Gov. Deval Patrick - Obama's BFF and "Mini Me" - A pair of Failed POLS

Benghazi will be remembered as when good men died due to an ineffective and failed President who lied his way into the highest office in the land.  People who voted for him who were more interested in electing the "cool" factor than a good leader.  Ugh.

What could be possibly worse than more of Obama, a feckless politician who has been proven to be a liar, fraud and failed charlatan??

How about his BEST FRIEND FOREVER ( BFF ) Governor Deval Patrick - another failed lefty looney liberal moonbat who has proven to be, as my Dad would say, as
" shallow as piss on a flat rock ".  He has made Massachusetts a laughing stock as we are recognized as having one of the more corrupt state governments in the land.  An Afghan writer said that MASSACHUSETTS politics was more corrupt than KABUL and he made some pretty good points.

Giving licenses to illegal immigrants ?  More EBT cards with cash benefits that can be spent at casinos, cruise ships and tattoo parlors?  More patronage jobs and lifetime EVERYTHING for lazy state workers who don't even know what the meaning of real work is???  A public transit system ( MBTA ) that is a sinkhole for $$$ ???? 

IF you like all these things, than DEVAL is your man -

A empty suit cut from the same unethical and morally bankrupt cloth as his buddy Obama.

What a pair of clowns and worse yet are those who voted for these two putzes.

Howie Carr gives us a write up that needs to be remembered as Deval wants to follow his best buddy's path to national politics - Heavens protect us, please.

We need more of these two failed fools like we all need kick in the b*lls.

Gusts of hot air forecast for gov

By Howie Carr
Sunday, October 28, 2012 -  Boston Herald

Boston Herald Columnist

Thanks to Sandy, we’ll be seeing a lot of Gov. Deval Patrick over the next few days, live from the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency bunker in Framingham, all 67 inches of him.

He’ll be wearing that boss leather jacket, talking tough to the utilities like he did the other day. Some reporter asked him if the utilities will be ready for Frankenstorm, and he replied in that squeaky little voice of his, “They’d better be.”

Ooooooh, I’ll bet they were petrified. If they don’t keep the lights on next week, the utilities can count on a scorching ... invitation to his next fundraiser.

 

Deval’s governorship is winding down, like T.S. Eliot’s world, not with a bang but a whimper. Deval’s favorite Roman emperor? Nero, because he, too, fiddled while Rome burned.

Beyond this pending temporary return to the limelight, Deval has become Dukakis Redux. His governorship consists of little more than rounding up the usual suspects. Almost daily he is shocked to learn that there is gambling going on in the casino.

His cops raid the compounding pharmacy in Framingham ... after 23 people are dead. He sets up a “war room” to deal with the Annie Dookhan scandal at the forensic laboratory — surrender room would be more like it, as they cut loose drug dealer after drug dealer. And Deval claims it’s only going to cost the state $50 million?

What happens when the freed drug dealers start shooting civilians, or providing them with hot shots? How about all those second-generation lawsuits? Then there’s his new MBTA boss, who fled Atlanta leaving Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority in shambles, with out-of-control absenteeism and pension costs and an unsustainable economic model. Sound familiar?

“She is exactly what we need,” Deval said with a straight face.

Deval has long served as Mini-Me to Obama’s Dr. Evil. So how come he’s not a campaign surrogate anymore? During the last presidential debate in Boca, Deval spent the evening in Ashland, trying to save a moonbat rep who votes with the speaker 99.4 percent of the time. (His one vote against the speaker was to oppose any EBT reform — no wonder Deval loves the guy.)

Now Sandy’s rolling north, just in time for the first anniversary of the freak Halloween storm. We all remember what happened back then — Lt. Gov. Tim Murray achieved liftoff at 108 mph in his state-issued Crown Vic. And Deval is still stonewalling on release of embattled Murray’s cellphone records.

And next year, will Murray be a witness at any possible trials of his dear friend, Mike McLaughlin, the $360,000-a-year Chelsea Housing Authority director?

Deval can forget the U.S. Supreme Court. That sketchy background of his will kill him. Remember Ameriquest? He can likewise forget about anything that requires Senate confirmation. As Bill Weld found out, it only takes one senator to deep-six your nomination.

And anyway, does Deval want any of that stuff? Ambassadorships are for the likes of Ray Flynn and Brian Donnelly. Secretary of, say, transportation? That’s for the Andy Cards of the world.

Pre-governorship, Deval had a pretty good racket going. He learned it from his mentor, Jesse Jackson. King had a dream, Jesse had a scheme. Jesse called his Operation Push. Deval’s was Operation Grab.

Deval would go to some corporation that needed some racial cover — “steam control,” as Tom Wolfe put it. After a few months, Deval would get all huffy and then walk away with a few million and a non-disclosure agreement. Wash, rinse, repeat. It worked with Coke, it worked with Texaco, but by 2005 Deval had worn out the grift.

What’s next? One thing we know it won’t be — another $1.35 million advance for a “book” that sells 6,000 copies.

As the flood approaches....

Those in the "lifeboat" care very little about those who are not...All is well for them, so why should they concern themselves with the troubles of others?

Like in Massachusetts where the number of state employees earning over $100,000 a year has jumped 40% since Governor Deval " Cadillac " Patrick has taken office, with approximately 7000 state employees reaching this level of annual compensation.

Let's get ready to rumble.....U.S. Rep. Barney Frank will not seek re-election

Let the games begin....There are 5 professional sports in Massachusetts - Baseball, Football, Hockey, Basketball and POLITICS (with the latter being a blood-sport)

Rep. Frank stepping down will set off a donnybrook of candidates vying for this open seat. The DEMS (statewide, Ms. Pelosi and The President) are likely wetting themselves with worry as there is a real possibility that this open seat could go to the GOP.

Well sit back and watch the fireworks as this story will dominate the political news here like the Patriots running up on the Super Bowl. Let's hope we get someone who can do more for the taxpayers than Barney did as he was a tool of the DEMS and ineffective as a watch guard of the taxpayer's money. His record will be seen as a major reason Freddie Mac/Fannie Mae were able to waste Billions of taxpayers $$$.

