Left In Lowell

Monday Open Thread

17 Responses to “Monday Open Thread”

1. Eleanor Rigby Says:
   April 27th, 2009 at 11:37 am

   Okay I’ll start.

   Wallace mentioned efforts by Victoria et al to offer a charter change, but the change is to a weighted voting system.

   Looking at the breakdown of elected officials in Saturday’s paper provided by the election commission, exactly how does the weighted system give neighborhoods with little or no representation a greater voice?

   CC and SC candidates would still run at-large and still come from the same two or three neighborhoods!

2. Shalloteer Says:
   April 27th, 2009 at 12:51 pm

   The Lowell Shallot was saddened to learn that Lynne had time to post, but did not have the time to set up a link to lowellshallot.com where you will find related news about Niki Tsongas’ trip to Afghanistan.

3. -b Says:
   April 27th, 2009 at 12:54 pm

   Bravo to Deval Patrick for putting his foot down on the sales tax proposal.

4. waittilnextyr Says:
   April 27th, 2009 at 3:27 pm

   Letter from Deval Patrick to the Legislature:

   April 27, 2009

   Massachusetts Senate
   Massachusetts House of Representatives
   State House
   Boston, MA 02113

   Dear Member:

   This afternoon, as the House considers its budget proposal for FY10, members will be asked to consider an increase in the sales tax. Without final and satisfactory action on the several reform proposals before you, I cannot support a sales tax increase and will veto it if it comes to my desk.

   I appreciate the need to raise additional revenue for essential services, and have proposed a number of targeted measures and reforms to help meet the need. Our proposals were thoughtful, data-driven and specific, and, in the case of the gas tax in particular, would create jobs and support economic growth. I have deep reservations about imposing a higher sales tax on people during these difficult economic times, especially at the risk of costing the Commonwealth jobs and at a time when we can least afford that trade-off. Doing so without meaningful results on the reform agenda is unacceptable.

   Before we consider any broad-based tax increase, we must first regain the public’s confidence in government’s ability to steward public funds wisely. That’s what our reform agenda is about. On that front, we have unfinished work.

   The transportation reform bill is now in conference. Real transportation reform requires simplicity, accountability, regional equity and true cost savings. We are not there yet. As I have said repeatedly, without real reforms, I will not support new transportation revenue. Without new revenue, we will unfortunately be forced to rely on toll hikes and MBTA fair increases and service cuts to meet our transportation responsibilities.

   Pension reform is now also in conference. We must end the abuses and loopholes that justifiably outrage the general public and embarrass everyone in state government. A final bill that applies only to people not yet on the public payroll does not meet that test.

   The Senate has taken no action at all yet on our ethics reform measures. Several municipal reforms, including (but not limited to) an easier path into the cost-saving GIC for municipal employees and elimination of the telecom exemption, still await action, leaving unchanged the pressure on local property taxes. Our proposals to end sales tax exemptions on alcohol, soda and candy to fund public health and wellness programs have not moved. The failure to take up these latter issues has caused us to have to make deeper cuts in local aid and other programs in the current fiscal year.

   Crafting this year’s budget is more challenging than any other in decades. As you consider the task before us in the coming weeks, be mindful that the times demand that we think and act differently than we have in the past. Together we must make the hard decisions that will deliver meaningful reform in transportation, pensions, ethics and municipal finance now. We must also reach agreement on how to dedicate any new revenue to specific unmet needs in education, health care, human services, transportation, public safety, local aid, and a worsening revenue gap for 2010.

   We owe it to the people of Massachusetts to use this opportunity to change the way we approach these problems, and to work together on a more comprehensive solution that will provide the revenue we need while delivering real reforms and real change in the way we do the people’s business. Without this, I will veto a sales tax increase if it comes to my desk.

   I look forward to working with you to bring about this change.

