Blue Mass Group

The status quo is not working. “Something” has to be done. Generous direct “donations” from the Waltons and Koch Brothers, as well as strong support from the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) have helped “Citizens First” realize our goals. Truly, public safety is a civil right; we shall overcome.

CF proposes a national movement to ensure that no citizen be protected by a single union stifled Police Officer or Firefighter again. For too long the patrolman and firefighters unions have stifled innovation in our neediest municipalities. We need reform. We need to put citizens first, and not put the needs of adults before public safety.

Studies show that the US is not safe, and we rank near the bottom of international rankings as defined by the Public Safety Metric (PSM). Bold action needs to be taken.

CF, in conjunction with our affiliates at AEI, propose a trailblazing new vision of Public Safety Reform. Our lobbying networks have dubbed our reform efforts No Citizen Left Behind. Below is a synopsis of how our federal legislation will work to ensure national safety proficiency for all by 2025.

Firstly, we will track all police stations and fire stations in every municipality in the United States. We will collect public safety data and then grade all states, cities, towns, and municipal districts accordingly using our public safety metric (PSM) devised by public safety scientific experts. Underperforming police and fire stations will now be held accountable. As part of a “turnaround” plan these stations will receive a “fresh start”. All police officers and fire fighters will reapply for their positions. Department Chiefs at these stations will hire no more than 50% of the former staff. Certainly, accountability will shake up the status quo.

Through this “incubator of innovation”, new charter stations will rise from the ashes. These charter stations will create a board of directors, most notably bankers and politicians who have no experience in police work or fire. These stakeholders will create charters that will operate outside the jurisdiction of traditional stations. Police facilitators and Fire Stoppers will be non-union employees at will. Licenses, experience, pensions, and pertinent training will no longer be a barrier for stakeholders to create a culture of innovative transformation. The charter board of directors will ensure that the safety improvement plan is carried out. In this way real accountability will be realized on a national level.

In order that this bold, innovative, and trailblazing venture be realized a few earmarks must be incorporated into NCLB. Most notably a corporate enterprise tax credit must be adopted in order to stimulate reform “buy in”. Listen up hedge funders! After NCLB passes an enterprising tax loophole, which will benefit ALL citizens, will be enacted. Through venture philanthropy bankers can now raise money for their innovative charter stations. These monies can now be used as tax deductible donations for your “for profit” companies. Other benefits include real estate, building contracts, and inside knowledge of public safety buying trends. We encourage all police and fire related corporate enterprises to hop on board this gravy train. If you don’t, one of our subsidiaries certainly will and you may be on the short end of our free market! Remember, SAFETY FIRST!

PS: If this post doesn’t make any sense to you, research how education reform has “worked” since 2000. Hopefully, readers can make a connection.

Daniel Kurtzman:

“Since President Obama took office, the Democratic Party has lost nine governorships, 56 members of Congress, and two Senate seats. In his defense, Obama said, ‘Well, I did promise change.’” –Conan O’Brien

“Well, congratulations, President Barack Obama, Conspiracy theorists who generally can survive in anaerobic environments have just had an algae bloom dropped on their fucking heads, thus removing the last arrow in your pro-governance quiver: skepticism about your opponents.” –Jon Stewart on the IRS scandal

“President Obama said in his last press conference that he wants to close Gitmo. Gitmo? How about closing Dodger Stadium? How many people are being tortured there night after night?” –Jay Leno

“NASA is taking applications for people who want to live on Mars. Now here are the requirements: You have to be between the ages of 18 and 40 and insane.” –David letterman

“Hooter’s is letting mothers eat for free on Mother’s Day. What better way to tell your mother that she raised a cheapskate and a perv?” –Conan O’Brien

Borowitz:

G.O.P. SPLIT OVER WHETHER TO WASTE TIME INVESTIGATING BENGHAZI OR REPEALING OBAMACARE

WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—A deep divide has emerged within the Republican Party over whether to waste Congress’s time investigating Benghazi talking points or repealing Obamacare, G.O.P. lawmakers confirmed today.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Virginia), sounded the first discordant note at a press briefing this morning, telling reporters, “The time for wasting day after day investigating Benghazi is over. The American people are counting us to waste our time repealing Obamacare yet again.”

