Latest News and Comment
Sadly, Nurses Union Marches under the Socialist Banner
In Case You Missed It!
'Nursing A Grudge'
MNA's Call for Higher Taxes A Bad Diagnosis for Jobs
BOSTON- Even before Professor Elizabeth Warren enters the race, her allies are calling for a new tax that will likely not 'heal Main Street' as they claim, but rather redistribute money back into bigger government and slow job growth. As the Boston Herald points out, the Massachusetts Nurses Association, who endorsed Professor Warren last week, may want to rethink their priorities. Apart from having little to do with public health, the so called 'Tax on Wall Street', may have a negative effect on their members' personal finances and the nation's economy.
Boston Herald Editorial Staff
Nursing A Grudge
September 6, 2011
Silly us, we assumed a labor union that represents nurses was in the business of negotiating fair pay and decent working conditions for those who do the difficult work of caring for the sick. We didn’t realize that federal tax policy and securities regulation were part of its portfolio.
But there was the Massachusetts Nurses Association last week in Worcester and in Boston — joining their counterparts in 21 other states, the State House News Service reported — to demand that U.S. Sen. Scott Brown support a tax on stock trades, debt purchases and a series of other financial transactions. A .5 percent tax on all manner of securities transactions will raise billions in revenue, they say, and (we’ve yet to figure this one out) create jobs. ...
But it wouldn’t be limited to those trades, of course, it would also apply to, say, everyday mergers and acquisitions. The kind of deals that enable companies to grow and, you know, actually create jobs. They would immediately become more costly, putting the MNA in the position of trying to legislate a slowdown in the already sluggish economy. And how does that make sense?
###
Well, at Least The Dems Are Honest about Their Corruption
Democrats on Wednesday refused to release from committee a GOP proposal for internal rules changes, missing a huge opportunity to prove that they are serious about polishing the Legislature’s heavily-tarnished reputation — and at a time when they’re facing criticism about their handling of a controversial casino bill.
Highlights of the GOP proposal include the requirement of an equal number of seats for Democrats and Republicans on the Ethics Committee (currently the majority party dominates membership) and a requirement that registered lobbyists wear ID badges while working inside the State House.
No, these aren’t the most dazzling changes, but that makes the majority party’s intransigence even more puzzling. This is a lay-up for leadership. They don’t have to approve every last idea, but they could at least prove their willingness to work with Republicans and consider creative ways to ensure that the public’s business is conducted in the most honest, ethical and transparent manner.
Ah, but that would require an open discussion about the seedier side of deal-making on Beacon Hill. Better to pretend that the House is all stocked up on ethics, even after the conviction of the previous speaker on bribery and corruption charges. Rank-and-file Democrats should stop acting like sheep and join the GOP in demanding a full debate.
Go Get 'Em, Brad!
House Minority Leader's Statement on Democrats' Continued Refusal to Embrace House Ethics Reform
Boston- House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. issued the following statement in response to the House Democrats' refusal to release the Republican-led House Ethics Reform Order from the House Committee on Rules:
“I, along with the members of the Republican Caucus, am once again disappointed that the Democratic majority balks at every opportunity for ethics reform in the House of Representatives.
Today’s vote clearly demonstrates that a majority of members in the House of Representatives are content with the status quo on Beacon Hill. The members of the Democratic Party have already forgotten about the recent conviction of the third Speaker in a row on charges of corruption, and the recent indictment of the former Treasurer’s Chief of Staff .
The House Republican Caucus continues to be willing to debate the Ethics Reform proposal and remains amenable to any conversation surrounding changes or improvements that the Democratic majority would like to see made.
Until this Ethics Reform Order is released by Chairman Binienda and the House Committee on Rules, the disconnect between Beacon Hill and the citizens of the Commonwealth will unfortunately continue.”
Deval Fails on Deportment
Obama Admin. Defies Deval Patrick On Secure Communities
Napolitano On Secure Communities: “Single Best Tool At Focusing Our Immigration Enforcement Resources On Criminals And Egregious Immigration Law Violators.”
Boston- President Obama’s Secretary of Homeland Security today delivered a stinging rebuke to Governor Deval Patrick on the issue of illegal immigration and Secure Communities.
In a speech at American University, Janet Napolitano, who served as the governor of the border state of Arizona prior to her appointment to Obama’s cabinet, reaffirmed her strong support for the program, calling it the “single best tool at focusing our immigration enforcement resources on criminals and egregious immigration law violators.”
She went on to say that ending Secure Communities would “weaken public safety, and move the immigration enforcement system back towards the ad hoc approach where non-criminal aliens are more likely to be removed than criminals.”
As Massachusetts reels from a series of recent violent crimes at the hands of illegal immigrants, Patrick has come under increasing fire from local sheriffs in recent weeks for opposing the Secure Communities program.
Click HERE to read the entire story from State House News Service on Napolitano’s speech today.