Don't let the door hit you on the way out Barney.


U.S. Rep. Barney Frank will not seek re-election
By Hillary Chabot And Natalie Sherman Monday, November 28, 2011 http://www.bostonherald.com U.S. Politics

Longtime U.S. Rep. Barney Frank won’t be running for re-election in 2012 ending a sometimes controversial, all the time outspoken tenure.

Frank, 71, has served in Congress since 1980. He will take questions about his decision to relinquish his seat at 1 p.m. today at Newton’s City Hall, his office said.

Frank represents the 4th Congressional District, which was redrawn this fall as part of a series of redistricting changes prompted by the state’s relatively slow population growth.

Frank’s district, which previously looped from Brookline around some of the more conservative suburbs down to New Bedford, lost that Democratic stronghold. The map also eliminated one of the state’s 10 seats in the House, a change that had prompted widespread speculation that the 16-term congressman could retire.

In 2010, Frank faced an unusually tough re-election campaign against Republican Sean Bielat, a former Marine and already, Republican Elizabeth Childs of Brookline, a state mental health commissioner under former Gov. Mitt Romney, had announced her intention to challenge Frank in next year’s race.

Bielat said the changes made during the redistricting process likely made re-election more difficult for Frank.

“I think the realities of this district are a lot less favorable now and he had a tough time last time,” said Beilat, who isn’t sure whether he will run again. He and his wife just had a baby. “I’m still making up my mind about that. We’re talking very seriously about it, but we haven’t made any decisions.”

Frank sits on powerful committees in Washington, including the Financial Services Committee and in 2010, he ushered through the landmark financial regulation bill that bears his name. But his ties to mortgage agencies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac made him a target for Republicans.

The Scott Brown effect & " All Politics is local "

Things are moving in the right direction politically here in the bluest of blue states. Voters are finally seeing that having one party dominate the political landscape is NOT best for the taxpayers or citizens.

Case in point, US Senator Scott Brown from Massachusetts. He was known in his district as a State Rep. and a State Senator but not much well known statewide. He put his message out to the voters and was elected to the Senate seat that Ted Kennedy had held for over 48 years. The voters were starting to see that they needed someone who would speak for them and not just lock step to what the Democratic majority wanted.

2nd case in point is much more local, as there was an election to fill a vacant state rep's seat in my home district. The seat had been held by a democrat for over 30 years. A son of a well known political family ran with backing from the Unions.

HE LOST even though he out spent his opponent, a not as well known citizen who decided that we needed someone who could make a difference. The Unions bet heavy that they would get their candidate in but lost as voters saw that having another rubber stamp in place for the Unions was not in the best interest of the district.

IF we can get the voters to see this with the nationwide elections next November, there is a better chance for our country to move forward. If we stay as it is now, with an ineffective President and a do-nothing Senate controlled by the Democrats, we will be stuck in place. We need to elect people who will work to really make a change, not just lecture us and call us "lazy" like the President does.

It can happen and it did happen here in Massachusetts. Let's make it happen for the rest of the country too. Former Speaker of the House Tip O'Neil said, " All Politics is local." He was right.

Lakeville Republican Keiko Orrall won after being outspent
State House News Service
Posted Nov 22, 2011

LAKEVILLE — Lakeville Republican Keiko Orrall bucked a campaign finance trend by defeating an opponent who outspent her during the run up to a special election in September.

Orrall’s win flipped the 12th Bristol seat from Democratic control for the first time in more than 30 years. In addition to New Bedford and Lakeville, the district includes parts Taunton, Middleboro and Freetown.

Campaign finance statistics released Monday show Middleboro Democrat Roger Brunelle, a commercial and industrial painter and 19-year member of a painters union, outspent Orrall, $39,727 to $26,179 and also benefited from $11,475 in independent expenditures from the Massachusetts Teachers Association and $6,301 from 1199 SEIU. Brunelle also received support from Lt. Gov. Tim Murray.

Orrall’s campaign contributions included $8,636 from the Marlborough Republican City Committee and $3,241 from the Republican State Committee.

Orrall won the seat given up by Stephen Canessa, a New Bedford Democrat who left to take a post at Southcoast Health Systems. Voters in Lakeville turned out in greater numbers than nearby New Bedford precincts, choosing Orrall by a three-to-one margin.

What world do these State of Massachusetts employees live in ? Pension fund still offering bonuses

A friend who does mental health counseling has a line he uses when he runs into someone who is saying or doing something that seems divorced from reality -

" What color is the sky in your world ?"

The State of Massachusetts Pension Fund Agency must have a sky that is green, the same as the bonuses they will be helping themselves to this year. The fund lost a total of $5 Billion dollars over the last three year but the managers and staff will reap thousands of dollars in bonuses. In any other professional job, if you were managing other people's money and lost $5 Billion, you'd be out of a job. Not here in Hack-o-ramaville. The fools on Beacon Hill will hand them the extra cash when they are already among some of the highest paid employees in the state.

These managers were criticized by David J. Holway, president of the National Association of Government Employees, the union that represents 22,000 state, local, and county workers in Massachusetts. When a Union Leader is calling you greedy, you know you have gone pretty deep into the muck.

Rome burns and our POLS fiddle....Is it any wonder why people have lost faith in those who are supposed to be public servants as they have lined their pockets at the expense of all others and have no shame at all about what they are doing?


Pension fund still offering bonuses
Agency lost money over review period
By Frank Phillips Boston Globe - November 08, 2011

At a time when few public employees are getting raises, the agency that manages the state’s pension fund has earmarked more than a quarter of a million dollars for staff bonuses, including a possible $33,000 payment to the executive director, according to internal documents.

The bonuses, awarded through a performance-based compensation system adopted four years ago, are tied to a three-year period ending in June. During that time, the fund, which started at $50.6 billion, suffered deep losses before rebounding to $45.6 billion.

The compensation is based on investment benchmarks set by the Pension Reserves Investment Management (PRIM) board and not entirely on the fluctuating value of the fund.

