Common Ground...Common Sense
When the going gets tough, the tough go on vacation
I find it beyond belief that the state legislature would end formal sessions and adjourn for the year when faced with a huge budget shortfall and unfinished business on much needed education reform. In the private sector, when faced with a crisis you don't head out on vacation for seven weeks. We should expect no less from our representatives. In fact, we should demand more from the people who work for us.
The current and building level of acrimony between Governor Patrick and legislative leaders is a clear signal that electing a Republican to the governor's office is not enough. When House Speaker DeLeo won't even return the governor's phone call, something is seriously wrong. I agree with Governor Patrick that the legislature should stay in session and finish the people's work. What most people don't know is just how few days the legislature spent in formal session and when they were in session they debated such vital issues as if the Fluffernutter should be the official state sandwich.
Charles Murphy, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee is quoted in the Boston Globe saying "We solved the budget gap. We gave [Governor Patrick] $484 million in cuts. What we have currently is a $190 million deficit. The $600 million was a simple projection we or may not face down the road." I'm not sure a $190 million deficit can be considered "solved." I would also remind Rep. Murphy that in FY 2009 revenue projections had to be revised downward four times. Based on research I have done and conversations with legislators and their staffs, I believe the total budget shortfall for FY 2010 will top $1 billion. FY 2011 will be even worse. I believe I'll be facing those deficits down the road when I take office in January 2011.
Lack of action on education reform and lifting the cap on charter schools is equally unconscionable. It took our state legislature less than 16 days to change the rules to replace Senator Kennedy. It has been 16 years since original passage of the Massachusetts Education Reform Act and yet we still have 20,000+ students on charter school waiting lists and far too many underperforming public schools.
While a strong believer in the phrase, "The government that governs least, governs best" I believe that since we pay for a full time legislature we should get what we pay for. If we continue to allow one party to control 90% of the seats in the legislature, unfortunately we will get what we deserve.
The current and building level of acrimony between Governor Patrick and legislative leaders is a clear signal that electing a Republican to the governor's office is not enough. When House Speaker DeLeo won't even return the governor's phone call, something is seriously wrong. I agree with Governor Patrick that the legislature should stay in session and finish the people's work. What most people don't know is just how few days the legislature spent in formal session and when they were in session they debated such vital issues as if the Fluffernutter should be the official state sandwich.
Charles Murphy, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee is quoted in the Boston Globe saying "We solved the budget gap. We gave [Governor Patrick] $484 million in cuts. What we have currently is a $190 million deficit. The $600 million was a simple projection we or may not face down the road." I'm not sure a $190 million deficit can be considered "solved." I would also remind Rep. Murphy that in FY 2009 revenue projections had to be revised downward four times. Based on research I have done and conversations with legislators and their staffs, I believe the total budget shortfall for FY 2010 will top $1 billion. FY 2011 will be even worse. I believe I'll be facing those deficits down the road when I take office in January 2011.
Lack of action on education reform and lifting the cap on charter schools is equally unconscionable. It took our state legislature less than 16 days to change the rules to replace Senator Kennedy. It has been 16 years since original passage of the Massachusetts Education Reform Act and yet we still have 20,000+ students on charter school waiting lists and far too many underperforming public schools.
While a strong believer in the phrase, "The government that governs least, governs best" I believe that since we pay for a full time legislature we should get what we pay for. If we continue to allow one party to control 90% of the seats in the legislature, unfortunately we will get what we deserve.
Tags: Massachusetts, budget, education, legislature
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© 2010 Created by Brad Marston
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