House Speaker Sal DiMasi with Govenor Patrick

Massachusetts Governor Duval Patrick Preparing for Budget Cuts

(Read and Repeat!)

The Springfield, MA Republican (now there’s an oxymoron)headline reads: Governor Prepares for Cutting – and leaves it at that – one feels compelled to read the article to find out exactly what it is the Governor intends on cutting! Apparently, the Massachusetts Legislature is, once again, voting on a budget that includes tax increases on businesses as well as tobacco – two entities the state elite are convinced deserve to be burdened until broken. What lawmakers in the state fail to see is that businesses burdened with tax increases are most likely to do the following: cut the workforce and leave the state. Smokers are a captive audience and they will pay any price, unless of course, they are able to order by mail, or drive north to New Hampshire where prices on tobacco are much lower. This results in reduced revenue for the state, and an increased budget due to increasing unemployment claims.

What has caused this budget crisis? According to Leslie Kirwan, Massachusetts secretary of administration and finance, the states universal health care program, is crushing the budget – Originally budgeted for $470 million, the program is now estimated to go up to $650 million. In addition there are more families applying for aid through the state – Ms. Kirwan believes this is due to the “recession”.

Quick analysis:
A state mandated health care program with sky-high premiums, offers low and middle income residents subsidies. If one does not choose to take the state brokered insurance, and or an employer sponsored program, they must pay a fee to the Mass Internal Revenue Service (see tax). If one can prove that they are unemployed, or they can meet poverty wage guidelines, the state will subsidize the program. Of course, with the increase in state income tax, taxes on gasoline, taxes on air (kidding), it is no wonder that a good percentage of the states population cannot afford this mandated health care coverage?
Additionally, as employers are also burdened with this mandate, along with increased business taxes, they are also leaving the state. This is an example of state-sponsored recession. Only in Massachusetts.

One has to applaud the Governor for contemplating a budget cut, considering that he will most likely be reprimanded and overruled by the all powerful State Speaker of the House, Sal DiMasi. DiMasi has repeatedly stepped on the governors toes from the moment Patrick took office. It must amuse DiMasi no end.

The state continues to run amok and the proposed budget with taxes, fees and the like will become a Massachusetts reality.

The inexperienced Massachusetts Governor's “Yes we can” has translated to “No You Won’t” by the savvy speaker. Now, who has recently borrowed that catchphrase? (Rhetorical) One of the Governor’s close friends who happens to be running for the DNC ticket, that's who. People here in the “state of confusion” are wondering how the lieutenant governor, Murray will get along with said speaker, should Mr. “Yes We Can” go to Washington with his twin. What they should be more worried about is what will happen to our nation should this disastrous blueprint for governing (inexperienced elected official run by a legislature controlled by their own party) be exported to Washington.