Stein will get big money out of Mass.

Massachusetts state government must be in big trouble because everyone seems to agree that it has to be reformed. Republican candidate Mitt Romney calls himself a reformer and continuously declares himself to be the candidate who can ‘clean up Beacon Hill.’ What he fails to mention is that his party has controlled the governor’s office for the past 12 years. It is his Republican predecessors who have brought corruption, patronage and wasteful spending to our government. In addition, his staff is constituted, overwhelmingly, of people from these previous administrations. How can he possibly clean up Beacon Hill when it is his friends, supporters and staffers who created the mess?

Democrat Shannon O’Brien also pronounces her campaign to be one of reform. She says that it is because of this long, continuous string of Republican governors that our state has become so troubled. What she fails to mention is that the Massachusetts legislature is 85 percent Democratic. They could pass any law and override any veto. She neglects to mention this because it proves that Democrats are as much to blame for the mess on Beacon Hill as are Republicans.

If they truly believed that the government needed reform, they would vote for the one candidate who can actually bring it: Green Party candidate Jill Stein. There are many reasons why I am voting for Dr. Stein on Tuesday. Here are three of them:

First, Dr. Stein has the kind of experience that I want in a public servant. While Romney was working as the president and chief executive officer of numerous corporations and O’Brien was working as a life-long politician, Dr. Stein has been on the front lines working in the community and helping the needy. Dr. Stein is a staff physician at the Simmons College Health Center and an Instructor in Medicine at the Harvard Medical School. I especially admire Dr. Stein’s volunteer work as the co-chair of the Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility.

She has actively participated in numerous campaigns intended to rid the environment from contamination and protect those citizens living near harmful industrial plants. Some may say that Dr. Stein is ill-prepared to serve as governor since she has never held elective office and has no managerial experience. However, I would say that her political activism and professional experience is exactly what makes her qualified to serve as a governor for the people of Massachusetts.

Second, Dr. Stein will be responsible to the voters, not to her party, her financial contributors or other elected officials. Dr. Stein is the only candidate for governor who, though she did not qualify, is self-regulating herself to the standards of Clean Elections law. Under this law, her campaign accepts no more than $100 in contributions from any one person and they accept no soft money. If Dr. Stein were to be elected, she would not be beholden to the big money corporations who pour money into the other candidates’ campaigns.

Last, and most important, Dr. Stein is the only candidate to enthusiastically support the progressive issues that many of us find so important. During the Boston janitors’ strikes this year, Dr. Stein was always there supporting the workers in their quest for living wages and fair health care. During recent anti-war rallies, Dr. Stein has always been there supporting the college students and peace activists as they fight for peaceful resolutions to our constant conflicts in the Middle East.

Dr. Stein knows that the debate should not be focused on raising or lowering taxes, but instead must concentrate on taxing all people fairly. We must adjust tax rates so the most needy aren’t paying such a high percentage of their income, while multi-million dollar corporations receive enormous tax loopholes. On issues of civil rights, universal health care, gay marriage and the environment, it is Jill Stein who has the most creative ideas for increasing our democracy and helping all of our residents. It should, therefore, come as no surprise that Dr. Stein has been endorsed by 11 newspapers.

Many people want to vote for Dr. Stein but are afraid that their vote will hurt O’Brien and put Romney in the corner office. This is an issue that many of us have considered at length. The truth is that we are not fighting against liberals or conservatives, against Democrats or Republicans. We are fighting against big money in government. We are fighting against the corruption that has become synonymous with Massachusetts government.

Jill Stein has experience, credibility, intelligence and a spirit of activism. With your help, she can bring the much-needed reform to our state’s government.