MISSOURI WATCH: WATCHA NEED? AND WATCHA GOT?

In certain political quarters, it's known as the "Whatcha Got?" constituency. Public servants, grown cynical with age and citizens' unrealistic expectations, quickly identify demanding constituents, labeling them "Whatcha Gotters." Every segment of society has its own brand of this slice of humanity, which has its origin, many are convinced, in indolence, acquisitiveness or avarice. Take your pick, or choose all three.

Many a well-intentioned "servant of the people" becomes jaded not from the bone-chilling aspects of the political process but by the incessant demands for relief or assistance or increased services-without-cost. Governors and legislators are the first-choice recipients of the Whatcha Got? syndrome, with the blame not the exclusive property of the petitioners.

After all, when candidates for governor line up for the final race for office, they proffer just about every service imaginable to targeted votes. Who hasn't heard gubernatorial candidates promise classroom improvements that will make every Jack and Jill a Rhodes Scholar? Who hasn't heard a legislative candidate promise to correct the abuses carried out in Jefferson City? Voters get the idea that electing a certain official is the magic answer to their life's aspirations, and they get this from less than subtle hints by the candidates themselves.

Is there any doubt, then, why the installation of a favored candidate in a position of power does not raise the expectation level of private citizens to above flood stage? When problems in the state Capitol continue to exist long after the pledged reformer has had tie to make his promised corrections, can believers take solace in the standard excuses of The-job-is-tougher-than-I-thought or Nobody-is-interest?

Of course, not all Whatcha Gotters are equal, at least not in the post-election political caucuses held in Jefferson City. Heavy contributors to a public official's campaign fund are often greeted with the question Whatcha Want? before they can even ask Whatcha Got? On the other hand, the citizen who failed to divvy up even the minimum allowed donation will usually receive the same amount from any spoils distribution.

This is the way the system works, and it has become so pervasive and so permanent a fixture of political life that anyone who is shocked by it is immediately labeled a naive neophyte or, even worse, a newspaper columnist who has never blackened his soul nor even dirtied his hands in the mud and muck of no-holds-barred partisan politics.

Solutions for these problems await a grand and glorious millennium, although one directed by the Great Editorial Writer in the Sky is much preferred to the one inspired by changing computers to 2000. What does not await heavenly intervention, however, is the need for experienced public servants to recognize the difference between Whatcha Need? and Whatcha Want?

Seemingly unnoticed in Jefferson City is the vast difference between the two questions. Whatcha Need? is the basis for meeting legitimate needs of constituents, whether this fulfillment is in the area of education, welfare assistance, public and mental health, highways or consumer protection. Whatcha Need? is a legitimate question of a democratic system of governance. And it is government that is created, sustained and enhanced to meet the legitimate and worthy needs of more than five million men, women and children in Missouri.

Essential public services are needed, which is why they are called essential, and when they are not provided, as outlined in the statutes, position papers and even constitutions, then government is defaulting on its responsibilities.

Most of the denizens of the City of Jefferson City, I am happy to note, understand this side of governance and do their best to meet public expectations. God bless 'em for this. Most are decent, hard-working folks who, like those of us back home, put in a day's work for a day's pay with knowledge the world will never throw a parade to honor them.

Unfortunately, the second component of meeting public expectations, the Whatcha Want? syndrome, is practiced far too often and in far too many quarters. Rather than addressing constituency needs, this practice moves the art of government to something resembling a rally of starving petitioners. Individuals, business firms, trade organizations, municipalities, counties and almost every special interest that ever came down the pike partakes of the Whatcha Want? special favors dispensation. A business group seeks special protection from competitors, individuals seek money to stave off disasters, corporations seek to promote profits, cities and counties want a slice of the financial pie being divided in the Capitol.

An urban city wants a professional football team and the Whatcha Wanters deliver. An urban area wants gasoline tax revenue for commuter trains. Conservationists evoke the word endangered and demand state participation. Lawyers seek new revenue sources and create them through legislation. Communities want to snatch tourist dollars and want the statue on the Capitol Dome changed from the Goddess of Agriculture to a likeness of Jesse James. A baseball team asks for a larger stadium to catch more fan dollars to meet salary hikes. A community seeks more payrolls and wants the magic key of no school taxes replaced by statewide freebies. A county wants more road funds to smooth motorists' rides and restore peace in the courthouse. A public university wants construction funds to attract students for courses it doesn't even offer in order to increase its enrollment and thus its annual slice from the state budget. And zealots of every stripe demand total obedience to their demands while only offering in return an insincere promise they will shut up and give the rest of us some sleep.

How about inventing a new word? A suitably appropriate one would be: Nogotcha!

~Jack Stapleton of Kennett is the editor of Missouri News and Editorial Service.