Onion:

Sasha Obama Suspicious After Doing A Little Digging Around On Benghazi

WASHINGTON—Saying that none of the facts quite add up, first daughter Sasha Obama, 11, reported being “highly suspicious” today after poking around the details of the 2012 Benghazi attack. “I’m sorry, but it just doesn’t make sense—first they blame the attack on a spontaneous demonstration, but now we find out the CIA talking points were secretly revised?” said the sixth-grader, sitting in the darkened White House library intensely scrolling through pages of articles about the controversy and classified Pentagon briefings. “Obviously, someone’s hiding something: the poor security; the al-Qaeda link; the leaked emails. All I’m asking for here is a simple explanation from the State Department and the White House, and I’m not getting one. I mean, who are they protecting here? And why?” Sasha went on to tell reporters she felt even more suspicious after former defense secretary Leon Panetta failed to respond to any of her 24 voicemails.

What exactly is wrong with this ad?

It accurately states that Ed Markey supports an assault weapons ban and limiting the size of magazines, the “kind used in the Newtown shooting”; and that Gomez does not.

Gomez is now complaining, “Markey blames me for the horrific Newtown shooting”. Garbage. It does no such thing. The ad is as simple and decent as a contrast ad can be: “I believe this. My opponent believes that. You have a choice.”

It does amply demonstrate that Gomez holds an unpopular position among MA voters — and one whose consequences are unfortunately fresh in our memories.

You know, Mr. Gomez, no one is making you take that position. If you think that an accurate description of your position makes you look bad … well, only you can fix that.

An article worth reading from MGH physician Alasdair Conn published on 30 April in the Annals of Internal Medicine from the American College of Physicians. He begins:

We thought it would be a normal Marathon Monday at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). The Boston Marathon is always held on the third Monday in April and is a public holiday—Patriots Day. All state offices are closed, together with many businesses; but for hospitals, it is a regular working day. The MGH normally expects to receive about 15 to 20 marathon runners with hyponatremia and dehydration, many more are treated at the medical tents along the route of the marathon. For many this is a day that Bostonians look forward to each year as the unofficial start of spring.

It was not to be. At 2:50PM, an explosion rocked the area near the finish line, closely followed 11 seconds later by a second blast. Two minutes later, Boston EMS initiated a hospital ringdown; they contacted all of the Boston hospitals requesting disaster capability. Our answer is always the same; we have immediate capacity for 10 critical patients, 20 seriously injured, and we can accept unlimited “walking wounded.” I was paged as soon as the radio call came in; at this time we had no idea of the potential number of injured patients or of their severity. I looked at the current ED census—we were full and had one open stretcher bay in the entire department.

A key takeaway:

We worked with Boston EMS to hone our coordination and skills and performed numerous drills, often on a citywide basis. The simulated building collapse; the dirty bomb scenario at Logan airport and the repetitive activation of the MGH disaster response system—yes—on nights and weekends, all contributed to our learning and familiarity. This training and the iterative improvement in response by all involved made the difference on Marathon Monday. Our elected representatives who help fund these efforts have to be informed that this is money well-spent; this training made the difference and translated directly into lives saved.

Click here for the entire article.

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PPP released their latest poll.

Markey 48
Gomez 41

Public Policy Polling’s newest survey of the US Senate election in Massachusetts finds Ed Markey’s lead over Gabriel Gomez growing to 7 points at 48/41, up from a 4 point margin right after the primary election 2 weeks ago

Gomez favorables are going south as well, down 6 points.

Hey BMG!  I mostly lurk here, but want to share something that I did yesterday with my friend Ken Ward from JP.  Ken and I, in our 50 year old wooden lobster boat named the Henry David T (get it?) took action to stop 40,000 tons of Appalachian coal from being delivered yesterday to the Brayton Point power station in Somerset.  We have such love for the world we have grown up in, and to bear its destruction without trying to stop it would be impossible for us.  So we put the Henry David T between the ship and the pier and dropped anchor.