The total amount of the bonuses is $267,328, most of which has already been paid. That represents 11.1 percent of the total staff salaries, according to documents obtained by the Globe, and comes just months after the agency handed out $152,000 in raises to its 25-member staff.

The agency’s top two executives will receive their extra pay over two years, a total of 14 percent if the fund meets benchmarks for one more fiscal year.

Executive director Michael G.Trotsky, who is paid $245,000 a year, will receive $33,238.

Similarly, the agency’s chief investment officer, Stanley P. Mavromates Jr., who has the same salary, will collect $34,780. Trotsky has only worked at the agency since August 2010, or less than a third of the period covered by the three years that bonuses are based on.

State Treasurer Steven Grossman, who chairs the PRIM board, said the agency is reviewing whether to continue the controversial incentive compensation system, which also awarded bonuses in 2008. He said he will await judgment until the board’s compensation committee, which was created just after he took office in January, completes its review. The staff has not had raises since 2006.

But he said the central argument in support of the pay system is that PRIM must consider the competition it faces from the private financial world to attract and keep top talent.

“Recruiting and retention of top flight managers is a major issue,’’ Grossman said. “This is not Wall Street. Anyone who wants to make Wall Street money should go to Wall Street - or State Street. We have to consider the importance of recruiting and retaining the most talented people we can find.’’

But some of those who received extra pay have little to do with investment policy.

For example, Trotsky’s secretary, Samantha Wong, got a $4,828 bonus. She has only worked at the agency for little more than a year. She also received a 3.3 percent raise. Another administrative assistant, Alyssa Smith, saw her $44,000 salary increase to $54,000, a 22 percent hike, along with a $4,884 bonus.

Trotsky said both women’s responsibilities had been expanded.

The bonuses come at a time when the public debate, both here and across the country, has focused on widening income gaps, large corporate payouts, and the economic struggles facing the middle class. Massachusetts has seen thousands of teachers, public safety officers, and others laid off or their benefits slashed because state and local governments are making sharp budget cuts.

“These people must be living in some sort of bubble,’’ said David J. Holway, president of the National Association of Government Employees, the union that represents 22,000 state, local, and county workers in Massachusetts.

“For these highly paid individuals to have a payment scheme that gives them huge bonuses for their performance is totally outrageous. Obviously, they haven’t gone by Occupy Boston to see how people are feeling about how the rich are getting richer and the working families are struggling.’’

He said his union is demanding that Grossman rescind the policy.

Trotsky defended the bonus system, saying the pension fund had its second best year ever in the fiscal year that ended in June, in terms of its asset growth. He also said that the fund, when compared to other large public funds nationally, is in the top third in terms of performance, but is in the bottom quarter in terms of pay.

He said paying this amount of money in bonuses to generate high returns is money well spent.

Under the bonus system, pension fund employees can collect bonuses amounting to 30 to 40 percent of their salaries if they meet or exceed benchmarks over a three-year period. The last time the fund gave out bonuses was in September 2008, based on the three-year period ending the previous June 30. At that time, the fund was valued at $50.6 billion. It dropped to $37.6 billion the following year and then rebounded slightly to $41.2 billion by June 2010.

Under the incentive compensation plan, the bonuses kick in when the fund’s performance exceeds the returns of the investment indexes that reflect the mix of the pension fund’s assets. If the decline in the fund’s value is less than the indexes, the agency’s staff can earn bonuses according to a specific performance scale. But if the indexes are not met, the employees do not get the extra money, even if the fund’s assets increase.

The plan was devised by PRIM’s former executive director Michael Travaglini, who argued that the system promoted value rather than conservative investment strategies. He quit his post in 2010 to join a Chicago investment firm when the Legislature appeared ready to sharply curb the performance bonuses. He had earned a $68,000 bonus in 2008. He said he wanted to go to the private sector and make more money to provide for his family

His departure came in the midst of a political advertising campaign by the Republican Governors Association aimed at Timothy P. Cahill, then state treasurer and an independent candidate for governor.

The ads attacked Cahill for his role as chairman of the PRIM board when it approved large bonuses despite steep losses in 2008.

Senator Scott Brown has the support of Massachusetts Voters - Elizabeth Warren (and her pal Nancy Pelosi), not so much...

Massachusetts Senator Scott brown has been taking heat from the DEMS due to something that started on the Democratic Primary Debate. I don't feel it is worth rehashing here as it amounted to two off hand remarks, one made by Warren, and a response Brown made to a radio station DJ's inquiry. The media blew it up and if you weighed the importance of this pair of remarks to the real issues ( jobs, economy, etc.), this issue is laughable.

Well Rep. Nancy Pelosi decided to weigh in.

As a Massachusetts voter, I can say without a doubt that Nancy Pelosi can stick to her own business before she tries to say anything about anyone else. Her credibility is a shallow as water on a flat rock. Americans gave her a clear message on what they thought about her "whacky" ideas of what is needed in America.

Senator Scott Brown was elected because even the citizen of Massachusetts are sick of the LIBS version of America and all it represents. While Elizabeth Warren has supporters, she'll find that Senator Brown has more here because he represents the real needs of the citizens of Massachusetts. Elizabeth Warren is a Harvard elitist and has no idea what the average family in Massachusetts is facing these days.

Senator Brown is a decorated Veteran and has served his nation. That alone makes him highly suited for the position of US Senator as we need more Veterans in Congress.

Senator Scott Brown, you have our support & votes. Elizabeth Warren, Nancy Pelosi and the other LIBS, you can't leave the stage quick enough as you don't have a clue.


Pelosi says senator's comment 'disrespectful to women'
CNN Political Unit
(CNN) -– House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said Sunday that comments made by Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown about a Democratic rival showed a “disrespect for women.”

Brown made the remarks Thursday, when asked about candidate Elizabeth Warren’s statement that she had “kept her clothes on” while paying for college. Warren was making reference to a nearly nude 1982 Cosmopolitan magazine photo shoot that Brown did to earn money at age 22.

When asked about the comment during a radio interview with WZLX in Boston, Brown said only, "Thank God.”

