Blue Mass Group

Well-informed BMG folks: is this claim in a 6/14 New York Times editorial as bad as it sounds? You heard right. Desperately needed unemployment benefits have been held hostage to a tax break for the rich, and the Senate’s Democratic leadership has had to delay and finagle to get its own caucus in line. Many private equity mavens, venture capitalists and other partnerships have lobbied to keep as much of the loophole as they can. Most Republicans and some Democratic senators – including John Kerry of Massachusetts, Mark Warner of Virginia and Maria Cantwell of Washington – are doing their bidding.

Or can he? A broken clock is still right twice a day. A blind squirrel will still find a nut occasionally. According to the Legislature’s Democratic Caucus, not so Governor Patrick at least as far as the budget goes. My campaign’s Research Director and I just finished reviewing the Legislative Record of roll call votes since 2007. Over that time, Governor Patrick has issued over 150 budget related vetoes reducing or eliminating line items. My opponent for State Representative in the Eighth Suffolk, Representative Martha “Marty” Walz has voted in support of sustaining the Governor’s budget vetoes, a fellow Democrat…NEVER! Now I can understand that she always voted against Governor Romney’s budget vetoes. I could understand if she only voted to sustain Governor Patrick’s vetoes 25, 50 or maybe 75 times but never? Not once in 150+ opportunities? Massachusetts has a budget crisis. Reasonable people can argue whether it is because of reduced revenues or excessive spending but I believe it is hard to argue that Governor Patrick has never had an idea regarding cutting spending that was worthy of Representative Walz’s support.

Jon Stewart draws the parallels between Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour and the Mayor “Beaches are Safe” of Amity Island in the movie Jaws, and continues with his extraordinary recent run of trenchant commentary: Obama’s “AssQuest” … more. Give the man a Pulitzer. Borowitz: BP Develops Technology to Convert Lies into Energy ‘Totally Renewable Resource,’ Says CEO LONDON (The Borowitz Report) – In what is being called a game-changer for the embattled oil company, British Petroleum announced today that it has developed a new technology to convert lies into energy. At a press conference at corporate headquarters in London, BP CEO Tony Hayward said that environmentalists would embrace the new technology “because lies are a totally renewable resource.” Illustrating the impact of BP’s new technology, Mr. Hayward told reporters, “Over the past month alone, my words could power the city of London for a year.” But the new technology has its skeptics, including the University of Minnesota’s Davis Logsdon, who warns of the dangers of “lie spills.” “We have learned from recent BP press conferences that once the lie flow starts, it can be very hard to stop,” he says. Daniel Kurtzman: “The president met with BP CEO Tony Hayward, and [...]

I already posted today but couldn’t resist sharing this with fellow BMGers. A few weeks back I put down my thoughts on the ongoing loss of private primary care doctors.  I was extremely pleased by the response.   Recently a colleague sent me an article from the NY Times magazine set in story form. It outlines choices we may have to make for the direction of our personal care.  It presents the view that a personal physician has a major role in helping people courageously make the decisions they truly want.  Tell me what you think.  Dr. Don Green

So this is what a negotiation looks like in the medical world.  One side threatens the other and then the other capitulates by both agreeing to raise the cost of the service.  Again the patient or ultimate payer of insurance coverage is left out in the cold in this back and forth.  The end result is a higher price tag with little rationale.  I’m sure they did not agree for each of them to take less from insurers.  With a heavier expense to the insurer this settlement only means higher premiums.  Again this all occurs without one added benefit to the public and takes place totally in the dark.