In case we din't know... we are billions in the whole here in Mass
Mr. Speaker has come out from behind the curtain with some sobering news. All this while the City of Malden is looking at the pensions of people who never even really worked. The Senate is now taking up pension reform, to include those who collect a pension AND collect a pay check from the Sate... I'll bet some of you know of a hired gun named Simmon, who is Devals stimulus fund overseer here in Mass... oh boy, another hot potato for Deval.
House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo painted a dire picture of the budget for the next fiscal year yesterday, warning a breakfast meeting of business leaders that cuts will be in the billions and that federal stimulus money will not be enough to solve many of the problems.
"I want to warn you that the cuts that are required to balance this budget . . . will cut to the very core of government's purpose and mission," DeLeo said at the meeting of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce.
"It is almost impossible to overstate how dire the situation is for us," he added.
DeLeo also said the state should avoid tapping the state's reserve fund and should "not become captive to one-time revenue" by relying too heavily on federal subsidies approved by Congress as part of its economic stimulus package for states.
"This money, while a blessing, also creates a giant gap in local and state budgets when it inevitably dries up," he said. "Massachusetts cannot become captive to onetime revenue."
After the address, DeLeo told reporters that House lawmakers are reluctant to go along with Governor Deval Patrick's proposal to raise hotel and meals taxes. That money would account for at least $155 million.
posted by Jim Pillsbury @ 12:26 PM
10 Comments
10 Comments:
So, he says we are in the hole and that things are dire, makes him a king of stating the obvious if you ask me. But then he opposes one of the suggestions to get us out of this mess, the food and hotel tax. Does he have a better suggestion? If not, then he should sit down, shut up, and support the suggestions of others who at least have something to offer. THis guy is proving to be more and more useless everyday. What skill set did his fellow Reps use as the benchmark to elect him?
Hey, if you did not know we were in the hole here in MA, where the hell have you been for the last 6 months? We did not have a balanced budget before the ecomony tanked. We were completely unprepared for this downturn. Of course, we were unprepared because we elect people to public offices in this state who have no marketable skill to be anything except a politician, no budget experience, no accounting background, most of them don't even have a legal background. You get what you elect, and we all are to blame for electing this idiots to run our state, and I include Patrick in the idiot category.
In the hole is putting it mildly, don't you think? I hear we are billions short in the budget, and that is one pretty big hole! Why in the world is an unbalanced budget an acceptable situation? I get a pay check, and I can spend what that paycheck is, maybe a little more if I use my credit card,but that increases my monthly expenses because I have to pay that credit card bill. Pretty simple match. What math is the state using to think they can run at this deficit and not have to make drastic cuts, including cuts to their salaries?
Good blog, good information, very informative. Must take a huge amount of time to do. Thanks for caring enough to do this.
They talk about the hole we are in but they don’t get it. It is all on paper to them. In the real world, where I live, it is not something you can miss. I married for the 2nd time a little over a year ago. I had lived alone and supported myself for more than 15 yrs before taking the plunge and getting married again. Moved out of my apartment and in with my future husband, got married, and combined everything we had, which was not all that much. Then the economic crisis hit. My husband is a good man who lost his job in December. Since then, he is collecting unemployment, but it is not nearly as much as he made working. He pays the bills he can pay, which basically amounts to the mortgage on the house, his every day expenses, and one credit card. Everything else is now my responsibility. I lived a very simple life before I married him, small apartment, very few bills, no car payment, and I lived that way because I was responsible about money and that was all I could afford. Now I pay an electric bill, a gas bill, the phone, the cable, both cell phones, the food, my credit cards, my gas, a storage bill because I could not fit all my things into his house, car insurance, the 2nd mortgage on the house, his car payment. What little savings I had is gone because I spend more than I make every month. The house needs work, and he looks to me to have the money for that because I am the one working. I don’t have it, but I try not to worry him because he will feel bad because he is out of work. So I juggle the money I do have to try and cover the things he wants to do on the house because at least that gives him something to do. I rob Peter to pay Paul as the saying goes. But I can not do that forever. I work more hours trying to make more money, but a few hours overtime every week is not going to make up the loss of income from him not working. I come home every day exhausted and stressed out and worried, and he has made a nice dinner and cleaned and done laundry, and that is all very nice, but I just want him to