Last modified: Sunday, June 21, 2009 2:19 AM EDT GOUVIEA: FYI to rep: Something is better than nothing By BILL GOUVEIA I have a particular pet peeve when it comes to elected officials. I really get angry at the ones who vote against governmental reforms because they say they don't go far enough. Imagine you have 12 drafty windows in your house. You only have enough money to fix three of them. Rather than fixing three windows and keeping some of your household warm, you refuse to fix any windows because it just wouldn't be fair to only have part your family comfortable. That is a bit like the philosophy recently demonstrated by Rep. Steve D'Amico, D-Seekonk. D'Amico last week took to these pages to explain his inexplicable vote against eliminating the two Suffolk County holidays, Bunker Hill and Evacuation Day. These days are celebrated only in Suffolk County, but all state employees get two floating holidays as a result. According to D'Amico, he voted against eliminating these expensive holidays because state workers have suffered enough already, being burdened with furloughs, health insurance increases, pink slips and increased workloads. He admits the holidays are "a particularly glaring case of political favoritism" but says while they should not be tolerated they should also not be used to "punish all state workers." I'm not sure exactly what planet the good representative lives on, but here on planet Earth this makes no sense whatsoever. But it is a good example of the narrow-minded thinking that keeps our legislative leaders from solving our problems and making things better for the majority of the taxpaying public. D'Amico says eliminating the holiday will yield little economic benefit and be largely a symbolic gesture. He claims what is needed is real reform, and that he has been a leader in trying to bring those real reforms to fruition. I've got news for D'Amico, who just happens to be my representative. At this point, the public will take any money-saving reform - symbolic or otherwise. Something is better than nothing. What we don't need are representatives who pontificate on how unfair it is to eliminate holidays celebrated in only one county that result in holidays to employees across the state at taxpayer expense. What we don't need are legislators who stand in the way of some reforms because they want other larger reforms, or hypocrites who pander to public employees and their unions under the guise of protecting the interests of the taxpayers. D'Amico is right about state employees facing tough times. But they are not alone. Throughout his district, his state and his country, D'Amico's fellow citizens face those same problems and more. They face life without state pensions, without paid holidays, without powerful union protection. There are people in D'Amico's district who are out of work, trying to provide for their families. Yet he tells them eliminating two needless holidays most people don't even know exist doesn't save enough money to make it worth his vote. Maybe he needs to talk to a few more of them and see how they feel about that. I'm glad D'Amico is working on larger, more important reforms. I wish him success in that endeavor. In fact, it is his job and the job of every other legislator to do just that. It is why they get paid. But his explanation of his vote was an insult to his constituents and to citizens across the commonwealth. Of course the voters want pension reform. Naturally they want meaningful ethics reform. And they most certainly want better transparency in government as Rep. D'Amico has proposed. But they also want some sign their representatives truly understand and relate to their problems. They want evidence that their elected officials are attacking the problems before them with common sense, and not just a political sense. They want action, not a bunch of doubletalk. Rep. D'Amico made a serious mistake in voting against the elimination of the holidays. He made an even worse mistake in his defense of that action. Fortunately, most of the damage he inflicted through his misguided vote was to his own credibility rather than the well-being of his constituents. Let's hope he does better in the future. It would be difficult for him to do much worse. BILL GOUVEIA is a local columnist and a voter in Rep. D'Amico's district. He can be reached at aninsidelook@aol.com.