"He made sure that the people who relied on these services had a voice at the table"
And now, HE IS GONE!!!!!
"Festa, O'Connell resign their posts in governor's Cabinet; Bialecki is new head of housing, development" by Matt Viser and Kay Lazar, Globe Staff | January 31, 2009
.... Festa's departure comes as seniors groups blast the administration for, they say, diminishing its commitment to seniors. Facing stiff opposition from advocates, the governor this week postponed a plan to shift a wide range of services and programs for the elderly out of Festa's office. Critics said the shift would risk letting elderly residents fall between bureaucratic cracks.
No, as Mike Moore said, they are PUSHED THERE!!
Saying they are "deeply disturbed" by Festa's departure, a dozen groups led by AARP Massachusetts sent a strongly worded letter to Patrick yesterday stating that they are "perplexed as to why the Executive Office of Elder Affairs is being dramatically weakened at a time when 25 percent of the state's households include at least someone age 65 or older."
Key programs in the office have been cut substantially, including one that helps defray prescription costs for tens of thousands of seniors, but "if it wasn't for [Festa's] leadership, it would have been so much worse," AARP Massachusetts director Deborah Banda said in an interview.
"He brought an energy to that office," Banda said. "He was out in the community . . . and he made sure that the people who relied on these services had a voice at the table."
--more--"
Of course, It's okay to be "flushing . . . millions of dollars away supporting a highly profitable industry" when it comes to $300 million in taxpayer dollars for Hollywood is o.k., even as the price of a school lunch rises; paying $13 million for a computer software system that could have cost less than $3 million is all right because the winner was a close friend of the House speaker, even as my poorer-than-dirt district "has been struggling to close a $2 million budget gap."; the lottery shelling out "millions of dollars" for sports tickets for "lottery officials, their family members, and friends" is fine, even as schools are closing; making interest payments to banks to the tune of "a staggering $22 billion" for the Big Pit, as we call it around here, is required, even as bridges are neglected across the state; and again, paying off banks like UBS, who can "demand repayment of an additional $2 million a month beginning in January" while also receiving a "$179 million payment," while the state pension fund loses $1 billion dollars -- which still didn't stop the executive director from carving himself a nice "$64,000 bonus on top of his $322,000 annual salary."
Yup, the BILLION DOLLAR GIVEAWAY to the pharmaceutical corporations was a GOOD THING, even though "it's never been easy to turn a profit in biotech?" Flush that money away, too, taxpayer.
And look whose backs they are balancing the budget with: the blind, mentally ill, kids, and cripples!!
Of course, "one of the governor's pet projects, the $3 million Commonwealth Corporation, is only taking a 5 percent trim."
And that is not counting the troubles at the Turnpike!
"The authority was attempting to renegotiate terms of a complex financial deal with the banking giant UBS. Known as a swaption, the arrangement could force the authority to pay out a $450 million lump sum"
Of course, the war looters were next in line for a handout. And should the state be appropriating money for a "multimillion-dollar reconstruction" of golf courses?
Nor is it RECKLESS to BORROW the STATE INTO OBLIVION so they can PAY INTEREST to BANKS while SITTING ON $2 BILLION DOLLARS!
Need one final insult, Mass. taxpayers?
"Town officials... are trying to decide how much of a property tax break to offer and how they can secure state funding for infrastructure improvements.... although it could take several years for the studio to realize its potential"
Also see: Hollywood, Massachusetts
Hollywood (East) Disses Veterans
More Mass. $$$ to Movie Makers
The Money Pipeline From Massachusetts to Israel
Sorry, that wasn't it:
"$5m in tax breaks going to IBM for Littleton project
The Massachusetts Economic Assistance Coordinating Council approved $5 million in state and local tax breaks for IBM Corp., which recently began a $63 million expansion in Littleton. IBM vice president Bob McDonald said the company plans to create 42 jobs at the site over the next decade. McDonald said the computer giant, based in Armonk, N.Y., has already begun renovating a building and hopes to move into it next month. McDonald said the tax incentives were important, but the company would have gone forward with the expansion without them. IBM has 4,000 employees in Massachusetts, including about 2,000 in Littleton (Boston Globe October 30 2008)."
Excuse me?
A $5 MILLION TAXPAYER GIVEAWAY that IBM DIDN'T EVEN WANT?
Need just a bit more?
"Patrick would divert capital gains revenue to rainy day fund" by Casey Ross, Globe Staff | January 28, 2009
Umm, guv, it is F****** POURING ALREADY, kay?
Governor Deval L. Patrick, moving to end the state's reliance on volatile tax collections from capital gains, wants to establish a new savings account to reserve some of that money for use in times of financial distress.
You mean, LIKE NOW?
Yeah, PUT MONEY ASIDE while you CUT SPENDING and SERVICES!!!
The creation of the account would significantly alter the state's method of managing its tax collections, forcing officials to separate capital gains collections from revenues raised through income and sales taxes, according to two Patrick administration officials briefed on the plan.
State budget leaders would be required to create a detailed forecast for capital gains collections at the beginning of each budget year. When revenues come in higher than expected, budget officials would have to transfer the money to a holding fund instead of spending it. At the end of the year, any leftover money would be transferred to the state's permanent savings account, known as the rainy day fund....
That's why they needed to keep the income tax and raise taxes on you when they are cutting services. So which corporations are going to benefit from the "rainy day" fund, and how much is going to be pipe-lined to Israel?
*****************
However, one top lawmaker voiced reservations about the proposal. "I wouldn't close the door on this, but there are other priorities to think about here," said state Senator Cynthia Creem, a Democrat who chairs the Senate Committee on Revenue. "We have roads, bridges, and other things in disrepair, so we could look at setting aside capital gains to maintain those resources."
What? SPEND TAX MONEY on the PEOPLE?
Ha-ha-ha-ha!!
Here in MASSACHUSETTS?
Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!!
Also see: The State Budget Swindle
