Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

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  1.  

    policy papers, and participating in forums, workshops, and public policy events.

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    p>Speakers comments and the legislation ultimately passed ate the polucy papers, committee hearings and sit downs with advocates are the work shops, and I have know idea what “public policy events” are. I know what political events and issue events are.

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    p>The legislature is a not a think tank so don’t ask it to act like one.  

    • If this is the criteria list, then most of the current members of the Legislature don’t fit the bill!

  2. Propose someone!

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    p>Representative Ted Speliotis of Danvers is a person of outstanding character and integrity.

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    p>I doubt he would want to take on the albatross of the speakership though.

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    p>

  3. Speaker Keverian: Successful rules reform agenda

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    p>Speaker Flaherty: Leading liberal standard bearer against Governor Weld.

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    p>Speaker Finneran: Father of the rainy day fund and Mass. would be a death penalty state if it wasn’t for him.

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    p>Speaker Dimasi: Business would be paying nothing for the new health care law if it wasn’t for him and Anti-Casino forces are happy,      

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    p>All those qualities listed apply to these leaders but once in office power is intoxicating.

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    p>(I’m not aware of any legal issues with Keverian and lets not convist the current Speaker until we know a lot more.)

    • Finneran’s wrongdoing was not one which showed corruption. Just human nature.

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      p>Keverian was clean and brilliant and not a good speaker. He let the inmates run it and nothing got down. Rules reform does not count.

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      p>Flaherty..He and Jack Murphy just looked to be having too much fun. Flaherty was, after all is said and done, on the good side IMO. Same for Bulger. He’s just overly greedy. times ten. But not corrupt. Its a southie thing. Even for the honest. Take what you can get.

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      p>Sal? causes me problems. Johnny Rogers two hundred thousand$$$$ gift from his campaign account to his former business partner really really stinks. He may have some southie in him.

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      p>DeLeo just stinks because Petro is pushing him. It is too bad he has Petro’s stink on him now. It wasn’t there a few months ago.

        • To me,a corrupt politician is one who trades his vote for $$$$$$ in one wasy or another.

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          p>Finneran never did that. I have never heard any story which even hints at corruption.

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          p>Corruption is noit a tough boss, I mean Speaker. Corruption is not contained in the four corners of his deposition in which he perjured himself on a stupid issue that, even if Finneran did what they said he did, it does not make him a corrupt politician.

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          p>Ryan, you have distinguish.

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          p>Finneran was brought down by ego without being corrupt.

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          p>Sal may be corrupt. We don’t klnow. But he has given us many reasons to wonder.

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          p>Finneran never did that.

          • I just called you Deval in the post above. LOL. Totally an accident.

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            p>That’s funny.

            • You can disagree with him and his style. But just because a dim and ambitious US Atorney under orders by Dick Cheney to indict Democratic politiciains did just that to Finneran on a charge thst does not iundicate corruption, just humanity dos not make Fineran a corrupt person or speaker.

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              p>It’s called critical thinking.  

          • I agree that “corrupt” is a legal term for taking graft of some variety.

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            p>Being a felon for having a big ego, and talking before you think so you lie under oath is not “corruption” in the legal sense, it is rather a form of stupid big mouth or ego run wild.  One can be honest but a loose cannon, to be sure.

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            p>I know, too, that the Republican House Members all voted for Finneran for speaker.

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            p>Maybe you remember that too, Ernie.

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            p>And Finneran did support expanding early childhood education – which makes good sense.  That is one of those intiatives that really, really pays for itself.

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            p>That all being said, Finneran is a funny guy and good company – way more accessible to ordinary folk then Speaker DiMasi.  That is just my experience, though.

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            p>I am also a very opinionated person, and sometimes agree and sometimes do not agree with absolutely anyone.

            • I’m a Finneran fan. What the Christ are you jabberin about.
              Boy I hope you don’t hve the duty day when I get arrested and assigned a bat advocate. I need my lawyer to pay attention.

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              p>He was not corrupt. He admits his mouth and being pissed off got him in unnecessary trouble.

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              p>I like the guy and the things he did as speaker.

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              p>And trust me Amber, I rememebr a hell of a lot more  then  you ever knew. I dont need you to remind me of Richie Voke and the Repubs backing Finneran for knw other reason than Richie was a pompous big feeling jerk to too many poeple.

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              p>Now ask me about Grace Hogan.

              • …you are admitting to being a bat?

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                p>No, seriously, what in the world are you hopping around on one mental foot for this time?

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                p>As with anyone in public life, Finneran did things I like and things I did not like.

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                p>That doesn’t make him corrupt of course.  And yes, he admitted to a big ego and a big mouth.  If the Globe’s quotes were accurate.

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                p>But his treatment of the clean elections law, and some of his organizational style – no.  Not admirable in my view.

    • Re: “Speaker Dimasi: Business would be paying nothing for the new health care law if it wasn’t for him…”

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      p>What the biz community is supposed to be paying under the new law is worse than a joke, it’s a slap in the face to taxpayers and to all of us who are paying our “fair share” of healthcare costs.

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      p>It gets even worse: what biz is suppossed to be paying under the new law they are not even paying–not even close! (the Globe has covered this fairly well so please look up the facts before you make such sweeping inaccurate statements).