Pelosi said Sunday on the ABC program “This Week” that the comment was disrespectful.

“The response you just gave, 'Thank God,' really, I thought spoke volumes about how clueless Senator Brown is,” Pelosi said. “It really spoke volumes about, really, disrespect for women that he may not even realize. I bet you he'd like to take that comment back.”

Pelosi acknowledged that the comment was likely meant to be a joke, but maintained that it was still revealing of Brown’s character.

“I hope it's joke-y. And if it is, then hopefully he will take that comment back. But women know. They hear a comment like that, it tells you a lot about somebody,” Pelosi said

Massachusetts Governor shows once again that he is a Hypocrite

Massachusetts Governor Deval " Spend it All" Patrick proves again that he is a member of the " Do as I say, not as I do" crowd..This is par for the course for our hypocritical Governor as he feels that things like a Car Free Week is for the little people, a.k.a. The Taxpayers.


Gov. Patrick Seen Riding In SUV During “Car-Free Week”
By Ken MacLeod, WBZ-TV
September 19, 2011

(CBS) – Governor Deval Patrick did walk to a morning event on Beacon Hill — a stone’s throw from the Statehouse — but was quick to sheepishly admit that he probably hadn’t set the best example earlier in the day.

“You got me!” grinned the Governor.

He’s talking about video shot by WBZ of Mr. Patrick leaving his Milton home this morning with his assigned state trooper at the wheel for the routine drive into work in his SUV.

One problem.

The Governor himself recently declared this “Car-Free Week,” urging people to ditch their autos in favor of public transportation, biking, walking, or at the very least carpooling — espousing the environmental and health benefits of that switch.

“It’s a little bit of hypocrisy,” observed one commuter.

We asked some regular folks if the Governor was ‘talking the talk’ instead of ‘walking the walk.’

“If he’s going to tell people to do something,” says another man, “he should try to do it himself. That’s the way I see it.”

“I carpooled this morning with my trooper,” says the Governor with a chuckle, “We both had to come together.”

He’s joking — and he’s not.

Of course, the Governor does have legitimate security, time, and logistics concerns.

He makes lots of stops on and off the beaten path — with a small entourage in tow — and some folks were willing to cut him some slack on that account.

“Going without a car has issues,” one woman told us. “It depends on where you’re going — where you have to be. It’s not always practical. I think you can still sell a message even if you’re not able to do it yourself that day.”

Indeed, the Governor was quick to urge people not to follow his lead.

“Look, it’s a great initiative for people who can make the most of it,” Patrick told reporters. “I hope they will and I hope during the course of the week to make the most of it, too.”

“Car-Free Week” in Massachusetts is actually an expansion of “World Car-Free Day” — which is Thursday.

A thousand cities in 40 countries are taking part.

The Governor says he’s got a crazy schedule this week, but will make good on his pledge to follow the spirit of the initiative — when he can.

The Red Line, by the way, is within walking distance of his house — one of three “T” stations within a half mile of home.

“He should be a role model for everyone,” one man told us.

“I got the gotcha question,” the governor admitted. “Believe me, I’m going to do my best.”

Like Pigs at the feeding trough - Educators line themselves up for taxpayer-funded benefits of $100,000 a year or more

The fact that the number of $100K pensions has skyrocketed is a key indication that the people setting themselves up for these outrageously high retirements have no care for anyone else but themselves. Greedy Bastards who claim to have worked for this waste of taxpayers money. The educators only paid in 11% of their pay in and in return collect the other 89% from the taxpayers......Nice return when you get 800% back on your investment.

They claim that they are entitled to it because they worked hard over their careers...the many taxpayers who will be footing the bill for these blowhards worked hard also, they just didn't have a HACK based & written law mandating a major ripoff of the taxpayers assisting them.

These HACKS can make up all the reasons they want to justify this ripoff of the taxpayers. It is still an affront to all those who have to pay the way for these ripoff artists who have used the law to feather their own nest with a " I got mine" selfish attitude.

Educator’s pensions skyrocket
Expert: ‘Urgent need for reform’
By Chris Cassidy - Boston Herald
Monday, July 25, 2011

The number of retired Bay State public school employees raking in six-figure pensions has skyrocketed — more than doubling in just four years — contributing to a booming retirement bonanza that could plunge the Bay State into a deep financial crisis unless lawmakers move quickly to fix the system, experts told the Herald.

The latest pension records indicate 140 educators, most of them administrators, are enjoying retired life with taxpayer-funded benefits of $100,000 a year or more — up from 93 in 2009 and 55 in 2007, a Herald investigation found.

Topping the list is retired Randolph Superintendent Arthur Melia, with an annual pension of $147,492.

“I always strived to be No. 1 at everything, you know?” Melia told the Herald. “This was part of the law and part of what I earned over 32 years.”

Former Concord Superintendent Brenda Finn ($145,724) and retired Whittier Vocational Superintendent Karen Sarkisian ($142,913) round out the top three.

The June 30 figures from the Massachusetts Teachers Retirement System also showed educators’ pensions last fiscal year totaled $2.1 billion, up $300 million in two years.

“This is a serious problem, and there’s an urgent need for reform,” said Michael Widmer of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation. “Just as companies have found they can’t afford defined pension plans because they’re too rich, governments are finding the same problems.”

“This is the tip of the pension iceberg,” said David Tuerck of the Beacon Hill Institute. “Sooner or later Massachusetts will reach a crisis point, where we find ourselves unable to maintain normal functions of government and are unable to pay for these pensions because of resistance of taxpayers to further tax increases.”

Critics point to the state’s generous formula that gives public retirees 80 percent of their three highest consecutive earning years. They warn the state is putting off the day of reckoning.

“They need to act fast,” said Jim Stergios of the Pioneer Institute. “This is something that’s not going away, and it’s going to eat up other services we’re trying to afford”

Gov. Deval Patrick introduced a pension reform bill in January that would push back retirement ages and base pensions on a retiree’s five highest years of service. A legislative subcommittee held a hearing in March and is considering other ideas, including putting a maximum cap on pensions, and expects to present a bill in early fall, state Rep. John Scibak said.

