Massachusetts Legislature Out Corrupts Itself!

Just when you thought it was impossible for the Massachusetts legislature, the Boston Globe or Governor Deval Patrick  to be any more corrupt, they descend to new lows. Yesterday the state Senate voted, mostly along party lines, to give Governor Deval Patrick the authority to appoint an interim Senator to fill Ted Kennedy’s seat in Washington until a special election is held in January. The House voted similarly a few days ago.

The corruption lies in the history of this decision. In the fall of 2004, during Senator John Kerry’s failed Presidential bid, with the polls indicating that Kerry might win the Presidency and thus vacate his Senate seat, the overwhelmingly Democratic legislature (mostly the same people still in office today) voted to take appointment power away from then Governor, Republican Mitt Romney. The legislators all got up and spoke of how it was important for the people to have a voice even though anyone being honest with themselves knew full well that if the Governor at the time were a Democrat, their would have been no discussion of such a measure.

Fast forward five years to the passing of Senator Kennedy. Within 48 hours of his death, the talk began that although there would be a special election in just five months, the citizens of Massachusetts simply couldn’t survive without two Senators representing them in the interim. Never mind that during his Presidential run Kerry was almost entirely absent from the Senate for 18 months. Neither does it matter to the pontificators of this drivel that during his illness Kennedy missed more than a year and hundreds of votes. Nope, now that the Commonwealth has a Democrat in the Governor’s mansion, the legislature wants him to have appointment power. Could these pols be any more disingenuous?

In 2004, Senator Kennedy wrote a letter to the legislature stressing that the Democratic process demanded that the people, not the then Republican Governor, be given the power to replace Senator Kerry. Just prior to his death last month, Kennedy wrote another letter completing reversing himself, saying that the now Democratic Governor should be allowed to appoint an interim replacement. He didn’t spell it out, but clearly his fear was that the Democrats in the U.S. Senate might be short the needed votes to ram health care legislation down America’s throat. Not to be outdone, the Boston Globe fails to even point out the hypocrisy, saying nothing of Kennedy’s letter from 2004 or of the legislators who flip-flopped between 2004 and 2009.

Today the story takes an even more stunning ‘only-in-Massachusetts‘ twist. For legislation to take effect immediately, rather than after the normal 90 day review period, there must be an emergency preamble attached and both houses must pass the measure with a two-thirds majority. This bill contained the preamble, but did not pass either house with the required 67%. Now the corrupt Governor and his Democratic cronies in the legislature are ignoring the law and claiming he can simply declare an emergency and appoint someone. Of course, this position will lose in court as it is completely un-Constitutional, but in all likelihood, by then the Governor will have appointed someone and the damage will be done.

Two weeks from now those challenging the Governor’s appointment will look mean-spirited and/or petty to the citizenry, who in all honesty are not paying close enough attention to the corruption on Beacon Hill. Truth be told, the corruption in the Commonwealth is so bad, and has been for so long, that the people have ceased to pay attention entirely. Which, like cockroaches with the kitchen lights turned off, is exactly the environment your Democratic representatives hope for and thrive in.

Future D.C. Democrats in Training

Have you ever wondered where the Democrats manage to find these cartoon character-like people to run for office? This week the answer to that question has been revealed in two separate incidents in New England. It turns out the Democratic party has hundreds of future civil servants in training all over the country in our state legislatures, and from all indications simply picks the most crooked of these to send to Washington.

First, over the weekend a State Representative from Massachusetts went liquor shopping in New Hampshire. “What’s wrong with this” you might ask. Well, Michael J. Rodrigues (D-Westport) just voted to raise the state sales tax 25% AND voted to make the liquor tax taxable (yes, the joke has become reality, we are now paying tax on taxes!). Mr. Rodrigues’ automobile was plated with his government plates and according to the Boston Herald, when questioned by a constituent, told them, “Mind your own business”. One of the main arguments against these tax increases, put forth by conservatives and other intelligent people, was that they would hurt local business since the neighboring state of New Hampshire has no sales or liquor taxes. Mr. Rodrigues didn’t care about the damage to an already ailing economy, he knew he wouldn’t be paying the taxes he was imposing on his constituents.

Just 48 hours later, down the road in Connecticut, two Democratic State Representatives were caught playing solitaire on the floor of the House while the state’s budget was being debated.

Not surprisingly, the Democrats with their huge majority in Conn. passed their budget – a two year plan that raises taxes and does not reduce spending (sound familiar?), a sure recipe for success in these tough economic times. Maybe if these legislators were a little more dedicated to their work and the service of their constituents, they could have found some spending cuts to help out the beleaguered taxpayers of the state.

All of this serves to reinforce the contention that it would be significantly cheaper and less frustrating for the taxpayers of this country to simply pay our state legislators to stay home and do nothing. But, then where would the Democrats get their next batch of concerned civil servants to serve in Washington?

If Only Stupidity Could Save the Environment

First it was plasma televisions that California legislators were trying to ban for their whopping energy usage (turns out they actually use less energy than a coffee maker) and now the state is looking at banning black cars in their latest imbecilic attempt to save the environment one moronic piece of legislation at a time. That’s right, a government in the “free” United States of America is considering telling its citizens what color their car is allowed to be.

The reasoning is (I can’t believe I am giving this idiocy the respect of explaining the reasoning) that black cars get hotter than other colors and therefore require more energy to air condition. Okay, how much more energy? What impact will this change have? Or, here’s one for you, if I agree to buy the car without an AC unit, can I still get a black one? How about if I move to California from Oregon and I own a black car, am I allowed to register it in the state or must I get rid of it before moving? GIVE ME A BREAK!

It is exactly this kind of juvenile, near-sited thinking that has led California to become the least business or consumer friendly state in the Union and, not coincidentally, the state in the worst financial health during this difficult time. Perhaps the politicians in California would be better served spending their time working on solutions to their massive budget crisis.

UPDATE:

In another fit of environmentally driven lunacy, this time on the opposite coast, the Maine legislature passed a bill this week requiring manufacturers of energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs to pay for the recycling of used bulbs to the tune of $1 per bulb (of course, while the legislators may kid themselves, we know that the consumer will actually be the one footing this bill). Why is this necessary you ask? Because these bulbs that are supposed to save the environment from the dangerous incandescent light bulb, CONTAIN TOXIC MERCURY. That’s right, the same pollutant that’s been poisoning our fish and that many believe is a contributing factor to the alarmingly increased rates of autism in our children – now this seems like a great product to put in little glass containers and place all over our homes, doesn’t it?