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      p>There’s a reason that the CEO of Associated Industries of Mass. (AIM), Dick Lord, for years has been Chairman of the Board of the Massachusetts Medicaid Policy Institute. (And why Dick sat on the Connector Board to implement the new health insurance law.)

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      p>AIM’s “stakeholder group” (biz) has a vested interest in continuing the policies to require taxpayers to continue to foot the bill for the largest share of healthcare spending in the state. Plus, a bigger Medicaid program serves to perpetuate enforced poverty and oppression of the more than 1 Million state residents who need their health insurance coverage and find it next to impossible to move from Medicaid eligible wages to a job that offers good health insurance benefits…  Think about it.

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      p>I’ve left messages for reporters and editors at the Globe that this is an important story for the public to learn more about. Actually, there’s so much incestuousness and money exchange that exists between Lord, MA BCBS, HCFA, the state Medicaid Program (and now we can add former state Senator Jarrett Barrios to the group) that it’s fodder for a Spotlight Investigation series.  Dead silence is the Globe’s response.  

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      p>Makes you wonder how much of the Globe’s shrinking revenue source is from the medical-industrial complex? And, related to that, is this the reason why Alice Dembner has never done her planned articles to cover the personal stories of the new health care law that show how the individual mandate law is hurting a lot of people?  

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      p>Maybe the Herald will do some through reporting on it. Let the Globe stick to exposing what a farce our state legislature has become.

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      p>        

      • Commonwealth Fund
        States in Action: Innovations in Health Policy, April/May 2008
        April 24, 2008 | Volume 14
        http://www.commonwealthfund.or…

        Feature: Massachusetts Health Care Reform-On Second Anniversary of Passage,
        What Progress Has Been Made?

        … In addition to higher-than-expected costs, there have been lower-than-expected revenues. When the health reform was enacted, it was estimated that the employer “Fair Share” assessment would contribute $26 million in FY 2008 and $22.5 million in FY 2009. However, a recent report in the Boston Business Journal indicates that 735 companies have paid $6.6 million for FY 2008.[11] It is not clear why revenues have fallen so short of projections, but a detailed study on the issue is due in the fall.

        The “Fair Share” assessment is charged to employers who do not provide health coverage to at least 25 percent of their employees or offer to pay at least a third of employee premiums for all employees. Critics contend that this level of contribution is too low, given that, nationally, employers pay on average 84 percent of employee health insurance premiums….

  4. DeLeo or Rogers — we must be able to do better.  

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    p>If these are the types of people DeLeo is going to surround himself with, that bodes very poorly.  Are these are only choices — Rogers who is (a la Finneran) trying to make deals with Republicans and DeLeo surrounded by hacks and thugs?  Where are the progressives in this?

    1. Willingness to transcend partisanship – the Speaker should be seen as Speaker of the whole House, not just of the majority.

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    p>9. Aversion to playing favorites, either with legislation or members.  Any legislation that gets out of committee should be brought to the floor, not just legislation favored by the Speaker.  Also, the Speaker should put any tempting grudges out of mind and not allow votes by colleagues to influence assignments.

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    p>10. Acceptance of the fact that (s)he is not the Governor.  This does not mean never offer a counter-proposal, but the Governor’s agenda should always be respectfully addressed.  When the GOP took the US House in 1994 Newt Gingrich acted like he was the new President, or at least Prime Minister; I believe that is an inappropriate attitude to have.

      • Although in some cases the Speaker doesn’t even represent all Democrats.

        • And yeah, I noticed about the other part of your reply to my comment, which makes me think “first things first”.

      • I suppose I should add that the office has been politically vacant for a significant chunk of the time since Weld was re-elected.

  7. Will come as a result of a decade or longer struggle to elect better Democrats to Beacon Hill who are true believers in transparency, small d Democracy, civil rights for all, health care for all and reform in how Massachusetts is taxed and funded. It will also come as a result of stronger, broader political movements across the state which are united – so the people have their say in who becomes Speaker and it isn’t reduced to behind-the-scenes navigating. A good Speaker will come as a result of a process that rewards people for getting things done that benefit people, not lobbyist powers. A good Speaker will come about from having a better Government.

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    p>We can get there, but the road is long and the weather is frigid.  

    • What in your life experiences, readings, converstaions with others, and being a memeber of the human race suggest there is a remote possibility of this evr happening.

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      p>Reality is not another word for corruptiuon or unethical Ryan.

      • only when. Why? Because it’s a necessity. Also, citizen organizations both in the state and around the country have extreme momentum in becoming both powerful and effective. Nationally, you see that with groups like MoveOn. Locally, you see that with groups like MassEquality and the Coalition of Social Justice. If ever we could have a state-wide, widely funded organization like the COSJ that was ran as professionally and well as a MassEquality, I’d say it would take 5 years to get there instead of 10. As it is, with organizations like MassAlliance, at least we’re starting to change the composition of the legislature. Of course, some would call me optimistic, but I think it’s a healthy dose of realism and staying just high enough to avoid the traps of what PP talked about down-thread; indeed, there’s enough positive change every year to keep me being a true believer, and all the success that’s happened in April and May alone are good examples.

        • …of opposite parties.

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          p>Frank Hynes and Reed Hillman.  They didn’t agree on issues, but they were both intelligent, reasonable people, and a pleasure to work with and know.

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          p>And both quit the Legislature because they were sickened by its conduct.

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