tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517736040315331529.post2107012033130465086..comments2024-03-02T16:12:21.262-05:00Comments on Jim Pillsbury's Web Blog: Sate House Roundup ..worth the readUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517736040315331529.post-75639901933357255932009-03-09T13:53:00.000-04:002009-03-09T13:53:00.000-04:00We are complaing about MA legislators not being in...We are complaing about MA legislators not being in session, and I think we are justified in that complaint. But aren’t we better off when they are not in session? What exactly are they going to do if they are in session? They need to know what we can expect from the Feds before we can really move on anything, and the Feds are dragging their feet on getting that to us. Seems like politics as usual in DC to me. New guy, new policy, new vision, but the same old delivery system. Money gets to AIG and the car companies instantly when it is approved. Here we sit waiting for our money weeks later, and notice, it is OUR money we are waiting for. If the new President wants to continue to have our faith and our support, he has to stop talking about what he is going to do, and actually do it!Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16546048674965014144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517736040315331529.post-20087588612692350932009-03-09T13:35:00.000-04:002009-03-09T13:35:00.000-04:00Michael,A few towns around here got a million seve...Michael,<BR/><BR/>A few towns around here got a million seven to bolster law enforcement. Theses were grants out of the stimulus money. <BR/><BR/>The main man, Obama pick for watchdog over the stimulus money, 787 billion dollars, a guy named Earl Devaney. He's the guy charges with making sure money that is being sent, doesn't end up as party favors for a select few. As I've read in the WSJ, many of the systems and procedures laid out as requirements, to get stimulus money, are just not there yet. They actually have around 350 million dollars in their coffers to help with the process of watching where this money goes.<BR/><BR/>He also states that fraud typically accounts for 7% of all big contracts... that's 55 billion in fraud they already have reasoned. The man and his lieutenants will have their hands full.<BR/><BR/>My point, we have to be patient, money growing from the tree's is just not happenings in all this snow.Jim Pillsburyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13994415040029248494noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517736040315331529.post-89550621800680888922009-03-09T11:53:00.000-04:002009-03-09T11:53:00.000-04:00Seems like there is not much new happening, which ...Seems like there is not much new happening, which I take as a bad sign. Shouldn’t we be seeing some releif from all this stimulus money by now? Has any of that money going to the states actually gone out yet, and if not, then why not? We have been told it is coming, and wasn’t the package approved on February 17th, which is 3 weeks ago. I know 3 weeks is not a long time, but hey, the approval part was suppose to be the time consuming part. Why is Obama sitting on the money instead of sending it out? This wreaks of something not quite right if you ask me. I like the man, voted for him, and do believe he is doing the right things. But this delay is making me more than a little uncomfortable with things.Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14802842261289523261noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517736040315331529.post-73479978480867778522009-03-06T17:21:00.000-05:002009-03-06T17:21:00.000-05:00Hey,lets all just have a few drinks or a few joint...Hey,lets all just have a few drinks or a few joints, enjoy the weather, and ignore the news for the weekend. We all need a break from all this depressing talk. Nothing going to happen over the weekend that can't wait until Monday to be looked at. So catch you all back here next week. Same time, same channel. Actually, different time, don't forget to reset your clock this weekend.Juniorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11043491252184573973noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517736040315331529.post-89191510363158705732009-03-06T16:22:00.000-05:002009-03-06T16:22:00.000-05:00Seems this blog gets a bit out of date when the we...Seems this blog gets a bit out of date when the weekend gets here, which is fine since I am less likely to be here checking it out on the weekends. Just givin you a hard time, everyone deserves a few days off, even you Pillsbury. Hope everyone has a good weekend, see you all here next week for another episode of “Life in These Here United States of America”.6th Middlesex constituenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07575189627599272558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517736040315331529.post-73771926686958703142009-03-06T15:36:00.000-05:002009-03-06T15:36:00.000-05:00Don't know how you stay on top of this stuff Jim, ...Don't know how you stay on top of this stuff Jim, but thanks for doing so! I come here once a day just to see what is new and what has happened, and I am never disappointed. THe input from you, and the other bloggers, makes for interesting reading and some thoughtful consideration. Keep doing what you are doing, it is a thankless job, I am sure, but those of us who depend on this do thank you and appreciate your efforts, and there are more of us than you may think who come to this site and catch up, even if we don't always comment a post here ourselves. Have a great weekend with the warm temperatures, and catch up with you all here on Monday.Can't think of a namehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16261205148662206759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517736040315331529.post-54170096523226844832009-03-06T15:14:00.000-05:002009-03-06T15:14:00.000-05:00Alpha... how correct you are. And AG Cummo from Ne...Alpha... how correct you are. <BR/><BR/>And AG Cummo from New York will get to the bottom of the Merrill Lynch/Bank of America scam and that too, if he gets his way, will show us the top 30 or 40 people who got billions in bonus money... now there's a list of fat cats we can wrap our hands around eh?Jim Pillsburyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13994415040029248494noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517736040315331529.post-37432346030241751892009-03-06T15:09:00.000-05:002009-03-06T15:09:00.000-05:00Eric,Deval is taking a vacation to Jamaica for a w...Eric,<BR/><BR/>Deval is taking a vacation to Jamaica for a week. I'm sure he hasn't been given any checks at this point from Obama, but the money is coming. Hang tuff for a few more weeks, it's all in the works, but I can't say exactly when it will happen. But I am confident it will.Jim Pillsburyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13994415040029248494noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517736040315331529.post-85311436125997218872009-03-06T15:02:00.001-05:002009-03-06T15:02:00.001-05:00Anyone catch the news about Madoff today? There m...Anyone catch the news about Madoff today? There must be some pretty big fish in his pond if they are willing to let him walk away scott free just for giving up those other fish. I think