You can find out more about the campaign at coalisstupid.org where there’s video archive of the beginning of the action and things you can do to help.  Also a good article from today’s Globe.  And find out more about upcoming Coal action that’ll be part of 350.org’s “Summer Heat”

Here’s our full statement below:

Our Statement: Coal is Stupid

Why we seek to close Brayton Point.

This is getting ridiculous.

Republican Massachusetts Senate candidate Gabriel Gomez was sued by his plumber over unpaid toilet repairs from 2007, according to court records.

According to the plaintiff, Lundy Plumbing, the case was brought in 2008 in response to two attempts to get Gomez to pay for repairs to a leaky toilet in Gomez’s home. Lundy Plumbing alleged that Gomez was billed in January of 2008 to which he did not respond. Lundy Plumbing then says they sent another bill and called several times before bringing the case.

The case was settled out of court according to court records.

Honestly, who does that?  Stated otherwise, if he can’t manage his own bills, how can we trust him with America’s?

From his new perch at Boston Magazine, David S. Bernstein reports that Gabriel Gomez (who apparently does not yet know his position on abortion and just can’t shake his shady tax deduction problem) has set up a “Victory Fund,” a joint venture between the Gomez campaign and the National Republican Senate Committee. As Bernstein writes:

It’s not a coincidence that this account was set up just before the upcoming fundraiser with John McCain, as reported by the Globe‘s Jim O’Sullivan. The top ask for that event is $37,600, which is an odd figure until you realize that the most one can give to Gomez is $2,600 and the most one can give to the NRSC PAC is $35,000. Apparently it’s too much to ask rich people to write the two separate checks, so the Victory Fund lets them write one…

The main advantage of this is that givers can feel certain that the NRSC will know to use that $35k on its campaign to get Gomez elected, rather than some other effort. Which, by the by, it can do because Gomez won’t sign the “People’s Pledge” to prohibit spending by outside groups.

The funny thing is that, when Deval Patrick set up a similar “Victory Fund” in 2009, on a much smaller scale (maximum contribution $5,500, less than 15% of the max one can give to Gomez’s fund), the Massachusetts Republican Party raised holy hell. Patrick and the Mass. Dems abandoned the idea, and the state legislature passed a bill banning such joint venture funds.

That ban, of course, applies only to state candidates. And so we’ve had the spectacle of Scott Brown setting up a Victory Fund in 2011, and Mitt Romney setting one up last year that gave almost $9.4 million to…the Mass. GOP.

Par for the course. The GOP howls about how corrupt the Democrats are. The Democrats cave, ceasing the activity in question and passing legislation to outlaw it (our state legislature is, after all, more than 80% Democratic). Then the Republicans do the same thing on a scale seven times bigger.

On Wednesday, the Senate Ways and Means Committee filed its budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2014. Like the proposals that preceded it, it is a statement of priorities, a detailed plan for what the Committee thinks we should do together through state government in the coming year.

The most significant new investment in the Senate Ways & Means proposal involves Transportation, where new revenue would be used to fix and improve our roads, bridges, and transit systems. The budget proposal also increases funding for a variety of smaller initiatives, such as helping low-income seniors get in-home care and increasing the number of rental vouchers available for low-income families, as well as the elderly, and people with disabilities.

Overall, the size and scope of new investments in the Senate Ways & Means budget is somewhat limited—as was true in the House budget (even though the priorities were different.) The basic reason for this similarity is that the two budgets rely on a comparable amount of available revenue. As a consequence, the two bodies face similar constraints in terms of their ability to make the kind of forward-looking investments that would improve the long-term strength of our economy.

The Governor’s budget incorporated some broader investments in our families and our communities, including plans to give more kids access to high-quality early education & care, and to combine transportation fixes with more new transportation projects in coming years. To fund these investments, the Governor proposed a revenue package substantial enough to offset much of the long-term effect of the income tax cuts of 1998-2002—which continue to cost the state $3 billion each year.

Read More at MassBudget.org

First, a confession: I drive more places than I bike, though I do both.  Does that make me a bad person?  Maybe.  But there you go.

