Propaganda Pre$$ Monitor: The Massachusetts State Budget

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

The Massachusetts State Budget

In a word, a mess.

First you have to sell the urgency:

Women are especially hard hit by Mass. budget cuts, report says

May not be that bad:

"Legislators expect growth next fiscal year

While tax collections are still in decline, the Patrick administration and Democratic legislative leaders are optimistic about economic and tax revenue growth next fiscal year. The administration and the chairmen of the Legislature’s Ways and Means committees announced yesterday that they have agreed to build fiscal 2011 budget proposals around a projected tax collection estimate of $19.05 billion, projecting growth of 3.2 percent over fiscal 2010 (State House News Service)."

Then again, maybe not:

State Wears Rose-Colored Glasses When Looking at Revenue

Yeah, WE ARE SICK of the LYING!!

Related: Bay State economy slips, while US grows

That's not going to drive up revenues!

And here is what they are wasting them on:

"State adds grants for ‘green communities’" by Erin Ailworth, Globe Staff | January 23, 2010

About a dozen Massachusetts municipalities may soon qualify for the state’s new Green Communities Grant program, which will dole out up to $7 million this year to help cities and towns build wind turbine projects, put up solar panels, and fund energy-efficiency projects.

Yeah, it ALL SOUNDS GREAT until you get to the END!

The program, launched by Governor Deval Patrick yesterday, will accept applications from municipalities through May 14 to receive a “green community’’ designation. The designation - which some communities are close to getting, according to the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs - is the first step toward qualifying for a grant.

The money will come from proceeds Massachusetts receives for participating in a regional auction of carbon emissions permits for area power plants.

Yeah, the CARBON TAX reflected in your ENERGY BILL, Bay-Stater -- while it is freezing outside.

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$3m for life sciences grants approved

The board of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, a quasi-public agency formed to oversee the state’s $1 billion life sciences initiative, yesterday approved up to $3 million in new matching grants to small businesses in 2010.

Related: Biotech Giveaway Was Borrowed Money

Yeah, the interest payments only cost you about $800,000 dollars, taxpayers -- for companies that rarely, if ever, make profit.

But that is our future economy?

No wonder this state has been financially destroyed!

But the governor (who has HAD THREE YEARS ALREADY) is trying to deal with it:

"Patrick aims to take over Probation Department; Rising budget, patronage, and insularity cited by critics" by Thomas Farragher and Scott Allen, Globe Staff | January 24, 2010

Governor Deval Patrick’s proposal would largely remove the Probation Department from the court system, where, critics say, it has become a backwater of patronage jobs and bloated budgets, operating mostly independent of other public safety agencies.

State Government On Probation

Shouldn't they have been jailed by now?

It also has been buffeted by a corruption investigation after the indictment of a probation clerk last month for allegedly embezzling $2 million.

Patrick’s move sets up an election year showdown with the Legislature....

Massachusetts runs one of the largest probation programs in the country, according to Justice Department statistics, overseeing an estimated 180,000 people who have been convicted of an offense but are allowed to serve at least part of the sentence in the community.

In LIBERAL, TOLERANT Massachusetts?

But we DON'T LOCK UP the CRIMINALS? WTF?!!

On a per capita basis, only two states, Georgia and Idaho, have a larger probation population.

GOOD COMPANY, self-righteous and smug Bay-Staters!

But probation officials here provide far less information about their work than their counterparts in other states....

Oh, so WE ARE EVEN WORSE than Georgia and Idaho, huh?

Yup, YOU are NUMBER ONE in TYRANNY, Democrapic Massachushitts!

Probation officials say they collect comprehensive data - they say crime by probationers is dropping - but that their statistics are not tallied precisely the way the Justice Department prefers....

“You get the impression that whatever you ask, the first answer is ‘no’ and the second answer is, ‘never,’ ’’ said Lael Chester, executive director of Citizens for Juvenile Justice, an advocacy group, and a member of a state advisory panel that has sought data from probation. “They say, ‘It’s confidential.’ How can the number of kids being arraigned be confidential?’’

Yeah, THAT is Massachusetts Justice!

Longtime Probation Commissioner John J. O’Brien, 52, a career probation official who lives in Quincy, generally avoids publicity, issuing written statements rather than talking to reporters, while working behind the scenes to build alliances with key politicians. For instance, 19 probation employees each donated $100 to the campaign of state Treasurer Tim Cahill at one 2005 event.

Yeah, our TREASURER, of all people, STINKS of CORRUPTION!

