Blue Mass Group

Republicans like to say that government cannot do anything right.

Here is a great example of government doing something right!

Please tell everyone you know about this program.

Patrick-Murray Administration Launches New RMV Reminder Service

In accordance with Governor Deval Patrick’s landmark Transportation Reform legislation, the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles has launched a key customer service initiative. Effective immediately, courtesy notices will be delivered electronically via phone, text and email applications. Massachusetts residents can now “opt-in” to receive reminder notifications one month prior to the expiration date on their existing driver’s license or Mass ID card. This secure, complimentary service will be delivered at no cost to Massachusetts taxpayers, as a result of a public-private partnership between the RMV and a Massachusetts company, Sendza Incorporated.

For more information on the RMV reminder service, please view this YouTube video:

Back in 2002, the budget for the judicial branch was cut by 20% – and the judiciary was told to make up the money by squeezing the poor.  The euphemism used was “retained revenue.”  That is a sanitized way of saying “just squeeze the poor” or “don’t protect justice, be bill collectors” to judges.

The way this scheme set up by then-Governor Romney worked, if the courts collected more fees from the indigent [say, indigent counsel fees, probation fees, etc] in 2002 then in 2001, most of the money would go into the general fund, but the courts could “retain” a percentage of what they squeezed from the poor.

A good friend, when he was made a judge, looked forward to his judicial training.  After wards, his lament was that the so-called training was not about court management, or maintaining judicial demeanor, or even the laws – but on how to collect more money!  He was really depressed.

Folks – the judiciary is not an agency.  It is a separate branch of government, and our sole protection against government gone out of control.

There is a reason that John Adams drafted the Open Court Clause, which is part of the Declaration of Rights of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts:

Article XI. Every subject of the commonwealth ought to find a certain remedy, by having recourse to the laws, for all injuries or wrongs which he may receive in his person, property, or character. He ought to obtain right and justice freely, and without being obliged to purchase it; completely, and without any denial; promptly, and without delay; conformably to the laws.

To what extent does the so-called “retained revenue” scheme actually violate Article XI of the declaration of rights by requiring citizens to purchase justice?  Would this survive constitutional challenge, actually?

Chief Justice Marshall’s State of the Judiciary Address this year decries this retained revenue trap.

As a practical matter, each year the vise on the courts closes tighter and tighter.  It is the vulnerable citizen who suffers most – the child who no longer has an Educational Guardian Ad Litem…the pro se litigant who cannot get to see a judge…the client who pays more because he or she and their attorneys are trapped in the hallways of the Probate and Family Courts waiting and waiting because there are not enough clerks to staff sessions.

Where is Article XI’s promise of justice?

What the courts are called on to do is constitutional in magnitude.  Courts neither create cases, nor can they turn them away.

That all being said, courts take up 2% of the state’s budget and have borne more than their share of cuts.

Who will stand up for access to justice?

A few days ago the Globe ran a story on Boston City Councilor John Connolly, speculating on whether he had ambitions for higher office. Well, I didn't know about that article this morning, when David and I talked to him; his ambitions never came up, and I didn't even know to ask. Silly me. Just Boston city policy talk. Apologies for the background music … unless you like it. First question: How has the mayoral race affected the City Council race?      Discover Simple, Private Sharing at Drop.io     Do you feel that the media focus on the mayor’s race has sharpened the public’s interest?      Discover Simple, Private Sharing at Drop.io     I asked about education: How do we pay for expanding the school day and year? He says it’s partly a matter of using and coordinating with the assets already in the community:      Discover Simple, Private Sharing at Drop.io     More on funding the school year:      Discover Simple, Private Sharing at Drop.io     David asks about Payment In Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) — how big non-profits (e.g. universities) might contribute to the city’s coffers:      Discover Simple, [...]

For those of you who oppose casinos (and, quite frankly, I admit to being tired of that discussion!), I hope you will consider supporting Alan Khazei in his Senate bid. Of course, for everyone, imho, there are more substantive reasons to support him. I believe he is the only candidate who has the experience (albeit in the volunteer, not political, arena — maybe a plus!) needed to live up to the challenges of this job. He has had to build coalitions to achieve his goals; his visionary ability is evident to all who look at his track record. He is, I believe, the 21st Century Ted Kennedy. He has the same idealism, the same values, the same determination to benefit all members of our society. I am not for a moment suggesting that he, or anyone, could step into those enormous shoes without some trial by fire. Still, I believe Alan brings the strength of character and a fresh, young (well, okay, young to me!) face to the campaign that deserves your serious consideration. I plan to work hard to help get him elected as our next Senator! I would welcome your company on that (very short) journey!

