Patrick, lawmakers spar over shortfall
The war of words between the governor and some legislative leaders grew decidedly more forceful yesterday. Deval Patrick exhorted lawmakers to remain in session to address unresolved reforms and budget shortfalls, though as he spoke, most members were already gone for the remainder of 2009.
Amid the back-and-forth, Patrick implied that the Legislature was shirking its responsibility, and House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo accused Patrick of political posturing. DeLeo apparently failed to return a phone call from the governor, a rare breach of political etiquette, especially between two key officials of the same party who had been trying to nurture a working relationship.
I guess this is what it sounds like when doves cry...
The funny part is that this is one of those areas where I honestly don't know who to back. "Cadillac Deval", a man so freakin' clueless that, on the eve of one of the biggest votes of his fledgling gubernatorial career, flew to NY for a book signing; or DeLeo, yet another career MA hack destined to join the rest of the former MA speakers of the house in ignominious exile... The Republican "party", such as it is, can't take the blame - last time I checked, on any given day some 10% or more Democrats could stay home and still have a filibuster-proof majority.
The only thing left, of course, is to blame Bush...
I liked this part, though:
On Wednesday, lawmakers voted to give the rest of the $60 million to the Probation Department and the courts, agencies rich with patronage jobs, and to the Legislature’s own multimillion dollar account, which critics have called a slush fund.
Ah, the Massachusetts Miracle is alive and well. Six figure jobs for every illiterate son, daughter, cousin, nephew, niece, or random neighbor are the norm; graft is not only expected but de rigeur; and corruption doesn't just run rampant through the statehouse, it gallops... I love how there's no crisis too severe to prevent kickbacks and nepotism from rising to the top again and again... People think that NO/NJ/Chicago are corrupt - to the hacks of MA, those guys are rank amateurs...
Madness? This is Massachusetts!
That is all.
2 comments:
"...you just don't know who to root for..."
If I were a sheep herder who saw a group of wolves eating a wayward sheep and fighting amongst themselves, I'd let them fight until only one was left standing - then deal with that one - while its weak. One could only hope that the conservatives in Mass GET OFF THEIR BUTTS and vote both the legislature and gov out of office... I can dream can't I...
Root for the Klingons, at least they'll stab you in the face instead of stabbing you in the back when you least expect it.
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