Feb
28
The Legislative Delegation Visits Methuen S.C.
February 28, 2010 | 1 Comment
Methuen’s Legislative delegation visited the Methuen School Committee last week, and there are some interesting comments made, especially about the Governor’s filed budget. The delegation essentially ridiculed the Governor’s budget submission and said that locals ought to discard any thought that the Governor’s budget would become a reality. The video is in three parts.
Feb
27
The Weather is Frightful
February 27, 2010 | 1 Comment
The winds and rain have caused some real hardship here in Methuen, with power outages continuing to cause problems throughout the Merrimack Valley. I participated in a conference call with National Grid yesterday and will participate in another this morning at 11:00 a.m. Methuen had over 1900 homes without power yesterday. but that number continues [...]
Feb
27
The President Talks Health Care and the Olympics
February 27, 2010 | 1 Comment
The President again spends his weekly address on health care and offering praise to our Olympic athletes. A health care bill is still considered to be a political underdog, but this President is really invested in getting something passed. One quick comment on the summit. I found Republican critics citing the President for being “condescending” [...]
Feb
27
Paterson Bows Out in NY
February 27, 2010 | Leave a Comment
The Governor of New York, after a series of stinging stories in the New York Times, has announced that he will not run for re-election. Governor Paterson, who took over the office upon the resignation of Eliot Spitzer, was finally brought down by stories indicating that he and staff had intervened in a domestic abuse [...]
Feb
25
Health Care Summit
February 25, 2010 | 1 Comment
Feb
25
Municipal Relief Package Passes Without Health Care Reform
February 25, 2010 | 2 Comments
The legislature yesterday passed a Municipal Relief Package, which is outlined below. The package, predictably, did not contain “plan design” relief on health care for municipalities. There are some important pieces here, including the pension portion. But the most important piece has been left on the cutting room floor. The Boston Phoenix editorialized on the [...]
Feb
23
The Jobs Bill Advances
February 23, 2010 | 1 Comment
The $18 billion dollar Jobs bill cleared the Senate yesterday, with Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown one of five Republicans voting to break a Republican filibuster. The bill contains some good news for Massachusetts and will attempt to spur some job creation through tax incentives. The Washington Post gave a quick summary:
The bill’s centerpiece is a [...]
Feb
23
The President Goes Big
February 23, 2010 | 1 Comment
Yesterday the President unveiled his plan for health care reform, continuing a drive to make changes in the system and using recent massive premium increases as a political lever to drive that change. Many had expected the President to play small ball here, but the President has gone big, essentially using the Senate bill as [...]
Feb
20
Health Care Premiums Explode
February 20, 2010 | 4 Comments
A constant theme on this blog has been the sheer unsustainability of the current health care system. There is no question that the Democrats made some real mistakes in their efforts to enact reform, but recent news on the massive spikes in premiums in California and other states have brought the need for change back [...]
Feb
18
The President Promotes Nuclear
February 18, 2010 | 1 Comment
The President announcing tax credits to help in the building of two nuclear power plants. The tax credits total over $8 billion, and indicate a renewed support for the nuclear industry from a Democratic Administration. The President talked of safety, and of the unresolved issue of how to handle nuclear waste, but he moved solidly [...]