State elections. When it’s time to hire someone new

To the Editor:

Those we elect are hired to do a job, and a part-time one at that. Most get paid in excess of $100,000 depending on how many committees they chair or participate in. Most also have outside income.

Their job description is quite simple: to make us safer, healthier, better educated, better employed, be taxed fairly, etc. Their prime focus is to be our voice in the legislature, but they also have an obligation to everyone in the state.

Most people vote as their parents did and get lazy when it comes to making sure that those they elect are doing what they were elected to do. Around election time, we get mailers touting their accomplishments.  They voted for this, or they voted for that — patting themselves on the back to the point of bruising muscle tissue, but are things really better?

We pull the same lever because we know the name or the party, but do we ever ask: Is my family safer; can I afford good health care for my family; do my children go to a good school; do I have an opportunity to improve my education to get a better job; are there good employment opportunities in my area; am I getting value for the taxes I pay?

If you make significantly less than the person you hired to do a part-time job and you can’t answer yes to most of the above questions, it’s time to hire someone new.

Bill Goergen

Guilderland

More Letters to the Editor

The Altamont Enterprise is focused on hyper-local, high-quality journalism. We produce free election guides, curate readers' opinion pieces, and engage with important local issues. Subscriptions open full access to our work and make it possible.