Blue Mass Group

Last fall, Barack Obama won a resounding victory, earning 66 million votes, defeating John McCain 53%-46%. Democrats gained seats in both the House and Senate. The election was clearly about change. Yet since January, Republicans have fought President Obama on nearly every proposal and nomination he’s put forward. Why?

Because they remember the lessons of this man.

For each illegal immigrant warehoused [ooops I mean jailed] the federal government pays $90.00 a day. See:  http://www.boston.com/news/loc… These payments added $33 million to the budget of Bristol County’s Sheriff Hodgson: Bristol and other cash-strapped county jails are increasingly embracing the immigration business, capitalizing on the soaring number of foreign-born detainees and the millions of federal dollars a year paid to incarcerate them. Bristol County alone has raked in $33 million since 2001, and has used the money to transform itself into a sprawling campus with a commissary, an ambulance communications center, and a “management accountability building” for regular meetings on jail operations.  Quite a stimulus to cash-strapped, economically depressed Bristol County. These federal dollars help Suffolk County too – to the tune of $10 million a year, and using space that otherwise would go empty: In the Suffolk County jail, 269 immigrants now fill Building 8, which was empty before 2003 because its open floor plan made it a security risk for the general prison population. Instead of having to remodel the new $20 million building, Sheriff Andrea Cabral began housing immigrants there, bringing in $10 million a year. “The revenue that is generated from this has been a [...]

Funding, business partners, electronic technicians for start up company.

I’m sure someone will post some more details, but here is his statement: I want to thank the President for nominating me to serve in his Cabinet as Secretary of Commerce. This was a great honor, and I had felt that I could bring some views and ideas that would assist him in governing during this difficult time. I especially admire his willingness to reach across the aisle. However, it has become apparent during this process that this will not work for me as I have found that on issues such as the stimulus package and the Census there are irresolvable conflicts for me. Prior to accepting this post, we had discussed these and other potential differences, but unfortunately we did not adequately focus on these concerns. We are functioning from a different set of views on many critical items of policy. Obviously the President requires a team that is fully supportive of all his initiatives. I greatly admire President Obama and know our country will benefit from his leadership, but at this time I must withdraw my name from consideration for this position. As we move forward, I expect there will be many issues and initiatives where I can [...]

Speaker Bob DeLeo has named his leadership team and committee chairs.  John Rogers and his supporters are notably absent (Rogers is out as Majority Leader and has no chairmanships).  Surprise! The full list is available here.  A few highlights: Tom Petrolati (Speaker pro tem), Jim Vallee (Majority Leader), and Ron Mariano (Assistant Majority Leader) are in.  So are BMGer Charley Murphy, who will chair House Ways & Means, and Bob Spellane, who will head up the Public Service Committee.  Notably on the outs: BMGer Dan Bosley, who will no longer be chair of Economic Development, and whose anti-casino views will therefore hold considerably less sway going forward (Brian Dempsey will be the new chair). One cannot help noticing that Petrolati, Mariano, and Spellane have had ethical issues swirling about them for some time.  (Also, apparently Petro “was unaware of a history of racial tension in Charlestown,” despite Charlestown’s front-and-center status during the busing woes of the 1970s.)  The names of Vallee and Murphy, as well as Gene O’Flaherty (who keeps his job as House Judiciary chair) have also surfaced in stories regarding what one might call conduct unbecoming a legislator. Change you can believe in?

Herald reports: Gov. Deval Patrick has tapped real estate executive Jeffrey Simon as the state’s spending czar to oversee doling out the Bay State’s portion of the $790 billion federal stimulus. Simon, who will earn $150,000 and report to Patrick and finance chief Leslie Kirwan, was chosen because of his experience on several large, complex infrastructure projects including heading up the redevelopment of Fort Devens, the governor said. Now, I don’t mean to be difficult, but (a) is now really the best time to be adding new state positions that pay $150,000, and (b) isn’t there already someone in state government capable of doing this kind of thing?  It’s not as if the state has never received federal money before. Patrick recently contracted with accounting firm Deloitte & Touche for $400,000 to help dole out the federal cash as well. My head hurts.

Don’t these Democrats know we are losing 500 million jobs/month? We cannot delay this bill any longer without causing a catastophe… Armegeddon… dogs and cats living together… Story And there are reports that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was ticked off that Harry Reid, the top Senate Democrat, announced the compromise Wednesday afternoon before her rank-and-file had signed off. She is expected to say more at a 3 p.m. news conference. Just sign it. Don’t bother reading the bill, just sign it. This si to important, people’s lives are at stake… hurry up will ya! That wonderful expression which I love about people ignoring history repeating it… we just rushed the TARP bill through and are pissed at how much was missing but now we are ready to ram another giant bill through which is much larger, much more complicated and will find out in 6 months what was wrong with it. We especially need to rush this through while the “Economic fear mongering” is in full swing. Wouldn’t want people to read about the US Retail sales rising, the foreclosure rate falling or the unemployment rate dropping. I wouldn’t want the typical consumer to go out to dinner and find [...]

I am privileged to represent one of the most diverse and exciting districts in Massachusetts. Families who have called Boston home for generations live alongside recent college graduates who chose to stay in the city to start their careers, and college students who are the cornerstone of our city’s future.

But some of these vibrant communities are dying because a few unscrupulous landlords have transformed 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom apartments into off-campus dormitories, stacking as many as 14 students at a time in these homes. Oftentimes, these are absentee landlords who do not properly maintain the units, creating a safety hazard to students and neighbors. It also drives up the tax base, pricing young professionals and long-time residents out of these communities.

We know that most students are looking for nothing more than an affordable place to sleep and eat while they get through school. But we also recognize that when thousands of students converge on a small neighborhood like Mission Hill, some will show no concern for the community where they live. It is up to those of us who represent those areas to stand up and say enough is enough.

In the spirit of bipartisanship, I wanted to take just a very brief moment (I have class in 5 min) to recognize and applaud a couple of Americans for standing up and doing the right thing. Kudos to Chene Thompson and her husband, Florida State Representative Nick Thompson (R-Fort Myers) for stepping up and providing immediate assistance to Henrietta Hughes after she pleaded for immediate help at President Obama’s Town Hall Event in Fort Myers on tuesday. Since people actually doing the right thing seems to be an increasingly rare event these days, I though these folks should be recognized, regardless of all politics.

A large swath of the Washington punditocracy have pushed the meme of bi-partisanship. The new Obama administration often seems aligned with this effort. But  in passing the stimulus bill “bipartisanship” has too often  meant compromising with right-wingers for no reciprocal benefit. It seems to be revealed hollow when the votes are counted. What is this really about? I think Obama–perhaps unconsciously–sees “bipartisanship” in much the way Lincoln did. In his 1862 message to Congress, paving the way for the Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln memorably said, “As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country.” The idea that we are in thrall to issues and ideas and we must find ways to escape this is the highest and best concept of “bipartisanship.”  Of course while these lofty words were spoken, one million Americans were dying in civil war. Contrast this with FDR’s approach. In the 1936 election he repeatedly drew the lines: attacking the “business and financial monopoly, speculation, reckless banking. Never before have these forces been so united against one candidate as they stand today. They are unanimous in their hate for me — and I [...]