Open Mouth, Insert Foot

When I was growing up, my Mother repeated lots of sayings that I heard over and over again.  Such as:

It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.-- Mark Twain

I am sure you are all familiar with the 'clean underwear' one, though I am not sure who that is attributed to.
 
Another one I like is:  If you keep your mouth shut, you will never put your foot in it. -- Austin O'Malley
 
My favorite when I was on the Board was:  Give someone enough rope and they will hang themselves.
 
If there was going to be a guidebook for politicians, I would expect to see all of these sayings in it.  Unfortunately, a lot of politicians probably would not read it.  Furthermore, they become so enchanted with themselves that they think everything they say is wise beyond belief and that the masses will fall at their feet praising their profound wisdom.
 
How else to explain the comment in today's Oakland Press by the West Bloomfield Supervisor?  She states "I have a tough time doing my job when the courts are broken."

Honey, you lost.  More than once on more than one issue.  And now you want to take on the Circuit Court?  You want to waste taxpayer dollars on an appeal?  How does that benefit the taxpayers of West Bloomfield?
 
In an online article for the West Bloomfield Patch she says "I need to know what powers the supervisor has, if any. Right now, it isn't very much, yet I am held accountable and responsible."
 
Well, former supervisors did not seem to have an issue with this, but I have a few thoughts.  How about not hiring a budget director and doing it yourself.  THAT is one of your statutory duties.  Alas, you are not qualified to be an assessor, another statutory duty.  Could you be the Personnel Director?  Another statutory duty. 
 
Gee, it seems that your job is to be accountable and responsible for those people actually performing the duties you are not able to perform.  Oh, and run the Board meetings.  And for that you make a damn good salary.  All from taxpayer dollars.  Otherwise, what I am hearing you say is that you do nothing.