Probation officials have also donated thousands of dollars to legislative allies of the department, such as state Representative Thomas Petrolati and state Senator Steven Baddour. Petrolati’s wife helps supervise the electronic monitoring bracelet program overseen by probation. Baddour’s wife is an associate probation officer.

It's called NEPOTISM, Globe.

But recent events have drawn O’Brien - who declined Globe requests for interviews - into an unaccustomed public role....

Meanwhile, the early December indictment of probation clerk Marie Morey on embezzlement charges raised serious questions about the way probation handles money. Morey allegedly stole $2 million over a three-year period from the department office in Lawrence where, prosecutors say, she used bookkeeping tricks to hide her vast theft.

State Auditor Joseph DeNucci had given probation a stark warning about Morey’s “questionable’’ bookkeeping in July 2007. DeNucci’s routine review found that Morey made lots of errors and revised her books six times after the auditor began asking questions. But, according to the indictment against Morey, she continued to steal an average of $12,000 a week for a year and a half after DeNucci’s report....

So WHAT are you PAYING TAXES for, Massachusetts?

I'm starting to think you have WAY TOO MANY LAWS on the BOOKS!!

Just GET 'EM in the SELF-SERVING SYSTEM of TYRANNY, 'eh?

IGNORE the GOVERNMENT LOOTERS because THEY ARE ONE of YOUR OWN, 'eh?

But the Lawrence probation office was only one of 10 that DeNucci has criticized for lax money-handling practices over the past three years, raising questions about whether probation has a much broader vulnerability to theft....

Oh, Lord, NO ONES KNOWS how much has been LOOTED from probation!!

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So when does STATE GOVERNMENT put ITSELF on PROBATION, huh?

And THEY AIN'T the ONLY ONES!

"Patrick targets pension loopholes; Special deals for individuals at issue" by Donovan Slack, Globe Staff | January 26, 2010

Currently, 113 retirees collect more than $183,000 a year, an amount greater than the earnings of 90 percent of Massachusetts households....

How is THAT for a STATE PENSION, huh?

And you wonder why services are being slashed and red ink is bleeding all over the place?

Laws awarded specific retirees 100 percent of their salaries, tax-free for life....

Do YOU get THAT KIND of DEAL, taxpayers?!!!

similar laws have cost taxpayers as much as $125 million per year....

But YOU DIDN'T NEED that $$$ for ANYTHING, taxpayers of Massachusetts.

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"Patrick seeks new curbs in state pensions; Plan would change formula for benefits" by Matt Viser, Globe Staff | January 27, 2010

Governor Deval Patrick proposed new limits yesterday on pension payouts for state employees, seeking to cast himself as a reformer as he heads into what is expected to be an intense reelection campaign....

He's had three f***ing years and he ain't done squat!!!

Patrick estimates the plan would save $2 billion over 30 years, if adopted by the Legislature.

Oh, gees!

Patrick’s proposal, which he is calling “the second phase of pension reform,’’ comes on the heels of a major pension overhaul approved by the Legislature last year following a series of Globe reports....

Which must have been a REAL PIECE of GARBAGE then!

They OBVIOUSLY DIDN'T DO IT RIGHT -- like EVERYTHING this damn government puts its hands on.

Patrick’s budget proposal does not include broad-based taxes, but does rely on several smaller fee and tax changes that generate revenue, according to a State House source briefed on the details....

Yup, MORE TAX INCREASES, Massachusetts!!

Haven't you HAD ENOUGH of THEM!!!!??

Although state tax revenues appear to have stabilized, next fiscal year may include new cuts to programs across state government....

So WHY are you PAYING TAXES AGAIN, Bay-Staters?

The governor makes his new pension proposals after an overhaul last year that eliminated some of the most egregious examples of pension abuses that for decades have allowed a small number of state employees to earn big windfalls.

House Republicans, though supportive of many of the pension changes, questioned the timing of the governor’s proposal yesterday, calling it “empty campaign rhetoric’’ and “nothing more than a lackluster attempt in an election year to convince the electorate that he has actually been governing all these years.’’

Yeah, THAT'S the WAY I SAW IT, too!!!!

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And while we are on pensions, Boston:

"City violates pension law a third time, panel finds" by Andrew Ryan and Donovan Slack, Globe Staff | January 27, 2010

The Menino administration approved a lucrative consulting job for a retired State Police detective who was already earning a sizable public pension, a move that a city watchdog agency says violated state law.

