It's tough to toss the rascals out when the rascals are running unopposed.

As usual, a shortage of candidates for the Massachusetts Legislature means that most incumbents will win re-election today.

All 200 seats in the legislature are on the ballot today, and according to the State House News Service, incumbents will have a big day:

"There are 172 legislative incumbents running for re-election Tuesday and 116 of them -- or more than 67 percent -- will be the only name on the ballot in their respective races. There are 92 House incumbents running without any opponent Tuesday and 24 incumbent senators running without a challenger." - State House News Service

Is it any wonder that these scoundrels can vote themselves pay raises or stipend increases at will, and totally disregard the wishes of the voters?

Massachusetts politics at the legislative level has been dominated for decades by the Democrat party. Candidates are seldom challenged, and therefore never feel threatened. As a result, they pretty much do as they please. This one-party dominance has also resulted in deep corruption. Hell, three of the last four Speakers of the House left under a cloud of suspicion. At least one went to jail.

Sam Doran/SHNS
Sam Doran/SHNS (Former Senate President Stan Rosenberg)
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The former Senate President was forced to resign due to a scandal involving his husband.

Massachusetts needs new representation at the legislative level. To achieve that, there needs to be qualified candidates willing to serve. The Massachusetts Republican Party is almost non-existent and does very little to recruit candidates that are viable and can raise the money required to win.

WBSM 1420/YouTube
WBSM 1420/YouTube Newcomer Hendricks upsets incumbent Koczera
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Massachusetts needs true public servants who are willing to sacrifice for the betterment of the whole, and not for themselves. Elected officials should serve and then move on, rather than making careers out of government service. If they don't leave on their own, or the voters won't show them the door, then perhaps we should consider term limits.

Barry Richard is the host of The Barry Richard Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. Contact him at barry@wbsm.com and follow him on Twitter @BarryJRichard58. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author. 

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