Thursday, July 30, 2009

Lower revenue, Spilka news, more coruption

Ok budget fans, Senate President Murray is saying the State is 35 million lower in tax revenue for July. And with the State House putting back some vetoed line items like funding for two zoo's and health care for 30k legal immigrants, look for deeper cuts in local aid by the end of the summer.

I may have written this before, but if you want to see the Sate Budget and all it's line item spending, go to www.massbudget.org.

Our Senator Spilka voted last week to send to the House a bill regulating kickboxing, wrestling, karate, jiu-jitsu, including Ultimate Fighting. The Senate claims it would bring in 12 million in revenue. Lets see how the House votes on this. They are desperate now to find ways to create revenue and promoting blood sports is proof of that.

An X legistaor (Tim Bassett) head of the Regional Retirement Board sends out a newsletter with flattering pictures of himself with state lawmakers. Since 2001 he has earned 580,000 dollars in lobbying fees. A public employee, moonlighting as a paid lobbyists is just what is not supposed to happen. Another crooked corrupt public employee who operates in plain sight of those who say, they have cleaned up the system.

11 Comments:

At August 3, 2009 at 12:20 PM , Blogger concerned voter said...

Why can't these people figure out with any amount of accuracy how much money the state can expect to take in during a month, or even a year? How can you be off by 35 million dollars? What percentage is that of what they projected for income? Are they off by 10%, 1%, 80%? I am just curious about how bad their projections are, and how that bodes for us actually having a chance of balancing a budget this year.

 
At August 3, 2009 at 12:33 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

What is with this need to do good things for the illegal aliens? How about health care coverage for the million of american citizens who are with out any insurance? Why isn’t anyone proposing MA put money in the budget to cover them?

 
At August 3, 2009 at 12:52 PM , Blogger Frank S. said...

Let me see if I get this right. July is the first month of this fiscal year. We had a supposedly balanced budget going into July. We are now $35 million short on July 31. So if that is the average mistake for each month, we will end this fiscal year $420 million dollars in the hole. Tell me again what skills and knowledge our legislators are bringing to the table if this sort of mistake is typical of their job performance?

 
At August 3, 2009 at 1:48 PM , Blogger Help said...

Have not heard much from RIchardson lately. What is she doing to make sure these shortfalls of projected income don't take money out of Framingham's pocket. Why should we suffer because those on the hill messed up their projection of income? Why don't they have to pay, cut their salary, they messed up, not the cities and towns.

 
At August 3, 2009 at 2:34 PM , Blogger 50 stud said...

How about we take the money Bassett earned as a state employee make him pay that back plus a 25% penalty from the money he earned as a lobbyist and use the money he pays back to cover some of the shortfall in the income for July? Maybe if it started costing them money these idiots would stop the double dipping. Glad to see you are back on the blog Pillsbury.

 
At August 3, 2009 at 3:14 PM , Blogger Jerry G. said...

Spilka’s trying to raise revenue, and I understand that. But supporting blood sports seems like a terrible way to do that. How about a tax on pot? I am sure it would raise a hell of a lot more money, and cause no damage to anyone at all. Who foots the bill for these people hurt in those blood sport competitions? Is that way she supports putting the money back in the budget for health care for illegal immigrants?

 
At August 3, 2009 at 3:53 PM , Blogger Framingham resident said...

Am I reading this right, Tim Bassett collects a salary from the state, and in ADDITION to that collects over ½ million dollars as a lobbyist? How do we allow this type of thing to happen over and over and over again? Who exactly is he lobbying for?

 
At August 3, 2009 at 5:14 PM , Blogger Angry in Framingham said...

Who is doing the estimates for the state on how much money to expect in a month? Whoever is doing those estimates should get fired. If I were off 35 million in something I did at work, you can bet they would kick my butt out the door in a second

 
At August 4, 2009 at 8:56 AM , Blogger Unknown said...

Bassett is just another example of why this state can not get a budget that is balanced. MA state employees all feel entitled even when they are not even earning what we pay them for their state jobs they still think they deserve more money and any way they can get that is fine with them. In MA the only requirement to work in a state job is that you have absolutely no ethics. Why else would you even work for the state unless you were an unethical immoral lazy SOB looking to get a good pay check for doing nothing. Look around you at how many state workers are not just overweight, but obese. They spend all day drinking coffee and eating donuts and sitting on their fat butts.

 
At August 4, 2009 at 9:57 AM , Blogger Jim Pillsbury said...

And if one double dipping Basset was enough for you.... the other Basset from Lynn, a library trustee who missed two years of meetings , in six years, spent 18 hours at meetings in six years, will get her full pension. If she lives to 83, she will have received 165,000 for the 6 years on the library board. FYI.. Beacon Hill abolished credit for such positions in June.

The other double dipping Basset lobby's for police unions.

The beat goes on.....

 
At August 4, 2009 at 10:06 AM , Blogger Jim Pillsbury said...

CV... not being allowed in such meetings, my guess is that they project revenue based on previous years. What they don't seem to get is that the economy is still free falling and people aren't spending like they did last year this time.

Some consumers rushed to the stores to make purchases before the tax increase, which will account for something, but it's my guess, they overstated the revenue.

For us to get stimulus money we as a State must have a balanced budget, on paper, which is not what reality shows us.

Frank makes a good point, if the trend continues they could be a half a billion in the hole for the year.

 

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