Get Out and Vote!

Today is primary day in Massachusetts and there are several contested races across the state. From all of us here at The Capitol View, we hope you'll get out and make your voice be heard by voting for the candidates of your choice.

Polls are open until 8 pm, so there's no excuse for not voting!

Remembering the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks

BOSTON—House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. issued the following statement on the anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks.

Nine years ago today, the values and principles of America were attacked and thousands of lives were senselessly taken. We must never forget that day and always honor those innocent lives taken from us.

The families of the victims, the first responders, and the service men and women who have fought since that day and continue to fight in order to protect us must always remain in our thoughts and prayers.

Deval’s Delusional if he Thinks These Numbers are Good!

Not everything is puppies and rainbows as Deval Patrick and Tim Murray would like you to believe. Don’t believe us? Well, just take a look at State House News Service’s latest report on layoffs in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

According to SHNS, “Massachusetts employers last year took 275 mass layoff actions involving at least 50 or more people, the largest number of such events since 2002, according to federal figures released on Friday.” The report went on to say, “Last year also marked the first time that the number of initial unemployment claimants increased by more than 10,000 on an annual basis since data first became available in 1996. In 2008 and 2009, the number of mass layoff events in Massachusetts totaled 437.”

The Patrick-Murray Administration would like you to believe that Massachusetts’ economy is heading in the right direction, but statistics like this don’t seem to back up that assertion. Looks like Deval is playing fast and loose with the numbers once again!

Further proof Governor Patrick to blame for track pink slips

A recent poll conducted by State House News Service further proves the notion that many throughout the state blame Governor Patrick for the recent pink slips handed out at Bay State tracks. According to the SHNS poll, “Thirty-seven percent of respondents, and 45 percent of gambling supporters, fingered Patrick when asked who “bears the most responsibility” for expanded gambling failing to win approval this year. Nineteen percent of the whole sample, and 16 percent of gambling proponents, faulted DeLeo, while 5 percent pointed at Senate President Therese Murray and 5 percent blamed them all equally.”

Governor Patrick’s behavior in the waning days of the legislative session showed he is incapable and unwilling to work with those who may have a different opinion towards a common goal. Because of his unwillingness to compromise and inability to broker a deal with the Speaker and Senate President, hundreds of track workers are now unemployed. Here’s a situation where he had the opportunity to make a difference and do the right thing, instead he took his ball and went home.
It’s no wonder the majority of those polled blame Governor Patrick.

Representative deMacedo Appears on Broadside

Representative Vinny deMacedo appeared on Broadside with Jim Braude last night on New England Cable News. The Plymouth Republican discussed last night's gubernatorial debate, mid-term elections and the nation's climbing debt.

Click here to watch the segment.

Business Confidence takes another Tumble

The Patrick-Murray Administration is making its way across the state, cherry picking statistics to make it look like it actually has a record to stand on. What this administration fails to tell you is along with the thousands of Massachusetts residents who are unemployed, facing foreclosure or struggling to put food on the table – the business community is also suffering as well.
In fact, according to Associated Industries of Massachusetts, “Business confidence Index lost eight-tenths of a point in August to 47.7, its second consecutive monthly decline.”

Raymond G. Torto, Global Chief Economist at CB Richard Ellis Group, Inc. and Chair of AIM's Board of Economic Advisors said, “This is the first time we have had back-to-back drops since the recession bottomed out. Weakening business and consumer confidence, along with downward revisions of second quarter growth estimates and of expectations for the third quarter, all point to a loss of momentum in the recovery and Massachusetts employers are clearly concerned about the national economy.”
Families and small businesses are having a tough time staying afloat in Massachusetts let alone having the opportunity to thrive and prosper. Things need to change significantly in this state in order to get the economy moving in the right direction.

Representative deMacedo to Appear on Broadside

Representative Vinny deMacedo is slated to appear on Broadside with Jim Braude tonight on New England Cable News. The Plymouth Republican will be discussing tonight's gubernatorial debate and the mid-term elections.

Be sure to tune in tonight at 6pm on NECN.

More bad news for Massachusetts

While Governor Patrick and Lieutenant Governor Murray are running around the state touting the success of their economic policies, State House News Service is reporting that the Commonwealth’s jobless rate is higher than the New England region’s average. Late yesterday afternoon, SHNS reported, “At 9 percent for July, the state’s jobless rate was well below Rhode Island’s 11.9 percent, but significantly higher than New Hampshire’s 5.8 percent, Vermont at 6 percent and Maine at 8.1 percent. Connecticut’s unemployment rate registered at 8.9 percent in July.”

Looks like Governor Patrick and Lieutenant Governor Murray are being a bit disingenuous saying the Massachusetts economy is on a quicker road to recovery than most states. Regardless of other economic indicators, the fact of the matter is hundreds of thousands of Massachusetts residents remain unemployed or underemployed.

The fact that the Patrick-Murray Administration hasn’t spent more time on job creation further underscores its disconnect with the people it claims to represent. Governor Patrick can claim he’s handled this recession well, but we’re doubtful unemployed residents would agree with that assertion.

Howie Carr gets it right - again!

In case you missed it, Howie Carr had a great column in Sunday's Boston Herald about the recent withdrawal of a Patrick nominee to a six-year term as administrative law judge at the Department of Industrial Accidents. So why you ask did Chris Maclachan withdraw his name from the nomination? Interestingly enough, because he doesn't technically live in Massachusetts!

Click here to read Howie's latest column in its entirety.

Boston Herald: Smackdown in Gloucester

In case you missed it, the Boston Herald ran a great editorial today called Smackdown in Gloucester.

As mentioned on The Capitol View on Tuesday, Judge Richard Welch III said (in respect to the Gloucester Charter School fiasco), “There is a strong factual showing that the Commissioner (Mitchell Chester), despite his affidavit to the contrary, did not perform his own independent evaluation of the GCA application but, to the contrary, ignored state regulations and caved into political pressure to recommend the project to a Board eager to approve at least one charter application regardless of its merit.”

Today, the Boston Herald said, "Governor Deval Patrick and his top education advisers had to be thrilled with the timing of the big Race to the Top announcement on Tuesday. The pep rally helpfully overshadowed an embarrassing development in the Gloucester charter school e-mail mess."

As House Minority Leader Brad Jones said Tuesday, "Governor Patrick and his team have proven time and time when it comes to education their agenda is driven by politics, not sound public policy."

Kudos to the Boston Herald for calling out Governor Patrick and his team.

Click here to read the editorial in its entirety.