Retired detective lieutenant Brian M. O’Hara was paid nearly $90,000 last year as a fingerprint analyst for the city, even as he collected a $77,000 pension from the state, according to the Boston Finance Commission. His hiring violated a state law that limits the number of hours and the salary that people who are receiving government pensions can earn if they return to the public sector, the commission said.

The Finance Commission’s finding marks the third time in less than a year that the city has been reprimanded for violating the same pension law....

And the Mayor just won an overwhelming reelection, huh?

The CORRUPT ROTS SEEPS into EVERY CORNER of EVERY OFFICE in the STATE, doesn't it?

I'm GLAD you have MONEY to SPARE, taxpayers, for all these BLOATED, SELF-SERVING PENSIONS by YOUR "public servants!"

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Related: The Boston Connection

Also see: My New Year's Eve Party

All sorts of trouble out there, huh?

"Tax hikes, job cuts in Patrick budget; State spending would rise 3%; rivals pounce" by Matt Viser and Michael Levenson, Globe Staff | January 28, 2010

Governor Deval Patrick unveiled yesterday a $28.2 billion budget proposal for the next fiscal year that would increase taxes on tobacco, candy, and soft drinks, trim tax incentives for the film industry, and eliminate hundreds of state jobs.

Why are we EVEN GIVING TAX MONEY to PROFITABLE HOLLYWOOD, huh?

See: Slow Saturday Special: Day at the Movies

The Hollywood Heist of Massachusetts

And your services are being cut?

The budget, which immediately became fodder in the governor’s race, represents a 3 percent increase over estimated spending for the current fiscal year, based on an expected 3.2 percent increase in revenues....

Patrick’s budget plan provides not just a blueprint for next year, but seeks to underscore a central theme of his reelection campaign: fiscal responsibility.

Is he insane?

Who is giving him political advice anyway?

The governor and his aides yesterday portrayed the plan as fiscally sound, touting their stewardship of the budget amid three years of economic volatility....

Pfffft!

THAT is why we WANT YOU OUT!!!

The governor’s proposed budget for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1, is contingent on several things: one-time federal money; revenues keeping pace with projections; and legislative approval of new tax proposals. Patrick also hopes to restructure some of the state’s debt payments, which he says would save $300 million next year by spreading the payments over a longer period....

Yeah, HOW COME the BANKS won't give us a BREAK after all the BILLIONS we gave them?

Patrick’s proposal would also take $175 million from the state’s reserve account....

The STATE is SITTING on MONEY while we BLEED OUT HERE?

The governor also wants to expand the bottle bill, which will raise $20 million by applying a 5-cent recycling deposit to bottled water, as well as coffee-based and sports drinks.

Related: Massachusetts' New Nickel Tax

In addition, Patrick is proposing to pare back two tax incentive programs that have been implemented in recent years, including cutting $25 million available to life sciences companies to $20 million.

Tax credits for film executives, which administration officials expect to be $125 million next year, would also be capped at $50 million.

Un-f***ing-believable!

The move was panned by the state’s film community, which said the program has generated $1 billion in economic activity in the last four years. “This industry is woven into the fabric of our economic landscape right now,’’ said Joe Maiella, president of the Massachusetts Production Coalition. “Any cutbacks in it cuts back on any job creation and jobs growth.’’

What a bunch of LYING LOOTERS!!!!!!!!!!

"Massachusetts only gets 16 cents for every dollar spent on the incentives"

Translation: You are being RIPPED OFF, taxpayers, and would be BETTER OFF if they NEVER CAME HERE!!!

In all, Patrick is proposing nearly $800 million in spending reductions, including a $56 million cut to adult dental care for low-income adults; a $5 million cut in the Quinn Bill program, which pays police officers who seek higher education; a $3.2 million reduction to state parks; and a $9 million cut to job-training programs....

What a failure.

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And about all those taxes:

"Satellite TV firms sue over Mass. tax" by Associated Press | January 27, 2010

DirecTV and Dish Network are challenging a new 5 percent sales tax on satellite television service in Massachusetts. The levy is part of the 2010 budget plan approved by the House and Senate last summer.

Great!

So NOW the state will have to have TAXPAYERS PAY to DEFEND a TAX INCREASE WE DIDN'T WANT!

That is SOOOOO MASSACHUSHITTS, hey!!

Satellite companies said the tax was unwarranted, since it wasn’t also applied to cable TV providers. Yet cable companies have long complained about a 5 percent “franchise fee’’ levied on them but not satellite providers.

The franchise fee, though, is given to cities and towns to compensate for poles and wires cable companies must erect to deliver their service. Satellite companies beam their signal from a satellite directly to a home dish receiver.