When they are not there they can do no damage.
"Lawmakers leave Patrick, bills waiting; Overhaul proposals stall as 2009 session ends" by Matt Viser and Eric Moskowitz, Globe Staff | November 19, 2009
Sweeping changes to the state’s education and criminal justice systems stalled in the Legislature early this morning, as House leaders traded barbs with Governor Deval Patrick and refused to give him power to make emergency budget cuts.
Lawmakers, who ended their formal session for the year just after midnight, also planned to rebuff some of the governor’s most controversial budget proposals, including cuts to the Probation Department, the near elimination of extra compensation for police officers who earn college degrees, and a deep cut in the Legislature’s own multimillion-dollar account, which critics call a slush fund.
Related: State Government On Probation
A Slow Saturday Special: Statehouse Slush Fund
Yeah, the CUTS are ONLY FOR YOU, citizen they are supposed to be serving!
Because of its rules, the Legislature will not reconvene until January....
Thank the Gods for small favors!
Lawmakers also did not go along with several other proposals Patrick put forward as part of his emergency budget bill, including allowing cities and towns to install cameras at stop lights to better catch and fine traffic violators, and the elimination of two controversial paid holidays for certain state workers....
Related: Tales of Tyranny: Ticketing Terrorists
Yesterday lobbyists for a variety of other interests were roaming the hallways, trying to make sure their concerns were taken care of....
Yeah, MAKE SURE THOSE LOBBYISTS are TAKEN CARE OF!
The Legislature... refused to allow the governor to dip into a reserve fund that the Legislature maintains. Patrick had wanted to use $18 million from the fund to help close the budget gap....
Yes, the LOOTING LEGISLATORS maintain a fund so that THEY ARE NOT AFFECTED by BUDGET CUTS!!!!
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And I don't take this governor who is pissing away money to loser biotechs and greens seriously about any of this. His is a PURELY POLITICAL MISSION!
"Patrick, lawmakers spar over shortfall; Accusations fly amid budget gap" by Andrea Estes, Globe Staff | November 20, 2009
The war of words between the governor and some legislative leaders grew decidedly more forceful yesterday. Deval Patrick exhorted lawmakers to remain in session to address unresolved reforms and budget shortfalls, though as he spoke, most members were already gone for the remainder of 2009.
Amid the back-and-forth, Patrick implied that the Legislature was shirking its responsibility, and House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo accused Patrick of political posturing. DeLeo apparently failed to return a phone call from the governor, a rare breach of political etiquette, especially between two key officials of the same party who had been trying to nurture a working relationship....
You know what?
WHO REALLY GIVES a SHIT about PETTY PERSONAL BICKERING over S***-FOOLEY POLITICS!?!
Exchanges escalated through the day.... Administration and Finance Secretary Jay Gonzalez said the governor will have to come up with a Plan B because the fiscal crisis cannot wait for lawmakers to return to Beacon Hill in January.
Well, you have had ALL YEAR TO DEAL WITH IT, so WTF?!!!!
The administration is facing as much as $225 million in additional cuts because the Legislature also failed to approve a separate bill that would have made cuts in certain health benefits for low-income residents that were projected to save $100 million. “Delay is not an option,’’ said Gonzalez. “There are huge consequences to not dealing with our budget shortfall. If we have to spread the cuts over only four or five months, it will result in much deeper program and service cuts.’’
Yup, HERE WE GO AGAIN!!!!!! The "urgency" of it all!!!!!! ALL of a SUDDEN!!!!!!!
The Legislature refused to give the governor power to reduce spending in branches not under his control: the judiciary, the constitutional offices, the sheriff’s departments, and the Legislature. Those cuts were projected to save $75 million. In addition, lawmakers allowed the governor to use only $36 million of the state’s surplus from last year, not the $60 million he requested.
WTF? How could they have a SURPLUS from LAST YEAR?!!!!!!