find a job, and he is not even looking. He talks about painting the bathroom and doing yard work and fixing the shutters, but he never talks about applying for any jobs. I know it is tough out there, and I know he may not find anything for months, but I also know he won’t ever find a new job if he is not even looking! We are not kids anymore, and him being out of work is not just impacting our lives now, but will impact our future and our retirement because he is not adding into that retirement fund. I see years and years ahead of me of struggling to make ends meet and worrying about keeping a roof over our heads, and it is all on me, and I can not help but think this is not fair. If he had not married me, he could not be sitting at home painting the bathroom, he would have to be out looking for a job or he would have lost his house or be going hungry. He is a good man, and I know he wants to work, but he is settling into letting me be the breadwinner and this is just not what I envisioned my life being. If I had stayed in my apartment, I would not be struggling right now. I know it is wrong to think that way, but I can not help it. I am not sure my marriage is going to survive. So Mr. Pillsbury, I say to Mr. Speaker, I don’t need you to tell me how dire this economic crisis is, and if you think I don’t get it, that is just another example of how out of touch you are with your constituents. I get it. I live it every single day. I think you are the one who does not get it Mr. Speaker. And Mr. Pillsbury, when you started this blog, you seemed more focused on helping the community and your neighbors. Now this is more a political forum. There is a need for both, but I found more reason to come here when you were focused on helping people survive this economic crisis. Personally, I think there are plenty of people blogging about how bad the politicians are, and about what is wrong, but there are very few blogging about ways to help and what programs are available for those in need. You use to be one of the latter, but not so anymore. I wish you luck, and you are doing a good job and a good service, but I don’t need to read your blog to know things are bad, I live it every day. So I don’t thnik I will be coming here quite as often any more. I need to find a place that helps me to get through the day to day problems resulting from this mess. I apoligze for takin up so much space and being so long winded.
Hey Doreen I know what you mean the opposite is true at my house, I work, but my wife lost her job and has sort of given up even looking for one. It is tough to go off to work every day, they stay home, and you have no money to spend even though you are out there bustin, working 10-12 hr days. Maybe all of us in this position should start a support group. Everyone feels bad for the person out of work, but how about those of us who are suddenly carrying all the financial burden ourselves? But hey, Jim is not the reason for this mess, so don't rag on him. He is trying to do a service, and puts in hours of his time between work and his other responsibilities to keep this blog going, so don't bitch at him for the mess you are in at home. And for what its worth, remember, there are lots of us doing the same thing you are doing, and we are all feeling pretty fed up, just like you.
D,
I hear you and am in the same position as many are, trust me.
In my defense though, I try to enlighten and inform and at the end of day... most if not a vast majority of yours and mines, and almost everyone else is.... is the people who we vote for and how the spend our money.
Much if not all of these problems can be traced back directly to us... who for what ever reason, become disconnected with the process. For those who want or need to be connected to some form of information about where our money goes, there are blogs.
I've tried to offer whatever hope or truth I can find that some don't know, but would like to know. This blog serves as a resource for information that you can't get, unless you dig. That's my job. I like to think some who have read this blog have gotten from it, useful and timely and above all, honest information and opinion.
When things get tuff.. the tuff hang together, and that's what we need to do. Better times are coming. The market is up and optimism is in the air. retails sales are slightly up and Obama's 2010 budget has passed the house. There are signs that some of the worst is over. Yes... some gloomy days will happen, unemployment will go up with big lay offs in some sectors, but we have spring to look forward to and with a little sunshine and water, growth will happen outside your door. And once those with money feel confidence in the system, lending and spending will happen again. We can be glad to be alive, when the sun shines, get all you can and give the hubby a big hug.
Hate to say this but this is getting to be a blog full of complaints about what is wrong, and no offer of possible solutions. Can't any one come up with some ideas on what we can do about these messes?
We know, we know. Question is, how do we fix it? Time to stop complaining and start doing something if you ask me. Jim, any plans?
2010 is not far off and unless Pam is caught with taking money, we have no choice.
Things will get even uglier in the next two months for all of them and we will call for the heads...
As long as we remember this next year, my chances of success are greater, along with anyone else who challenges house and senate seats and even the Governor's office.
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