Just like the trees around here.
And he is supposed to be a dove.
One war party, two heads.
Here's why he's gone:
"Hudak said he would back Israel if it decided to attack Iran militarily.... Hudak’s race against US Representative John F. Tierney suddenly gained plausibility, following a guilty plea by Tierney’s wife on federal charges of abetting tax fraud"
That's the cover story excuse for Tierney's ejection.
Looks like Massachusetts is going to have TWO Republican congressmen!
"Congressman Tierney’s wife to admit to tax fraud; Plea tied to kin’s gambling case" by Shelley Murphy and Matt Viser, Globe Staff | October 6, 2010
The wife of US Representative John F. Tierney is poised to plead guilty today to federal tax charges for managing a bank account that her brother allegedly used to deposit millions of dollars in illegal gambling profits raked in from an offshore sports betting operation in Antigua.
Patrice Tierney, 59, is charged with four counts of aiding and abetting the filing of false tax returns by her brother, Robert Eremian of St. John’s, Antigua.
The US attorney’s office said she is scheduled to plead guilty this afternoon.
In a lengthy statement last night, the congressman, a Salem Democrat, defended his wife and said she was betrayed by her brother. He said she believed her brother’s earnings were from legitimate business, but is pleading guilty because she acknowledges she should have done more to investigate his activities....
Tierney is in the midst of a reelection campaign, with just four weeks before voters go to the polls. The seven-term congressman has been favored against Republican challenger Bill Hudak, a first-time candidate and Boxford lawyer....
Prosecutors allege that Eremian 57, moved an illegal gambling business from Lynnfield to Antigua in 1996 and deposited profits from his business, Sports Offshore, an Internet gambling site, into an account at Bank of America in Massachusetts.
Patrice Tierney is accused of managing some of Eremian’s “financial and family obligations’’ through the account and mischaracterizing deposits as commissions in documents submitted to her brother’s tax preparer for the years 2004 through 2008.
From 2003 through 2009, prosecutors allege, Eremian funneled more than $7 million in illegal gambling proceeds into the account managed by his sister, while passing himself off as a consultant for Sports Offshore rather than its owner. He allegedly transferred funds from a shell company, Benevolence Funding Ltd., into the Massachusetts account....
Robert Eremian remains a fugitive.
Hmmmm.
In his statement last night, the congressman said that when Robert Eremian left the country in 2002, after pleading guilty to a federal tax evasion charge, he was permitted by the federal court and probation officials to travel abroad to pursue a career selling or licensing software to legal Internet gaming businesses.
What?
Tierney said his wife disagreed with her brother’s decision to leave his family, but “agreed to care for their ailing mother and serve as a de facto second mother’’ to Eremian’s three teenage children....
“While devastated to learn that her brother might have deceived her and so many others, Patrice has acknowledged and agreed that she should have done more to personally investigate the true nature of Mr. Eremian’s business activities in the course of carrying out his requests in paying his children’s household expenses, family medical bills, and his personal bills and taxes from a checking account in which he deposited funds,’’ Tierney said.
Tierney represents the Sixth District, which covers the North Shore and stretches from Saugus to Salisbury, and he has been active on foreign policy issues. He first won office in 1996, defeating Republican congressman Peter Torkildsen, and has won reelection by comfortable margins since.
Tierney and his wife, after dating throughout the 1996 campaign, married the next year, several months after he was sworn into office. It was her second marriage, his first. She has three children from her previous marriage.
It is unclear how the criminal case against his wife will affect his reelection bid.
I think the other thing had something to do with it.
“My guess is it has a modest effect,’’ said Paul Watanabe, a political science professor at the University of Massachusetts Boston. “For the few people in that race who have not decided between Tierney and Hudak, it might give them a little pause about voting for Tierney. However, I don’t see it turning any Tierney supporters away from him. Most voters can in fact separate the activities of family members, including spouses, from them.’’
--more--"
The wife of US Representative John F. Tierney became a convicted felon yesterday, pleading guilty to four counts of aiding and abetting the filing of false tax returns for her brother, a federal fugitive who has been indicted on charges of illegal gambling and money laundering.
A grim-faced Patrice Tierney made the plea in US District Court in Boston yesterday, as the congressman, who faces a reelection challenge in less than four weeks, sat in the front of the courtroom, leaning forward, his head resting on hands held together as if in prayer.
“I take full responsibility for what my part in this was,’’ Patrice Tierney told US District Court Judge William G. Young. Asked by the judge whether she thinks she is guilty of the offenses the government described, she answered in a quiet voice, “I am.’’
US Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz alleged this week that Patrice Tierney helped her brother, Robert Eremian, manage a bank account that collected more than $7 million in illegal gambling profits over seven years. Over that time, prosecutors allege, Patrice Tierney paid bills for his three children and their ailing mother, balanced the account, and provided information to his tax preparer, resulting in false tax filings, prosecutors said.
The charges seemed sudden and potentially damaging to Tierney, a Democrat who has served seven terms and who was not expected to face a serious threat from his Republican challenger, newcomer Bill Hudak.
Then why did the Globe's expert analyst say... awwww, never mind!
Law enforcement officials had been following Patrice Tierney’s brother for years and said he ran a large-scale illegal gambling business in the United States from the early 1980s through the beginning of 2010.
Just WATCHING and LETTING IT GO ON, huh?
Whadda STINK!
State Police raided his Lynnfield office in 1996, leading Eremian to move the business’s headquarters to Antigua, but the business continued underground in Massachusetts, said Assistant US attorney Fred M. Wyshak Jr.
Eremian was convicted in 2002 of tax evasion and money laundering, but persuaded law enforcement and probation officials to let him leave the country the next year to work as a computer consultant to the gaming industry.
Now could YOU or I do that, dear readers?
What a STENCH!
He returned to Antigua and continued to operate his illegal gambling operation from there, prosecutors say. In August, Eremian and another brother, Daniel Eremian, were charged with racketeering, money laundering, operating an illegal gambling business, and filing false tax returns.
Wyshak said the operation initially involved not only the two brothers but also their father, now deceased, and John Chew, Patrice Tierney’s son from a previous marriage.
After Robert Eremian returned to Antigua in 2003, Patrice Tierney began overseeing his Massachusetts affairs. Between 2003 and 2009, prosecutors charge, she handled his bank account, paying all the bills, balancing the books with accounting software, and helping Eremian’s tax preparer with her brother’s tax returns.
Prosecutors are not accusing her of profiting from the arrangement but of “willful blindness’’ to the type of business in which her brother was involved....
Yeah, JUST LIKE the GOVERNMENT that CHARGED HER!
Patrice Tierney, 59, of Salem, wore a tidy blue suit and drop-pearl earrings to court and spoke so softly that she could barely be heard.
A low talker?
She was represented by Donald K. Stern, who served as US attorney in Massachusetts from 1993 to 2001 and who now handles litigation and white-collar crime....
The judge repeatedly warned her of the rights she was waiving with her plea: She could not recant or plead the Fifth Amendment in any ongoing investigation, he warned, and the judge need not agree to the plea deal offered by prosecutors: two years of probation with 90 days home detention, as well as a $2,500 fine and $400 in court costs.
“This is your deal with the government,’’ Young said. “I’m not part of that. I can put you in prison for six months.’’
But Patrice Tierney said she was taking responsibility for her involvement. Asked about her mental condition, she acknowledged being treated for depression and anxiety and taking medications to relieve them.
And a drug addict, too!
But she said she understood the charge against her....
Not too zonked out.
--more--"
But it is putting the reelection bid out:
"Veteran’s campaign hits bump with plea" by Alan Wirzbicki, Globe Staff | October 7, 2010
SALEM — When you are running for reelection, having your wife plead guilty to abetting tax evasion is not the kind of news you want a month before voters go to the polls.
But that is where US Representative John F. Tierney, Democrat of Salem, now finds himself as he campaigns for an eighth term against a controversial but energetic Republican opponent, Bill Hudak.
Even as state Republicans tried to capitalize on Tierney’s troubles yesterday, many voters in the Sixth Congressional District seemed to be reserving judgment about their man in Washington and whether the guilty plea yesterday by his wife, Patrice, would resonate politically. Some voters displayed sympathy for Tierney, while others were highly critical.
So now it is not so damaging?
Patrice Tierney pleaded guilty in US District Court in Boston to managing a bank account that her brother allegedly used to deposit more than $7 million in illegal gambling profits. She will be sentenced in January. John Tierney said that both he and his wife had been betrayed by his wife’s brother and that he had been unaware of the particulars of the account.
That explanation did not satisfy some constituents.
“If that happened right under his nose in his own household, what’s he missing in Washington?’’ said Tom Scioletti, 56, of Marblehead, who was walking to a meeting in Salem yesterday afternoon. “I’m serious.’’
Yeah, here he is scolding Pakistan about corruption!
But David Lettvin, 62, a writer from Hamilton who was checking out a pile of books from the library in Beverly, said Tierney’s wife’s legal troubles would not affect his view of the representative.
“Why should it?’’ he said. “If I were to be held responsible for the stupid things my wife says, I’d be in trouble. So far as I’m concerned, you judge politicians on results.’’
Just the kind of support he needs: a wife-hating sexist!
Gotta love those Massachusetts Democrats!
Hudak, meanwhile, sought political mileage from the episode and challenged Tierney to detail what he knew about the bank account at the heart of the case. “I’d call on him to disclose what he knew and when,’’ said Hudak, a first-time candidate from Boxford who gained notoriety by comparing President Obama to Osama bin Laden and questioning the president’s birthplace. “Seven million dollars is a lot of money to pretend he knew nothing about.’’
Some choice over there.
Hudak was not the only state Republican seeking to draw attention to the plea. On Twitter, Jennifer Nassour, the chairwoman of the Massachusetts GOP, said the incident underscored the ethical problems among congressional Democrats. “I thought [House Speaker] Nancy Pelosi was supposed to ‘clean up the swamp’?’’ she wrote.
Tierney has been seen as one of the safer incumbents in the Massachusetts delegation, and it remains unclear whether the developments of the last two days will have a serious impact on his reelection campaign....
Both candidates continued to campaign yesterday. Hudak toured two Danvers employers, Abiomed and M&H Engineering, while Tierney attended a Chamber of Commerce event with Governor Deval Patrick in the morning and a ribbon- cutting in Lynn for a housing development before spending much of the afternoon with his wife at the courthouse. The two candidates are scheduled to meet in debates today and again next week.
In interviews with voters across the rain-swept Sixth District yesterday, it was apparent that despite a tough political environment for Democrats and yesterday’s developments, Tierney retained a reservoir of good will among voters.
At a Gloucester supermarket, Joan Ross Cummiskey, 78, a retired nurse, said that she saw Tierney several times a year in the district or during her visits to Washington and had been impressed. “I love him,’’ she said. “He responds very well to all my letters.’’
Pfft!
Patrice Tierney’s plea was troubling, Cummiskey said, but did not change her mind. “I think it’s very unfortunate,’’ she said. “But people make mistakes, and I’m glad she owned up to them.’’
--more--"
US Representative John F. Tierney’s elderly mother-in-law donated $4,800 to his campaign account at the same time that she was receiving money from a bank account that was allegedly funded with illegal gambling money her son made from an offshore sports betting operation....
Oh, so he was KICKING BACK CAMPAIGN LOOT!
John Tierney said through a spokeswoman yesterday that the contributions to his campaign came directly from Mary Eremian and that he never received any money from Robert Eremian’s account....
Boston attorney Donald K. Stern, who represents Patrice Tierney, would not disclose how much money Patrice Tierney provided to her mother from the Bank of America account in Massachusetts funded by her brother.
“It’s an ongoing case,’’ he said. “Patrice Tierney has not been sentenced, and I don’t think it’s appropriate to get into that kind of detail.’’
Mary Eremian is on Social Security, has a small pension from her late husband, and obtained a small inheritance from two of her brothers who have died, according to Prael, but she was unable to provide additional details about Eremian’s annual income....
Mary Eremian and Patrice Tierney’s son from another marriage, John Chew, both live in a Lynnfield home owned by Robert Eremian. Prosecutors are seeking to seize the property as part of the illegal gambling case....
Government and banks want to seize everything that isn't nailed down, huh?
--more--"
Also see: Globe Editorial Tierney should publicly answer questions on his wife’s crimes
Well, if the Globe is out to get you (and we know why)....