“The real thing I’m striving for is a system perceived both by state employees and the general public as fair and equitable,” said Scibak, who chairs the Public Service Committee.

The rising pensions are a result of a superintendent shortage and the grueling nature of the 24/7 job, which have driven up salaries, said Tom Scott of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents.

“There is a big problem with finding qualified people . . . even in this job market,” Scott said.

Paul Toner of the Massachusetts Teachers Association said strong pensions keep teachers from leaving the profession and that teachers now pay a higher percentage of their salary — 11 percent — into the system.

“A good pension is a major retention tool,” Toner said.

While BOSTON is home of World Class Sports Teams, it is also home to World Class HACKS/POLS/ GREEDY UNION TYPES

While the RED SOX and BRUINS show all that BOSTON is home of WORLD CLASS TEAMS, we have the other side of what happens in our state that shows we have some WORLD CLASS IDIOTS too....

THREE ARTICLES say it all when it comes to MASSACHUSETTS HACKS/POLS/GREEDY UNION TYPES - all three of these stories are reported on one day...

T UNION TREASURER steals $250K from fellow Union members to afford himself a very nice lifestyle...still has T job even though he has admitted he took the cash...This type of fool got his job because he knew somebody...turns out they trusted this greedy idiot and paid the price...

A WESTERN MASS HACK (aged 38) gets a PATRONAGE position from GOV. DEVAL " SPEND IT ALL" PATRICK that guarantees him $110K pay & benefits for life....likely up to 50 years as he is retiring at age 38....Deval Patrick supporter ya know.....

And just when you thought it couldn't get worse, GOV. DEVAL " SPEND-IT-ALL " PATRICK decides he doesn't care what voters think, he is giving 4000 State Managers a RAISE not caring that this will pull $10 MILLION dollars MORE out of the budget where the levels of funding for programs are at drastic levels already....


SO to sum up.... We have a Union Thief (Isn't that redunant?), Hackorama retiree robbing you for 50 years worth of $$$ for almost NO WORK and an Idiot Governor who hasn't got a clue - Did I miss anything???

Sad to say, no I didn't.

T union tells court ex-officer stole dues
Local 600 says its treasurer took $250,000
By Eric Moskowitz - BOSTON GLOBE
Globe Staff / June 10, 2011

The MBTA Inspectors Union says its former treasurer stole $250,000 from membership dues, withdrawing cash, writing checks to himself, and spending freely with a union credit card.

Officials at the union, known as Local 600, say they discovered the alleged theft only after Brian C. Sheehy ran unsuccessfully for the union presidency, then scrambled in vain to retain his old post and avoid turning over bank records to the new officers of Local 600.

The union’s allegations have come to light in US Bankruptcy Court, where Sheehy filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection one day before he was scheduled to be tried by a union tribunal seeking to recover the money.

The union has asked Bankruptcy Judge Frank J. Bailey to prevent Sheehy from using Chapter 7 to avoid repaying Local 600. And the US trustee charged with administering the bankruptcy has asked the judge to dismiss Sheehy’s filing altogether, saying his $70,000 income from the MBTA is too much for him to qualify for Chapter 7 protection.

Sheehy, a 41-year-old Quincy resident, still works for the T as an inspector on the Red Line, because he has not been accused of stealing from the MBTA and because the matter is pending, said a spokesman for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.

Sheehy then paid the union $93,000, apparently hoping the new officers would accept the sum and drop the matter, according to the filings.

When that failed, he filed for bankruptcy and made what Local 600 says were legal maneuvers to avoid repayment and shelter assets that include a vacation home in Dennisport that he shared with his wife, an executive at an investment firm.

The alleged theft has roiled Local 600, the union that represents the 320 inspectors and chief inspectors who work in the MBTA subway and bus system, managing stations, responding to emergencies, helping customers, and providing a uniformed presence.

Those inspectors contribute 1.5 percent of their pay for union dues, money that was supposed to fund organizing, labor negotiations, member defense in job disputes, and other expenses, but much of which is now missing. The union, run by a full-time president and volunteer board, lacked financial safeguards and other controls to discourage theft.

The Sheehys have apparently separated. Sheehy, who is due back in court June 28, told the court last month that he had moved from their four-bedroom home in Quincy to an apartment nearby.

Eric Moskowitz can be reached at emoskowitz@globe.com.


Who says $100 doesn’t buy what it used to?
By Howie Carr - BOSTON HERALD
Friday, June 10, 2011

This time it’s an anonymous back-bencher state rep, Chris Speranzo of Pittsfield. He’s been handed extremely early retirement as the next clerk magistrate of the Pittsfield District Court for approximately $110,000 a year.

Not bad for a 38-year-old hack who can now hold this no-heavy-lifting job for the rest of his layabout life. Did I mention he’s a Democrat?

Speranzo will be replacing a guy who’s been gone for two years, one Leo Evans. I’ll bet you didn’t even know Evans was gone. I’m also guessing you never heard of this Speranzo character until this moment. I wonder whether he voted for the very ethical Sal DiMasi for speaker in 2007.

In 2006, Speranzo donated a C-Note to Deval Patrick. Not a bad return on investment — $100 in return for, according to actuarial tables, more than $5 million over the next 50 years or so. And that doesn’t include the free health insurance, plus all the extra dough the clerk magistrate can collect from OKing bail for the local perps.

What’s hard to figure is just how little the kleptocracy cares about pretending to observe the niceties of those proverbial nationwide searches. The Dreaded Private Sector continues to wither, and yet one after another, these worthless unemployable Democrat coatholders are taken care of, one way or another.

Consider the last couple of months. The wife of the state rep from Hingham: a judgeship. The defeated Democrat candidate for sheriff of Bristol County: a $103,000-a-year job as a college hack. The 78-year-old retired senator from Bristol county: a $120,000-a-year sinecure at a different community college.

I called Mary-Ellen Manning, the Democrat governor’s councilor who in a few weeks will have a chance to vote on this Sal DiMasi acolyte.

