No, no, no, no question 3

It’s easy to discuss ideas. It’s not so easy, but not so difficult to stretch one’s imagination to the big picture. To think of the ins and outs and debate the possibilities of outcome. It is easy to argue and think of how someone is right or wrong depending on the emotion of a moment. But then… then a truth will settle into view and make all those intangible arguments real.

I had a haphazard conversation with my sister last night. We don’t talk as often as we once did… and yet more frequently, I suppose, than some points in our varied lives. But in spite of our different paths and alternate choices of seeing divinity, we are on a relatively similar page politically. Even so, I figured I need to act all big sister and say vote next Tuesday. And then she responded with the succinct answer that she works in government. Indeed, one question is putting her job on the line. Of course she is going to vote.

Now, I admit she is my sister. Obviously I have an element of bias towards her. But if you don’t know her, let me give you a little insight to this woman. She has always worked hard. Especially at school. And then when it wasn’t about studying, it was about her job. Even when she hated it. If anything, that makes her work harder. She graduated from high school and undergrad with superlative honors. She won a fellowship to Carnegie Mellon for a PhD, but opted instead to do an intensive one year masters program. And, did I mention, the focus of her studies was math? Statistics. 

Now she works for her city with that statistical knowledge analyzing expenses so she can help the city make cuts. To reduce superfluous spending. To make the budget tighter. To eliminate waste. That is her job. 

One part of our conversation last night was how her housemate knew more about me from reading Facebook than she, as my own sister, did. Because she never goes on Facebook. She says she never has time, most certainly not at work. Because there is so much work to do in her office.

If Question 3 passes, there won’t be money in the budget for her job. This summer, she started working specifically on education. So that schools can improve. No, she’s not a teacher or an administrator. But she is doing what she can to make the money get into those schools to make them better. She is a cog in the wheel, but without that cog… how well will that wheel turn?

Deval Patrick has said over and over when he talks about spending cuts that he doesn’t just see numbers, he sees the faces of the people whose jobs those cuts will eliminate. Maybe there are some who tool around on the Internet at work (ahem). And maybe there are some who don’t do their jobs as efficiently and productively as possible. But last night, it really resonated that government spending is my sister. 

Again, I’m biased. But seriously, the girl is a hard worker. And she’s a Christian. And…the point of her job is to do the thing the elimination of her job is supposedly going to remedy. Somehow… somehow that doesn’t make sense to me.

VOTE NO on Question 3.