"Tierney, Hudak spar about tax crimes, tax cuts, and Obama" by Alan Wirzbicki, Globe Staff | October 15, 2010
BEVERLY — In the first lengthy public debate since his wife pleaded guilty to federal tax crimes last week, US Representative John F. Tierney defended his record last night and blasted his rival for raising the issue.
Republican nominee Bill Hudak, whose campaign had appeared to be sagging before the disclosures, said Tierney should have known about the $7 million account funded by illegal gambling profits overseas that his wife, Patrice Tierney, admitted to managing for her brother, a fugitive who has been indicted on charges of illegal gambling and money laundering.
“You’re in office and engaged in a massive laundering scheme, and you’re looking the other way,’’ said Hudak, a Boxford lawyer.
“I knew of no wrongdoing,’’ Tierney said, accusing Hudak of misstating the facts in the case, in which the seven-term Democratic congressman from Salem has not been charged with any crime.
The exchange was perhaps the most dramatic moment of a raucous debate in a former school auditorium in Beverly at the heart of the Sixth Congressional District, which includes most of Essex County. Supporters of both candidates lined the street outside waving signs, and inside repeatedly interrupted the candidates with jeering and applause. A loud argument broke out among audience members when Hudak raised the issue of Tierney’s wife, temporarily delaying the debate.
But Hudak was also put on the defensive with questions about a lawn sign he put up in 2008 likening President Obama to Osama bin Laden, and statements to a reporter to look into whether Obama was actually born in the United States.
Hudak said he had been misquoted and attacked the news media for linking him to so-called birthers, who believe Obama was born in Kenya.
“Never once did I say he was not the lawful president, that he was not born here,’’ Hudak said. As for the sign, he accused Tierney of attacking the First Amendment by criticizing it.
“It was a satire and a poor one,’’ Hudak said. “That was a very simple exercise of my First Amendment rights.’’
Tierney responded that nobody was questioning Hudak’s right to put up the sign, but the decision to do so.
“What they’re questioning is the maturity, temperament, and judgment in doing that,’’ he said.
Standing behind lecterns in front of a red curtain, the candidates also traded jabs on taxes, Social Security, immigration, abortion, and gay marriage in the hourlong debate sponsored by the Jewish Journal and the Salem News.
Yeah, they control the politics and the papers here in AmeriKa.
There is no more denying it.
"We in Congress stand by Israel," the leader of the House, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., assured Netanyahu at an all-smiles appearance before the cameras. "In Congress we speak with one voice on the subject of Israel."
They even admit it.
Hudak said he would back Israel if it decided to attack Iran militarily to stop Tehran from building a nuclear weapon.
“I would stand behind her absolutely 100 percent,’’ said Hudak, who also appeared to disparage the US intelligence service assessment of Iran.
They should be disparaged for all the lies they told.
Tierney said he did not want to speculate on possible military action, but he did defend the American intelligence community....
Then he is OUT, folks!
Read it here first!
--more--"
Update: Hudak pulls suit against Tierney
Monday, November 1, 2010
Tea Party in the Tenth
"Poll suggests contest is a dead heat, with few left undecided" by Alan Wirzbicki, Globe Staff | October 18, 2010
The race in the closely watched Massachusetts 10th Congressional District is a virtual dead heat, according to a new poll that gives a slight advantage to the Democrat, Norfolk District Attorney William R. Keating, as the candidates head into the final two weeks of campaigning.
Keating garnered 46 percent in the poll compared with 43 percent for Republican Jeffrey D. Perry, a state representative from Sandwich, according to the survey by WGBH. But the poll also contains some warning signs for the Democrat: For example, if respondents who are only leaning to a candidate are left out, Perry has a slight lead, 41 percent to 40 percent....
Though Keating leads overall, he is narrowly trailing among unenrolled voters, and his supporters are somewhat less committed to vote for him than Perry’s are to support the Republican....
You know, the ONES WHO DECIDE ELECTIONS 'round here!
--more--"
"Democrats hold edge in two key House contests; But lead slim in 10th; GOP finds new vigor" by Alan Wirzbicki, Globe Staff | October 25, 2010
In the race for the open seat in the neighboring 10th District, Norfolk District Attorney William R. Keating leads state Representative Jeffrey D. Perry by 4 percentage points, within that survey’s margin of error....
Supporters of the Republican nominee say they are more excited about the election, which often correlates to higher turnout on Election Day, said Andrew E. Smith, the director of the University of New Hampshire Survey Center. The center conducted the poll for the Globe.
Among those who say they are excited about Nov. 2, Perry has a double-digit lead, the polls indicate.
“There’s more enthusiasm on the part of all Republican voters,’’ Smith said. A Globe poll on the gubernatorial race released yesterday found a similar enthusiasm gap between Republicans and Democrats.
Among likely voters in the district, Keating leads Perry, 37 percent to 33 percent, the polls found....
The 10th District, which includes Cape Cod and the South Shore, gave Scott Brown’s surprise victory his greatest margin of victory in the state, and has been considered the best opportunity for a Republican pickup, especially after seven-term incumbent William D. Delahunt announced he would retire.
According to the Globe’s poll in the 10th, an unusually large number of voters remain undecided, with 23 percent indicating no preference. (Two independent candidates in the race together won the support of 5 percent of respondents.)
The UNENROLLED that USUALLY DECIDE ELECTIONS!
Independents, typically the bloc of voters that decides Massachusetts elections, are roughly split between Keating and Perry, the poll shows.
In follow-up interviews, several poll respondents said they were voting for Perry out of frustration with the Obama administration....
Patricia Hess of Brewster, an adjunct professor at UMass Dartmouth, said she was opposed to both Perry and his policies.
“I don’t like the history he’s had with being present when a strip search was being conducted, I don’t like the attitude of ‘just say no’ and obstructionist politics, and I guess I basically don’t like his belief that, lower the taxes and everything will be just fine,’’ she said, adding that she would vote for Keating despite disagreeing with his support for Cape Wind.
But you will vote YES on ONE, right?
Globe is being obstructionist!
Related: Perry Puts on the Red Light
Also see: Strip-search victim criticizes Perry
Smear 'em with whatever you can, Globe.
--more--"
"Keating and Perry turn up the heat; Locked in tight race, candidates reach out to undecided voters" by Alan Wirzbicki and Travis Andersen, Globe Staff | October 31, 2010
QUINCY — “The reports of the death of the Democratic Party are premature,’’ Vice President Joe Biden said in a half-hour speech in Quincy. “We are going to maintain the Senate, we are going to have a majority in the House, and Bill Keating is going to be part of that majority.’’
So the elections have been rigged, 'eh?
*********
Not every speaker seemed to share Biden’s upbeat predictions for Tuesday....
--more--"
Any THIRD PARTY available?
"Diehards ignore 10th District polls; Backers of long shots see hope in undecided voters" by David Filipov, Globe Staff | November 1, 2010
BARNSTABLE — They are the diehards....
So close to Election Day and so far behind in the polls, they are sticking it out, handing out fliers, shaking hands, and waving at endless passersby. They are steadfast in their belief that democracy makes any outcome possible, especially in Massachusetts, where the same Globe poll that showed their candidates behind....
Some of independent Joe van Nes's ideas might seem exotic to many Americans — he wants to legalize industrial hemp, put surgeon general’s warnings on the doors of fast food restaurants, and provide tax rebates for energy conservation that increase as one’s energy use decreases. But he says the words next to his name on the ballot — he is listed as the “Bring Home Troops’’ candidate — will attract voters....
It would me!
--more--"
Related: Globe Finally Discovers Voter Discontent
Globe on the campaign trail: Extremes make 10th District a daunting race
Keating running on long career in public office
Perry’s path to politics was long, winding
Former boss now backs Perry
Keating contradicts previous stimulus support
The race in the closely watched Massachusetts 10th Congressional District is a virtual dead heat, according to a new poll that gives a slight advantage to the Democrat, Norfolk District Attorney William R. Keating, as the candidates head into the final two weeks of campaigning.
Keating garnered 46 percent in the poll compared with 43 percent for Republican Jeffrey D. Perry, a state representative from Sandwich, according to the survey by WGBH. But the poll also contains some warning signs for the Democrat: For example, if respondents who are only leaning to a candidate are left out, Perry has a slight lead, 41 percent to 40 percent....
Though Keating leads overall, he is narrowly trailing among unenrolled voters, and his supporters are somewhat less committed to vote for him than Perry’s are to support the Republican....
You know, the ONES WHO DECIDE ELECTIONS 'round here!
--more--"
"Democrats hold edge in two key House contests; But lead slim in 10th; GOP finds new vigor" by Alan Wirzbicki, Globe Staff | October 25, 2010
In the race for the open seat in the neighboring 10th District, Norfolk District Attorney William R. Keating leads state Representative Jeffrey D. Perry by 4 percentage points, within that survey’s margin of error....
Supporters of the Republican nominee say they are more excited about the election, which often correlates to higher turnout on Election Day, said Andrew E. Smith, the director of the University of New Hampshire Survey Center. The center conducted the poll for the Globe.
Among those who say they are excited about Nov. 2, Perry has a double-digit lead, the polls indicate.
“There’s more enthusiasm on the part of all Republican voters,’’ Smith said. A Globe poll on the gubernatorial race released yesterday found a similar enthusiasm gap between Republicans and Democrats.
Among likely voters in the district, Keating leads Perry, 37 percent to 33 percent, the polls found....
The 10th District, which includes Cape Cod and the South Shore, gave Scott Brown’s surprise victory his greatest margin of victory in the state, and has been considered the best opportunity for a Republican pickup, especially after seven-term incumbent William D. Delahunt announced he would retire.
According to the Globe’s poll in the 10th, an unusually large number of voters remain undecided, with 23 percent indicating no preference. (Two independent candidates in the race together won the support of 5 percent of respondents.)
The UNENROLLED that USUALLY DECIDE ELECTIONS!
Independents, typically the bloc of voters that decides Massachusetts elections, are roughly split between Keating and Perry, the poll shows.
In follow-up interviews, several poll respondents said they were voting for Perry out of frustration with the Obama administration....
Patricia Hess of Brewster, an adjunct professor at UMass Dartmouth, said she was opposed to both Perry and his policies.
“I don’t like the history he’s had with being present when a strip search was being conducted, I don’t like the attitude of ‘just say no’ and obstructionist politics, and I guess I basically don’t like his belief that, lower the taxes and everything will be just fine,’’ she said, adding that she would vote for Keating despite disagreeing with his support for Cape Wind.
But you will vote YES on ONE, right?
Globe is being obstructionist!
Related: Perry Puts on the Red Light
Also see: Strip-search victim criticizes Perry
Smear 'em with whatever you can, Globe.
--more--"
"Keating and Perry turn up the heat; Locked in tight race, candidates reach out to undecided voters" by Alan Wirzbicki and Travis Andersen, Globe Staff | October 31, 2010
QUINCY — “The reports of the death of the Democratic Party are premature,’’ Vice President Joe Biden said in a half-hour speech in Quincy. “We are going to maintain the Senate, we are going to have a majority in the House, and Bill Keating is going to be part of that majority.’’
So the elections have been rigged, 'eh?
*********
Not every speaker seemed to share Biden’s upbeat predictions for Tuesday....
--more--"
Any THIRD PARTY available?
"Diehards ignore 10th District polls; Backers of long shots see hope in undecided voters" by David Filipov, Globe Staff | November 1, 2010
BARNSTABLE — They are the diehards....
So close to Election Day and so far behind in the polls, they are sticking it out, handing out fliers, shaking hands, and waving at endless passersby. They are steadfast in their belief that democracy makes any outcome possible, especially in Massachusetts, where the same Globe poll that showed their candidates behind....
Some of independent Joe van Nes's ideas might seem exotic to many Americans — he wants to legalize industrial hemp, put surgeon general’s warnings on the doors of fast food restaurants, and provide tax rebates for energy conservation that increase as one’s energy use decreases. But he says the words next to his name on the ballot — he is listed as the “Bring Home Troops’’ candidate — will attract voters....
It would me!
--more--"
Related: Globe Finally Discovers Voter Discontent
Globe on the campaign trail: Extremes make 10th District a daunting race
Keating running on long career in public office
Perry’s path to politics was long, winding
Former boss now backs Perry
Keating contradicts previous stimulus support
Taxing Questions From the Boston Globe
Not that the legislature will listen.
"the Legislature could amend or repeal the new law, as they have done with prior initiatives passed by the voters"
"Voter initiatives target two taxes; Voters could reduce sales, alcohol levies" by Peter Schworm, Globe Staff | October 27, 2010
With jobs scarce and many families just scraping by, taxes have taken center stage this political season. In Tuesday’s election, Massachusetts voters will have two opportunities to lower them.
