“We need to trust our professional staff.”  It is a phrase you hear from a lot of elected officials who put a blind trust into government staff.  It is a tough phrase to hear as it is a signal that a policy decision is being deferred to staff and the taxpayer has lost their voice in what is happening in government.

Frequently that phrase comes without adequate questioning of a staff recommendation or a real justification for voting. When it is a reason cited by an elected official for voting a certain way, you can be sure that the elected official failed to adequately spend the time on the vote and did not read, understand, analyze and question to make sure that money is being spent wisely. They just don’t have a good reason or background for their vote other than blind faith.