So they are SITTING on "RESERVES" all over the place while HACKING AWAY SERVICES and PAYING OFF BANKS!?
On Wednesday, lawmakers voted to give the rest of the $60 million to the Probation Department and the courts, agencies rich with patronage jobs, and to the Legislature’s own multimillion dollar account, which critics have called a slush fund....
Well, WHAT ELSE WOULD YOU CALL a GENERAL FUND for ANY PURPOSE -- just so that LAWMAKERS are NOT SUBJECT to the SAME PAIN as the rest of us!
Who knows, they probably ADDED PENSION PERKS, too!!!!
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The Compassionate Budget Choices of Massachusetts
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Oh, SO THAT is where your AX DOLLARS ARE GOING, Massachusetts!!!!
YOU SEE where the TAX DOLLARS are going!!!!!!
State officials said that they regret having to make the cuts but that the state budget is in such bad shape that they have no choice....
Yup, whatever, liars.
“In the face of unprecedented economic challenges, the governor has had to make some very difficult budget decisions,’’ said Jennifer Kritz, a spokeswoman for the Executive Office of Health and Human Services. “We recognize that there is a person behind every dollar; however, the governor has needed to make adjustments in order to close a significant budget gap. . . .. We are working with our community partners and other stakeholders to minimize the impact.’’
Yup, MORE GIBBERISH from state officials!!!!
OFFENSIVE GIBBERISH at that!!!!
Advocates for low-income families contend that the cuts are unwise because federal stimulus dollars could reimburse the state up to 80 percent of the cost of paying the benefits, or $19 million of the $24 million eliminated. But Kritz said state officials are “confident that we will be able to identify other qualifying state funds’’ so Massachusetts does not lose federal money.
Yeah, PASS the BUCK to SOMEONE ELSE so THEY CAN PAY for the LARGESSE to CORPORATIONS and THEMSELVES!!!!
The advocates say the cuts mean that more families are likely to lose their homes, exacerbating the strain on the budget. In recent months the state has seen record numbers of homeless families, with 2,000 families packing state shelters and another 1,035 families living in state-subsidized motel rooms as of this week. It costs the state on average $36,000 a year to shelter a family.
“Just at the time the administration has vowed to end homelessness, hundreds of additional families will become homeless,’’ said Ruth Bourquin, a lawyer at the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute. “The state’s shelter system is already overwhelmed by demand. The last thing we need is to jeopardize the tenancies of disabled parents and their children, families who often have extra expenses due to disabilities and need to be residing close to their medical providers.’’
Don't tell it to me! Complain to your government!
Your LIBERAL, COMPASSIONATE government!
In addition to the cuts, which do not affect the other 41,000 families who receive transitional aid, the state will require parents who are capable of working and whose youngest child is between ages 6 and 9 will have to work 30 hours a week to get benefits, six more than required now. The advocates say the additional work requirement could lead to more families losing benefits.
WHERE?
Where are they going to FIND MORE WORK when WE ARE LOSING JOBS?!
Yup, ALWAYS a STRING to get your "benefits!"
"The elaborate bridge bypassed the normal review process"
Related: Stimulus Was a Perk
What could you do with $9 MILLION DOLLARS, 'eh, SOCIAL SERVICE ORGS?!!!!
“This cut is a prime example of the truly vicious cycle that we are in,’’ said Marylou Sudders, president of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. “Pulling basic supports from children whose parents are so severely disabled will surely increase the number of children who end up in the care and custody of the Commonwealth. . . . The results, especially for the children, cannot help but be tragic.’’
Yeah, and when you KNOW the TRUTH about WHERE the $$$ goes!!!!
The advocates say about 40 percent of the affected families have no housing subsidy and are unlikely to be able to afford rent. The rest of them will have to scrimp to pay for basic necessities, such as clothing, transportation, and medical supplies....
While BANKS and WARS get TRILLIONS, of YOUR TAX DOLLARS, Bay-Stater!!!!!