Yes, yes, and by God, yes!!!
Two ballot questions are aimed at sales tax increases adopted last year as the state struggled to meet budget demands.
Related: Massachusetts Sales Tax Swindle
See where your increased taxes is going (and not going), readers?
Keep those in mind as you read further.
The most far reaching, Question 3, would reduce the state’s sales tax from 6.25 percent to 3 percent.
Supporters say it would give cash-strapped households some financial breathing room, and jump-start struggling businesses. Lawmakers had raised the sales tax from 5 percent to 6.25 percent last summer to avoid steep budget cuts amid plummeting revenues.
And to PAY OFF BANKS first and foremost!
Opponents, including a number of business groups, say the tax cut would decimate government revenues, deepen the state’s projected budget deficit, and force communities to lay off police officers, firefighters, and public school teachers. State finance officials say it would reduce tax revenue by an estimated $2.5 billion next fiscal year.
You sold the sales tax increase that way and we still got the cuts. I'm tired of little boy hollering wolf.
“This is exactly the wrong time to do this,’’ said Stephen Crawford, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Coalition for Our Communities, a coalition of labor unions and other opponents of the ballot initiative. “Every major business group in the state says the same thing: It’s bad for our economy; it’s bad for our recovery.’’
What recovery? Yeah, these are the guys spending millions on the TV ads to protect their feathered nests.
Crawford said the reduced tax revenue would undermine state subsidies to cities and towns that have already scaled back spending.
The Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, a tax policy research group, estimates that approving Question 3 would result in 28 percent budget cuts to “virtually all state programs’’ and the layoff of thousands of municipal employees.
Fine, as long as they cut the bloated pensions and health plans of the self-serving politicians, and stop all the corporate welfare to profitable Hollywood and loser green and bio tech.
On the other side of the debate, The Beacon Hill Institute, a conservative think tank at Suffolk University, says that cutting the tax rate would provide a boost to retail businesses that would create some 27,000 jobs and $1 billion in higher wages.
“Yes on 3 is a job-creating machine,’’ said Carla Howell, chairwoman of the Alliance To Roll Back Taxes, which collected 19,000 signatures to put the measure on the ballot. “It will be a huge boost to retail business.’’
Yeah, LOWER TAXES USUALLY ARE!
The tax cut would save the average family $900 a year, said Howell. State leaders can offset the lost revenue by reducing wasteful and low-priority spending, she said, and will not reduce spending unless voters force them to.
She is RIGHT about THAT!
Voters appear divided over the question, eager to pay less for everyday items but worried about the impact on schools, public safety, and other government services. In the most recent Boston Globe poll, half of likely voters said they oppose the proposal, while 43 percent support it.
Then damn you, Massachusetts voters. Damn you all to hell!!!
The other tax initiative, Question 1, would eliminate a sales tax on beer, wine, and liquor.
I would like to eliminate the product, but....
Liquor store owners say that since the tax was imposed as part of the fiscal 2010 budget they have lost business to New Hampshire, which has no sales tax on alcohol.
Yeah, the most prolific ad of the campaign season.
P.J. Foster, a spokesman for the Yes on One Committee, said Massachusetts stores near the New Hampshire border report sharp declines in sales, forcing some to lay off workers. Alcoholic beverages are already subject to an excise tax, supporters note.
Related: Slow Saturday Special: Nawth to New Hampshire
Also see: Mass. Lawmaker Boozes Up On Bathroom Break in New Hampshire
What a bunch of hypocrites, huh?
Many customers are delaying bulk purchases until they visit New Hampshire, Foster said, costing Massachusetts stores significant business.
I think Massachusetts has an alcohol problem.
Jim McManus, a spokesman for the statewide campaign against Question 1, said alcohol “does not deserve a special tax break’’ and that all 45 states that levy sales taxes extend them to beer, wine, and liquor.
McManus said alcohol sales in Massachusetts remain strong and New Hampshire sales have not surged....
Not like he would have any self-serving interest to lie or anything.
Exempting alcohol from the tax would eliminate an estimated $110 million in revenue, according to the state Department of Revenue.
And then the sky will cave in.
The recent Globe poll indicated that 52 percent opposed the tax cut, with 37 percent in favor.
I'm feeling like I need a drink (and I don't even drink).
Not that I believe any agenda-pushing Globe poll after they picked Mart Coakley by double-digits on election day.
All three ballot measures are binding, meaning they will become law if approved.
Yeah, unless....
Also see: I Made Forbes Magazine
And they will do it again in our liberal, one-party liberal fascist state.
They would all take effect Jan. 1.
--more--"
So don't get your hopes, taxpayers:
"Question stirs hope for some extra cash
MALDEN — Kayliegh Souza, 21, said her husband works for a moving company. Their rent is $1,500 a month. They do not own a car. There is little left in the family budget after paying for food, diapers, and other necessities.
Souza said she is having trouble finding work.
In Massachusetts during the better-than-the-nation recovery that has been allegedly going on for a year?
A bit of extra cash would help, she said. “That would be better than giving it to the state for nothing,’’ she said.
I wholeheartedly believe that now. I've seen where the money goes.
Paul Frazer owns a jewelry store on Pleasant Street, the city’s main commercial area. He, too, plans to vote yes on Question 3, which would roll back the sales tax rate from 6.25 percent to 3 percent.
Well, maybe.
Frazer said as a small businessman he is being squeezed....
Also see: The Massachusetts Model: Small Business Squeeze
Your next, America -- thanks to Obama's health plan.
Maybe not; looks like you will be sending your taxes straight to the insurance companies.
“I think it would definitely help the overall economy for people to have an extra few hundred dollars to spend,’’ Frazer said.
Exactly how a sales tax cut would affect the economy is a point of contention among economists and others....
Related: Sales tax cut would create 27,199 jobs, study says
--more--"
Also see: Financial watchdog cites $43m loss to city
Yes, the money is better off spent on illegal immigrants, taxpayers:
"Malden would feel pinch if state sales tax takes a cut" by Sean P. Murphy, Globe Staff | October 23, 2010
MALDEN — It is cities like this — with a modest local tax base, a strong dependence on state aid, and little room for error — that could be hit hardest if voters approve a ballot question rolling back that tax from 6.25 percent to 3 percent.
Not that the Globe is pushing an agenda or anything.
While legislators and the governor would determine how exactly to make up for the approximately $2.5 billion in lost revenue that could result if Question 3 were approved, it would be all but impossible to accomplish without dipping into the pot of money that is now sent to cities and towns each year for things like police, fire, and public works.
The state budget is about $32 billion, but almost half of that is untouchable — debt payments, medical care of the poor, and state pensions — or politically off-limits — like the $3.2 billion set aside for public education.
Yeah, we KNOW WHO is FIRST in the TAX LOOT LINE!
That leaves less than $17 billion to absorb budget cuts. And the cuts would have to be deep, potentially 15 percent across the board, in human services, the state payroll, and, of course, local aid....
But the BANKS GET THEIR CUT after DECEIVING US ALL!
The sales tax rollback, driven onto the Nov. 2 ballot by libertarian activist Carla Howell, appears to have struck a chord in the current antigovernment climate, with 46 percent of likely voters supporting it in a Globe poll last month, despite the unquestionable havoc it could wreak on the state budget....
Have you had enough agenda-pushing BS yet?
Malden, on the northern rim of Boston, is a densely populated city of about 55,000, many of them immigrants.
Related: Mass. Migration: Making Money
Mass. Migration: Mixed Messages
The Massachusetts Model: Municipal Health Mess
One measure of Malden’s diversity is that 40 percent of its public school students do not speak English as their first language, according to state data.
Yeah, that's great news.
See: Boston Globe Summer School: Teachers Do Not Understand the Language
Boston Globe School Daze: Kids in Charge of Boston Classrooms
Being a sanctuary city and state is such a good thing, taxpayers!
Almost 60 percent of Malden’s students qualify for free or reduced-price lunches.
Crime has recently become a prime focus here, following a spate of gun violence that has left fearful residents demanding answers and more support from City Hall....
What a bunch of wimps AmeriKa has become.
At the same time, city costs are rising. Most of the employee unions won a phased-in pay raise of 3 percent this year, at a cost of about $750,000....
You know, the "PUBLIC SERVANTS!"
A much larger cost increase was health care insurance, which rose about $2.5 million this year.
For YOUR PUBLIC SERVANTS and their GENEROUS, TAXPAYER-FUNDED PLANS!
Also see: Towns to Pay Health Tax For Public Servants
Yeah, you will also have to pick that up, taxpayers.
Plus, there were increases in other “nondiscretionary’’ costs, such as debt, pensions, and utilities that helped create a $10 million deficit earlier this year.
Once again GOVERNMENT is SUCKING UP that TAX LOOT!
This is why SERVICES must be SLASHED!
To deal with it, the city raised property taxes by the maximum allowable under Proposition 2 1/2: 2.5 percent, or about $1.5 million.
Oh, yeah, and WHY YOUR TAXES are RAISED!
How much longer are you willing to BUY the PRO-TAX, AGENDA-PUSHING CROWDS SELF-INTERESTED AGENDA, Massachusetts voters?
To increase property taxes any more than that would have required an override, which has never been attempted in Malden and rarely occurs in urban municipalities.
That is why we always vote no.
The city could collect more in property taxes if its tax base were expanded. But because of the recession, two large new residential and commercial development projects have been put on hold.
We have been told by the Globe we have been in a better-than-average recovery for a year.
See why I get sick of the self-serving lies of the newspaper?
To find more money, Mayor Richard Howard and most of the unions negotiated a substantial shift in health care costs, requiring employees, retirees and elected officials to pick up a greater share of the cost.
Like pulling teeth with 'em.
City officials say the health care changes saved the city another $1.5 million.
Layoffs of police and firefighters became necessary when the unions representing those workers declined to sign on to the health care insurance changes, Howard said.
Then don't expect any sympathy.
Ten firefighters and four police officers were let go, and six unfilled police positions eliminated. Together, the savings to the city due to layoffs was about $1.5 million.
The city also withdrew $2 million from the trust fund established to pay health care claims and used it to help balance the budget. That money was deemed surplus, a cushion of sorts, but if the city is hit with unusually large medical claims during the year, it may have trouble finding the cash to pay them.
Hey, they will just CUT SERVICES and RAISE TAXES again!
Are these REALLY the people who should be TRUSTED with YOUR MONEY, taxpayers?
Another fund, this one set up to pay tax abatements if the city loses appeals filed by taxpayers, was hit up for $3 million, with the city assuming the same kind of risk.
they are SITTING on MONEY all over the place while SCREAMING DEFICITS, huh?
Tired of the SHELL GAME YET!!
The city realized a $1.4 million saving by going to a fee-based trash pickup system.
Yes, now a TAX INCREASE is all of a sudden a SAVING!
That's SICK, readers!
Talk about ONE-SIDED BIAS!
And finally, the trustees of the city cemetery were told to use $230,000 in cemetery trust money, instead of city money, for maintenance, and the trustees of the library were forced to dig into their trust fund for $130,000.
So HOW MANY PILES of MONEY are they SITTING ON, and WHY WOULD YOU TRUST these people to look after your money?
“Anyone who thinks we’re hiding piles of money is mistaken,’’ said Dominic Fermano, the city finance director.
No, they just keep COMING UP with TRUST FUND dough!
Robert Miller, the leader of a group of residents who monitor city finances, is a little skeptical of predictions of doom and disaster.
Yeah, but WHO EVER LISTENS to THEM!?
Certainly not the Globe judging by the amount of ink they gave him.
“We want them to open the books so we can take a look,’’ he said.....
What?
You mean TAXPAYERS CAN NOT SEE where THEIR MONEY is going in SELF-RIGHTEOUS Massachusetts?
--more--"
Globe tells you how to vote. Whatever they say, do the opposite.
Globe Editorial A no vote on Question 1 helps more than just alcohol addicts
Globe Editorial Vote no on 3 — Beacon Hill needs reforms, not stunts
Then it is YES, YES, folks!
Also see: So How Did I Do, Boston Globe?
What is with the NO, NO, NO, Globe?
If you guys were Republicans you would be hollering obstruction!
"the Legislature could amend or repeal the new law, as they have done with prior initiatives passed by the voters"
"Voter initiatives target two taxes; Voters could reduce sales, alcohol levies" by Peter Schworm, Globe Staff | October 27, 2010
With jobs scarce and many families just scraping by, taxes have taken center stage this political season. In Tuesday’s election, Massachusetts voters will have two opportunities to lower them.