Now, to the point of this post, which is the Globe story reporting reaction to a City of Boston report on the causes of bicycle accidents and recommendations on what to do.  Apparently, advocates for cycling are upset about the following:

In an effort to make the city safer for cyclists, police will ­begin to hand out $20 citations to cyclists who run red lights; and the mayor’s office may push for a law requiring helmet use by bike riders of all ages.  “We’re still blaming the victim,” said Dahianna Lopez, a Harvard doctoral student who worked as a consultant compiling crash data for the Boston Police Department.

Cycling advocates have objected that (1) a helmet law won’t prevent accidents; and (2) a relatively small number of accidents (12%, per the report) are directly traceable to cyclists running red lights or stop signs – by contrast, “twenty-two percent of collisions between cars and cyclists occurred when a vehicle door opened unexpectedly on a ­cyclist. Eighteen percent ­occurred when a motorist did not see a cyclist, and 12 percent occurred when a cyclist rode ­into oncoming traffic.”

Regarding point 1, I’d say the objection is true but irrelevant.  The argument for helmets is precisely the same as the argument for seat belts: it’s a common-sense safety measure that will almost certainly prevent a good number of serious and perhaps fatal head injuries, thereby reducing the number of shattered lives and also keeping medical costs down.  I find it hard to see the contrary argument.  So I think this reaction is off-base:

David Watson, executive ­director of the Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition, a statewide bike advocacy organization, said he disagrees with the conclusions of city officials on bike helmets. Forcing helmets on the heads of cyclists won’t prevent accidents, Watson said.  “We need to focus on preventing a crash in the first place, not just providing protection when they crash,” he said.

Hey, here’s an idea: why not do both?

Point 2, on ticketing cyclists who run red lights, is more complicated.  Here’s a quote from the Globe story that I think is illuminating:

[Cyclist] Ira Kemp of Arlington said that cracking down on bike riders who run red lights, an ­offense that he admitted committing on occasion, would not address one of the biggest factors in bike crashes: the behavior of motorists.

“It’s a huge cultural issue,” Kemp said. “Most motorists don’t have an ounce of respect for people on bikes.”

In my view, Mr. Kemp is both exactly right and precisely wrong.  He’s right that many motorists don’t “respect” cyclists.  That is a problem that has to change for the city to become more bike-friendly.  But he is wrong that forcing cyclists to obey traffic laws won’t have any effect on that problem.  To the contrary, motorists – including myself – get frustrated with cyclists precisely because they routinely behave like scofflaws, darting in and out of traffic, running red lights and stop signs with barely a glance toward oncoming traffic, and so forth.  Be honest, now: how often have you seen a car intentionally run a red light?  It happens now and then, but it’s pretty rare.  In contrast, cyclists do it all the time.

Respect has to be earned.  If cyclists want it, they have to behave as though they deserve it.  And that means obeying the traffic laws.  Right now, too many of them don’t do that.  So a crackdown by law enforcement – in conjunction with other efforts, to be sure, such as the ongoing expansion of the city’s bike lanes and other efforts noted in the report – strikes me as an excellent idea.

Frank Phillips is reporting that not only did Gabriel Gomez use a shady historical home tax deduction agreeing not to alter the his home’s facade even though Cohasset already places similar restrictions on historical properties but Gomez also shopped around for the highest appraisal. It seems that Gomez rejected appraisals if he didn’t like the value, further still, Gomez didn’t even pay the bill for those appraisals.

When Republican US Senate nominee Gabriel E. Gomez was seeking a lucrative historical tax deduction for his Cohasset home, he rejected the first appraisal he received because it was too low and then refused to pay the appraiser’s bill, according to a claim filed this week.

That appraiser, Shaun Fitzgerald, said Gomez hired him in late 2005 to determine the amount he could deduct on his federal tax return in exchange for agreeing not to alter the home’s facade. But Fitzgerald said Gomez then failed to pay the $1,000 appraiser’s fee.

The appraisal amount? A measly $245,640.

Apparently, that’s not what Gomez was looking for. Note to appraisers you need to value the home exactly how Gomez wants you to value it or you don’t get paid.

After being granted the easement and tax deduction Gomez had work done on the exterior of the property anyway, it seems that the easement agreement for the tax deduction only covers areas that is visible from the street. Cohasset’s historical commission does get involved in the approval on any changes to the home. Gomez didn’t seemed to to have any issues getting approvals even though the renovation included the removal of “character-defining elements” of the historical home.

