From all of us here at The Capitol View, we'd like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. We'd also like to extend our thoughts and prayers to all of our service men and women serving domestic and abroad who will not have the opportunity to celebrate the holidays with their loved ones.

House Minority Leader’s Statement on Massachusetts Losing a Congressional Seat

BOSTON—House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. issued the following statement today after hearing the Commonwealth will be losing a Congressional seat.

I am disappointed that despite growth in population in Massachusetts, our state is set to lose a congressional seat. One less Congressman means one less voice advocating on behalf of Bay State residents in Washington. While this loss has been long anticipated it is disappointing nevertheless. In addition, our modest growth compared to other areas of the country will likely mean we could lose out on significant federal funding over the next decade.

A Welcome, but Long Overdue Decision

In case you missed it, today the Patrick Administration announced that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts will, “sign an agreement to formally join Secure Communities, a federal program that screens all people who are arrested and fingerprinted to determine who is an illegal immigrant.” That’s according to a recent update on the Boston Globe’s website.

The program will allow law enforcement to report those people who are here illegally and get arrested to be reported to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE will then make the decision whether to detain and deport them.

While this is a welcome policy shift on the part of the Patrick Administration, it is indeed long overdue. Hopefully, Governor Patrick will follow through on this initiative.

Click here to read more on the subject.

Farewell to the Outgoing Members

Today, the nearly 40 outgoing members in the Massachusetts House of Representatives bid a final farewell on the floor of the Chamber. From the Republican Caucus, Representatives Lew Evangelidis, Bob Hargraves, Jeff Perry and Karyn Polito all said their goodbyes to their colleagues.

We wish all of the members, especially our Republican colleagues, the best of luck in the future. No matter what paths they take, we know the future is bright for all four of them.

Congratulations to the Patrick-Murray Administration for finally catching up!

Today’s Consensus Revenue Estimate Hearing got under way with what we here at The Capitol View would call an epiphany on the part of the Patrick-Murray Administration. According to the Associated Press, testifying in front of House and Senate Leaders, A & F Secretary Jay Gonzalez said Massachusetts will have to cut spending by up to $1.5 billion. Gee, you think?

For nearly three budget cycles, House and Senate Republicans have been saying we need to change the way we deliver services on a state and local level. In addition, we’ve been insisting that we need to budget in a more responsible and sustainable manner. Instead, those warnings have been ignored time and time again and our state’s situation has grown more and more dire. It was only a week after Governor Patrick was re-elected, that Secretary Gonzalez would even acknowledge there was a budgetary shortfall going into next fiscal year. Now, he seems to be taking a more urgent stand. We only wish he had jumped on the bandwagon months ago.

And the bad economic news just keeps on coming…

It looks like Scrooge is looking to wreak havoc this holiday season in terms of the Massachusetts economy. In case you missed it, TJX announced today that it would be cutting 4,400 jobs nationwide, many of which are right here in Massachusetts. While we here at The Capitol View don’t enjoy being the bearer of bad news, it is essential that the public understand the severity of the economic crisis and not be fooled by Governor Patrick, who would have the taxpayers believe it is Christmas everyday!

Since Governor Patrick was re-elected, thousands of jobs right here in the Bay State have been slashed. Though he’d like you to believe we are “on the mend and on the move,” recent news would suggest otherwise. In addition to today’s TJX announcement, Biogen, Genzyme and Raytheon – all big employers in Massachusetts – have cut their workforce significantly.

We tend to believe that this may be just the beginning of even worse news. It’s time to get serious about improving the Massachusetts business climate. Until that happens, we fear even more people will be handed pink slips.

"A Date Which Will Live in Infamy"

Sixty nine years ago today, the American Army and Navy base in Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Imperial Japanese Navy. More than 2,000 Americans were killed and another 1,000 were injured. Today, on December 7th, we remember and honor those military men and women who lost their lives on that Sunday morning many years ago.

On this Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, all of us here at The Capitol View want to offer our sincere gratitude and appreciation to the service men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice. We thank you and we honor you.

Woodlief: "Republicans rarin’ to go"

In case you missed it, the Boston Herald ran a great op-ed by Wayne Woodlief today who said the growing Republican minority in the house is, "rarin’ to go." Woodlief, who spoke with House Minority Leader Brad Jones and Representative-elect Dan Winslow for the piece, said the re-energized caucus is, "ready to push for some fresh proposals that will be hard for the Democrats to deny our tax-burdened citizens."

Be sure to click here to read the op-ed in its entirety.

Happy Hanukkah!

From all of us here at The Capitol View, we wish you and your family a very Happy Hanukkah!

Is This What Being “On the Mend and on the Move” Looks Like?

Governor Patrick has been fond of saying Massachusetts in “on the mend and on the move” lately but the recent layoff announcement from State Street Corp. is yet further proof that our Commonwealth still faces serious economic woes.

In the last month, several big companies including Genzyme, Biogen and Raytheon have announced significant reductions in their work force. Despite this news, Governor Patrick continues to take a victory lap around the state insisting Massachusetts is recovering faster than any other state in the nation. Tell that to the 400 workers who are being handed pink slips at State Street.

This Administration and the Democratic-controlled Legislature needs to get serious about getting Massachusetts residents back to work. We need to tackle this issue right out of the gate when the new legislative session convenes on January 5th.

One thing everyone can count on moving forward is that the Republican Caucus will be offering a number of proposals that will provide a better economic climate to foster job growth. Specifically, we will be working to provide a more stable tax policy, contain small business health care costs and incentivize opening a small business in Massachusetts.