already disappeared into the partisan divide.
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If the state dropped all the extra funding of the courts and lawyers and prosecutors and clerks to re-adjudicate, one by one, all of the cases that the drug testing scandal compromised and simply set free those people for which there was no longer good evidence the reported costs saved would be $332 million. Then add the costs of incarcerating each person at, maybe, $50,000 per year, and you would no longer have the shortfall. And that's not even looking at entitlements -- like the ongoing Big Dig maintenance program. Fix the formula where pensions are back end (back door) loaded by overweighting the last few years of work and you might even have a surplus (and I haven't even mentioned cutting any hacks)!
First off, let's reserve the word iconic for true icons. This word has become so overused in the last 5-6 years that tree limbs now qualify.
Second, the original lights (as reported in the Globe several years ago) were white. A coating on the lights, which eventaully burned off or wore away, gave off a purplish hue. Many people, apparently, enjoyed the soft, violet-lit bridge at night. So, Mr. McGrory, we did not pay for a blue bridge, and the commonwealth's so-called failure to maintain a blue-lit bridge is not any intended slight on Mr. Zakim's memory (or on those of the veterans of the Battle of Bunker Hill). Let's be careful about creating victims where none exists and then advocating in writing to save these phantom victims.
Third--and by the way--I enjoy the new, variegated lighting system. Thank you, Philips Color, Kinetics.
Sorry, but you're flat out wrong. The bulbs were blue. Look at any postcard. Or read any account from when the bridge was built:
http://www.bostonroads.com/crossings/zakim/
To mitigate the impact of the new span, officials decided to use subtle blue and white lighting to illuminate the towers and cables. The lighting scheme is intended to accentuate, but not drown out the Boston skyline.
Did I miss who is paying for the new lighting system, was it a donation or are we on the hook?
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"Transportation Secretary Rich Davey seemed moved by the presentation, in which Philips offered the expensive LED lights at cost.
...
Plans were made. Money was budgeted. And late Thursday night, Shari and Deena, Lenny’s two daughters, flicked a switch far below the bridge for the first test run. A van drove the group onto the eerily empty roadway, where they basked in the glow of blue light."
I really appreciate the key points of this piece, and think that a few items deserve even more attention. First, not only is this an example of government getting things done, but also of working with Massachusetts companies on the solutions. Color Kinetics has been a global leader in LED technology for over a decade. I have often felt that the state could be a leader in lighting efficiency by utilizing more of their products. I know many buildings have been retrofitted with more efficient fluorescents, which is a good improvement, but not nearly as innovative as LEDs. There is a lot of opportunity for state and municipal government to tap the technology being developed in state.
Secondly, I think Rich Davey deserves some credit for a lot of good government progress he oversaw at the MBTA. Under his leadership, the organizational culture seems to have shifted to one of greater openness and accountability. There is more community outreach. There is innovative programs, such as the data feeds made available to mobile app developers. Many people contributed to those, but Mr. Davey set the tone and motivated the people. More than once I heard commuter rail conductors express frustration with the entire MBTA and MBCR management, only to turn around and say, "Except Rich Davey," and go on to say they thought he was smart, fair, and understood the concerns of both employees and transit riders.
Congratulations to Sec. Davey, the team at Color Kinetics, and everyone else involved.
Thank you for having the courage to spend smart money at a time when every penny seems pinched beyond reason!
Good things can happen when people come together with an idea of getting something rather than trading insults. Thanks to Phillips for offering items at cost. Who do you talk to about getting the bridge lit a certain color?