The Legislature and Gov. Weld imposed this annual limit in 1991 when the state's bond rating was considered near junk status by Wall Street. Mr. Widmer, however, defends the process. Lawmakers, he says, are justified in placing their favorite projects in bond bills because it's the only way to get those projects in the funding pipeline. But he concedes the process can make a skeptical electorate even more scornful of politics. There's a natural inclination on the part of the citizenry to be disappointed and even angry.
Voters are pretty cynical about government anyway.
This notion that something has been approved and yet can't be built clearly creates a sense that government has let them down and that you can't trust public officials. But lawmakers say criticism of their efforts to include local projects in bond bills is unfair. Rep. Antonio F.D. Cabral, D-New Bedford, said state lawmakers earmark money for local projects in bond bills because they're needed, not to score points with voters. You have to get it into the bill. If you don't, you're not in line for funding.