Yes, yes, and by God, yes!!!
Two ballot questions are aimed at sales tax increases adopted last year as the state struggled to meet budget demands.
Related: Massachusetts Sales Tax Swindle
See where your increased taxes is going (and not going), readers?
Keep those in mind as you read further.
The most far reaching, Question 3, would reduce the state’s sales tax from 6.25 percent to 3 percent.
Supporters say it would give cash-strapped households some financial breathing room, and jump-start struggling businesses. Lawmakers had raised the sales tax from 5 percent to 6.25 percent last summer to avoid steep budget cuts amid plummeting revenues.
And to PAY OFF BANKS first and foremost!
Opponents, including a number of business groups, say the tax cut would decimate government revenues, deepen the state’s projected budget deficit, and force communities to lay off police officers, firefighters, and public school teachers. State finance officials say it would reduce tax revenue by an estimated $2.5 billion next fiscal year.
You sold the sales tax increase that way and we still got the cuts. I'm tired of little boy hollering wolf.
“This is exactly the wrong time to do this,’’ said Stephen Crawford, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Coalition for Our Communities, a coalition of labor unions and other opponents of the ballot initiative. “Every major business group in the state says the same thing: It’s bad for our economy; it’s bad for our recovery.’’
What recovery? Yeah, these are the guys spending millions on the TV ads to protect their feathered nests.
Crawford said the reduced tax revenue would undermine state subsidies to cities and towns that have already scaled back spending.
The Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, a tax policy research group, estimates that approving Question 3 would result in 28 percent budget cuts to “virtually all state programs’’ and the layoff of thousands of municipal employees.
Fine, as long as they cut the bloated pensions and health plans of the self-serving politicians, and stop all the corporate welfare to profitable Hollywood and loser green and bio tech.
On the other side of the debate, The Beacon Hill Institute, a conservative think tank at Suffolk University, says that cutting the tax rate would provide a boost to retail businesses that would create some 27,000 jobs and $1 billion in higher wages.
“Yes on 3 is a job-creating machine,’’ said Carla Howell, chairwoman of the Alliance To Roll Back Taxes, which collected 19,000 signatures to put the measure on the ballot. “It will be a huge boost to retail business.’’
Yeah, LOWER TAXES USUALLY ARE!
The tax cut would save the average family $900 a year, said Howell. State leaders can offset the lost revenue by reducing wasteful and low-priority spending, she said, and will not reduce spending unless voters force them to.
She is RIGHT about THAT!
Voters appear divided over the question, eager to pay less for everyday items but worried about the impact on schools, public safety, and other government services. In the most recent Boston Globe poll, half of likely voters said they oppose the proposal, while 43 percent support it.
Then damn you, Massachusetts voters. Damn you all to hell!!!
The other tax initiative, Question 1, would eliminate a sales tax on beer, wine, and liquor.
I would like to eliminate the product, but....
Liquor store owners say that since the tax was imposed as part of the fiscal 2010 budget they have lost business to New Hampshire, which has no sales tax on alcohol.
Yeah, the most prolific ad of the campaign season.
P.J. Foster, a spokesman for the Yes on One Committee, said Massachusetts stores near the New Hampshire border report sharp declines in sales, forcing some to lay off workers. Alcoholic beverages are already subject to an excise tax, supporters note.
Related: Slow Saturday Special: Nawth to New Hampshire
Also see: Mass. Lawmaker Boozes Up On Bathroom Break in New Hampshire
What a bunch of hypocrites, huh?
Many customers are delaying bulk purchases until they visit New Hampshire, Foster said, costing Massachusetts stores significant business.
I think Massachusetts has an alcohol problem.
Jim McManus, a spokesman for the statewide campaign against Question 1, said alcohol “does not deserve a special tax break’’ and that all 45 states that levy sales taxes extend them to beer, wine, and liquor.
McManus said alcohol sales in Massachusetts remain strong and New Hampshire sales have not surged....
Not like he would have any self-serving interest to lie or anything.
Exempting alcohol from the tax would eliminate an estimated $110 million in revenue, according to the state Department of Revenue.
And then the sky will cave in.
The recent Globe poll indicated that 52 percent opposed the tax cut, with 37 percent in favor.
I'm feeling like I need a drink (and I don't even drink).
Not that I believe any agenda-pushing Globe poll after they picked Mart Coakley by double-digits on election day.
All three ballot measures are binding, meaning they will become law if approved.
Yeah, unless....
Also see: I Made Forbes Magazine
And they will do it again in our liberal, one-party liberal fascist state.
They would all take effect Jan. 1.
--more--"
So don't get your hopes, taxpayers:
"Question stirs hope for some extra cash
MALDEN — Kayliegh Souza, 21, said her husband works for a moving company. Their rent is $1,500 a month. They do not own a car. There is little left in the family budget after paying for food, diapers, and other necessities.
Souza said she is having trouble finding work.
In Massachusetts during the better-than-the-nation recovery that has been allegedly going on for a year?
A bit of extra cash would help, she said. “That would be better than giving it to the state for nothing,’’ she said.
I wholeheartedly believe that now. I've seen where the money goes.
Paul Frazer owns a jewelry store on Pleasant Street, the city’s main commercial area. He, too, plans to vote yes on Question 3, which would roll back the sales tax rate from 6.25 percent to 3 percent.
Well, maybe.
Frazer said as a small businessman he is being squeezed....
Also see: The Massachusetts Model: Small Business Squeeze
Your next, America -- thanks to Obama's health plan.
Maybe not; looks like you will be sending your taxes straight to the insurance companies.
“I think it would definitely help the overall economy for people to have an extra few hundred dollars to spend,’’ Frazer said.
Exactly how a sales tax cut would affect the economy is a point of contention among economists and others....
Related: Sales tax cut would create 27,199 jobs, study says
--more--"
Also see: Financial watchdog cites $43m loss to city
Yes, the money is better off spent on illegal immigrants, taxpayers:
"Malden would feel pinch if state sales tax takes a cut" by Sean P. Murphy, Globe Staff | October 23, 2010
MALDEN — It is cities like this — with a modest local tax base, a strong dependence on state aid, and little room for error — that could be hit hardest if voters approve a ballot question rolling back that tax from 6.25 percent to 3 percent.
Not that the Globe is pushing an agenda or anything.
While legislators and the governor would determine how exactly to make up for the approximately $2.5 billion in lost revenue that could result if Question 3 were approved, it would be all but impossible to accomplish without dipping into the pot of money that is now sent to cities and towns each year for things like police, fire, and public works.
The state budget is about $32 billion, but almost half of that is untouchable — debt payments, medical care of the poor, and state pensions — or politically off-limits — like the $3.2 billion set aside for public education.
Yeah, we KNOW WHO is FIRST in the TAX LOOT LINE!
That leaves less than $17 billion to absorb budget cuts. And the cuts would have to be deep, potentially 15 percent across the board, in human services, the state payroll, and, of course, local aid....
But the BANKS GET THEIR CUT after DECEIVING US ALL!
The sales tax rollback, driven onto the Nov. 2 ballot by libertarian activist Carla Howell, appears to have struck a chord in the current antigovernment climate, with 46 percent of likely voters supporting it in a Globe poll last month, despite the unquestionable havoc it could wreak on the state budget....
Have you had enough agenda-pushing BS yet?
Malden, on the northern rim of Boston, is a densely populated city of about 55,000, many of them immigrants.
Related: Mass. Migration: Making Money
Mass. Migration: Mixed Messages
The Massachusetts Model: Municipal Health Mess
One measure of Malden’s diversity is that 40 percent of its public school students do not speak English as their first language, according to state data.
Yeah, that's great news.
See: Boston Globe Summer School: Teachers Do Not Understand the Language
Boston Globe School Daze: Kids in Charge of Boston Classrooms
Being a sanctuary city and state is such a good thing, taxpayers!
Almost 60 percent of Malden’s students qualify for free or reduced-price lunches.
Crime has recently become a prime focus here, following a spate of gun violence that has left fearful residents demanding answers and more support from City Hall....
What a bunch of wimps AmeriKa has become.
At the same time, city costs are rising. Most of the employee unions won a phased-in pay raise of 3 percent this year, at a cost of about $750,000....
You know, the "PUBLIC SERVANTS!"
A much larger cost increase was health care insurance, which rose about $2.5 million this year.
For YOUR PUBLIC SERVANTS and their GENEROUS, TAXPAYER-FUNDED PLANS!
Also see: Towns to Pay Health Tax For Public Servants
Yeah, you will also have to pick that up, taxpayers.
Plus, there were increases in other “nondiscretionary’’ costs, such as debt, pensions, and utilities that helped create a $10 million deficit earlier this year.
Once again GOVERNMENT is SUCKING UP that TAX LOOT!
This is why SERVICES must be SLASHED!
To deal with it, the city raised property taxes by the maximum allowable under Proposition 2 1/2: 2.5 percent, or about $1.5 million.
Oh, yeah, and WHY YOUR TAXES are RAISED!
How much longer are you willing to BUY the PRO-TAX, AGENDA-PUSHING CROWDS SELF-INTERESTED AGENDA, Massachusetts voters?
To increase property taxes any more than that would have required an override, which has never been attempted in Malden and rarely occurs in urban municipalities.
That is why we always vote no.
The city could collect more in property taxes if its tax base were expanded. But because of the recession, two large new residential and commercial development projects have been put on hold.
We have been told by the Globe we have been in a better-than-average recovery for a year.
See why I get sick of the self-serving lies of the newspaper?
To find more money, Mayor Richard Howard and most of the unions negotiated a substantial shift in health care costs, requiring employees, retirees and elected officials to pick up a greater share of the cost.
Like pulling teeth with 'em.
City officials say the health care changes saved the city another $1.5 million.
Layoffs of police and firefighters became necessary when the unions representing those workers declined to sign on to the health care insurance changes, Howard said.
Then don't expect any sympathy.
Ten firefighters and four police officers were let go, and six unfilled police positions eliminated. Together, the savings to the city due to layoffs was about $1.5 million.
The city also withdrew $2 million from the trust fund established to pay health care claims and used it to help balance the budget. That money was deemed surplus, a cushion of sorts, but if the city is hit with unusually large medical claims during the year, it may have trouble finding the cash to pay them.
Hey, they will just CUT SERVICES and RAISE TAXES again!
Are these REALLY the people who should be TRUSTED with YOUR MONEY, taxpayers?
Another fund, this one set up to pay tax abatements if the city loses appeals filed by taxpayers, was hit up for $3 million, with the city assuming the same kind of risk.
they are SITTING on MONEY all over the place while SCREAMING DEFICITS, huh?
Tired of the SHELL GAME YET!!
The city realized a $1.4 million saving by going to a fee-based trash pickup system.
Yes, now a TAX INCREASE is all of a sudden a SAVING!
That's SICK, readers!
Talk about ONE-SIDED BIAS!
And finally, the trustees of the city cemetery were told to use $230,000 in cemetery trust money, instead of city money, for maintenance, and the trustees of the library were forced to dig into their trust fund for $130,000.
So HOW MANY PILES of MONEY are they SITTING ON, and WHY WOULD YOU TRUST these people to look after your money?
“Anyone who thinks we’re hiding piles of money is mistaken,’’ said Dominic Fermano, the city finance director.
No, they just keep COMING UP with TRUST FUND dough!
Robert Miller, the leader of a group of residents who monitor city finances, is a little skeptical of predictions of doom and disaster.
Yeah, but WHO EVER LISTENS to THEM!?
Certainly not the Globe judging by the amount of ink they gave him.
“We want them to open the books so we can take a look,’’ he said.....
What?
You mean TAXPAYERS CAN NOT SEE where THEIR MONEY is going in SELF-RIGHTEOUS Massachusetts?
--more--"
Globe tells you how to vote. Whatever they say, do the opposite.
Globe Editorial A no vote on Question 1 helps more than just alcohol addicts
Globe Editorial Vote no on 3 — Beacon Hill needs reforms, not stunts
Then it is YES, YES, folks!
Also see: So How Did I Do, Boston Globe?
What is with the NO, NO, NO, Globe?
If you guys were Republicans you would be hollering obstruction!
Boston Globe is an Absentee Landlord
When it comes to truly looking out for the public's interest.
Related: Absentee Slumlords
Actually, they shill for slumlords. They just call them "developers."