That construction included removal of a brick chimney, one of the two on the house. A survey commissioned by the Trust in August 2005 to evaluate the historic significance of the home had determined that the chimneys were “important character-defining elements’’ of the property.

Gomez’s wife Sarah serves on the Cohasset Historical Commission.

Celebrating the passage of Marriage Equality!

It’s time we looked at the rules for signature collection and ballot qualification.

I am calling on the Boston City Council to offer a Home Rule Petition to change the requirements regarding signature gathering to qualify for the ballot in municipal elections. As it now stands, candidates for Mayor must gather 3000 signatures, and any registered voter from Boston can sign as many nomination papers as they want, but only the first signature certified will count toward the potential candidate’s total.

That’s not right. It’s an unfair barrier to getting on the ballot, and it mostly affects candidates of color, candidates who aren’t as well funded as others, and candidates without networks that take years to build. If you can get 3000 valid signatures, you should be able to get on the ballot. Boston’s rules should be closer to the Commonwealth’s rules.

To that end, I pledge my legislative support to any Boston Home Rule Petition that makes its way to the Massachusetts House floor.

Marty Walsh

Author’s note: those interested in supporting YDM’s Emerge scholarship should visit our event page. I hope to see many of you tomorrow night!

BOSTON – The Young Democrats of Massachusetts (YDM) will present their 4th annual ‘Ladies in Blue’ awards at the Roosevelt After Dark fundraiser at Storyville on Thursday, May 16th from 8:30-11:00pm. This year’s honorees are Senator Elizabeth Warren as Woman of the Year, Representative Ellen Story as Legislator of the Year, and Dr. Harmony Wu as Activist of the Year. Half of the proceeds from the event will go towards a new scholarship for a YDM member to attend Emerge Massachusetts, a training program for women running for office.

Apparently, the coverage of his little tax, ahem, kerfuffle, is causing Gabriel Gomez to rethink some of his strategy. To whit, his team of crack turd blossoms are putting their collective heads together to come up with a new, snappier slogan. In a process that I’m almost sure is not at all illegal but which has nevertheless left me scarred for life, I’ve obtained some of their rough drafts.

Without any further ado, and with only a little trepidation, I present the TOP TEN latest and greatest Gabriel Gomez for Senate Campaign Slogans….

10) Watch me run!!

9) What part of preservation easement valuation contingent upon codification of facade appraisal in trust management for a federal tax deduction in contravention of local ordinance don’t you understand? Also, freedom.

8) When I found out that George Dubya Bushes’ Air National Guard duty was a facade… I just figured I had to have one of my own to be a Republican.

7) Hey, I NEED that $281,500! Do you have ANY idea how much a car elevator goes for these days?!?!?!

6) Everybody simmer down and just take an easement!

5) Yeah, right… Go ahead. Tell me how YOU never accidentally wrote off $281,500 on your taxes!!

4) Whatever your problem with money and taxes…my problems are greater!

3) Examine: Nothing up my sleeve.

2) Watch me run faster!!

And the number one new Gambriel Gomez for Senate SLOGAN:

1) Mitt Romney told me that 47% of the 1% completely fabricate their tax deductions anyways, so it’s all good.

This is a good thing. Good for him.

Markey urged supporters in an email Tuesday to sign a petition his campaign has launched opposing chained CPI, a proposal in the president’s fiscal year 2014 budget that would reduce the cost-of-living adjustment related to senior and veterans benefits. Obama included the proposal as a compromise offer to Republicans, but Markey told supporters he disagreed with the tactic. The petition in Markey’s email redirects to a fundraising page.

“Democrats won huge victories in 2012. We reelected President Obama. We held the Senate and made gains in the House,” he said in the email. “We don’t need to roll over to the right wing when it comes to budget choices.”

So let’s go one step further: increase Social Security. If Ed Markey’s looking for a positive lefty agenda, there’s something to shoot for.

Also it’s worth reflecting on our Democratic president trying to slash Social Security and raiding the Associated Press.

