Kudos to WCVB-TV

Kudos to WCVB’s Team 5 and its investigation into the proliferation of all those “quasi” state agencies, many of which are growing fat in Quasi-Land where neither “quite-public” nor “quite-private” adds up to “not-quite-accountable.”

As we continue to pan for gold, the House Republicans will be taking a closer look into this vein. Is this spending warranted? Or are too many tax-payers dollars being siphoned off to support bloated salaries and suspect missions?

Massachusetts Housing Partnership is rather typical. Out of 47 employees, 12 are being paid more than $100,000 per year, and Executive Director Clark Ziegler gets $203,475!

To view the story and take a peek at other “quasi-public” corporate salaries, click here.

Believe in Reform Before Revenue

Remember when the Boston Red Sox appeared to out of the running for the 2004 World Series and hopeful fans adorned with “Believe” signs packed the stands? Well, it’s time to break out the believe signs again, because despite the tax happy ways of the Majority Party on Beacon Hill, the Republican Caucus still believes in reform before revenue. And surprisingly, Boston Herald columnist and talk radio host Margery Eagan feels the same way. In fact, her latest column read like a memo filled with Republican talking points!

Eagan includes the following list for ideas that must be accomplished before even discussing tax increases. 1) Outlaw double dipping (collecting a state salary and pension simultaneously) 2) Cap pensions - even at, say $150,000 a year 3) Outlaw early retirements and pension collecting 4) End special legislative boondoggles 5) Make town and city workers join the state health insurer, thus saving billions.
All of these ideas sound pretty good to us and in fact are proposals that have been offered by Republican lawmakers on several occasions.

If a typically liberal columnist is following our trend, isn’t it about time the majority of Democrats jump on the bandwagon too?

A Path for the Future?

In an op-ed in today’s Cape Cod Times, Peter Ubertaccio, an associate professor of political science at Stonehill College suggested that the recent election of Taylor White to Town Clerk in Sandwich is a step in the right direction for the Republican Party.

Click here to read the article.

Lack of Transparency, Lack of Public Trust

An article in today’s Boston Herald, written by Dave Wedge, highlighted what many of us already know. That is, the lack of transparency on Beacon Hill ultimately leads to the lack of public trust. House Republicans, knowing full well there may be backlash, complied with a Herald request to release the names, titles and salaries of all staff members. Meanwhile, only a handful of Democrats responded to the request.

The Senate President and the House Speaker were among those who neglected to provide the Herald with this public information and in not complying gave the general public more reason not to trust its elected officials. There have been numerous examples of ethical improprieties, repeated patronage by the Patrick Administration and the continued mismanagement of taxpayers’ money.

Being transparent is a critically important tool in working to regain the public’s trust.

Click here to read the article in its entirety.

Republican Proposal Praised by Sun Chronicle

The Sun Chronicle editorial page today praised an amendment adopted in the House last month that was offered by Republican lawmakers. The amendment which was adopted unanimously encourages medical facilities to return unused, unexpired medication.

This proposal could save the Commonwealth at least $20 million annually, as nursing homes in Massachusetts alone are known to waste millions of dollars in unused prescriptions. This concept will lead to a decrease in overall health care costs in the state.

The Sun Chronicle praised the effort, calling it, "good for the environment, the economy, the health of one and all and, not least, the reputation of the state Legislature." The newspaper neglected to point out it was a Republican offered amendment, however, it is good to see the GOP Caucus' innovative ideas are being recognized by media outlets around the state.

Click here to read the editorial in its entirety.

Representative Perry's You Tube Message

Representative Jeff Perry recently released his monthly You Tube message. This month's message is Representative Perry's opinion on the proposed increase to the state's sales tax.

Click here to hear what Rep. Perry has to say.

Globe Recognizes GOP's Reform Efforts

The Boston Globe's Scott Lehigh today recognized the efforts of GOP lawmakers to make serious cost saving reforms this budget season.

Unfortunately, budget debate wrapped up in the House on May 1st with the final version containing very few of our reform measures. We offered a number of the amendments being praised by Lehigh today in the Globe, but they were overwhelmingly rejected by the Democratic-controlled House.

Hopefully, these measures will be adopted when the Senate takes up its budget next week. If so, the Conference Committee will have a real opportunity to prove to the people of the Commonwealth that Beacon Hill gets it. Families and businesses all over the state are making tough choices. They are cutting back on spending, doing more with less and are now being asked to pay even more. The Legislature needs to do the same and adopting Republican offered amendments is certainly a huge step in the right direction.

Click here to read Lehigh’s piece.

Massport Spending Habits Under Fire

House Minority Leader Brad Jones recently appeared in an investigative piece on WBZ-TV. The story, done by I-Team reporter Joe Shortsleeve examines the spending habits practiced at Massport.

Click here to see the story.

Give Credit When Credit is Due

The Republican Caucus and Governor Patrick very rarely agree on policy, but one view we do share is the importance of honoring our military men and women, particularly those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. The Boston Globe today revealed that Governor Patrick, like former Governor Mitt Romney, has made it a point to attend every wake, funeral or memorial of every fallen service member since becoming Governor.

We applaud and commend Governor Patrick for paying respect to our fallen heroes and their families and hope this tradition will continue not only under Governor Patrick, but by his future successors as well.

Retail Sales Decline, Sales Tax Looking Even Worse!

Last month, the Democratic-controlled House adopted an amendment to increase the state's sales tax by 25%. Republicans fought hard against this measure, knowing a hike in the state's sales tax would not only hurt Commonwealth residents, but would also have a damaging effect on local businesses.

Today, the Commerce Department announced that retail sales declined for the second straight month in April. Given the current economic situation, people all over the country are living cautiously. They are cutting back on eating out, avoiding shopping for non-essentials and overall trimming their household budgets. Increasing the sales tax will only make matters worse and this alarming new statistic strengthens our argument against raising taxes.

Click here to read the article regarding the retail sales decline.