"Critics push for repeal of 40B; Ballot question targets affordable housing law" by Kathleen Burge, Globe Staff | October 17, 2010
On Nov. 2, voters will have their say when they decide whether to scrap the legislation on ballot Question 2....
So what side of the agenda is the Globe pushing?
John Belskis, the Arlington retiree who is chairman of the Coalition to Repeal 40B, and other Question 2 supporters argue that the law doesn’t work, since Massachusetts is one of the country’s most expensive housing markets. The group has fought against 40B for a decade, working through three legislative sessions to try to rewrite the law, said Belskis, who also argues that the law benefits developers more than local communities. Chapter 40B doesn’t help the working poor who may not earn enough to afford a mortgage, Belskis said.
That has never stopped Massachusetts Democrats from biting into and buying the official orthodoxy and propaganda.
The law has been vilified by some who argue that too little oversight allows developers of affordable housing projects to reap larger profits than allowable — the law caps profits, depending on the type of development — by exaggerating costs.
FLASHBACK:
A state Senate panel today will recommend tougher measures to crack down on developers who abuse the Massachusetts affordable-housing program by keeping excess profits for themselves instead of returning the money, as required, to cities and towns.
No wonder our towns are going broke!
Everybody takes their hunk of flesh, huh?
The controversial program, known as Chapter 40B, has been marred by builders who inflate expenses, underreport profits, and deprive municipalities of millions of dollars, said Senator Marc R. Pacheco of Taunton, a Democrat who is chairman of the Post Audit and Oversight Committee, which is scheduled to issue the findings of a months-long study this afternoon....
But TAXES HAVE TO GO UP!
Pacheco said: "Every penny that ought to be recouped for the taxpayer should be, and it should be done as soon as possible."
Yeah, sure. Why should it have to come to that, ya bunch of thieves?
At a September hearing before the committee, state Inspector General Gregory Sullivan testified that no mechanism existed to track which projects had been certified for financial accuracy....
As a result of his inquiry, Sullivan found "developer profits were routinely and substantially understated. The results, in many cases, were windfall profits to the developers which deprived the respective municipalities of the excess profits."
The law, although spurring the development of 26,000 units of affordable housing since 1969, has been an irritant for many communities that have lost control over development....
(Sigh, sob)
Pacheco said Chapter 40B will remain controversial because the law allows builders to bypass jealously guarded zoning restrictions. However, he said, the program "at least should be something that is done the way it was intended to be done, in terms of accountability and profits going back to the communities if it exceeds a minimum number."
Despite its flaws, the Post Audit committee concluded, "Chapter 40B has proven to be an innovative and effective method to encourage developers to build housing and at the same time meet the demand for affordable housing in Massachusetts."
Even though they are sticking it to us!
Does a rape victim thank the rapist?
--more--"
Globe's recap for this piece:
Inspector General Gregory W. Sullivan reviewed a small number of 40B projects and found that developers underreported their profits; his office estimated that $100 million is owed to communities because of developer abuse, according to Sullivan’s 2009 letter.
But a large group of supporters of the law, from religious leaders to business and environmental groups, argues that repealing 40B would be disastrous, especially in an economy where many are struggling to pay rent and mortgages.
That is where the RED FLAGS GO UP for me because I'M TIRED of the WOLF-HOLLERING LIES!
All four gubernatorial candidates oppose Question 2....
Why bother with them then?
The group formed to oppose Question 2 released a letter last week...
Supporters of the law argue that....
The group opposed to repealing 40B has raised — and spent — far more money that those supporting Question 2.
You SEE WHO the MONEY and GLOBE are LINING UP with in their "balanced -- and nuanced -- report, right?
That should SPEAK VOLUMES TO YOU, voters!
The Committee Against Repealing the Housing Law has raised $688,838 this year to fight Question 2, according to reports filed with the state Office of Campaign & Political Finance.
Who funded them, and how many foreclosures would that have forestalled?
Two of the largest contributors, Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association, a nonprofit advocacy group for affordable housing, and the Massachusetts Association of Realtors, each donated $100,000.
But it is okay when agenda-pushing dupes are used -- as long as they don't oppose the agenda.
Then they are insurgents and the money is dirty.
The group that got Question 2 on the ballot, The Repeal 40B Ballot Question Committee , raised $8,236 in the same period, according to records filed with the state.
Kind of a DAVID and GOLIATH situation, huh?
However, the organization listed a contribution last year of $283,900 from the Chelmsford-based Slow Growth Initiative, the cost of getting 91,200 signatures so the question appears on the ballot.
Yeah, they are hiding money, right.
What a pathetic PoS shill the Globe has become.
Dottie Vaillancourt is a school nurse and a single parent who moved into a Worcester apartment with her son, now 11. She wanted to buy a place but she could barely afford rent, which seemed to be increasing. When she heard about a housing lottery in South Grafton for a 40B townhouse, she applied. Four years ago, she moved into the three-bedroom townhouse that she bought for $155,000.
Vaillancourt gets frustrated when she hears 40B opponents say the program doesn’t help people find affordable housing.
“I was definitely one of those people that was in the middle,’’ she said. “I had a good job but I just couldn’t afford the housing prices at the time. This program gave me the opportunity to own a home.’’
Maybe you should be LOOKING at the BANKS and the BAILOUTS that were MEANT TO KEEP HOME PRICES HIGH so YOU CAN'T BUY ONE (even if they gave you a loan, which they are not)!
I mean, if HOME PRICES FALL THROUGH the FLOOR and a few thousand will get you one free and clear that does NOT HELP MORTGAGE-HOLDING, INTEREST-DEMANDING BANKS!
--more--"
Also see: Globe Editorial Massachusetts needs housing — so vote no on Question 2
General rule, readers: If the one-sided, insulting, agenda-pushing Globe is for it you vote against it, and vice-versa.
Of course, the Globe has ALWAYS HAD YOUR INTERESTS and CONCERNS at heart voters.
Right?
Update:
"In a recent Globe poll, 24 percent of those asked backed repealing the law, 38 percent opposed it, and 38 percent said they didn’t know enough to say"
Then SAY YES!
Related: Absentee Slumlords
Actually, they shill for slumlords. They just call them "developers."
"Critics push for repeal of 40B; Ballot question targets affordable housing law" by Kathleen Burge, Globe Staff | October 17, 2010
On Nov. 2, voters will have their say when they decide whether to scrap the legislation on ballot Question 2....
So what side of the agenda is the Globe pushing?
John Belskis, the Arlington retiree who is chairman of the Coalition to Repeal 40B, and other Question 2 supporters argue that the law doesn’t work, since Massachusetts is one of the country’s most expensive housing markets. The group has fought against 40B for a decade, working through three legislative sessions to try to rewrite the law, said Belskis, who also argues that the law benefits developers more than local communities. Chapter 40B doesn’t help the working poor who may not earn enough to afford a mortgage, Belskis said.
That has never stopped Massachusetts Democrats from biting into and buying the official orthodoxy and propaganda.
The law has been vilified by some who argue that too little oversight allows developers of affordable housing projects to reap larger profits than allowable — the law caps profits, depending on the type of development — by exaggerating costs.
FLASHBACK:
A state Senate panel today will recommend tougher measures to crack down on developers who abuse the Massachusetts affordable-housing program by keeping excess profits for themselves instead of returning the money, as required, to cities and towns.
No wonder our towns are going broke!
Everybody takes their hunk of flesh, huh?
The controversial program, known as Chapter 40B, has been marred by builders who inflate expenses, underreport profits, and deprive municipalities of millions of dollars, said Senator Marc R. Pacheco of Taunton, a Democrat who is chairman of the Post Audit and Oversight Committee, which is scheduled to issue the findings of a months-long study this afternoon....
But TAXES HAVE TO GO UP!
Pacheco said: "Every penny that ought to be recouped for the taxpayer should be, and it should be done as soon as possible."
Yeah, sure. Why should it have to come to that, ya bunch of thieves?
At a September hearing before the committee, state Inspector General Gregory Sullivan testified that no mechanism existed to track which projects had been certified for financial accuracy....
As a result of his inquiry, Sullivan found "developer profits were routinely and substantially understated. The results, in many cases, were windfall profits to the developers which deprived the respective municipalities of the excess profits."
The law, although spurring the development of 26,000 units of affordable housing since 1969, has been an irritant for many communities that have lost control over development....
(Sigh, sob)
Pacheco said Chapter 40B will remain controversial because the law allows builders to bypass jealously guarded zoning restrictions. However, he said, the program "at least should be something that is done the way it was intended to be done, in terms of accountability and profits going back to the communities if it exceeds a minimum number."
Despite its flaws, the Post Audit committee concluded, "Chapter 40B has proven to be an innovative and effective method to encourage developers to build housing and at the same time meet the demand for affordable housing in Massachusetts."
Even though they are sticking it to us!
Does a rape victim thank the rapist?
--more--"
Globe's recap for this piece:
Inspector General Gregory W. Sullivan reviewed a small number of 40B projects and found that developers underreported their profits; his office estimated that $100 million is owed to communities because of developer abuse, according to Sullivan’s 2009 letter.
But a large group of supporters of the law, from religious leaders to business and environmental groups, argues that repealing 40B would be disastrous, especially in an economy where many are struggling to pay rent and mortgages.
That is where the RED FLAGS GO UP for me because I'M TIRED of the WOLF-HOLLERING LIES!
All four gubernatorial candidates oppose Question 2....
Why bother with them then?
The group formed to oppose Question 2 released a letter last week...
Supporters of the law argue that....
The group opposed to repealing 40B has raised — and spent — far more money that those supporting Question 2.
You SEE WHO the MONEY and GLOBE are LINING UP with in their "balanced -- and nuanced -- report, right?
That should SPEAK VOLUMES TO YOU, voters!
The Committee Against Repealing the Housing Law has raised $688,838 this year to fight Question 2, according to reports filed with the state Office of Campaign & Political Finance.
Who funded them, and how many foreclosures would that have forestalled?
Two of the largest contributors, Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association, a nonprofit advocacy group for affordable housing, and the Massachusetts Association of Realtors, each donated $100,000.
But it is okay when agenda-pushing dupes are used -- as long as they don't oppose the agenda.
Then they are insurgents and the money is dirty.
The group that got Question 2 on the ballot, The Repeal 40B Ballot Question Committee , raised $8,236 in the same period, according to records filed with the state.
Kind of a DAVID and GOLIATH situation, huh?
However, the organization listed a contribution last year of $283,900 from the Chelmsford-based Slow Growth Initiative, the cost of getting 91,200 signatures so the question appears on the ballot.
Yeah, they are hiding money, right.
What a pathetic PoS shill the Globe has become.
Dottie Vaillancourt is a school nurse and a single parent who moved into a Worcester apartment with her son, now 11. She wanted to buy a place but she could barely afford rent, which seemed to be increasing. When she heard about a housing lottery in South Grafton for a 40B townhouse, she applied. Four years ago, she moved into the three-bedroom townhouse that she bought for $155,000.
Vaillancourt gets frustrated when she hears 40B opponents say the program doesn’t help people find affordable housing.
“I was definitely one of those people that was in the middle,’’ she said. “I had a good job but I just couldn’t afford the housing prices at the time. This program gave me the opportunity to own a home.’’
Maybe you should be LOOKING at the BANKS and the BAILOUTS that were MEANT TO KEEP HOME PRICES HIGH so YOU CAN'T BUY ONE (even if they gave you a loan, which they are not)!
I mean, if HOME PRICES FALL THROUGH the FLOOR and a few thousand will get you one free and clear that does NOT HELP MORTGAGE-HOLDING, INTEREST-DEMANDING BANKS!
--more--"
Also see: Globe Editorial Massachusetts needs housing — so vote no on Question 2
General rule, readers: If the one-sided, insulting, agenda-pushing Globe is for it you vote against it, and vice-versa.
Of course, the Globe has ALWAYS HAD YOUR INTERESTS and CONCERNS at heart voters.
Right?
Update:
"In a recent Globe poll, 24 percent of those asked backed repealing the law, 38 percent opposed it, and 38 percent said they didn’t know enough to say"
Then SAY YES!
Ask a Stupid Question in Massachusetts....
You get a s*** load of spew from yours truly.
“When we have people out of work, when we are struggling with balanced budgets, when we have two wars overseas, I don’t think the voters are particularly interested in the question .... The ballot question, if approved’’
FRONT-PAGE STUFF in my Boston Globe, folks!
PITTSFIELD — In Katherine Gundelfinger’s view, women should have “equal access to sunshine.’’ That means being able to walk or bike shirtless through downtown, or bathe at Onota Lake wearing only a pair of bikini bottoms.