Here is who DOES NOT GET $$$$:
"Zoo reaches funding accord with state
The Patrick administration, teaming with a task force of zoo officials and supporters, unveiled a plan yesterday aimed at keeping open Greater Boston’s two financially troubled zoos. Under the plan, Zoo New England, which runs the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston and the Stone Zoo in Stoneham, has agreed to $5 million in state funding.
Related: A Day at the Boston Zoo
Where is your tax money really going, Boston? Political pockets and perks, huh?
It will also reorganize its board and develop a road map by Jan. 15 for long-term self-sufficiency. State funding will allow the zoos to remain open while changes are implemented, but funding is contingent on Zoo New England delivering on its plan, state officials said. “I’m hoping it’s the beginning of a new day,’’ zoo chief John Linehan said in a phone interview last night. “Certainly in many ways it’s long overdue.’’
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Why is the state funding a zoo at all?
"Zoo looks to put teeth in fund-raising; Franklin Park considers scrapping old board for one with more clout" by Brian MacQuarrie, Globe Staff | November 21, 2009
.... raised admission prices....
The study, which will recommend how to reduce the zoos’ reliance on public funding, complements a recent agreement for $5 million in state funding, double Governor Deval Patrick’s initial proposal of $2.5 million. The lower figure drew a firestorm of public protest, particularly when Linehan suggested that some animals might have to be euthanized if the zoos were forced to close. Currently, he said, funding for the zoos is split about evenly between state aid and revenue generated by the zoos....
Linehan views the crisis as a rare opportunity to reroute the Franklin Park Zoo, whose star attraction is its gorilla exhibit....
Despite the budget concerns, Linehan said, attendance continues to rise....
So they RAISED PRICES and ATTENDANCE ROSE but they are MORE in the HOLE, huh?
Time to CLOSE the ZOO and FREE the ANIMALS!!
Would YOU like LIVING in a CAGE?
Then WHY DO YOU THINK THEY DO?
The larger numbers, however, cannot mask the needs that Linehan recognizes around him.
Where did ALL THAT LOOT GO ALL THESE YEARS?
An enclave for African animals such as zebras, wildebeests, and ostriches is enclosed by a bare-bones fence that looks “farmish,’’ he said. The birdhouse that has captivated generations of children conceivably could become the centerpiece of an area called “Wild Asia.’’
In other words, the zoo is a falling down piece of s***!
Improvements to the grounds could attract more weddings, more lectures, more symposia, and many more children than the 40,000 who visited Franklin Park last year, he said.
Yup, and I COULD sprout wheels and become a bicycle!
A WEDDING at a STINKY, SMELLY, ZOO?!!!!
Yeah, thanks for the (cough) great reception hall (gag)!!!
“I often liken the animals to living art,’’ said Linehan, who quickly criticized the frame they have at Franklin Park.
They are LIVING CREATURES with SENTIENT SKILLS, you arrogant human slime!
“Our goal is to have a zoo that nobody wants to miss.’’
Too late for that.
Under the study group’s recommendation, Beal said, the board would consist of 25 members. Twenty of those seats would come from the civic and business world, and five would be appointed by political leaders such as the governor, Boston’s mayor, the state Senate president, and the speaker of the House. The change needs legislative approval, which lawmakers are planning to seek soon.
Despite bickering over the zoos’ budget, a collaborative solution appears to be in reach, said a spokeswoman for Gregory Bialecki, secretary of Housing and Economic Development, who worked with zoo officials on funding issues. “This solution allows the zoos to remain open while creating a plan that ultimately results in less reliance on state funding,’’ said Kofi Jones, a spokeswoman for Bialecki. “The zoos are much beloved.’’Yeah, YOU SEE WHERE THAT $$$ must go, huh?
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Of course, SOME THINGS are MORE IMPORTANT than animals and their care.
This was a FRONT-PAGE FEATURE!!!!!!
