Figures like Robert Moses in New York City and head of the Massachusetts Port Authority Ed King, through their control of lucrative construction contracts, became major power players in local politics. That particular coalition of constituents evidently hasn't been created in Bucharest.

Give it time, the worm will turn. . . .

As for whether teachers deserve higher salaries or school construction deserves to be funded, I cannot say, though I'd love to see both. The implication from this diary is that politics in Romania is inward, centered on the domestic juggling of power. Innovative leadership in economic development could break that up quite suddenly, and it should be recognized that Romania, with a lower fiscal burden than other EU countries, the comparative ease there of doing business and some of the loveliest unspoiled lands left in Europe, has a lot going for it. Let's hope that it will be sooner than later that some leader, exuding confidence and optimism, will heave over Romania's political horizon.

"It Can't Be Just About Us"
--Frank Schnittger, ETian Extraordinaire