Yeah, that's right.... YOU!
"Lawmakers set to restore funds; Package would earmark money for legal immigrant healthcare, 2 zoos" by Matt Viser and Kay Lazar, Globe Staff | July 29, 2009
House and Senate lawmakers plan to vote today on a spending package that would provide $40 million for healthcare coverage for legal immigrants and at least $2 million for Greater Boston’s two zoos.
They say legal, but we all know better, don't we?
The proposal, which addresses two of the most controversial cuts in this year’s state budget, would restore some of the funding for the two programs. But it would not provide as much money as advocates had sought, and it would mean a fresh round of spending when state finances remain tight.
Not for everyone.
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The plan departs from what Governor Deval Patrick wanted, awarding far less money for immigrant healthcare and more money to the zoos. If lawmakers support the spending, legal immigrants and zoos stand to gain, while many other programs will have to live with the cuts they were given under a $27 billion budget Patrick signed last month.
Well, not all.
“I can’t emphasize enough that we are just glad it’s being done,’’ said Franklin Soults, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, the state’s largest immigrants rights group. “There was a tremendous fear that immigrants were going to be cut off and left in the cold.’’
Related: Reason Number One Why No One Reads the Boston Globe Anymore
The funding would help maintain some health coverage for about 30,000 immigrants who have a “special status.’’ Many of the immigrants have been in the country for less than five years and are seeking asylum from war-ravaged nations such as Iraq, Somalia, and Sudan.
Related: When Was the Last Time You Heard About.... Sudan?
Sunday Globe Insults: Front-Page Funeral
A host of questions remained unanswered, however, including how the state can cover 30,000 people with $90 million less than the $130 million Patrick included in his original budget proposal. After state lawmakers eliminated the funding in their budget, Patrick filed a supplemental budget request for $70 million. Patrick spokeswoman Cyndi Roy said that while the administration is heartened by lawmakers’ desire to restore the healthcare funding, the $40 million is insufficient....
Then go get it from biotech or Hollywood.
The federal government does not chip in for the cost of treating certain classes of immigrants, so Massachusetts would not receive any matching federal money.
No, they only START the wars that bring them here.
Meanwhile, zoo officials, who were on Beacon Hill lobbying for support yesterday, had asked lawmakers to override Patrick’s veto of $4 million in spending, saying the cut would force them to close their two zoos, Franklin Park in Boston, and Stone Zoo in Stoneham. It is unclear whether $2 million would be enough to prevent their closure....
Related: A Day at the Boston Zoo
The boost in funding for the zoos could cap a bizarre political foodfight that erupted earlier this month when zoo officials contended that the budget cut could force the euthanization of some animals.
Of course, the Globe helped by front-paging it three days running.
The zoo override initially seemed all but assured, and House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo and Senate President Therese Murray both predicted their members would restore the funding.
But as Patrick used his bully pulpit, staging several press conferences to suggest that the zoos should deal with budget cuts in the same way as other areas of state government, and as revenue figures worsened, lawmakers began to lose their appetite for a full override.
How does a hated governor use a bully pulpit?
Please read: Patrick's Plummeting Polls
The healthcare and zoo proposals would be part of a larger spending package, which needs a majority in the House and Senate to pass. If lawmakers had tried to override the governor’s veto, they would have needed two-thirds of both chambers. The Legislature is also planning to restore some funding, $13.1 million, for programs for low-income seniors. Lawmakers are poised to boost, by about $1 million each, funding for emergency food assistance, library aid, and services for children and families.
Several aspects of the plan remained in flux yesterday, including exactly how much would go to the zoos.... Regardless of how the Legislature votes today, the affected immigrants will continue to be covered under their current plan until Sept. 1, because state lawmakers did not act in time to give residents the required notice that their health benefits would be changing, according to Richard Powers, spokesman for the Connector Authority.
See who the globe cares more about than you, average American citizen?
Any proposed changes in the health plans will also require the authority to renegotiate contracts with the five managed-care companies that provide the coverage, according to Powers.
Zoo officials have said they hope to wean themselves off state funding, and they have been developing a plan to move toward financial self-reliance. The Legislature initially provided $6.5 million for the zoos, but the governor used his line-item veto powers to reduce that to $2.5 million. If state lawmakers approve an additional $2 million today, it would put state funding for the zoos at $4.5 million for this fiscal year.
Patrick aides would not say whether the governor would veto additional spending for the zoos.
Efforts to restore the money are underway as state revenues continue to plunge, falling below even the direst projections last month and ending the fiscal year with a $180 million gap. State officials will probably make up the difference by tapping a reserve account.
All these RESERVE ACCOUNTS while we are BORROWING into OBLIVION!
WTF?
State officials built this year’s budget on an estimate that about $18 billion in revenues would come in through state taxes. But that estimate could prove to be too high, which would require further budget cuts....
So much for the TAX INCREASE saving s***, Massachushitts suckers!!!
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"Lawmakers OK $80m in new spending
Late Wednesday night, state lawmakers put the finishing touches on $80 million in appropriations that partially undoes some of the $147 million in vetoes Governor Deval Patrick made to the fiscal year 2010 budget. The proposal would give $2.5 million to Greater Boston’s two zoos, Franklin Park Zoo in Boston and Stone Zoo in Stoneham, whose budgets were slashed earlier this year. It would also provide $40 million for the administration to craft a scaled-down health plan for 30,000 legal immigrants. Some worry that the governor will veto the newly approved spending (State House News Service)."
Man, I need a beer....
"Package stores may ask voters to shield alcohol from sales tax" by Jenn Abelson, Globe Staff | July 30, 2009
Just days before the Commonwealth is set to start taxing alcohol sales, the Massachusetts Package Stores Association yesterday said it is planning to file a ballot initiative to make liquor exempt from sales tax.
State lawmakers voted last month to increase the Massachusetts sales tax to 6.25 percent from 5 percent and eliminate the longtime exemption for alcohol sold in liquor stores. The new rate goes into effect Saturday. Officials have estimated that taxing liquor will raise nearly $80 million for the cash-strapped state government.
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Massachusetts Residents Taken For a Ride
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But the Massachusetts Package Stores Association predicts significantly lower revenue - about $50 million - and says that taxing alcohol in package stores will cause sales to plunge and cost the state hundreds of jobs. That’s because consumers will shop elsewhere, such as in tax-free New Hampshire, the group says....
Actually, Globe says no; Globe says we LIKE paying taxes (ugh)!!!!
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I guess I'll go smoke a joint then; they aren't taxing that yet.
Related: Mass Voters Like to Get High
