Thanksgiving Prep Open Thread
You guys seem to need it, so here’s an open thread for your chatting pleasure. I am cleaning and cooking all day getting ready for a big old fashioned family Thanksgiving, so I won’t be around much. 
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November 21st, 2007 at 2:03 pm
My youngest child was given a 17 lb turkey by his boss, and is bursting with hunter-gatherer pride. His girlfriend is planning to gut and cook 4 enormous butternut squashes, a present from HER boss at the landscaping firm where she works. Other relations are bringing green vegetables and home baked bread. I merely have to do stuffing and gravy. And maybe bake some pies. Every year, as kids get older, Thanksgiving gets better and better.
November 21st, 2007 at 2:06 pm
I am grateful for the talent and drive of Dr. Karla Brooks Baehr, and for her service to the children of Lowell. The city is a better place for her hard work.
This city is going to miss her.
November 21st, 2007 at 2:20 pm
I’ll do what I can for keeping up with approving comments over the holiday. So if there are subjects you stay away from with your family and need your fix, feel free to post.
November 21st, 2007 at 3:04 pm
On my way into work today I was listening to Tom Finneran aka Felon Finneran aka Tommy Taxes aka Tommy Tuneout and his co-host de jour Rachel Kaprillian (sp) talk about Deval Patrick’s first year in office and if he(Deval) was a student and we were the teacher how would we grade his first “term/year”.
Finneran went through the high lights and the low lights from the Cadillac to the casino proposal and everything in between.
Finneran gave him a D (he may have changed this after I got to work at 8 I’m not sure.)
Kaprillian gave him a B based on his “vision and effort” thus far. She also sounded like a Deval apologist for the whole segment which she begrudgingly admitted to, to Finneran after my call was over.
Steve Bailey gave him a “Gentleman’s C” and noted that it should be lower but wants “not discourage the governor.”
I called in and gave my two cents agreeing with Finneran on most points(shocked me how down to earth and a man of the people he’s become lately), I also understand that Rome wasn’t built in a day but looking at his first year I can’t see what HIS landmark issue or HIS exclamation point has been this year. Sure there is 3 more years for his term (unless he leaves for a national job especially now since he’s on team Obama if Obama wins next year.) He promised a lot to get elected and it’s been said running for office is a whole lot different the doing the work once elected, but there hasn’t been a whole lot of follow through and Bailey, Finneran, and Kaprillian admitted as much.
So I want your two cents, especially because most of you had a hand in some way, shape, or form for electing him-
Grade?
Best Moment?
Worst Moment?
November 21st, 2007 at 3:35 pm
Footsoldier - let’s stick to holiday talk….
I am thankful for completing another year of full and interesting employment, and another year of blogging!
November 21st, 2007 at 6:46 pm
I’m thankful that I have a place to write:
Deval Patrick = J.D Drew.
I’m not saying he’s a bust. This was an adjustment year. He had some great moments, especially of late. He’s shown some real character fighting through adversity. Sometimes I would have like to see a little more fight, a little more aggressiveness. But don’t get me wrong: I like the guy, I’m rooting for him, he’s got a lot of talent, and I’m still optimistic he’ll get his act together.
November 21st, 2007 at 9:49 pm
Deval has great vision, but isn’t getting most of it to reality. He must get the legislature on his side on these issues, and we should be part of that process. Rooting is good, but maybe not enough on some tough issues.
November 21st, 2007 at 11:01 pm
The new owners are making their mark at WCAP, changing the script and the players of the morning show. They are moving George Anthes to an evening slot, but that may be a tough spot competing with prime time TV.
The morning show could be good with concentration on local issues, but it sometimes degrades when McDonough takes the George Constanza role in a re-make of the “show about nothing”. I hope the new format continues having guest commentators, as they often bring some real thought to the program.
November 21st, 2007 at 11:25 pm
Waittil, I was listening yesterday and Clark S. was consistently correcting the on air host (one of our SC persons). I noticed the changes immediately (and he was on the air for 15″).
