Earthtalk

The Big Dig fiasco certainly reflects poorly on Boston but for psychiatrists  to fret over Bostonian's sense  of fear, frustration, anger, and humiliation ("Big dig state of mind", D1, July 30) misses the larger point.  Bostonians and  the citizens of Massachusetts  helped set the stage for the Big Dig's failure and deserve the humiliation.  For decades we have collectively turned our heads or  became resigned to a corrupt network of unions, politicians, government agencies, and businesses that conspire to gain the maximum financial  and political advantage at the lowest cost to themselves.  Feeding at the public trough has been institutionalized here far  more than any where else I have lived in this country.  Our ability to get it right was doomed by  years of patronage appointments to key positions, contracts awarded to political cronies, government agencies behaving as independent fiefdoms, and thousands of  politically connected people getting those coveted government jobs they otherwise would be unqualified to hold.   This ingrained culture of corruption has led to this defining moment of absurdity that cost an innocent woman her life.   Humiliation in the eyes of a nation is long overdue and maybe by becoming aware of it we can start to fix the real problem here.

In Boston Sunday Globe, August 6, 2006