And fellow enlightened progressives everywhere, we need to keep people like Barbara in government so lets all join her in any way we can —
“Once more into the breach, dear friends, once more
Or close the wall up with our English dead” ( I sent money.)
P.S. I anticipate some of you will not be able to resist twisting some of these inspirational lines that British schoolboys still have to memorize for St George's day, into a very funny joke on me.
Go ahead, make a joke, but the rules are you then have to click onto Barbara's website and make a donation.
Please share widely!
It’s hard to keep track I know with such a badly drawn district. She’s a principled progressive in a district that is not and has never run unopposed. She is IMO one of the best in the General Court.
Judy, I appreciate that you’ve taken the time to profile my campaign for re election.
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p>(And thank you Christopher for remembering my North Andover constituents!).
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p>I have represented the 18th Essex since 2003; and since my first campaign in 2002 I have always been challenged by aggressive opponents in each of my re-elections. I am very proud of my record as a State Representative.
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p>My most recent term has been my most productive yet. As Vice Chair of the House Committee on Ways and Means I made sure our human service programs had a voice at the table. Balancing our budget is a must, and unfortunately the economic downturn meant many programs saw a decrease in funding. While I do represent communities that border New Hampshire, I did vote to increase the sales tax because I believe we have a responsibility to protect society’s most vulnerable – especially in this economic climate.
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p>This past session I authored and passed legislation that would recognize October as Disability History Awareness month. Too many people forget about the struggles that people with disabilities have had to go through and I believe Massachusetts needs to make sure our next generation is well aware of what past generations had to fight so hard to achieve.
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p>My greatest achievements were in addressing the growing Autism epidemic. As the rate of Autism increases our human services programs are feeling the pressure. I authored and passed legislation that would create a commission studying how our state delivers services to people with Autism; how Autism impacts these services; and if there are ways to increase the efficiency of delivery. Furthermore, this commission has the potential to act as a framework for future studies of other human service programs.
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p>Finally, I authored and passed legislation that requires health insurers to cover Autism. Families across the commonwealth were increasingly being forced to pay for their autistic child’s expenses (averaging $50,000/yr!). In most cases families could just not afford the growing cost. My legislation (now law) will require coverage, saving families thousands of dollars while also alleviating the pressure placed on school districts. I am especially proud of the bi-partisan and unanimous support this law received.
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p>Now, as I run for my fifth term, I face my greatest challenge yet. Tea Party activists have me as their top target, and the official Merrimack Valley Tea Party is doing everything they can to defeat me. My district includes portions of almost every community in Greater Lawrence, and that makes me a “common enemy” that all Tea Partiers in the region have set their sights on.
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p>My opponent is a social conservative named Jim Lyons (Arlington residents may remember him), and he has been a fierce critic of mine since I voted to support Marriage Equality. The irony is that while Jim and other Tea Party “Leaders” have always worked against me for my socially progressive positions, these same activists are using my support of the sales tax to whip up Tea Party activists and send me “packing” (their words).
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p>Yes, like many Democratic legislators I live in a district won by Scott Brown. However I certainly represent a genuine “swing district”. So deep was Brown’s support here that he held a rally in North Andover the day before the special election. But even before Scott Brown, most of my district supported Kerry Healey in 2006, and Mitt Romney in 2002.
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p>I’d like to ask the BMG to community to please consider supporting my campaign in any way possible – whether it is through financial contributions, or by offering your time to help with voter contact. Thank you.
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p>Gratefully,
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p>Barbara L’Italien
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p>Barbara@TeamBarbara.com
978-409-1818
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p>www.teambarbara.com
Because she understands that the purpose of government is go guard the social compact, including the rule of law, caring for those who cannot care for themselves, and our responsibility for one another.
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p>We actually are one another’s keepers, and not one of us made it to where we are today, alone.
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p>It take’s legislators who govern with a sense of personal and collective social responsibility to remind us all of that reality.
Barbara L’Italien is a heroic legislator that has put her career on the line in the interest of fighting for the most vulnerable in our society — our elders, children, people with disabilities, and the lgbt community.
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p>Being a Democrat in a relatively conservative district, it might have made more political sense for her NOT to have been such a leader on some of these issues, but that’s not who she is. She IS a leader and someone we can always count on to do the right thing even when the going gets tough.
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p>The LGBT community owes her a special debt for her unwavering support during the marriage equality fight — a fight that she took the right side on even though it meant her family would be attacked by extremists in her community, she would be publicly ostracized from her church, and her actions would lead to a succession of nasty socially conservative challengers.
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p>Her current Republican challenger is hiding under the Tea Party banner, but under that false veneer, he is just another social conservative zealot — especially when it comes to eliminating reproductive rights for women and persecuting gay couples and their families.
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p>He’s even endorsed by Mass Resistance, recognized by the Southern Poverty Law Center as an active anti-gay hate group in Massachusetts.
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p>I encourage every one of you to contribute to her campaign — either by making a monetary contribution or volunteering. This is one fight we cannot afford to lose!
Here is a profile of the Opponent Who Must Not Be Named:
http://www.eagletribune.com/lo…
Was a year or two ahead of him at Brandeis, where he played on the basketball team (terrific outside shooter) and one of his teammates was former Suffolk County DA Ralph Martin, though they don’t share much ideologically. Jim also ran for State Senate in Arlington and is a cousin of Charlie Lyons, who chaired the National League of Cities for a year.
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p>The world is a small place.
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p>Vote Democrat in 2010 and for the foreseeable future …
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p>H