Great day: this is an important law to help combat crimes driven by anti-gay bias.

It’s also the first of my four must-haves from the Obama administration for the GLBT community: Hate Crimes, DADT repeal, DOMA repeal (the component that denies federal benefits), and the bill to allow same sex couples to sponsor their partners for citizenship.    

With the right of same-sex couples to marry seemingly secure here in MA, it’s easy to forget that the issue is still raging elsewhere in the country.  Next Tuesday will be a very big day for gay rights in Washington state, Michigan, and our neighbor to the north, Maine.  We hope voters in those states do the right things.  And we hope you will help them do it.  Here’s how, courtesy of the “3-2-1 Countdown for Equality“: Washington: Who we are: Approve Referendum 71 is the campaign to preserve domestic partnerships in Washington State. By voting to approve, voters retain the domestic partnership laws that were passed during this year’s legislative session, including using sick leave to care for a partner, adoption rights, insurance rights, and more. What we need: We need phone bankers to get our supporters out to vote. Washington is an all mail-in ballot state, and we need to ensure our supporters put their ballots in the mail. Also, youth turnout is a critical component of our campaign, and youth turnout historically drops in off-year elections. So we need a lot of help to turn them out. How you do it: Sign up here to make remote [...]

[Crossposted from ONE Massachusetts by Harmony Blakeway]

Governor Patrick, in Wednesday's speech on employment for those with disabilities, announced that:

“There are going to be some programs, a limited number, that will be eliminated entirely.” Patrick said his team was working with unions, and has previously said that up to 2,000 layoffs could result from the cuts… The governor's budget remedy package, including a request for expanded “9C” authority, is due tomorrow. “I've got a few more decisions to make. I'm close,” he told reporters after his speech at the Westin Copley Hotel. “I'm going to do the very best I can, particularly to protect services for vulnerable people and education.” [State House News Service]

And although tomorrow's 9C Cut announcement is being overshadowed by the great focus on Senate and Mayoral races, some community members and organizations are reaching out to the Governor and his staff, pushing for the programs they care deeply about.

Just one example is the push-back against Patrick's “plans to furlough workers and possibly cap staffing at the Massachusetts Disability Determination Services… a belt-tightening move that could worsen a Social Security backlog, leaving tens of thousands of disabled citizens desperately waiting for benefits.” [Herald Article]

Another example is Tuesday's rally to protest cuts to Clubhouse services, with folks lining up from the plaza near the Department of Mental Health, proceeding to the front of the State House and ending at Governor Patrick's office.

In the past, these pleas have too often come in the form of “don't cut me, make cuts somewhere else!!” Thankfully, this is beginning to change.
Many of those mental health advocates are not only asking for their program to be spared cuts – they are joining ONE Massachusetts in our Virtual Rally – telling Governor Patrick to take a balanced approach to resolving our budget shortfall – closing the gap between shrinking revenues and the increasing need for services to in a time when all families have been hit hard in their own budgets!

This means not only making cuts, but looking to increase our state revenue in ways that are stable, adequate, and balanced. It also means taking a thoughtful, careful look at the loopholes included in our Tax Expenditure Budget.

Niki Tsongas has chosen Martha Coakley over colleague Mike Capuano for US Senate.  I’ve copied the email I received after the flip.

John F. Kerry, Massachusetts new senior senator, after decdes of military advise offers this sage advice to our field officers in Afghanistan. I am curious as to what exactly is Kerry’s level of expertise in military tactics and theory. Must have been his 90 days in the Riverine Force and multiple grievous injuries at the hand of the Laotian communists. At any rate—the esteemed senator is now dictating to the field officers in Afghanistan that they have it “all wrong.” This from the Winter Soldier FRAUD.             Good Enough—-Isn’t War On Terror: Sen. John Kerry, who was so wrong about Iraq, now says our commander in Afghanistan is “reaching too far, too fast” and that a “good enough” policy should suffice. It won’t. Offering his advice on how to micromanage the war against the Taliban, Kerry said Gen. Stanley McChrystal, President Obama’s hand-picked general to fight what he called a “war of necessity,” is wrong in saying he needs 40,000 more troops to fight and win it. Speaking before the Council on Foreign Relations on Monday, Kerry advocated a “good enough” policy designed not to achieve victory in al-Qaida’s former home base but to merely [...]

Every person should read Yvonne Abraham’scolumn today. Checks can be sent to The Beatrice Family Fund c/o The Village Bank 226 Auburn St. Auburndale, MA 02466 This would be a nice effort for BMGers to quietly get behind.