“He is 38 years old — odds are he’ll be collecting a paycheck for 50 years,” she said. “A half century. This is supposed to be a justice-delivery system, not a jobs program for Deval’s contributors. It’s a closed shop. You only have a chance if you’re on the team. Something is really wrong out west.”

Speranzo did not return a call yesterday seeking a comment.


Deval Patrick raises eyebrows, ire
By Hillary Chabot - BOSTON HERALD
Friday, June 10, 2011 -

Lawmakers and unions slammed Gov. Deval Patrick yesterday for triggering a pay-raise bonanza to the tune of nearly $10 million with a 3 percent salary hike for as many as 4,000 state managers — even as Bay State residents face frozen salaries and unemployment.

“There are people in the private sector who haven’t seen a raise in years. Most people feel lucky if they have a job,” said outraged state Rep. James Miceli (D-Wilmington).

Jay Gonzalez, Patrick’s finance and administration secretary who released the news of the pay raise, argued that state managers haven’t gotten a raise since July 2007.

It’s do as they say, not as they do,” said Steve Killion, president of the Cambridge Police Patrolman’s Union. “It’s unfortunately the way (Patrick) does business. He does what he wants and he hurts all the hard-working people in this state.”

Shortly after the administration announced the raises yesterday, the state Senate hit back, unanimously approving an amendment that would force the governor to control his personnel costs and detail efforts to control spending on staffing.

“This perfectly illustrates the point as to why you have to have reporting on spending and accountability,” said Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester), who filed the amendment. “You can imagine our surprise — he’s issuing a broad-based pay increase when we’re in the middle of a conference committee and struggling with serious (budget) cuts.”

Senators are trying to close a $1.9 billion budget gap — made worse by a cutoff of federal stimulus funds. Students at the University of Massachusetts will be whacked with a 7.5 percent fee hike while cities and towns took a $65 million cut in state funding. The pay hike, set to go into effect on July 1, comes only months after Patrick ousted MassDevelopment director Robert Culver for considering pay hikes at the quasi-public authority.

Four of a kind.....Four narcissistic fools who believe their own PR

Maybe we should blame it on the full moon....maybe it is because too many of these idiots believe their own PR.....Either way, it seems that the idiots who want us to fawn all over them are in full season.....

DOPRAH, a.k.a the self imposed Queen of all Mediocrity had her final, final, final going away show in CHI-TOWN which involved many other celebrities telling the meglomanical talk show host how wonderful she is....she of course set this up for herself and scheduled all the people who would be there to fawn all over her...A tad bit Narcissistic, don't ya think? Whatever...PLEASE DOPRAH, just go away. Please...we are begging you....JUST.GO.AWAY

Then we have SLICK MITT ROMNEY who said he raised 10 Million dollars in a one night phone bank callathon just the other day...Must have been a compelling sales pitch, " Hi, I'm calling from the Mitt Romney Campaign office and if you don't donate some $$$, we'll just keep calling and calling and calling until you do....."

Likely those who were waterboarded at GITMO got off easier than having to listen to his drivel...Just like the speech he gave last week which was pretty much labeled "desperate" by anyone who saw it and those who see him for what he is, another narcissistic fool who believes his own image when he looks in the mirror. Mitt, just GO AWAY....we're begging you....You aren't going to be President of the United States, no matter how much money you stack up. And take Ann, your wife who is just as obnoxious as Obama's wife...They are a matched set, and just as delusional as their husbands.

POTUS came to Boston to garner more money from idiots who must not have a clue of how he really feels about them and the American Public....He looks down the end of his nose and sees us as " the unwashed masses ", unworthy of his greatness....Hold on, I just threw up in my mouth a little....POTUS needs to go away along with his BFF DOPRAH....Please, and take your cow of a wife with you.

Finally, we have the Governor of the State of Massachusetts, Deval " Spend-it-all" Patrick....POTUS' other BFF...and delusional fool. He got re-elected by all the folks in the state who are on state/federal assistance or are the last hold outs of the Liberals...The parts of the state that elected him have the highest dependency on state aid & federal handouts (Brockton, New Bedford, Fall River, Springfield, Boston, Cambridge, Lawrence, Lowell, etc.) His opponent, Charlie Baker garnered votes from all the suburbs and the other areas where people actually earn a paycheck, not simply line up for a handout....see a trend there?? If you don't believe me, look it up. It is a matter of record.

Governor Doofus also published a biography which isn't exactly doing so well....shocker.

Here is John Keller's take...He comments for WBZ-TV out of Boston....you can draw you own conclusion along with the citizens of Massachusetts who have heard enough from the "Empty Suit" sitting in the State House, pretending to care about the citizens, when just like POTUS, MITT and DOPRAH, he feels it is all about him....ugh. We need all four of these idiots to go away and what we need are some real leaders. We need Leaders who can make a real difference and not just make it all about THEMSELVES.

Keller @ Large: Patrick Book Not Box Office Boffo
By John Keller - WBZ-TV

Gov. Deval Patrick’s memoir may be compelling. But it isn’t selling — at least, not selling well enough so far to justify the $1.3 million advance paid by Broadway Books for “A Reason to Believe: Lessons from an Improbable Life.”

The book was officially released on April 12, kicking off a media blitz including high-profile appearances on the “Today Show” and “The Daily Show.” Thirty-five days later, after a one-week-stand at #25 on the New York Times bestseller list and a one-week visit to the Boston Globe’s list, Nielsen Bookscan had logged 4,293 copies sold, according to data supplied by an industry source.

By comparison, in March, Politico noted that roughly a month after the release of his memoir, Sen. Scott Brown had a “disappointing” 15,534 copies sold, also according to Nielsen Bookscan, which monitors bookstore sales. (It’s not known how many copies were purchased by Brown himself for use as gifts to supporters and donors, a common industry practice that Patrick has so far eschewed, according to a spokesman for his campaign committee.)

With the national publicity tour behind him and only a sparse schedule of local appearances by the author still advertised on the Broadway Books website, the sales future of the book is uncertain. Says one high-placed executive in the publishing industry: “If I was the editor who paid $1.3M for a book that’s netted that many copies in its first month of publication, I’d be looking for a new job.”

