The State of Our Public Life: A Warning

Do you know the dark side of democracy?

All politics, as Tip O’Neill reminded us, is local. And local behaviors—particularly in towns, where the size is smaller and citizens, through Town Meeting or otherwise, have more of a voice—can be quite telling.

And what it tells us isn’t good.

Town Meeting, the form of government utilized by many towns throughout New England, is often held up as a lodes…