“Here I am, a grown woman, who can’t go for a swim and feel the sun on my chest and feel comfortable,’’ said Gundelfinger, 39.
Prompted by this “major resentment,’’ Gundelfinger said, she has collected the 200 signatures needed to pose what might be the state’s most unusual ballot question in the Nov. 2 election.
I was told anger was never a good thing to bring to politics.
The nonbinding question will be considered only by voters in the Third Berkshire District, which has about 40,000 residents.
What a WASTE of TIME!
It seeks to rewrite the legal definition of nudity, so that the same rules apply to both genders. Gundelfinger, an amateur artist, launched the ballot effort after failing at Pittsfield City Hall in 2007 to win a woman’s right to swim topless.
Yeah, fine, whatever.
I won't be getting much of anything done, readers.
:-)
Public nudity has caused controversy elsewhere in New England....
Hey, as long as you don't mind me staring....
The ballot question, if approved, would ask the district’s state representative to support legislation — not yet introduced — to amend the nudity definition, “so that no part of the female breast is included.’’
And what will we tell the children?
The issue has become an electoral sideshow in an economically challenged city that Mayor James Ruberto calls the “downtown of the Berkshires’’ and where unemployment is slightly outpacing the state rate. When asked about the ballot question, Ruberto answered with barely concealed annoyance.
“When we have people out of work, when we are struggling with balanced budgets, when we have two wars overseas, I don’t think the voters are particularly interested in the question,’’ Ruberto said. “I just don’t think that the issue is worthy of discussion.’’
I COULD NOT AGREE MORE, Mayor!
The mayor’s sensibilities were echoed inside Greystone Gardens, an antique clothing store, where an attendant responded quickly and firmly when asked about the issue.
“I know how I’d vote — no, they cannot!’’ said Gloria, who declined to give her last name. “I don’t believe in it. Go in your own yard, in your own privacy.’’
Other residents and business owners expressed a more expansive view.
“The human body is the human body, and a woman’s body is a beautiful thing,’’ said Mark Papas, 55, third-generation owner of the Lantern Bar and Grill. “It’s fine with me. I believe in women’s rights.’’
This is what women's rights means, huh?
How far you feminists have fallen.
In addition to gender equality, Papas said, “I can see where it would be a real boon to tourism.’’
Well, maybe. Some boobs might turn people off.
Debbie Metivier, 41, who handles the Lantern’s counter, offered a qualified endorsement.
“I personally wouldn’t do it, but I’m for it if your body’s presentable,’’ Metivier said. “If people don’t like it, don’t look.’’
And who decides that?
Looks like Pittsfield is for it, huh?
If you believe the divisive, diversionary, agenda-pushing Globe, that is.
Gundelfinger wonders what all the fuss is about. So, too, do the 230 registered voters who signed her petition at two tables set up on Pittsfield sidewalks.
“People have been raised to believe that it shouldn’t be this way,’’ Gundelfinger said. “There’s a lot of fear.’’
STOP READING NEWSPAPERS and WATCHING TV then!
She drew a stark distinction between her goal and what she considers the immorality of exploitive sexual imagery.
PFFFFFFT!!!!
So WHO DECIDES what is what?
As an example, she said, she filed a complaint with municipal officials about suggestive illustrations of barely clothed women that had been posted in the windows of an adult-video store.
At least they have bodies that look presentable.
Yup, a HYPOCRITICAL, AGENDA-PUSHING PRUDE!!
Just what EVERY COMMUNITY LOVES!!
Egged on by 0.575 percent of the community that signed her petition.
That minority reminds me of another slim minority that controls the Congress -- and the same interests the papers represent.
“Why is it OK for children to see smokers, to see alcoholism, and to see beer trucks going by?’’ Gundelfinger asked. “I think it’s messed up. I’ve seen women more provocative fully clothed than I would be in just a pair of swim trunks.’’
That must be the MUSLIM VEIL that is RUINING the WORLD!
Yeah, NEVER MIND those MISSILES and BOMBS blowing up their families and villages!!
Veil doesn't do a very good job of keeping those out, does it?
And if it is PROHIBITION YOU WANT, well, I AGREE in THESE QUARTERS!
If it is GOOD ENOUGH for POT it is good enough for BOOZE!
Gundelfinger even bristled at the use of the word “topless’’ to describe her initiative. “The word ‘topless’ always brings to mind the image of women in seedy clubs,’’ she said with a snarl.
A rose is still a rose.... and a turd is still a....
While acknowledging that her opponents have public safety concerns, Gundelfinger argued that the novelty would wear off with time.
Yeah, in this case it is screw public safety.
Let that airport scanner outline your curves though!
“If children are raised to be exposed to that,’’ she said, “it wouldn’t be that big of a deal.’’
Yeah, and MAYBE ONE DAY we will begin to TELL KIDS the TRUTH!
Hell, we can't even discuss the truth in AmeriKa as adults!
Maybe we should start with the war lies before you take your shirt off.
--more--"
Actually, just keep your shirt on, "lady."
“When we have people out of work, when we are struggling with balanced budgets, when we have two wars overseas, I don’t think the voters are particularly interested in the question .... The ballot question, if approved’’
FRONT-PAGE STUFF in my Boston Globe, folks!
PITTSFIELD — In Katherine Gundelfinger’s view, women should have “equal access to sunshine.’’ That means being able to walk or bike shirtless through downtown, or bathe at Onota Lake wearing only a pair of bikini bottoms.
“Here I am, a grown woman, who can’t go for a swim and feel the sun on my chest and feel comfortable,’’ said Gundelfinger, 39.
Prompted by this “major resentment,’’ Gundelfinger said, she has collected the 200 signatures needed to pose what might be the state’s most unusual ballot question in the Nov. 2 election.
I was told anger was never a good thing to bring to politics.
The nonbinding question will be considered only by voters in the Third Berkshire District, which has about 40,000 residents.
What a WASTE of TIME!
It seeks to rewrite the legal definition of nudity, so that the same rules apply to both genders. Gundelfinger, an amateur artist, launched the ballot effort after failing at Pittsfield City Hall in 2007 to win a woman’s right to swim topless.
Yeah, fine, whatever.
I won't be getting much of anything done, readers.
:-)
Public nudity has caused controversy elsewhere in New England....
Hey, as long as you don't mind me staring....
The ballot question, if approved, would ask the district’s state representative to support legislation — not yet introduced — to amend the nudity definition, “so that no part of the female breast is included.’’
And what will we tell the children?
The issue has become an electoral sideshow in an economically challenged city that Mayor James Ruberto calls the “downtown of the Berkshires’’ and where unemployment is slightly outpacing the state rate. When asked about the ballot question, Ruberto answered with barely concealed annoyance.
“When we have people out of work, when we are struggling with balanced budgets, when we have two wars overseas, I don’t think the voters are particularly interested in the question,’’ Ruberto said. “I just don’t think that the issue is worthy of discussion.’’
I COULD NOT AGREE MORE, Mayor!
The mayor’s sensibilities were echoed inside Greystone Gardens, an antique clothing store, where an attendant responded quickly and firmly when asked about the issue.
“I know how I’d vote — no, they cannot!’’ said Gloria, who declined to give her last name. “I don’t believe in it. Go in your own yard, in your own privacy.’’
Other residents and business owners expressed a more expansive view.
“The human body is the human body, and a woman’s body is a beautiful thing,’’ said Mark Papas, 55, third-generation owner of the Lantern Bar and Grill. “It’s fine with me. I believe in women’s rights.’’
This is what women's rights means, huh?
How far you feminists have fallen.
In addition to gender equality, Papas said, “I can see where it would be a real boon to tourism.’’
Well, maybe. Some boobs might turn people off.
Debbie Metivier, 41, who handles the Lantern’s counter, offered a qualified endorsement.
“I personally wouldn’t do it, but I’m for it if your body’s presentable,’’ Metivier said. “If people don’t like it, don’t look.’’
And who decides that?
Looks like Pittsfield is for it, huh?
If you believe the divisive, diversionary, agenda-pushing Globe, that is.
Gundelfinger wonders what all the fuss is about. So, too, do the 230 registered voters who signed her petition at two tables set up on Pittsfield sidewalks.
“People have been raised to believe that it shouldn’t be this way,’’ Gundelfinger said. “There’s a lot of fear.’’
STOP READING NEWSPAPERS and WATCHING TV then!
She drew a stark distinction between her goal and what she considers the immorality of exploitive sexual imagery.
PFFFFFFT!!!!
So WHO DECIDES what is what?
As an example, she said, she filed a complaint with municipal officials about suggestive illustrations of barely clothed women that had been posted in the windows of an adult-video store.
At least they have bodies that look presentable.
Yup, a HYPOCRITICAL, AGENDA-PUSHING PRUDE!!
Just what EVERY COMMUNITY LOVES!!
Egged on by 0.575 percent of the community that signed her petition.
That minority reminds me of another slim minority that controls the Congress -- and the same interests the papers represent.
“Why is it OK for children to see smokers, to see alcoholism, and to see beer trucks going by?’’ Gundelfinger asked. “I think it’s messed up. I’ve seen women more provocative fully clothed than I would be in just a pair of swim trunks.’’
That must be the MUSLIM VEIL that is RUINING the WORLD!
Yeah, NEVER MIND those MISSILES and BOMBS blowing up their families and villages!!
Veil doesn't do a very good job of keeping those out, does it?
And if it is PROHIBITION YOU WANT, well, I AGREE in THESE QUARTERS!
If it is GOOD ENOUGH for POT it is good enough for BOOZE!
Gundelfinger even bristled at the use of the word “topless’’ to describe her initiative. “The word ‘topless’ always brings to mind the image of women in seedy clubs,’’ she said with a snarl.
A rose is still a rose.... and a turd is still a....
While acknowledging that her opponents have public safety concerns, Gundelfinger argued that the novelty would wear off with time.
Yeah, in this case it is screw public safety.
Let that airport scanner outline your curves though!
“If children are raised to be exposed to that,’’ she said, “it wouldn’t be that big of a deal.’’
Yeah, and MAYBE ONE DAY we will begin to TELL KIDS the TRUTH!
Hell, we can't even discuss the truth in AmeriKa as adults!
Maybe we should start with the war lies before you take your shirt off.
--more--"
Actually, just keep your shirt on, "lady."
TARP No Cover For Incumbents
WASHINGTON — House minority leader John Boehner waved his arms, jabbed his finger, and urged members of both parties to take a courageous vote for what has become known as the Wall Street bailout.
No, courage is voting against the wars, Patriot Act, and Israel.
“These are the votes that separate the men from the boys and the girls from the women,’’ Boehner said two years ago just before voting to authorize the federal government to purchase up to $700 billion in toxic assets from foundering financial firms.
Which are now making record profits and bonuses again.
Since then, anger over the legislation has cost some congressional backers their jobs and fueled the Tea Party movement. Even Boehner has become a leading critic.
Yet as the program winds down, some of its backers — as well as independent analysts — insist it has been a resounding success.
Yeah, if you are a Wall Street bank.
The corporate media must think they can serve us up any old hunk of shit and we will just chow down. They make you sicker than my provocative analogies.
Most of the money has been repaid, and Treasury officials expect it will cost a fraction of the initial projections.
How many BILLIONS are we talking about as a "fraction?"
The mystery to supporters is why the Troubled Asset Relief Program — or TARP — has become the dirty, four-letter word of the 2010 midterm elections.
No, the mystery is why the establishment media thinks they can put this over on us.
TARP was a success!!
So WHO PAID TOP DOLLAR for CRAP?
Some PENSION FUND or TAXPAYER-BACKED GOVERNMENT ENTITY?
The same bankers that benefited from it bought it all back... with our bailout money?
“They’ve cleared the decks to use Fannie and Freddie as a vessel for whatever they want.... taking troubled mortgage investments off banks’ books.’’
And how much is that going to cost, readers?
"Obama’s budget blueprint also excludes the $6.3 trillion in liabilities of government-controlled Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and delays for a second time a decision on restructuring the mortgage finance companies, which were seized 17 months ago"
Oh, the GOVERNMENT is HIDING IT with TAXPAYERS picking up the TAB again!
Also see: FORECLOSURE FRAUD & $45 TRILLION DOLLARS
Wow, that is ONE HELL of a BILL!
“We put out the financial fire at a much lower cost than anyone expected, but we lost the country doing it,’’ Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said in an interview, referring to the public outcry against it. “The early myth that the Obama administration came in and started these unjust bailouts and tried to take over the economy — and that helped spark the Tea Party movement — is the great political lie of the decade.’’
