Q. In Massachusetts we finally have a new Speaker, with a history of being supportive of more and better services for the poor the elderly and the disabled. (A nice change) He has also promised an open process where every question, no matter how controversial will have a full and fair debate. (That's even nicer.) However, the House Budget did not increase many of our programs and did not include any new outside sections that created "new policy" (our only vehicle for creating new programs for the past 15 years). Meanwhile the Senate President is out there promoting a new policy a month and the Governor comes up with an idea every couple of days. What's going on?
A. Hecate will make one observation and give you one piece of advice. Advice first: be patient. Your new Speaker has just gotten his new team in place and most of them have never served a Speaker who asked them to exercise their own judgement about anything, and they have to practice a little bit. (Committee hearings and deliberations are, after all the first step in a full and fair debate.) Observation: proposing a specific new policy implies an informed and fact based decision, and maybe he wants to be in consultation with his leadership team a little longer, maybe he's just waiting for more information, maybe he's just watching what everyone else does first. Indecision is, after all, the backbone of flexibility.
Who is Hecate?
Hecate is a Greek Goddess who served as a guide and coach at the crossroads of Hades, where after crossing the River Styx, Greek souls found themselves facing three choices: the Elysian Fields, abode of the great and heroic; the Fields of Asphodel, for all who had led a blameless but ordinary life; or to Tartarus, a sunless land of punishment for criminals.
Hecate's best known role in Greek mythology was guiding Persephone, the goddess of spring, on her annual journeys between Hades and Earth. In the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, Hecate is portrayed as a nurturing and protective guide for Persephone on those annual journeys.