   Respectfully,

5. Paul@01852 Says:
   April 27th, 2009 at 5:02 pm

   I would like to invite all who read this to forward the letter to their legistators with their own comments that they will not support them in the next election if they vote for a sales tax increase without the reforms the Governor speaks of, as I have already done. I also suggest sending it to other than your own legislators if you are in the habit of supporting them as volunteers or with financial assistance for their campaigns

6. Eleanor Rigby Says:
   April 27th, 2009 at 5:48 pm

   Looks to me that he is using the sales tax increase as leverage to get his projects approved versus saying no to the sales tax.

7. Mimi Says:
   April 27th, 2009 at 7:12 pm

   ER:

   How cynical? I am with Deval on this one. “No real reform; no tax increase.”

8. Eleanor Rigby Says:
   April 27th, 2009 at 8:37 pm

   No I don’t think cynical, that’s how politics works. Give me something I want and I’ll do for you…

9. Eleanor Rigby Says:
   April 27th, 2009 at 10:04 pm

   At 10:58 p.m., the House voted 108-51 to raise the sales tax rate from 5 percent to 6.25 percent. The vote gives the tax hike a two-vote hedge against Gov. Deval Patrick’s threatened veto.

10. The Mark Says:
    April 28th, 2009 at 7:37 am

    You say cynical I say plugged in and seen this before. Now Gov. Patrick can paint himself as a “friend to the taxpayer” soda tax, gas tax hike and all. Looks like I’ll be doing even more of my shopping up north now.

11. Lynne Says:
    April 28th, 2009 at 9:00 am

    See you.

    Honestly, I am very disappointed in the legislature. They picked the wrong revenue stream, and as Patrick states, have stalled on serious reforms. As I posted on BMG, I’d say I was disappointed in DeLeo, except I never expected much good from him in the first place. Both front runners in the Speaker “race” sucked, so far as I was concerned. DeLeo just sucked slightly less worse.

12. Lowell Resident Says:
    April 28th, 2009 at 9:36 am

    Rogers sucked but he voted against the regressive sales tax last night. The much maligned “Good Old Boy” Lowell reps also voted against the regressive sales tax last night. They stood with your governor on the needs for reforms instead of the regressive sales tax. Will you give credit when credit is due?

13. waittilnextyr Says:
    April 28th, 2009 at 10:02 am

    I am glad to hear our legislators voted with the Governor on this one, but we may ask them to go beyond that and convince some of their colleagues to do the same.

14. Eleanor Rigby Says:
    April 28th, 2009 at 12:13 pm

    I would say our legislators voted for their re-election not WITH the governor on this one.

    Since we are a border community a vote to hike the sales tax by one of our little group would give a challenger, Democrat or Republican, lots of real ammo to use during the next campaign…I believe it has more to do with that than trying to make a statement about reform. All you have to do is look at the Beacon Hill Roll Call to see that.

    I know, call me cynical again.

15. Eleanor Rigby Says:
    April 28th, 2009 at 5:42 pm

    On more note about this power play on Beacon Hill. The Governor issued a video statement today renewing his threat to veto the sales tax increase. Transcript linked below. The key sentence in this entire video is;

    “…Unless we pass those reforms, I will not support a sales tax increase and will veto it if comes to my desk.”

    Note the word UNLESS. So that says to me that he will indeed sign the sales tax increase IF lawmakers give him his Ethics, Pension and Transportation reforms.

    http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=gov3terminal&L=3&L0=Home&L1=Media+Center&L2=Speeches&sid=Agov3&b=terminalcontent&f=text_2009-04-28_revenuemsg&csid=Agov3

16. waittilnextyr Says:
    April 29th, 2009 at 10:20 am

    Obama will be on TV tonight, but not on the Fox network, as they will continue with their regularly scheduled show “Lie to Me” - how appropriate!

17. BPC Says:
    April 29th, 2009 at 10:33 am

    Boston Herald has confirmed that the two Lowell students have tested positive for swine flu. Lowell Sun should have more details any day now.

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