For that Fed f*** to say such things is infuriating. PoS puke liar!
Speaking of myths, I guess that would be the biggest lie of my lifetime -- and you see who brought it to you.
The program was proposed in September 2008, on the heels of the collapse of Lehman Brothers and AIG. Outlined by Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, and backed by President George W. Bush, the plan granted broad powers to the Treasury Department to purchase bad assets that were plaguing investment banks, freezing credit markets, and battering consumer confidence.
But somehow you made out on the whole deal, America.
Shortly after the measure President Bush signed the measure, critics attacked the plan as government overreach and a bailout of wealthy Wall Street investors....
Which is what it turned out to be. Those other two "goals" haven't been fixed.
When the program ended earlier this month, the bulk of the $700 billion either had been repaid or had not been spent.
They really think you will fork right into that turd on the plate, dear readers.
Establishment media is pathetic in their defense of vampire-like leeches.
All told, the White House projects the program will end up costing about $50 billion.
Like your White House lies better under this president?
The allocation of most of the spending had been agreed upon by the Bush administration. But after Obama took office, his administration authorized $60 billion for the auto industry, which helped prop up General Motors and Chrysler. Critics contended that this was an unwarranted expansion of the program; the president said it was a job-saving necessity.
\Yet even in Michigan, where the auto bailout is widely credited with resurrecting much of the auto industry, the program has proved unpopular.
Because PEOPLE KNOW when they are BEING SWINDLED by BANKSTERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Representative Pete Hoekstra, a Michigan Republican, was assailed for his vote in favor of TARP during the GOP gubernatorial primary that he lost....
Misinformation also surrounds responsibility for the program.
Once again we have the establishment media kettle hollering pot!
One word for you, world: IRAQ!
Case frikkin' closed.
Even though the program was pushed through by President Bush, nearly half of Americans believe it was President Obama who signed it into law, according to a Pew Research survey in July.
Hey, it was BOTH PARTIES that PUT IT THROUGH!
Related: Who REALLY Runs Washington
Yeah, we all see that now.
Forty-six percent of voters said they would be less likely to vote for a candidate who supported government loans to banks during the financial crisis, according to a poll Pew Research Center released recently.
That issue had more impact than any other in driving voters away from a candidate, including their support for health care (35 percent) or whether they are an incumbent running for reelection (26 percent).
Yup, the VOTERS CARE about the WARS and BANK LOOTING!
Meanwhile, the agenda-pushing establishment media has served up race, sexual orientation, immigration, Muslims and mosques as the driving issues -- which is why that TV remains off.
The unpopularity of the program can also be seen in a state like New Hampshire.
Also see: New Hampshire's Political House
The state’s senior senator, Republican Judd Gregg, was one of the chief architects of the approach and has remained a staunch defender of it.
That's why he is not running for reelection.
“It did exactly what it was supposed to do, which is stabilize the financial system when it was on the verge of collapse,’’ Gregg said in an interview. “But it’s become a pejorative because the substance of the program has been separated from the hyperbole around the program. It’s come to be a shorthand term for excessive government spending, interference in the markets, and supporting Wall Street.’’
I could do without the insults this morning, Judd.
***************
Those who have tried to defend TARP have found little success. Representative Gresham Barrett, a South Carolina Republican, ran ads during his run for governor defending his vote after he was vigorously booed at a Tea Party movement rally.
That is what America needs to do!!
Get out there and BOO, BOO, BOO!
Anytime they speak BOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
“I honestly believe with all my heart that we were at a point where men and women were going to reach in their back pocket and pull out a credit card or an ATM card, stick it in a machine, and nothing was going to come out,’’ he said in a TV spot that showed him sitting in a living room, looking directly at the camera. “Leaders make decisions based on the best information that they have, and they go with it. That’s what I did.’’
Or they feed it to newspaper reporters for the New York Times, who can then confirm the lies so wars and invasions can be launched!
He lost the GOP primary by 30 percentage points to state Representative Nikki Haley.
See: South Carolina's Falling Star
Man, is that New York Times ever a lying, racist, sexist, supremacist piece of garbage. I guess that's why I only read what is in the Globe (unless directed to their website by a fellow blogger; I never go there on my own).
Some of the most prominent primary defeats of this election cycle came to candidates who couldn’t find a way to defend their vote on TARP.
Because it is INDEFENSIBLE!!!
Senator Robert Bennett was defeated in Utah during a Republican convention where the crowd chanted “TARP, TARP’’ at him.
Just as good as boo.
Who knew Mormons could get so riled up, huh?
Next thing you know they will be terrorists next to the Muslims (wait, isn't that what happened in Texas a while back? Government always needs an enemy -- even if they have to create them themselves).
The votes were a contributing factor to the GOP primary losses of Representative Mike Castle in Delaware and Senator Lisa Murkowski in Alaska.
Oh, and here we have gotten all the garbage coverage since!
Related: The Debate in Delaware
Write-In Whiteout in Alaska
Yes, ANY STOO-PID DISTRACTIONS and DIVERSIONS will do!
Just GET the ISSUES OFF the WARS and BANK LOOTING!
Heck, the LOOTINGS are OBSCURED MORE THAN the WARS!
Tells you the TRUE INTERESTS at the BOTTOM of the PAPERS!
And HOW ODD that BANKS BENEFIT on the DEBT of WARS, huh?
CUI BONO from the WHOLE SYSTEM, American voters?
“I did try saying during the campaign that TARP was going to pay the money back and that that . . . was not going to cost the taxpayer anything,’’ Bennett recently told the Salt Lake Tribune. “Apparently nobody believed me.’’
Liars forfeit the right to be believed; jut ask AmeriKa's establishment media about their circulation.
The issue is unlikely to fade, and it could become a key litmus test for Republicans in the 2012 presidential race.
Except it HAS FADED in the ESTABLISHMENT PRESS and its coverage of the campaign!
Support for the program separates the mainstream GOP — many of whom voted for it or voiced support — from the new insurgent conservatives who rail against it.
Oh, THERE THEY GO AGAIN!
See: Insurgents vs. Incumbents
The USE of THAT WORD is INSULTING!
We are talking about POLITICS, prick paper!
I have NOT TRIED to KILL any U.S. soldiers -- unlike the LYING, WAR-PROMOTING PAPERS that BLARED LIES from their HEADLINES!
“This has been a scarring experience for people in policy and Congress and will make policy makers more risk-averse in the future,’’ Geithner said. “People will say ‘Let’s wait and hope it gets better instead of acting.’ ’’
Here is the action I would like to see the American people take on you, Tim:
Any questions?
--more--"
Related: US foresees limit on TARP losses
Government earns $25.2b on Wall St. bailout
That last plate of steaming horse s*** was so sickening I had to leave the room.
Voting guide for America:
"Memorize this list of Israel's whores in the US Government and vote them out of office before it is your children being murdered by Israel! There is no more important issue this election! "
Democrats Take Early Lead
"More Democrats casting early ballots; Mail-in votes may decide close races" by Nancy Benac and Liz Sidoti, Associated Press | October 22, 2010
WASHINGTON — Election Day is already over for more than 3 million Americans, and a surprising number of them are Democrats.
Republicans are gaining ground in turning out early voters compared with their showing two years ago, but figures from the first batch of states that offer clues about early-voting patterns still give Democrats an edge in a number of states and counties.
“If people thought the Democrats were just going to roll over and play dead in this election, that’s not what we’re seeing,’’ said Michael McDonald, a George Mason University professor who tracks early voting nationally. “They have got to be feeling a little bit better with the numbers that they’re seeing.’’
Translation: the machines have been programmed for a rigging.
While it’s impossible to tell for whom people are voting, so far more Democrats than Republicans are casting ballots in Iowa, Maryland, North Carolina, Louisiana, and Nevada’s heavily Democratic Clark County, which supplied two-thirds of the state’s voters in 2008.
Where HARRY REID'S SON is COUNTY COMMISSIONER!?
Also see: Nevada voting machines automatically checking Harry Reid's name
Can't the ELECTORAL FRAUD wait until election day?
Republicans are flexing their organizational muscles and leading the pace in Florida, even though Democrats have the edge in registered voters there, and in Colorado. The parties are running about even in Maine, where Democrats have about 5 percent more registered voters. Ohio’s early-voting trends reflect the state’s swing-voting status: Democrats are ahead in the party stronghold of Cuyahoga County around Cleveland, while Republicans lead in GOP territory of Hamilton County, which is home to Cincinnati. Ballots are virtually even in Franklin County, which anchors central Ohio.
Related: Vote Fraud 2004: How Ohio was "Delivered" to Bush
Yeah, they both do it, Americans. It is why I no longer believe in elections.
With 30 percent or more of all votes likely to be cast early, both sides are going all-out to lock in supporters’ ballots early. And for the first time in a midterm election, they are combining traditional shoe-leather canvassing and get-out-the-vote rallies with technological tools such as Facebook and text messaging.
Strategies run the gamut: In Washington state, Democrats held a “tweetup’’ to rein in young early voters. In Illinois, a voter-education group posted a video on YouTube about the state’s early-voting law highlighting the ability to vote naked — from the comfort of home, please. In Florida, Democrats e-mailed a notice that “Today is Election Day. No, that’s not a typo, because every day between now and November 2 is Election Day.’’
Also see: Meekly Stepping Aside in Florida
With nearly every indicator in a new Associated Press-GfK poll pointing toward big GOP victories, the Democrats’ groundgame advantage is squaring off against the Republicans’ enthusiasm edge, and the outcome could determine who wins close races.
Let the rigging begin!
Democrats hope they can minimize sweeping coast-to-coast losses with a retooled get-out-the-vote operation that’s been tweaked since Barack Obama’s groundbreaking 2008 presidential campaign and tested during several special House elections the party recently has won.
Look at the newspaper set up the steal job!
Republicans, by most accounts, have a less sophisticated program, but they are banking on their loyalists — as well as GOP-leaning independents and disaffected Democrats — turning out in droves simply because they are fired up to vote against the party in power.
Or ANY ESTABLISHMENT or INCUMBENT!
There’s still plenty for the Democrats to worry about as they pore over early-vote statistics in places such as Nevada, where Senate majority leader Harry Reid is in a tough reelection race against Sharron Angle, a Republican and a Tea Party movement favorite.
Worried about getting CAUGHT!
While Democrats so far make up about 46 percent of those who have cast ballots in Clark County, which includes Las Vegas, compared with 38 percent for Republicans, the Democrats’ 8-point advantage is down from 22 points in 2008.
If Angle doesn't win out there it is robbery!
And Republicans, who make up a third of the county’s registered voters, are turning out in numbers that exceed their share of the electorate this time....
It's over, Harry.
So who is going to be minority leader, Democrats?
--more--"
WASHINGTON — Election Day is already over for more than 3 million Americans, and a surprising number of them are Democrats.
Republicans are gaining ground in turning out early voters compared with their showing two years ago, but figures from the first batch of states that offer clues about early-voting patterns still give Democrats an edge in a number of states and counties.
“If people thought the Democrats were just going to roll over and play dead in this election, that’s not what we’re seeing,’’ said Michael McDonald, a George Mason University professor who tracks early voting nationally. “They have got to be feeling a little bit better with the numbers that they’re seeing.’’
Translation: the machines have been programmed for a rigging.
While it’s impossible to tell for whom people are voting, so far more Democrats than Republicans are casting ballots in Iowa, Maryland, North Carolina, Louisiana, and Nevada’s heavily Democratic Clark County, which supplied two-thirds of the state’s voters in 2008.
Where HARRY REID'S SON is COUNTY COMMISSIONER!?
Also see: Nevada voting machines automatically checking Harry Reid's name
Can't the ELECTORAL FRAUD wait until election day?
Republicans are flexing their organizational muscles and leading the pace in Florida, even though Democrats have the edge in registered voters there, and in Colorado. The parties are running about even in Maine, where Democrats have about 5 percent more registered voters. Ohio’s early-voting trends reflect the state’s swing-voting status: Democrats are ahead in the party stronghold of Cuyahoga County around Cleveland, while Republicans lead in GOP territory of Hamilton County, which is home to Cincinnati. Ballots are virtually even in Franklin County, which anchors central Ohio.
Related: Vote Fraud 2004: How Ohio was "Delivered" to Bush
Yeah, they both do it, Americans. It is why I no longer believe in elections.
