Augustfest In South Boston
Must be a fine gig to be an employee of the state, especially those attending the National Conference of State Legislatures, many of whom gallivanted with some free booze in South Boston.
While taxpayers toiled yesterday, several state workers and lawmakers from around the country spent the afternoon sipping free beer in an air-conditioned South Boston convention hall.
Tuxedo-clad bartenders doled out cups of free lager to conventioneers at the National Conference of State Legislatures, including several Massachusetts legislative aides and state workers on taxpayer time. The beer garden, sponsored by the Beer Institute lobbying organization, was bustling all afternoon as several convention-goers made multiple trips to the free bar, sampling Corona with lime, Miller Lite Chills, Blue Moon, Bud Light and Heineken.
One group of Massachusetts legislative aides wore Mardi Gras beads and laughed as they slurped down ales.
“We’re having a field day here,” a young female aide told the Herald.
Among the employees spotted imbibing at the beer garden were two Senate administrative staffers, five legislative aides and an employee of the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism.
A few have expressed weak words of condemnation.
No Massachusetts pols were spotted at the open bar but several out-of-state lawmakers were bellying up, including senators and representatives from Kansas, Oklahoma, Ohio, Florida, Delaware, Georgia and Utah and a Minnesota representative on the transportation committee investigating last week’s deadly bridge collapse.
Barbara Anderson of Citizens For Limited Taxation was a bit disappointed in the juvenile behavior of attendees, saying ‚Äúif they‚Äôre going to be attending a conference to discuss serious things like health care and casino gambling and fair taxation, then they should probably be sober when they‚Äôre doing it.”
I guess the saying ought be when in Massachusetts, do as the Kennedy’s do–so bottoms up, and have another drink, after all, besides the taxpayer money spent to pay aides and legislators to get sloshed, the entire week-long conference is costing Joe Massachusetts Taxpayer $1.5 million.
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TAGS: Barbara Anderson, Citizens for Limited Taxation.
Aaron Margolis is a life long resident of the Bay State, and works at an architectural firm north of Boston. Aaron has a Master of Architecture Degree from Boston Architectural College and is currently in the process of becoming of a Registered Architect.
Having been a former legislative aide in the New York State Assembly, this article really angered me. I am new to Mass, but I am sure most legislative employees are there because of patronage. In my experience, the legislative workers tended to act like immature college kids. This behavior would not be tolerate in a private sector job especially considering most of these kids never did any work. Legislative Jobs are rewards to the sons and daughters of the politically connected. Once they are in they spend all day networking and finding ways to get cushy state jobs. Its no wonder why are states are falling apart, we have immature kids who like to drink running the show while the average person lives in hell. Lets all do something, lets demand our leaders to hire experience, hard working adults who will devote their lives to the needs of their constituents instead of a bunch of former frat and soriety kids who see their work as fun.
Interesting story, I just met a girl who is 22, a BU grad and works at the state house. She was at a bar drining Gin and tonic after Gin and tonic on a Wed, she ended up going home with some guy. Its nice to know that the people making laws act like adults. God, imagine being able to do that after college, I know I can’t because I have to be up at 5:30 and sit infront of a computer screen all day analzing numbers.
Welcome to Ma , If that angers you, you aint seen nothing yet. Wait a few days and our incomptent Gov will do or say something stupid
Brooklyn Boy…ever heard of the two martini lunch? Gee, Dad never hires his kids in the private sector…ya right. What are you some kind of neo-puritan? Relax, sounds like you could use a few pops yourself!
Personally, I have no problem with a 22 lady drinking G&T’s and going home with someone. Once upon a time, I…
well, never mind.
I bet she went home with a Kennedy…Patches?
Mr. X;
Here we are again. You LOVE to pull obscure terms out of thin air, don’t you? I don’t see how “neo-puritan” fits in here (how very “neo-classical” of you). The term “neo-puritan” is generally used to describe the worship rite (presbyterians, usually) that developed in the early 1700’s. The way you are using it seems to describe the way an 18th century puritan would react to a liquid lunch.
And “two martini lunch” is so 60’s. Only the upper crust, or the construction worker drink at lunch any more (and if you doubt me with the construction worker, all you need to do is visit Sully’s on Canal street some weekday). Most of us middle class schmucks are too busy to have a drink or three at lunch.
I worked for my dad as long as I could stand it (about 3 years). I don’t see anything with giving your kid a leg up if you can. But you have to admit Xster, the patronage thing is a bit out of control.
BigBish – Doesn’t Patches fish from a different pond? Not that there’s anything wrong with that!
V – Agreed, middle of the day drinking in Boston should be reserved for the tourists.
This one is even funniner. About two years ago I met a girl at a bar who was bragging to me about how she just got a budgeting job in the State House. I asked her what her fincial background was, and she said none at all. I then asked here where in Mass she was from, she was from California. I asked her how she got the job then having no financial skills or the fact that she never lived in Mass.
Get this, she worked on the Kerry Campaign and met some fellow progressives who said that they need to get people like her in jobs at the State House. Sounds like we have been hijacked, don’t you think. You lose either way, you either have incompetant good old boys or you have the progressive wack jobs doing the jobs the qualified should be doing.
No loss though, looking back I think working for the government actually hurst your chance in the private sector. Who wants to hire someone who can’t take orders, do anything on their own, and judging from how our state is I would think someone is failing us miserbaly. I also hear that if your white, Catholic, and actually from Mass, the Deval people won’t give you the time of day and black list you from state work.
Since were on the topic of New York politics let me let everyone in on an interesting thing. Alan Chartock who has been featured in the NY Post, NY Times and almost every other NY paper is more or less one of the expert on NY Politics. He was also a distinguished teacher at the University at Albany and is a well known blogger and radio personality on New York Politics. Guess where he lives? He lives in Massachusetts in Great Barrington. Take that New York, your most well know political critic lives in Massachusetts, let me repeat he lives in MASSACHUSETTS. Don’t you all feel like fools.
Hey Alan! What are you some kind of zombie? No one cares about Alan Chartock! Also, Alan,haven’t you heard, there’s no life beyond Rt. 495? (updated from Rt.128)
And as for you V,apparently poetic license and imagery are not part of your everyday drama…neo-puritan is an absolutely, downright,couldn’t-be-better fit for Brooklyn Boys attitude…wake up and smell the booze!
Wow Mr.X you sound like an ass. I live in Great Barrington my friend and I am a Mass resident. I am sick and tired of people in the Eastern part of the state mocking us and saying nothing is there. We are ranked one of the most culturally rich places in the world if you haven’t heard where as were home to Tanglewood, Mass Moca, the breath taking Berkshires and a hist of other attractions. Our quality of life is so high that you can’t even touch real estate here. People from all over the world are moving here to have a piece of what life really should be like. I am sorry to tell you that all of Mass isn’t filled with boisterous loud mouth asses who sound like a donkey kicked them in their face. We can actually talk so people can understand what we say, not to mention our mayors can actually sound intelligent. I am convinced Mr. X, your Howie Carr.