Posted on 03/01/2007 9:09:34 AM PST by raccoonradio
After pledging to protect funding for poor and vulnerable citizens, Gov. Deval Patrick is facing harsh criticism for slashing salaries for social workers, reducing services for the mentally ill and eliminating water-rate relief for cash-strapped homeowners.
“This is the governor who last night said he wasn’t going to balance the budget on the backs of the poorest people in Massachusetts,” said state Sen. Richard Tisei (R-Wakefield). “What we’re looking at today is a direct contradiction to that.”
The criticism emerged after Patrick released a line-by-line accounting of a $26.7-billion budget that slashes spending by $515 million and squeezes businesses for about $300 million in new taxes. The governor’s cuts drew immediate heat yesterday, with human service advocates decrying a $16 million cut to a fund that boosts the salaries of social workers.
“These are some of the lowest-paid people doing some of the toughest jobs with our most vulnerable populations,” said Michael Weekes, president of the Massachusetts Council of Human Service Providers. “It’s unfair to people making $12 and $13 an hour.”
During a press conference yesterday, Patrick said he was pained by many of the cuts, but he defended them as necessary amid a $1.3 billion deficit. “We appreciate that behind every single dollar is a human being, somebody’s job or a program of vital importance,” Patrick said.
The governor had refused to discuss his spending cuts until yesterday, delaying the bad news while trying to present a positive face on his spending decisions. His budget hikes public health funding by $72 million, includes new money for full-day kindergarten and offers limited property-tax relief.
However, Patrick also slashed $10 million in spending used to reduce water and sewer rates, which have risen to more than $1,000 a year for the average family. “This clearly impacts homeowners dramatically,” said Joe Favaloro, director of the MWRA advisory board.
The governor’s plan also significantly alters the structure of the budget, a move that drew harsh rebukes from GOP lawmakers who accused him of trying to assert undue control over spending. Patrick’s plan consolidates several line items and gives his administration more control over transferring money between departments. Usually, the governor has to consult the Legislature to shift money or replenish key accounts.
>>“What we’re looking at today is a direct contradiction to that.”
How do the poor feel about Deval's Cadillac and $12,000 drapes at taxpayer expense? (he was forced to pay part of the cost after it came out in the media)
>>slashes spending
That doesn't sound like a Dem
>>squeezes businesses for about $300 million in new taxes.
THAT does. And you wonder why businesses and people are moving out of the state!
>> vulnerable populations
Magic word, often used. The most VULNERABLE people in our society...
>>undue control over spending
I am your king. Let's reach for that!
http://www.coupedeval.com
I smell a deal in the works...
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
lets not forget he increased the executive bugdet (ie his salary) by 9%
The RINO from Wakefield cried about it.
Face it, you cannot cut spending without someone yelling foul. He cut spending by 2% while closing business tax breaks and he cannot win. The problem with Massachusetts is that the people there think tat government is in business to do for them.
The chief mission of any Democrat politician in Massachusetts is to give no-show jobs to all his nieces, nephews, cousins, cousins of his cousins, cousins of Democrat members of the Legislature, and supporters.
For instance, one of the commonest things is to hire one of your cousins as a "contractor" to widen Route 128. This cousin then will buy an old, decrepit truck, park it on the verge somewhere, put up a couple of traffic cones, and leave it there to rust for several years, while collecting generous monthly payments for the work being done by the truck and its non-crew of five people.
Or maybe supplying faulty concrete to repair the Big Dig.
>>no-show jobs
This is why wiping out tolls on the Mass Pike became impossible once Deval got elected. Keep the hack jobs
and create more.
Not to mention the $72,000 a year appointment secretary for his wife.
Don't forget his wife's assistant, at the tune of $72,000 a year, IIRC.
Alarm bells usually go off for me whenever a (nominal) Republican objects to "balancing the budget on the backs of the poor." Despite the fact that this is a stupid, and totally inaccurate, cliche, it's also a claim that seems upside down for any Republican to make. There are other ways to shine the light on this democrat's corruption than by taking up the liberal democrat shiboleth.
Give the Herald a break. It was tough enough for the Herald to find a Republican legislator to quote. Of the 160 state reps, a grand total of 19 are Republicans, and almost all of them are RINOs.
Hey racoon, could you ping me to all your Boston and Coupe Deval postings? thanks
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