"For islanders, this was The Game; With contest canceled, Vineyard, Nantucket mourn a lost rite" by James Sullivan, Globe Correspondent | November 21, 2009
OAK BLUFFS - Amid school budget cuts and declining student interest in football, the fabled Whalers-Vineyarders showdown was canceled for the first time in nearly half a century....
You are NOT JUST SAYING THAT to make me FEEL GOOD, are you?
CANCELING FOOTBALL?
:-)
With both schools facing financial woes, they say they no longer can afford to fly players and coaches between islands, as they have done for years in the absence of regular interisland ferry service, which ends after the summer. Doubts were also raised about chartered “fan ferries’’ funded by each side’s booster clubs.
Yeah, TOO BAD the STATE has NO MONEY, huh?
You guys would have been BETTER OFF KEEPING YOUR TAX DOLLARS yourself!!!!
A communication breakdown between incoming athletic directors, the retirement of a legendary Nantucket coach, and the changing culture of school sports appeared to contribute to the cancellation. Now, the good-natured taunting between the rivals has been replaced by a war of words over which island is to blame....
Yeah, and WHO GIVES a s***, really?
Related:
"Beacon Hill has been paying for the Big Dig, education overhaul, and other measures “on the backs of cities and towns"
That's PRETTY OBVIOUS by now, no?
Oh, and ABOUT that GOOD-NATURED TAUNTING!
"Support swells for anti-bully legislation; Bills call for schools to respond aggressively" by James Vaznis, Globe Staff | November 15, 2009
After years of delays, the Legislature appears poised to crack down on bullying among schoolchildren, with hearings beginning this week on nearly a dozen bills that would force local schools to respond more aggressively to instances of cruelty among students.
But it's OKAY during the FOOTBALL RALLIES!!!
Similar bills have, in the past, failed repeatedly - even as the number of states with bullying-prevention statutes has grown to 37. But now a broad group of supporters, led by the Anti-Defamation League, are giving the effort the momentum it may need to finally push a measure through to passage....
Oh, HERE COMES a HATE BILL for Massachusetts!
I'm glad I'll never set foot in a school again.
If bullying goes unaddressed, advocates say it can foster a sense of loneliness, depression, and anxiety in victims as well as instill thoughts of suicide - causing students to skip school, fall behind in class, or inflict harm upon themselves.
Well, THAT EXPLAINS the PALESTINIAN SITUATION -- among other things (except for the suicide s***; I no longer believe that Zionist rubbish).
The harassment sometimes leads victims to lash out violently at others; some school shootings across the nation over the last decade were at the hands of students who had been allegedly bullied....
Yup, it is ALWAYS ABOUT the AGENDA -- even when they are allegedly caring so much about you!!!!!!!
The legislation gaining momentum at the State House would require the state to develop a model policy for local schools, which would be required to address both traditional bullying and cyberbullying - cruelty by computer. Local schools also would have to document all cases of harassment, discrimination, intimidation, and bullying, and report on the resulting discipline. All incidents would then be reported to state education regulators, who would compile an annual report for the Legislature and periodically review each school’s policies and level of enforcement.
Yup, let's add ANTHER LAYER of STATE BUREAUCRACY and TYRANNY over the whole thing!!!
You can START with the FOOTBALL GAMES, 'kay?!!!!
The stringent reporting requirements are raising concerns among some educators, because they say there is sometimes a fine line between bullying and innocuous teasing....
Oh, IS THERE?
Yeah, it's OKAY FOR SOME to BULLY, but NOT OTHERS!!
Yup, some BULLYING is INNOCUOUS and DOESN'T MATTER!!!
You know, like USRAELI WAR RHETORIC and INVASIONS!!!!
I'll bet I KNOW WHO MATTERS MOST, readers!!!!
Often the point of teasing is to be humorous,
Have YOU EVER FOUND BEING TEASED to be FUNNY, shithead?!!!