The man who was supposed to be the conscience of the administration on civil liberties has failed time and time again. This time he has certainly gone too far. From failing to close Guantanamo, backpedaling on civilian trials for the Times Square bomber, going after Swartz and defending Ortiz, Fast and Furious, and now the AP Leak it’s time for him to go. A persuasive case from a fellow liberal:

I recognize that there are times when journalists might have to reveal sources—when a person’s life is at stake, say, and others. And remember, the Supreme Court has never recognized a journalist’s right to protect source confidentiality. But even with all that, it’s pretty clear that Obama has been waging a secret war and then pursuing journalists trying to dig into it with more zeal than even the Bush administration did. And it’s an extra irony that Mr. Process Liberal is presiding over all this.

So what’s he going to do now? I think we can predict. He’s going to stand by Eric Holder for now and let some interminable process play out. Just like he’s going to let some lengthy process play out at the IRS.

And while these processes play out, it’s going to be drip, drip, drip. Republicans will say anything they need to say to gain political advantage. And now, this is the kind of matter that’s going to get Democrats worked up too. I wrote yesterday that he needs to crack some heads at the IRS and crack them fast. And now, he ought to ask for Holder’s resignation. This week. Enough already. Holder’s rights here aren’t more important than Obama sending a strong signal that he is in charge and can make hard decisions. Holder will go off and make millions of dollars anyway, and there are lots of other people out there who can be attorney general.

Governor of New Jersey Chris Christie

The passage of a marriage equality law in Delaware last week leaves New Jersey the only Atlantic coast state north of Virginia to retain a discriminatory marriage law.

“[V]acationers this summer can travel anywhere from Portland, Maine, to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, and all the way to Ocean City, Maryland, to enjoy the Atlantic coastline in destinations that treat all people equally — that is, only if they bypass New Jersey,” said Garden State Equality in a press release.

“It is a blight on our state’s record of leadership and social justice, and on our economy, that Governor Christie has vetoed marriage equality and that the legislature has not yet overridden that veto.”

The New Jersey state legislature passed a marriage equality bill in February, 2012.  Gov. Christie vetoed it immediately.  Since the bill wasn’t passed by a veto-proof majority, the race is on to secure 12 additional votes in the House and 3 in the Senate before the legislative session ends in January, 2014.

This is possible if Gov. Christie, who is known for enforcing party discipline, allows Republican legislators to vote their conscience.  It would be in his best interest to do so, because he’s giving New Jersey a retrograde reputation.

Since his veto last year, Washington, Maine, Maryland, Rhode Island and Delaware have doubled the number of marriage equality states to 11.  Minnesota is expected to become the 12th state on Monday, March 13, with Illinois following suit in the next few weeks.

In contrast, New Jersey keeps its loving, committed same-sex couples segregated into separate and unequal civil unions.  Thanks to Gov. Christie’s veto, New Jersey embraces a discriminatory past while the rest of the country moves on.  Eleven (soon to be 13) states plus the District of Columbia, President Obama, prominent Republicans including former NJ Gov. Christine Todd Whitman, Fortune 500 companies and the country as a whole have evolved on this issue.

Those so inclined can encourage Gov. Christie to get with the program by signing this petition sponsored by Garden State Equality and American Civil Liberties Union.

Cross-posted at Blue Jersey.

Longtime Cape Wind opponent Peter Kenney has an op-ed in today’s New Bedford Standard Times attacking me personally. It’s part of a broader strategy by wind opponents to bully clean energy supporters into silence. Will Massachusetts leaders stand up for reasoned debate, or give into scare tactics?

What was my crime in Kenney’s eyes? Daring to point out that Bill Koch, a billionaire Cape Cod estate owner and heir to a polluting energy fortune, is blocking New Bedford clean energy jobs by bankrolling Cape Wind opposition. I’m only the latest person Kenney has targeted for personal attacks. “Mr. Kenney has a history of not being able to disagree respectfully,” Yarmouth Planning Board Chairman Erik Tolley said last year.

What’s bizarre is that in Kenney’s op-ed, he claims I refused to take his call. I talked to him on April 23 for two minutes. Here’s my annotation of the phone record: