That about says it all, doesn't it?
Related: The Perils of One-Party Politics: The Problem
"Scandals cast shadow on state Democrats; As gloom deepens, new vows on ethics" by Matt Viser, Globe Staff | June 7, 2009
After the indictment of former House speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi - the third Democrat to face criminal charges in 11 months - residents are in no mood to give much respect to those who work on Beacon Hill. One motorist pointed his middle finger squarely at Guyer. Shortly after, another motorist did the same.
:-)
"A lot of us are in shock," said Guyer, a Democrat from Dalton. "I'm in shock."
Democrats have never had more power in Massachusetts, and it has been on their watch that the political and ethical culture on Beacon Hill has reached its lowest point in decades. The House, Senate, and Patrick administration have all been battered in recent months, and are trying to regroup as they face reelection next year....
The House last week saw its former leader indicted for allegedly accepting $57,000 in payments from Canadian software company
The Senate had two members resign last year, one of whom, Senator Dianne Wilkerson of Roxbury, was photographed by federal agents stuffing money into her bra - an alleged payoff for her help in passing legislation. The other, Senator J. James Marzilli Jr. of Arlington, was indicted on charges of accosting four women in downtown Lowell.
Lawmakers have reacted much like family members after a death or disgrace strikes close to home, unable to bring themselves to discuss specifics or, in some cases, even mentioning the names of their former colleagues....
It's called DENIAL, Globe!!
Despite months of pledges to embark on ethics, pension, and transportation reform, a final bill has yet to be produced. A six-member conference committee met for the first time Thursday afternoon to discuss ethics reform - and the first action taken was to close their meetings to the public. On Friday, the same decision was made by a committee reviewing the budget, new taxes, and which programs to cut....
Senate President Therese Murray said: "It has always been against the law to use your office to line your pockets. It's just like dealing drugs. Everyone knows it's against the law but they still deal drugs. Everyone knows it's against the law to take money, but we've got two members - one from the House and one from the Senate - accused of doing that."
Maybe we should change that, huh?
Still, lawmakers are getting angry phone calls and e-mails as they attempt to defend voting for things like retaining special holidays for state employees in Suffolk County.
Hey, THEY DESERVE IT!
If they HAD NOT DONE such a SHIT JOB this wouldn't be happening!
And, in a sign that power and relationships are often more significant than appearances, lobbyist Richard McDonough, who was indicted Tuesday for conspiring with DiMasi, attended a State House rally just two days later against a proposal for new taxes on alcohol purchases. One of his clients is Anheuser-Busch.
Pfft!
"There does seem to be sort of a Groundhog Day approach to this," State Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill said. "You look up and the same thing seems to be repeating itself again. You just say to yourself, 'When are people going to learn?'
Never?
Cahill, who is weighing a 2010 run for governor, has not been immune to controversy. There has been scrutiny over some of the state treasury contracts that have involved Cahill's friends and political supporters.
And he's like the best one we got!
Democrats have dominated state politics in recent years, achieving a historic majority in the Legislature and recapturing the corner office in 2006 for the first time in 16 years. But some of the recent controversies have given new hope to minority parties, which have been harping on a theme that one-party rule is bad for state government.
The state's Green-Rainbow Party last week called DiMasi's indictment "the tip of the iceberg." "Urgently needed legislation gets sidetracked while legislative leadership puts their greatest efforts into doing favors for their friends," said party co-chair Eli Beckerman. "Catching one of them in an illegal act once in a while doesn't address the massive flow of money that goes from special interests into campaign accounts."
The Massachusetts Republican Party....
Oh, WE are NUMBER THREE NOW, huh, Globe?!!
Can they BE any more BIASED, readers?
--more--"
And what keeps the rank-and-file in line?
In a word: FEAR!
See: The Big Boss Bosley
Others were struck by the fact that DiMasi, who just five months ago was one of the most powerful politicians in the state, had fallen so far that a fellow Democrat would move to withhold his pension even without a conviction....
He's lucky that's all he is getting!
And LEAVE it to the DEMOCRAPS to VIOLATE their OWN RIULE as SOON as they PASS IT!! Only in Massachushitts!
"Patrick's gifts probably violated ethics rules" by Matt Viser, Globe Staff | June 12, 2009
Beacon Hill has had more than its fair share of scandals this year. But Flowergate? Cigargate?
Yesterday, after legislators agreed to approve pension reform, Governor Deval Patrick sent House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo a box of cigars and Senate President Therese Murray some flowers.
Nice, right? You can bet the cigars weren't White Owls purchased at a nearby
So WHO PAID for those? TAXPAYERS?
In fact, they were so nice, sitting in a fancy vase, that they became a topic of conversation when the Senate held a closed-door caucus to discuss ethics reform in Murray's office, with the flowers on display nearby. Well, nice but for one nagging fact: They probably violated state ethics rules....
They certainly violated a key tenet of the proposed ethics overhaul Patrick is trying to push through the Legislature: an outright ban on gifts of any kind to public officials. Last night, when a reporter inquired about the gifts, officials and their various spokespeople kicked into damage control. Patrick aides argued a technicality....
Pffffft! SOME REFORM!
Seth Gitell, a spokesman for DeLeo, said: All indications were that he would do the only logical thing with the gift: smoke them.
Oh, I see. It is OKAY for HIM to SMOKE!!! Did he pay the increased taxes?
That'll fill up those closed rooms, 'eh, Bob?