There may be hope in Massachusetts Government yet....Massachusetts House votes overwhelmingly to control Healthcare costs for public employee unions

Looks like the waves of "real change" have reached the coast of Massachusetts.....about flippin' time....now restore the rights of the TAXPAYERS to tell the greedy unions that they too have to pay their fair share, just like the rest of us....


Here's my personal message to Robert J. Haynes, president of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO - " GET OVER YOURSELF....you need to know that the days of pillaging the state coffers is coming to an end....about time. We need to make sure there is something left for the people of the state, not just the connected insiders. We'll be paying you & the rest of the greedy hacks for the rest of your lives....

UPDATE - House lawmakers voted overwhelmingly last night 111-to-42 following tougher measures to broadly eliminate collective bargaining rights for public employees in Ohio, Wisconsin, and other states. But unlike those efforts, the push in Massachusetts was led by Democrats who have traditionally stood with labor to oppose any reduction in workers’ rights.

“It’s pretty stunning,’’ said Robert J. Haynes, president of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO. “These are the same Democrats that all these labor unions elected. The same Democrats who we contributed to in their campaigns. The same Democrats who tell us over and over again that they’re with us, that they believe in collective bargaining, that they believe in unions. . . . It’s a done deal for our relationship with the people inside that chamber.’’

Robert Hayes is a typical bullying Union thug and has shown his infintile attitude when he doesn't get his way. Change happens and he and his Union ilk are not immune from the changes that have effected millions of Massachusetts Taxpayers for years, not just since the recession of 2008......His ability to threaten people and get his way is waning.

House leadership scrambling for votes to strip some bargaining rights
by Cynthia Needham April 26, 2011 - Boston Globe

House lawmakers are poised tonight to pass legislation that would strip police officers, teachers and other municipal employees of most of their rights to bargain over health care, saying the change would save millions of dollars for financially strapped cities and towns.

The House action would follow tougher measures to broadly eliminate collective bargaining rights for public employees in Ohio, Wisconsin and other states. But unlike those efforts, the push in Massachusetts was led by Democrats who have traditionally stood with labor to oppose any reduction in workers’ rights.

Unions have been fighting to stop the bill, and House leaders offered two last-minute concessions tonight intended to shore up support from wavering legislators.

The first concession would give public employees 30 days to discuss changes to their plans with local officials, instead of allowing local officials to act without any input from union members. But local officials would still, at the end of that period, be able to impose their changes unilaterally.

The second concession would give union members 20 percent of the savings from any health care changes, up from 10 percent in the original bill.

The modifications bring the House bill closer in line with a plan introduced by Governor Deval Patrick in January. Patrick has said he is adamantly opposed to any measure that does not give workers at least some say in their health care plans, but he does not want unions to have the power to block changes. Senate President Murray has said she, too, wants workers to retain a voice in the negotiating process.

Robert J. Haynes, president of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO said tonight that the House bill is unacceptable. "We are going to fight this thing to the bitter end," he said. "We expect that Massachusetts is not the place that takes collective bargaining away from public employees."

But what I meant to say was......Slick Mitt is at it again

The guy is soooooo desperate and it shows.....Mitt Romney maybe an OK person but he is NOT the LEADER we need as his style of leadership is all POL, all the time.....

We need LEADERSHIP and so far, trading " Barry from Chicago" for Slick Mitt would be bad....We need to get rid of both of these fools and find some real Leadership to help us out.....the problem is that person has yet to be found.....2012 election cycle is here and we have no real Leaders....


Romney learns even op-eds not safe
By Glen Johnson, Boston Globe Staff

Live by the op-ed, die by the op-ed.

Expected Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney learned that today, when he made an apparent gaffe in what has become the favored form of communication in his carefully choreographed pre-campaign run-up: the newspaper op-ed column.

The former Massachusetts governor found that when you virtually limit your media exposure to written columns, as opposed to unrestricted media questions, you can control your message — but you also leave no one else to blame when there's trouble.


In a piece for the New Hampshire Union Leader, Romney again excoriated President Obama for Standard & Poor's announcing that it was changing its long-term view for US treasuries from "stable to "negative."

While the rating agency retained the country's AAA bond rating, Romney jumped on its warning (which, incidentally, was directed at both to the White House and Congress).

"Barack Obama is facing a financial emergency on a grander scale," he wrote. "Yet his approach has been to engage in one of the biggest peacetime spending binges in American history. With its failed stimulus package, its grandiose new social programs, its fervor for more taxes and government regulations, and its hostility toward business, the administration has made the debt problem worse, hindered economic recovery and needlessly cost American workers countless jobs."

Romney's use of the word "peacetime" prompted questions in a country at war in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and which led a coalition no-fly zone over Libya. The first two actions were started by Obama's predecessor, fellow Republican President Bush; the latter was begun by the current president, a Democrat.

That inconsistency was pointed out by news organizations, as well as by the Democratic National Committee and Democrats in the lead presidential primary state of New Hampshire.

And that prompted Romney to issue a clarification this afternoon.

"He meant to say, `Since World War II,'" said spokeswoman Andrea Saul

To The Rescue.....

I wish we had a Governor that we could count on here in Massachusetts....instead the liberal idjits re-elected Deval " Spend-it-all" Patrick, OBAMA's buddy buddy.

Hopefully, the both of them will get sent packing in the near future....We need real leadership like Chris Christie or Gov. Walker of Wisconsin....Senator Scott Brown showed that Massachusetts still has some real leaders in our midst...we just have throw the Bums out and elect decent people who are there for the citizens, not the Unions and the Liberal Elite.

Massachusetts Governor plays politics with Veterans services office....turned it into a blatantly political operation to bolster his re-election....

This story should be no surprise to anyone who has observed the way that the liberal left has an absolute disdain for Veterans, especially the Democratic Party operatives. They have called us " War Mongers", " Baby Killers" and any other slur they can use to libel those who have worn the uniform and stood in defense of our country. This has been part of the Democratic DNA since the mid 60's when the party turned away from JFK's philosophy of a strong defense and went with the what the hippies and George McGovern spouted. Seems as they forgot that the only reason they were able to live free and spout off about the military was because Veterans paid for that right with their sacrifices and many times, with their lives.