Personally, this change could not have come at a better time.
I was becoming sick and tired of the twice a day “commercials” for a certain chosen few and promoting one agenda.
November 22nd, 2007 at 11:19 am
I’m thankful for WCAP moving Anthes to nights. I’m saving a 25 dollar copay every month on my Ambien.
November 22nd, 2007 at 11:02 pm
I may actually start listening to WCAP in the morning again. Sounds like an overall change for the better…hopefully the Anthes shift to nights is the first step to his retirement and that McDonough, Faticanti, etc. will follow as well. Sounds like amateur hour is over and the junior high radio club/hobbists are on their way out.
November 23rd, 2007 at 12:01 am
Agreed on Deval. Great talker. Great hand motions while he talks. Really believable, really inspiring. But I tire of it. I tire of him motoring around the state making inspirational speeches with nothing behind them. It may be that he brought a lot of people with no experience in government to significant positions. On one hand that may seem like a plus, but there’s a major learning curve. Maybe when they catch up to the curve, we’ll see more actions and less words.
November 23rd, 2007 at 2:05 pm
Wow, I can’t believe people have totally glossed over one of the biggest campaign promises that Patrick has definitely already fulfilled. That of a smart, engaged, technocratic interest in running the executive branch like it hasn’t been run in decades.
Romney was like Bush - a distinct lack of giving a crap about how well government runs. His predecessors weren’t much better. And our state government was a model of cronyism and poor decisions. However, competency is the number one concern of this Governor, and I don’t need to be an apologist to say it. It’s true, and myriad of the folks who work in nonprofits and agencies that have to work with the state have said that they saw an almost immediate difference. It matters who you put in charge, that’s something that we learned with the advent of Bush the Lesser, haven’t we? FEMA, the FDA, the EPA…failures, where we once had pretty good watchdogs of the public interest.
Well, if all we get from a Patrick administration is a better run government which more efficiently and effectively delivers our services and promotes equity, even that much would have been worth all the work we put into electing him. It’s the most unglamorous part of governing…and the most important. Ask a Katrina victim.
November 26th, 2007 at 9:36 am
Wow,
I ask people to pick an issue and give a grade and NO ONE took a bite at the apple. Lot of CAP talk, and someone just wanted to talk holidays. So am I to think most of you are unhappy with year one of the Deval administration? Lynne, would you classify your response as “puppies and lolipops” if I said the same thing if I were defending Romney? I’m not asking about Bush or Katrina I’m asking about Deval and his first year which for the most part was uneventful besides the first three months. Come on people you must have some kind of opinion!!
Shawn I’m looking for yours!
November 26th, 2007 at 3:29 pm
GOP, did you not read the freaking response I made? I said what I meant and I meant what I said.
Romney was never interested in governing, so if you said the same thing about him I’d know you were shilling. However, there’s a pretty big difference in the executive branch right now from past administrations, and I’m not the one saying it. The ones saying it are the ones that work with the state. So, obviously you aren’t interested in conversation about the issue, only getting in the last word. Well, I said my piece. If you don’t like my conclusions that’s not my fault.
November 27th, 2007 at 1:19 pm
Lynne,
I read it. I knew YOU would respond I counted on that. I wanted to hear not only what you think but others as well. I asked for specifics and I got from you what you call “puppies and lollipops”. Your conclusions are GREAT for you. I am simply saying that I remember his acceptance speech, I remember some of his other speeches. For all of the warm and fuzzies he puts out there, and all of his effort my point is that there is a whole lot of results at the end of year one. I’m not the only one who sees it. Mike and Joe see it as well. I was hoping to get a bunch of feed back on this but I didn’t. Oh well. The telling thing for me is that Tommy Taxes has our Governor on with some regularity and Deval consulted him during his campaign (allegedly) and Finneran was displeased with his performance. Say what you will about Finneran, but he has a pretty long track record on Beacon Hill. The fact that he’s friendly with Deval and was consulted and STILL went on air and took shots says something. I just wanted to see what you all thought as well. Silly me….