Who wrote this piece of shit, anyway?
while bullying is an ongoing problem in which the intent is to hurt or have power over someone, said Elizabeth Englander, director of the Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center at Bridgewater State College, which trains school staff on bullying-prevention tactics.
Then THAT DESCRIBES USrael to the LETTER!!!!!!!!
The legislation would require annual training of school employees.
Yup, MORE MONEY for MORE TYRANNY!!
I'm sure the employees are going to LOVE ANOTHER REQUIREMENT to their job -- for something that has been going on forever!!!!
Even Englander, however, is concerned that the reporting requirement could prompt some schools not to properly classify incidents as bullying to dodge the requirement and any negative attention it could bring.
Noooooooo! Authorities NEVER COVER THINGS UP, do they?
Children, she said, could suffer the ultimate consequence: not getting the help they need.
Soon after Emily Dale started her eighth-grade year at Swampscott Middle School, a boy in her class began calling her a four-eye freak. Emily tried ignoring the name-calling, but the boy kept it up, eventually turning to outright discrimination, making fun of her for being Jewish and lobbing derogatory sexual comments at her.
I KNEW IT, I KNEW IT!!!!!
At the BOTTOM of EVERY ISSUE is a god-damned ***!!!!!!!!!!
When Emily finally worked up the courage to report the incidents to school administrators, the bullying grew worse. Although the school disciplined the boy with a one-day suspension and barred him from a field trip, his friends rushed to his defense, berating Emily at school and online. “I felt like I was being punished,’’ Emily said. “I got messages on my Facebook page, saying I was a terrible person for telling on a boy so well liked.’’
The situation grew so bad that Emily, who is now a 10th-grader, eventually enrolled at a private school....
Awwww, the poor dear!
Yup, while the STATE IS BANKRUPT the Legislature is DOING THIS?
"Students urge lawmakers to act on bullying; 11 bills currently under review" by Brian R. Ballou, Globe Staff | November 18, 2009
Students, teachers, and specialists on aggressive behavior filled a State House hearing room yesterday with personal stories about bullying at school and in cyberspace and offered opinions on several antibullying bills under consideration by lawmakers.....
Antibullying bills have come before the Legislature before but have been defeated. Now, a broad group of supporters, led by the Anti-Defamation League, are giving the effort the momentum it may need to push a measure to passage. There are 11 bills under consideration....
On this one topic?
Related: What is Your State Legislature Doing Today?
Yeah, THAT is what they are doing when they aren't stealing your tax dollars, Bay-Staters!
Sirdeaner Walker testified that her 11-year-old son, Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover, a Springfield charter school student, hanged himself in his bedroom last April, after being bullied. Walker said students called her son gay and ridiculed his attire.
“What could make a child his age despair so much that he would take his own life? That question haunts me today,’’ she said. “Those kids called him those names because they knew they were the most hurtful things they could say to him, and they hit their mark.’’
Sort of like the Predator missiles the U.S. is throwing around all over the place, huh?
Look, I am NOT FOR MINIMIZING a KID'S DEATH, but WHEN are people going to TAKE RESPONSIBILITY for THEMSELVES?! I'm told to DO IT ALL the TIME!
And WHAT DOES IT SAY about AmeriKa that we have this type of culture, huh?
Northeastern University professor Jack Levin, a criminologist, testified before the committee that bullying, when left unchecked, can have tragic and violent consequences.
As we see in IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN, PALESTINE, PAKISTAN, AFRICA, SOUTH AMERICA, ASIA....
“Bullying should be a red flag,’’ he said. “The Virginia Tech killer [Seung-Hui Cho] was bullied and harassed, and no one offered a helping hand. The origins of the Virginia Tech massacre can be seen in the killer’s life, long before he got to college.’’
First stop, the FOOTBALL GAMES!!!!!!!
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Update: Northeastern ends its football program
Thank you!