With 30 percent or more of all votes likely to be cast early, both sides are going all-out to lock in supporters’ ballots early. And for the first time in a midterm election, they are combining traditional shoe-leather canvassing and get-out-the-vote rallies with technological tools such as Facebook and text messaging.
Strategies run the gamut: In Washington state, Democrats held a “tweetup’’ to rein in young early voters. In Illinois, a voter-education group posted a video on YouTube about the state’s early-voting law highlighting the ability to vote naked — from the comfort of home, please. In Florida, Democrats e-mailed a notice that “Today is Election Day. No, that’s not a typo, because every day between now and November 2 is Election Day.’’
Also see: Meekly Stepping Aside in Florida
With nearly every indicator in a new Associated Press-GfK poll pointing toward big GOP victories, the Democrats’ groundgame advantage is squaring off against the Republicans’ enthusiasm edge, and the outcome could determine who wins close races.
Let the rigging begin!
Democrats hope they can minimize sweeping coast-to-coast losses with a retooled get-out-the-vote operation that’s been tweaked since Barack Obama’s groundbreaking 2008 presidential campaign and tested during several special House elections the party recently has won.
Look at the newspaper set up the steal job!
Republicans, by most accounts, have a less sophisticated program, but they are banking on their loyalists — as well as GOP-leaning independents and disaffected Democrats — turning out in droves simply because they are fired up to vote against the party in power.
Or ANY ESTABLISHMENT or INCUMBENT!
There’s still plenty for the Democrats to worry about as they pore over early-vote statistics in places such as Nevada, where Senate majority leader Harry Reid is in a tough reelection race against Sharron Angle, a Republican and a Tea Party movement favorite.
Worried about getting CAUGHT!
While Democrats so far make up about 46 percent of those who have cast ballots in Clark County, which includes Las Vegas, compared with 38 percent for Republicans, the Democrats’ 8-point advantage is down from 22 points in 2008.
If Angle doesn't win out there it is robbery!
And Republicans, who make up a third of the county’s registered voters, are turning out in numbers that exceed their share of the electorate this time....
It's over, Harry.
So who is going to be minority leader, Democrats?
--more--"
Tea Party at the Polls
Globe doesn't want you to see them there.
"Political Notebook: Tea Party’s large core not active, survey says
Sorry, the page you have requested does not exist at this address.
-- Your friends at Boston.com
And here I am looking at it in the printed paper on my desk.
"Gauging the scope of the tea party movement in America" by Amy Gardner, Washington Post | October 24, 2010
In an unruly, unpredictable and chaotic election year, no group has asserted its presence and demanded to be heard more forcefully than the tea party. The grass-roots movement that was spawned with a rant has gone on to upend the existing political order, reshaping the debate in Washington, defeating a number of prominent lawmakers and elevating a fresh cast of conservative stars.
But a new Washington Post canvass of hundreds of local tea party groups reveals a different sort of organization, one that is not so much a movement as a disparate band of vaguely connected gatherings that do surprisingly little to engage in the political process.
Yes, the TRUE TEA PARTY PEOPLE of America.
The GOOD, WELL-MEANING Americans fighting to save their country!
Seventy percent of the grass-roots groups said they have not participated in any political campaigning this year. As a whole, they have no official candidate slates, have not rallied behind any particular national leader, have little money on hand, and remain ambivalent about their goals and the political process in general.
"We're not wanting to be a third party," said Matt Ney, 55, the owner of a Pilates studio and a founder of the Pearland Tea Party Patriots in Pearland, Tex. "We're not wanting to endorse individual candidates ever. What we're trying to do is be activists by pushing a conservative idea."
Of course, as an individual here on this blog I can and do endorse. It all depends on how they are treated by the agenda-pushing establishment media.
The group, with 25 active members, meets to discuss policies and listen to speakers, Ney said. "We provide opportunities for like-minded people to get together," he said.
You know, the way the Founding Fathers imagined our politics to be.
The local groups stand in contrast to - and, in their minds, apart from - a handful of large national groups that claim the tea party label.
Related: Tea Party Refuses to Take the Pledge
Most of those outfits, including FreedomWorks and Tea Party Express, are headed by longtime political players who have used their resources and know-how to help elect a number of candidates.
The findings suggest that the breadth of the tea party may be inflated....
Yeah, anything you can do or say to discount them. establishment media.
In a fair election you guys get a whipping tomorrow.
In all, The Post identified more than 1,400 possible groups and was able to verify and reach 647 of them. Each answered a lengthy questionnaire about their beliefs, members and goals....
Virtually all said that economic concerns were a factor, and nearly as many cited a general mistrust of government. Opposition to President Obama and Democratic policies was a big factor, but only slightly more so than dissatisfaction with mainstream Republican leaders....
You see what I am trying to say, world?
There ARE GOOD PEOPLE being made to LOOK BAD by our agenda-pushing establishment media here in AmeriKa!!
While the tea party groups may lack a unifying direction or vision at the moment, the results show that they are ripe for action. A remarkable 86 percent of local leaders said most of their members are new to political activity, suggesting that they could be turned into a potent grass-roots force heading into the 2012 elections....
It is a POTENT GRASS-ROOTS FORCE NOW -- if voting means anything in AmeriKa anymore!
That was where the printed Globe ended it.
Of course, their general lack of interest in politics also suggests that they could just as easily recede, particularly if the economy improves.
Like all Obamamaniacs from 2008?
The tea party's biggest successes this year have come only after one of a handful of well-funded national groups swooped in to mobilize local support.
The establishment usurpers saved the Tea Party, sigh. Who put out this filth?
In upset victories in Alaska and Delaware, for instance, the Sacramento-based Tea Party Express spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on advertising for Republican Senate candidates Joe Miller and Christine O'Donnell, respectively.
Oh, and they were HARDLY BACKED by the ESTABLISHMENT!
The establishment incumbent in Alaska is waging a write-in war, while the Republican establishment disparages O'Donnell -- or was Karl Rove just blowing smoke?
Other national groups, such as FreedomWorks and Americans for Prosperity, have also built organizations and spent millions of dollars on advertising, high-profile bus tours or other direct campaign tactics.
Some of the local group leaders may find such tactics distasteful. Fifty-seven percent said they want to operate as a network of independent entities. And many organizers said the lack of coordination and the independence of the groups are what drew them to the movement, even if it is a liability when it comes to turning their beliefs into action....
The tea party has been accused of racism by its political opponents after comments from some prominent members and signs at several major rallies this year that attacked Obama for either his race or the false belief that he is a Muslim.
Also see: South Carolina's Falling Star
Who are the racist supremacists now? Looks as if they are coming from my jewspaper!
At rallies, for instances, organizers have kicked out questionable members and have sought to project a more tolerant image....
The groups clearly do not identify with any particular national leaders....
When asked to name a national leader who best represents their views, more than a third of the groups said "no one."
I would have said Ron Paul, although I doubt he would like the title.
At least he acknowledges that the grass-roots Tea people are a significant voice who represent millions of Americans.
********
One question remains: If most tea party groups don't engage in political campaigning, what exactly do they do?
You are reading it.
And if agenda-pushing newspapers don't engage in real reporting.... ?
--more--"
Also see: Local Tea Party movement organizing poll-watchers
That's not where the problem is; the problem is inside the machines.
"Political Notebook: Tea Party’s large core not active, survey says
Sorry, the page you have requested does not exist at this address.
- If you are trying to reach a Boston.com page from a bookmark, the address may have changed, or the page may have been eliminated. Please use the sections above to browse for what you're looking for, or visit our home page.
- You can find articles by using the search box above, or by going to our Search page.
- If you need immediate assistance, please visit our Help Center or contact us by filling out our feedback form.
-- Your friends at Boston.com
And here I am looking at it in the printed paper on my desk.
"Gauging the scope of the tea party movement in America" by Amy Gardner, Washington Post | October 24, 2010
In an unruly, unpredictable and chaotic election year, no group has asserted its presence and demanded to be heard more forcefully than the tea party. The grass-roots movement that was spawned with a rant has gone on to upend the existing political order, reshaping the debate in Washington, defeating a number of prominent lawmakers and elevating a fresh cast of conservative stars.
But a new Washington Post canvass of hundreds of local tea party groups reveals a different sort of organization, one that is not so much a movement as a disparate band of vaguely connected gatherings that do surprisingly little to engage in the political process.
Yes, the TRUE TEA PARTY PEOPLE of America.
The GOOD, WELL-MEANING Americans fighting to save their country!
Seventy percent of the grass-roots groups said they have not participated in any political campaigning this year. As a whole, they have no official candidate slates, have not rallied behind any particular national leader, have little money on hand, and remain ambivalent about their goals and the political process in general.
"We're not wanting to be a third party," said Matt Ney, 55, the owner of a Pilates studio and a founder of the Pearland Tea Party Patriots in Pearland, Tex. "We're not wanting to endorse individual candidates ever. What we're trying to do is be activists by pushing a conservative idea."
Of course, as an individual here on this blog I can and do endorse. It all depends on how they are treated by the agenda-pushing establishment media.
The group, with 25 active members, meets to discuss policies and listen to speakers, Ney said. "We provide opportunities for like-minded people to get together," he said.
You know, the way the Founding Fathers imagined our politics to be.
The local groups stand in contrast to - and, in their minds, apart from - a handful of large national groups that claim the tea party label.
Related: Tea Party Refuses to Take the Pledge
Most of those outfits, including FreedomWorks and Tea Party Express, are headed by longtime political players who have used their resources and know-how to help elect a number of candidates.
The findings suggest that the breadth of the tea party may be inflated....
Yeah, anything you can do or say to discount them. establishment media.
In a fair election you guys get a whipping tomorrow.
In all, The Post identified more than 1,400 possible groups and was able to verify and reach 647 of them. Each answered a lengthy questionnaire about their beliefs, members and goals....
Virtually all said that economic concerns were a factor, and nearly as many cited a general mistrust of government. Opposition to President Obama and Democratic policies was a big factor, but only slightly more so than dissatisfaction with mainstream Republican leaders....
You see what I am trying to say, world?
There ARE GOOD PEOPLE being made to LOOK BAD by our agenda-pushing establishment media here in AmeriKa!!
While the tea party groups may lack a unifying direction or vision at the moment, the results show that they are ripe for action. A remarkable 86 percent of local leaders said most of their members are new to political activity, suggesting that they could be turned into a potent grass-roots force heading into the 2012 elections....
It is a POTENT GRASS-ROOTS FORCE NOW -- if voting means anything in AmeriKa anymore!
That was where the printed Globe ended it.
Of course, their general lack of interest in politics also suggests that they could just as easily recede, particularly if the economy improves.
Like all Obamamaniacs from 2008?
The tea party's biggest successes this year have come only after one of a handful of well-funded national groups swooped in to mobilize local support.
The establishment usurpers saved the Tea Party, sigh. Who put out this filth?
In upset victories in Alaska and Delaware, for instance, the Sacramento-based Tea Party Express spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on advertising for Republican Senate candidates Joe Miller and Christine O'Donnell, respectively.
Oh, and they were HARDLY BACKED by the ESTABLISHMENT!
The establishment incumbent in Alaska is waging a write-in war, while the Republican establishment disparages O'Donnell -- or was Karl Rove just blowing smoke?
Other national groups, such as FreedomWorks and Americans for Prosperity, have also built organizations and spent millions of dollars on advertising, high-profile bus tours or other direct campaign tactics.
Some of the local group leaders may find such tactics distasteful. Fifty-seven percent said they want to operate as a network of independent entities. And many organizers said the lack of coordination and the independence of the groups are what drew them to the movement, even if it is a liability when it comes to turning their beliefs into action....
The tea party has been accused of racism by its political opponents after comments from some prominent members and signs at several major rallies this year that attacked Obama for either his race or the false belief that he is a Muslim.
Also see: South Carolina's Falling Star
Who are the racist supremacists now? Looks as if they are coming from my jewspaper!
At rallies, for instances, organizers have kicked out questionable members and have sought to project a more tolerant image....
The groups clearly do not identify with any particular national leaders....
When asked to name a national leader who best represents their views, more than a third of the groups said "no one."
I would have said Ron Paul, although I doubt he would like the title.
At least he acknowledges that the grass-roots Tea people are a significant voice who represent millions of Americans.
********
One question remains: If most tea party groups don't engage in political campaigning, what exactly do they do?
You are reading it.
And if agenda-pushing newspapers don't engage in real reporting.... ?
--more--"
Also see: Local Tea Party movement organizing poll-watchers
That's not where the problem is; the problem is inside the machines.
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