November 27th, 2007 at 4:07 pm
Well, first of all, you’re posting on an old post. So I wouldn’t expect a flood of responses.
Second, people weren’t in the mood to go in that direction. So what? You’re going to pitch a fit every time you can’t turn the conversation in the direction you want?
Thirdly, a well-run executive branch isn’t puppies and lollipops, it’s the core of why I wanted to elect Patrick. It’s only the most important aspect of government. Maybe you disagree, but it’s not vague. It was a concrete goal. Competency, transparency, and good governance is a key aspect of good leadership.
It’s only been a year. Give me a break. I can’t believe all the whining because every goal or promise wasn’t accomplished in a very hard environment in less than a single year.
November 27th, 2007 at 4:46 pm
First- When I originally posted it was fresh.
Second- Not at all I was just shocked nobody besides you took a stab at it. I figured after a year under a new regime it would be nice to look back and reflect.
Third- So that would qualify with what you think is his crowning acheivement for the year. Cool.
Fourth- I did say rome wasn’t built in a day didn’t I? I’m not whining at all, I asked a couple of questions of my neighbors.
But even you must admit him getting guff from Tom Finneran ON AIR isn’t a good sign. Oh and “very hard environment”? Yeah with one party rule on the hill it’s really tough. Isn’t politics is always a “very hard environment”?
November 27th, 2007 at 4:59 pm
Not your comment at #16, no, the post wasn’t fresh. So admonishing people into trying to get a response is rather pointless if you ask me. Plus, people did respond - with an “I’m not in the mood” response.
No, I think there’s actually several other achievements, like, appointments he’s made to replace Romney hacks, and even some policy decisions. I also love most of his proposals - even if they have yet to come to fruition, they still could.
Finneran is a moron. Like he would ever give Patrick credit anyway? Finneran was a hack politician who cashed out on his hackdom nicely. Whatever. If he says one thing, I’m inclined to believe the opposite. That guy was useless, policy-wise. I could care less what that dude thinks.
And regarding the hard environment…please. You know very well what the hackdom is like up there - since you’re in the very tiny minority. So yeah, fighting that is hard.
If you want a Patrick thread, go comment on BMG, they had one.
November 27th, 2007 at 5:14 pm
And regarding the hard environment…please. You know very well what the hackdom is like up there - since you’re in the very tiny minority. So yeah, fighting that is hard.
You’re god damn right I know first hand yet YOU continue to support one party rule that furthers the problem. Absolute Power… There is almost no accountability for half the people on Beacon Hill, look at all the unopposed Democrats who run. So I’m supposed to feel sorry for Deval because the house and the senate put him on the back burner? Why not give one of his rousing speeches and conivince the legislature like he did the voters? And I only posted #16 because I was away with family all weekend and saw your #15 when I did.
Since I have your attention-
No thread on Teddy’s memoirs?
The Judge Romney appointed that screwed the pooch on letting that scumbag go on personal recog?
Aren’t these note worthy enough?
November 27th, 2007 at 5:23 pm
Hey, sorry I’m not covering YOUR suggested topics, while trying to run a business, recover from my holidays, and winterize my house. (If you want to cover those topics, starting a blog is free at any number of websites.) There are limits on my time. I don’t get paid for doing this. And I know you can find lots of other blogs and papers that are having those discussions if you’re so inclined but don’t want to start your own.
Supporting good Dems IS a principled thing for me to do. What am I supposed to do, turn my back on my ideals and vote Repub? Jesus. That’s just nuts. For better and for worse, I’m a Dem. Trust me, I know the limits of my party’s leadership at times. It’s frustrating, but except for some of them, they are on the same side I am in regards to their beliefs. I find them a whole lot better than the alternative.
I have work to do. Sorry, but this conversation isn’t illuminating, nor is it helping me get my stuff done.