Never stops with these guys!
"Patrick vetoes $122.5m in budget; Cuts 260 legislative pet projects, ensures his key initiatives" by John C. Drake, Globe Staff | July 14, 2008
Governor Deval Patrick took his veto pen to the state budget yesterday, striking $122.5 million in spending on lawmakers' pet projects, while asking the Legislature for expanded power to make midyear cuts to state services if needed.
Faced with the prospect of diminished tax collections as a result of the sour economy, Patrick cut three times more from the 2009 fiscal budget than he did the previous year.
Sounds good, right (keep reading)?
The cuts hit 260 pet projects, known as earmarks, that were inserted by legislators, including tens of millions intended to help hospitals with uncovered costs for Medicaid patients in the state's health insurance system. Numerous parks, community centers, and social service programs were denied hoped-for state grants their legislators had secured.
Patrick maintained funding for a number of his most-touted initiatives, including $25 million for life-sciences research, an additional $360 million in education funding, a 5 percent increase in local aid, and an $80 million increase for public safety.
Please see: Massachusetts' One-Party State
Still sounds great, doesn't it (now for the turn in)?
In addition to his vetoes, Patrick is asking lawmakers to give him unilateral authority to make midyear cuts across state government. Despite the governor's cuts, one budget watchdog agency said Patrick virtually guaranteed that he would need to invoke that increased authority by not making deeper slashes. The Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation estimated the $28.2 billion state budget approved by House and Senate negotiators and sent to Patrick on July 3 was at least $1 billion out of balance. Patrick's vetoes put only a small dent in that projected shortfall.
Already? He just signed the damn thing!
Michael Widmer, president of the business-funded watchdog agency, said the Legislature previously granted the same expanded authority Patrick is requesting to his predecessor, Republican Mitt Romney, in 2003. That precedent would make it difficult for the Democratic-controlled Legislature to deny that authority to a Democratic governor.
Most significantly, expanding the governor's midyear budget authority would allow him to reduce local aid to cities and towns.
Uh-oh!!!
Widmer: "Cities and towns are already under great fiscal stress, and this would relinquish the legislative power to the governor to make unilateral cuts in aid to cities and towns, and that's the critical nature of the debate. Now if he has to make emergency cuts, it's only fair that he have the authority to do it across all of the budget."
Now where have we seen or heard that before, Washington D.C.?
A spokesman for House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi did not immediately respond to a request for comment yesterday.
What, was he out playing golf?
And why does that scenario also feel familiar, Washington D.C.?
The vetoes touched all areas of state government, from a $150,000 toddler park in Woburn, to a $2 million earmark for acute care at Holyoke Medical Center.
Patrick, who has pledged to support youth violence prevention in the state's urban communities, also cut $2.2 million in funding for youth-at-risk grants to community centers, YMCAs, and YWCAs across the state. Patrick spokesman Kyle Sullivan said there was concern those grants were not going where they were needed.
But he keeps the giveaways to rich Hollywood folk, Wall Street and corporate and lottery favorites while he PARTIES DOWN!
Of course, it is O.K. if the state cuts overpriced contracts to favored clients, or gets primo tickets to the games while schools are closing and bridges falling apart.
What a FRAUD this guy is!!!
Why are Massachusetts' DemocraPs so 'too-pid?
The budget relies on a $1-a-pack increase in the cigarette tax, projected to bring in an additional $174 million, and a $500 million transfer from the state's rainy-day fund, which contains more than $2 billion set aside to cover unanticipated budget deficiencies.
Well, I just quit smoking (cough), so you will have to get the $$$ some place else!!!
And WTF?!? The state has $2 BILLION STASHED AWAY?!?!
Oh, talk about LOOTING!!!!!
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