By MICHAEL SCHENKLER

I was a political science major in college. I grew up in a household where civics - as dad called it - or government and current events, was the center of dinner table discussion and politics was a sport.

Commenting on the political scene, criticizing government and elected officials, complaining, protesting, getting involved were obligations of our society. Dad was a school principal, a history student, a Democratic state committeeman, a coop exec board member, and aware of what was going on around us.

He was committed to participating to improve the lot of all. He was quiet and friendly but spoke up against injustice. He spoke up mildly and quietly.

I inherited his sense of justice and involvement but apparently got my passion, tenacity and volume from mom. I don't just quietly watch and like dad softly criticize. I'm a yeller, a pounder - I often don't let go. If I see injustice I scream. If I think I can make a difference, I scream and yell until I do.

I marched on civil rights picket lines in the 60s and was part of the anti-war movement in the 70s. For the past three-plus decades, I've had the privilege of observing government and pointing out the wrongs.

This column and its several predecessors have given me the opportunity to not only observe but complain and hopefully affect change. And with government today, there is much to criticize.

Pick a level of government:

In Washington,

General Petraues and the President are having us stay the course. I remember quite clearly, in November of 2006, this country electing a new Congress, turning both the House and Senate over to the Democrats with the singular issue being to get us out of Iraq and the war without end that never should have been.

And they went to D.C. and elected a Democratic Speaker and Senate Leader and took over the committees and negotiated a troop draw down and and and.

Today we are back to square one. We are not bringing our kids home. We are not winning the war. We have no exit strategy and the threat of terror in the world is not abating.

We are after 4,000 American soldier deaths, 10s of thousands of maimings injuries, billions of dollars wasted, no better off than we were when President Bush declared victory on the deck of that aircraft carrier. No, we are worse off - much worse. And we are footing the bill for a wealthy Iraq government which has done little to resolve the situation. Damn it, we have squandered lives and fortunes to no end. We have voted in a Congress to end the war and our government continues to ignore the will of the people.

Nice job.

In Albany

The jokers pass a budget - late - that clearly is not based on realistic revenue projections. It's a damn house of cards. They are lying to us. The State can't pay the bills the government is obligating it to. The election year budget contains $170 million in pork for legislators to spread to their favorite groups; spending is increased at a rate greater than inflation; nothing is cut except everyone knows in this economic climate, the recession, the decrease in property values, and the serious loss of income from the Wall Street turn, will produce far less revenue for the State to spend.

Has the most dysfunctional legislature addressed it? No they, in typical fashion, ignored it. After the Spitzer affair and reformer one goes down in flame, it appears reformer Paterson, is no better able to withstand the pitfalls of Albany. Shelly and Joe and their blind sheep prevail. In the City

Another Speaker is caught up in the abuse of power. The reforming Christine Quinn has apparently for three years continued the use of hiding money in the budget under the name of phony organizations so that she can dispense it later at will. And although she claims she tried to stop it this year, and reported it to authorities, the Speaker used the money. The hell with the law; the hell with the charter; the hell with transparency, they defend it by saying the money went to worthwhile groups.

By the way, no one checks out any of the groups. The Speaker claims she didn't even know the phony groups were in the budget, the Finance Chair says the Office of Management and Budget has more staff. The Mayor had no idea. Councilmembers give names and the city writes checks.

Fiscal responsibility? This Speaker is no more honorable than her predecessor who spent millions to mail his name and face around the city to promote his candidacy for Mayor. This Speaker has secretly dispensed millions of dollars in violation of the City Charter to friends and groups and colleagues whose votes and support she is buying with our money. She could have turned the money back to the Treasury.

Does the claim that the groups were worthwhile hold water? Did she check them out? Or better yet, did she have the right to walk into the tax department and walk out with millions to give to worthwhile causes without following the budgetary process? Don't be absurd.

Abuse by government officials must not be tolerated for any reason. Christine Quinn will not be the next Mayor and those who defend her budget fraud do not deserve the support of the people.

Will it all get any better?

We have to keep complaining, my friends.

MSchenkler@QueensTribune.com