Bill Keating stood up for reform because Beacon Hill was broken, and
now he’s running because Capitol Hill is broken.
We need someone like Bill in Washington to shake things up and change
the way Congress is doing business. On September 14th, please vote for
Bill Keating in the Democratic Primary, so we can send to Washington,
not just a strong message, but a strong messenger. For more info,
visit www.BillKeating.org
Disclosure: I am an intern with the Bill Keating campaign!
Please share widely!
Let me first say that I haven’t been to Bill’s web site, and I know absolutely nothing about him except for this post and the attached video. So he may be a very good person. But as someone who is probably in the target audience for this post, it seems to me that it says virtually nothing except
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p>1. Bill Keating opposed Bulger in 1993.
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p>2. Bill Keating can “work across the aisle” to break the partisan divide in Washington.
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p>I’m sure #1 is a good point. Is there more? Is there anything Bill Keating stood for, or stands for now? Is there anything you’d like to talk about that he’s done since 1993? Is there any national issue he cares passionately about now?
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p>And as for #2, I’m not so sure that “working across the aisle” in Washington is at this point a viable or productive thing to do. When the Republicans are so solidly bent on cynicism, pandering to wedge issues, and political destruction, we don’t need people who will enable them.
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p>And other than that, the phrases are all empty. He’ll have a “strong message”. What’s the message?
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p>I’m not writing this to attack Mr. Keating. If I were living in the 10th Congressional District (as I once did), I’d be looking at him a lot more closely, I’m sure. But I’d just like to say that this kind of publicity is so empty that I find it painful to read and listen to.
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p>I really urge you to beef this up with some concrete reasons why Bill Keating is someone who deserves our support, and our enthusiasm.
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p> Regards,
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p> Carl Offner
Hi Carl,
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p>Thanks for responding, and I will do my best to address some of your concerns that with the above diary.
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p>I would first ask that you please check out our website, http://www.billkeating.org, and check out Bill’s initial post here on BMG http://vps28478.inmotionhosting.com/~bluema24/d…
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p>Now to address your concerns (I may not answer in direct order-but I will do my best to address them all):
Bill has been Norfolk District Attorney since 1998 where he pursued some of Massachusetts’ toughest cases, making our communities safer and stronger. His role as District Attorney has given him a unique view of the needs of our families, children and communities, needs that are being overlooked in Washington. He has seen cases come through the DA’s office that were the direct result of our current economic troubles. He knows that people are hurting, and he knows that Congress has an important role to play to alleviate the suffering.
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p>As District Attorney, Bill has made prevention the hallmark of his administration. Prevention not only saves lives, but it saves the taxpayers’ money by reducing expenditures for corrections and acute health care.
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p>Here are few links that address some of Bill’s initiatives as District Attorney:
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p>cracked down on white-collar criminals
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p>anti-bullying
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p>suicide prevention
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p>underage drinking prevention resources
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p>As for what Bill stands for now- he stands first and foremost for fixing our economy and getting Americans back to work. Here is a brief list of some of the issues Bill will address if he is elected as the next Congressman for the 10th district.
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p> Helping Small Businesses— Bill understands that small businesses drive our economy and create new jobs. In the legislature, he fought to get small businesses greater access to capital. In Congress, he will fight to get small businesses the help they need to create jobs by providing tax credits and freeing up loans so businesses can hire again.
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p> PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT— Bill is the only candidate in this race to come out in support of Cape Wind because it will make Massachusetts a leader in the green economy, create hundreds of good paying clean energy jobs, protect our coastline from environmental disasters such as the Gulf oil spill, and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels.
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p> GUN SAFETY–In Congress, he will fight hard to close the loophole that allows people on the FBI Terrorist Watch list to buy guns and support federal regulations requiring that all guns sold in this country are equipped with child safety trigger locks.
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p> SOCIAL SECURITY– Bill is the only candidate in the race who is against raising the retirement age for Social Security. Here is a direct quote from Bill: “Instead of throwing out ideas about raising the retirement age, let’s make sure that we direct every dollar we collect from Social Security taxes to the Social Security trust fund, and stop diverting that money to pay for other expenses.”
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p> Bringing our Troops Home– Bill supports the July 2011 deadline for bringing our troops home from Afghanistan.
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p>As for your last point of “Working across the aisle” being a hollow phrase-your point is taken, but I don’t believe that is the message of the diary post or the video. The message is, Bill was not afraid to stand up for reform on Beacon Hill, and would not be afraid to do the same thing on Capitol Hill. Many candidates have said they would send a message to Washington. It is one thing to be in the minority party and rail against the excesses of the majority-Bill took a stand against the leadership in his own party in order to bring reform to the institution, and he will bring this independence to Washington should he be elected.
Disclosure: I am an intern with the Bill Keating campaign!
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p>–Kenny
If he answered the tough questions.
…your questions were about how many houses he has in the district and how much money he would make, the latter of which at least you already knew the answer to. I’m much more interested on how he would vote on various issues.
Is too much to “earn” at the public trough. Nobody should earn that much money from government work. Nobody!
…who makes 400K? Pension reform is certainly something to discuss, but keep in mind a pension is something the person in question pays into over time so it really is his money. I hope you’re at least as outraged over the obscene salaries of big corporate executives and professional athletes, neither of which is earned either IMO. I don’t begrudge a public servant what the law entitles him to.
Former Rep. Maryanne Lewis has announced her candidacy for the 10th Congressional seat.
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p>Bringing the number of candidates to – Eight. And one independent, Peter White, had already withdrawn!
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p>So we’ll have three or four come November…
I believe the Massachusetts retirement system is not funded by tax dollars but from mandatory deductions out of every paycheck of every state employee.
And Keating is donating his pension to a charity he founded several years ago called Norfolk Advocates for Children that helps kids who have been physically and sexually abused.
With Keating’s leadership, Norfolk Advocates for Children built a Child Advocacy Center, near the police station in Foxboro, that opened this spring. Now his donations will help it through its first years in that building.
While we have set up own own ‘alternative’ to Social Security, the money taken in doesn’t come close to covering what gets paid out – for MANY years, the payment was only 5% of salary (raised to 11% over the last 10+/- years).
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p>So the balance does come from a mix of inventment income (which hasn’t gone well lately) and taxpayer funds. That balance is often called ‘unfunded pension liability’.
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p>Good for Keating for making those donations.
Your post made me curious, since (admittedly not an expert) I thought that, like SS, the pension system currently takes in more than it pays out, which is what generates the investment income you refer to.
So I googled mass unfunded pension liability. An old MMA article that came up first in line said that the efforts to pay down unfunded liability from the general fund were because the state wanted to move away from the pay-as-you go system that existed before 1988. So it seems that it is a matter of paying off old debts, but that the system as constructed now is taking in more than it pays out. Maybe Karyn or Steve will swoop in and double that investment money at a resort casino and the whole issue will be resolved.