Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Kerry never struck me as competent or intelligent, so maybe politics is a great place for him because he'd have a hard time finding employment on the outside. I just don't think he should hold any sort of high-level office. Maybe Wal*Mart greeter would be fine.
You probably don't understand politics in MA. This is the state where several years ago, we VOTED to roll back the sales tax, but the legislature just......didn't. This is the state where the Supreme Court (NOT THE VOTERS) legalized gay marriage. I have no issue with gays or their right to marry but I think this should have been decided by the voters rather than a panel of judges enacting law.
This is the state where we have two "embattled" senators.
I don't believe any states have had voters legalize gay marriage - it has come from the courts in all three states. And, as with many issues of civil rights, it often has to come from the courts years before the people would get to it.
OTOH, you are one state to the south of the place in which the then Governor called out the National Guard to prevent the Coast Guard from establishing a base, and where he used to lower the flag to half mast on Good Friday.
As for understanding MA politics, when you have Elbridge Gerry and James Michael Curley as your political roots, I don't see how you can be surprised at your legislature!
LOL. Funny, but true. Even after insurance rates were de-regulated, GEICO does not do business here. I just renewed my auto policy. Called GEICO to see if I could save money in 15 minutes or less...and was told they don't write policies in MA. They advertise here though. I can understand the ads getting through on national spot buys, but local radio? Makes no sense.
A friend of mine from small town, northfield, pays $ 220/month for insurance, that's w/o any traffic violations. And he tells me that residents are forced to buy health insurance or pay state fines. Sounds like there is too much government interference out there.
Way too much government. And Duval Patrick has increased the size of the state government by some astronmical percent since he took office. And yes, we have mandatory health insurance which has done NOTHING but force people who can't afford it, to go on MassHealth (welfare) and you know whose tax dollars pay for that....
If you want to see socialism at work, come to Massachusetts.
Way too much government. And Duval Patrick has increased the size of the state government by some astronmical percent since he took office. And yes, we have mandatory health insurance which has done NOTHING but force people who can't afford it, to go on MassHealth (welfare) and you know whose tax dollars pay for that....
If you want to see socialism at work, come to Massachusetts.
I'd love to see the stats on state government size, if you have some handy. A brief google showed me nothing useful either way
Gotta disagree with you on the health insurance, though.
My wife got laid off. Our only choices would have been Cobra or no insurance, before. The state-negotiated plans gave us a wide range of options, some at the same level as Cobra, but some with higher deductibles and lower premiums, which we can afford until one of us is again employed in a place with a plan - I'm self-employed. And if, for whatever reason, she runs out of unemployment insurance before she finds a job, the graduated payment plans will allow us to keep insured - which, given the prescription costs and doctors' appointment costs without insurance, makes a huge difference.
The doctors do not work for the state. The insurance companies are private.
This is not socialism or even close to it. Ask the folks in Canada, England, or Sweden and you will see a huge gap between our plan and anything any of them offers.
We'll have to agree to disagree on state-mandated health care.
Here's an excerpt and a link to an article about Patrick and ONE example of how he increased the size of government.
UPDATE: Barney Keller, spokesman for the Massachusetts Republican Party, responded: "Is he trying to be deliberately funny by criticizing a Governor for being out of state while he's in Colorado? When was the last time Governor Patrick was in the statehouse? Maybe's he's trying to divert attention from the fact that his administration added nearly 2,000 new state jobs this year. We'll note these comments for when he goes on his 'nationwide book-signing tour. ' "
We'll have to agree to disagree on state-mandated health care.
Here's an excerpt and a link to an article about Patrick and ONE example of how he increased the size of government.
UPDATE: Barney Keller, spokesman for the Massachusetts Republican Party, responded: "Is he trying to be deliberately funny by criticizing a Governor for being out of state while he's in Colorado? When was the last time Governor Patrick was in the statehouse? Maybe's he's trying to divert attention from the fact that his administration added nearly 2,000 new state jobs this year. We'll note these comments for when he goes on his 'nationwide book-signing tour. ' "
I thought MA was one of the commonwealth states. Why does the state have these radical ideas/regulations? I think I read somewhere that in MA if you get caught driving with expired license, you go straight to jail.
I thought MA was one of the commonwealth states. Why does the state have these radical ideas/regulations? I think I read somewhere that in MA if you get caught driving with expired license, you go straight to jail.
I'm not sure what the penalty is but it is stiff. And the state, citing "cost savings" is discontinuing mailing out courtesy notices for expired licenses, registrations and a few other things. So now, you can be caught, cited and possibly jailed for having an expired license, but the small bag of pot you have in your glove compartment is fine.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