Now, they have decided that the best way to use the Veterans is to take over the Veterans' services departments and turn it into another political machine to prop up the very people who show utter contempt for Veterans.

Case in point, Governor Deval " Spend-it-all" Patrick, who is Obama's best buddy fired the Massachusetts secretary of Veterans Services for four governors, Tom Kelly, Medal of Honor recipient and replaced him with his own political appointee.

Now, they are purging further into the staff and fired Tom Kelly's 2nd in charge while she was out on a medical leave. No reason for this change other than they can.

There will be a special place in Hell for these weasels when they have to answer for their sins. To take what is supposed to be a non-political program and use it as a prop to further your electability is beneath contempt. Deval Patrick and Obama never wore the uniform because they always saw service in the military as the kind of work that others had to do.....it was beneath them....But now when it is part of their political machine, they will be more than happy to try to "latch on" to the Veterans and tout how they have always admired them for their service.

Deval Patrick doesn't care for Veterans and neither does Obama. Veterans are political props for these two empty suits and the sooner we jettison these two fools back to where they came from, the better off we will be.


At Massachusetts Veterans Services, charges of playing politics
By Kevin Cullen
Globe Columnist / February 20, 2011

Maria Spiewakowski saw it coming.

“After Tom Kelley was fired,’’ she recalled, “I said, ‘I’m next.’ ’’

She was. Kelley, Massachusetts secretary of Veterans Services for four governors, was informed after Christmas that he was being replaced. The 71-year-old Kelley is a Medal of Honor recipient and his ousting was controversial, as much for the way it was handled as anything.

Spiewakowski worked in Veterans Services for 18 years, rising through the ranks to become Kelley’s No. 2. But when Coleman Nee was hired as undersecretary in 2007 on orders, Kelley says, from the governor’s office, she was suddenly No. 3.

Upset over the way Kelley was treated, and dealing with a medical problem of her own, Spiewakowski went on medical leave Jan. 18.

She got a Jan. 24 letter from Nee, Kelley’s replacement. “I know you’ve been away from work but I need to meet with you briefly to discuss my vision for Veterans Services,’’ Nee wrote.

Four days later there was another letter, saying she was fired.

“Incoming leadership has the authority to select its management team to carry out its policy goals,’’ Nee wrote. “This often necessitates the replacement of existing personnel. As a result, this action should not be construed in any way as a reflection on you personally or on your performance under prior leadership.’’

Spiewakowski’s removal was similar to Kelley’s. Kelley was asked by his boss, Health and Human Services Secretary JudyAnn Bigby, to show up for a meeting to talk about the department’s future.

When Kelley got there, the only thing about the future that was discussed was his not being part of it.

Governor Deval Patrick had every right to replace Kelley, just as Coleman Nee has the authority to replace Spiewakowski. The problem for both the governor and his new veterans secretary is that the people being replaced are not going softly into the night.

Spiewakowski and Kelley are saying publicly what had been whispered: that Nee turned the department that oversees the welfare of the state’s 400,000 veterans into a blatantly political operation to burnish the images of Patrick and Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray.

Spiewakowski says employees were asked to volunteer for campaign efforts, and that Nee and some workers busied themselves with efforts to reelect the governor on department time.

Nee denies each and every one of the allegations.

Asked about firing someone on medical leave, he said he “can’t talk about personnel issues.’’ As for why Spiewakowski was fired, he said, “We’ve had some restructuring, some positions consolidated.’’

Asked if there is an ongoing purge of anyone perceived as a Kelley loyalist, Nee said, “That’s nonsense. I haven’t given any litmus test.’’

Spiewakowski says Nee put a political gloss on things that had been previously apolitical. For example, she said the department’s newsletter became a vehicle to emphasize the Patrick administration’s commitment to veterans as much as a way to inform veterans about services.

Kelley agrees, saying, “The newsletter had not been used like that before.’’

Nee scoffs at this. He said complaints that the newsletter was politicized are really bruised feelings about his efforts to modernize the department.

“Everything down here was using an old dynamic,’’ he said.

Spiewakowski and Kelley say Nee intervened when a contract employee was about to be fired for poor performance. They declare that Nee said Murray and the governor’s office wanted the employee kept on.

“That’s an absolute lie,’’ Nee said.

But Spiewakowski and Kelley say that episode hurt morale and made it clear that some workers had inside pull with the administration and would be treated differently.

Kelley says that in June 2009, Nee told him his main priority was to get the Patrick-Murray team reelected and to get veterans behind the effort. Kelley was so disturbed that he immediately wrote a memo about it.

“I never said that,’’ Nee told me.

Spiewakowski and Kelley say one employee complained that Nee had approached him in the workplace and asked him about lining up veterans to support the governor’s reelection campaign.

Nee said he didn’t recall approaching employees. Asked if doing so would be an ethical violation, Nee said, “I think it would. But I don’t think I’d do that.’’

Spiewakowski said she was going public because the department’s morale has been destroyed.

“I can respect the governor and lieutenant governor making the decision to replace Tom,’’ she said. “I can’t accept that Coleman Nee is the person to replace Tom, because he has completely politicized the office and its work.’’

Spiewakowski is not alone. Several others who worked or still work for Veterans Services have filed complaints against Nee with the Ethics Commission and the Office of Campaign and Political Finance.

Nee’s first battle in his new job is against an insurgency within his own staff.

He acknowledged he has heard from ethics and finance investigators, looking for records. But he is confident he did nothing wrong. “Anybody can make a complaint to OCPF or Ethics,’’ he said.

I asked Nee why some people are trying to destroy him.

“I don’t know what the motivations are, and frankly I don’t want to speculate,’’ he said. “But it’s always anonymous. If they are veterans and saying this, then they are heroes, and they should have some guts and come out of the shadows and say it to me. Say it to my face.’’

If the department of Veterans Services wasn’t politicized before, it sure is now.

Kevin Cullen is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at cullen@globe.com