we could be in for a big surprise on this one!Alpha Doghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15895904577278240017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517736040315331529.post-59560716236870365542009-03-06T15:02:00.000-05:002009-03-06T15:02:00.000-05:00Solder,Yes.. your eyes don't deceive you.. that SO...Solder,<BR/><BR/>Yes.. your eyes don't deceive you.. that SOB, who some say, is responsible for the sub prime loan problem, who left CW a year ago, is now number one guy at Pennymac. He is named in a few indictments coming soon to a court room near you. And it is also true, that he will make millions on buying foreclosed property at fire sale prices, hold them until the market comes back and make more millions. I understand what he is doing is perfectly legal, or so say the talking heads. AND... if anyone is helped out by Pennymac, with mortgage refi, he again will make money from the guarantee put forward by the government, a whopping 1000.00 per mortgage. <BR/><BR/>A killer for sure... but on the bright side, Madoff is accepting a plea deal with the feds and will go to jail, but will have to share with us the list of people, (his customers) that we don't know anything about... this could be worth a billion or two... to us.<BR/><BR/>There are a few people who perhaps deserve to spend the rest of their life behind bars and perhaps starting today, some of them will come to light and the working man MAY be able to get some justice and a few bucks back. If not, the thousands and thousands of people taken in by these scoundrels may take matters in their own hands.Jim Pillsburyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13994415040029248494noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517736040315331529.post-61264856327257429642009-03-06T14:41:00.000-05:002009-03-06T14:41:00.000-05:00What’s the deal with this Countrywide guy making m...What’s the deal with this Countrywide guy making money off his former customers who lost their homes because of his bad loan practices? I don’t understand exactly what is going on. Jim, can you explain it to us in layman’s terms, and then tell us why he is being allowed to do this?Old soldierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12739816651015267063noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517736040315331529.post-6887744287289731782009-03-06T13:41:00.000-05:002009-03-06T13:41:00.000-05:00I have a simple question. A simple answer would be...I have a simple question. A simple answer would be appreciated. When will there be jobs to apply for here in MA? Everything else I can deal with if I have a job. Anyone have any intel on that question?Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07880316590327050843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517736040315331529.post-19916619372276941822009-03-06T11:14:00.000-05:002009-03-06T11:14:00.000-05:00THis whole screwed up mess is the fault of a few g...THis whole screwed up mess is the fault of a few greedy people, and of the people who turned their backs when they saw what was happening. Our legislators are not players in this game, they are little, unimportant people who think they are important because they were elected, but they have no ability to make a difference anywhere. Let's face it, do you really think Pam Richardson has any idea at all about this economic mess we are in? I would be surprised if she could tell you what a credit default swap even is! The hell with what they are not doing, even when they are in session, they are not doing anything worthwhile! Maybe we are better off with them staying out of the state house. Seems like every single time they meet it costs us, the taxpayer, more money!Richhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00793085913501493181noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517736040315331529.post-54347278254396977582009-03-06T08:24:00.000-05:002009-03-06T08:24:00.000-05:00Simple pleasures, like Jim's suggestion that we en...Simple pleasures, like Jim's suggestion that we enjoy the good weather this weekend, are something we are all going to have to learn to appreciate more. Won't be able to afford much else for pleasure. So take what you can get from the things the government can't tax or take away from us, nice weather, loving family and friends, good music, cheap wine. There is always something good to enjoy right there at no cost if you look around for it. We do Saturday night at the movies in our house now, rent a DVD, make popcorn, and enjoy a great movie, all for under $10. Can't beat that price!Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07303975725137389336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517736040315331529.post-45065460476388475182009-03-05T16:08:00.000-05:002009-03-05T16:08:00.000-05:0050 ThanksAnon,Now that Obama is talking Health Car...50 Thanks<BR/><BR/>Anon,<BR/><BR/>Now that Obama is talking Health Care reform, the fat cats can't be assured of the huge profits to be made there. All the talking heads seem to feel we are still ok with this and point to gainers, like Walmart. Discretionary spending is up along with the basics. <BR/><BR/>I'm glad to be poor sometimes.. I'd go nuts trying to figure where to put my money if I had any and not sleep at night, wondering if I had lost it all.<BR/><BR/>And speaking about 50, let's get outside this weekend and enjoy what sunny weather we canJim Pillsburyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13994415040029248494noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517736040315331529.post-30284901887991471042009-03-05T14:26:00.000-05:002009-03-05T14:26:00.000-05:00I just heard the market is down another 300+ point...I just heard the market is down another 300+ points. This news seems to get worse everday. Is it really even possible to stop this downward spiral? And even if we can stop it, isn't it already too late for many of us?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517736040315331529.post-50239721443122689382009-03-05T12:56:00.000-05:002009-03-05T12:56:00.000-05:00Jim thanks for the thoughtful and informational in...Jim thanks for the thoughtful and informational insight. I think you are not alone in being out of the realm of understanding this AIG stuff. Heck, the experts clearly don't understand what is going on there. You are right about paying attention to who votes for what in the coming weeks at the Statehouse. They all preach that they are aware of our wants, but they seem to forget that they are paid to do what we tell them, not to do what they want to do. Tough economic times require tough decisions, so lets see who makes the right ones, and who remains clueless to what they are suppose to do. Thanks for all you do to keep us informed. Again I say, much appreciated.50 studhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12130773568123941368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517736040315331529.post-82675199975572263032009-03-05T12:00:00.000-05:002009-03-05T12:00:00.000-05:00Linda... George,The AIG thing continues to baffle ...Linda... George,<BR/><BR/>The AIG thing continues to baffle the experts, but I seem to think that we will end up owning all of AIG's good parts. <BR/><BR/>I watched an interview with the former COE AIG for many years and he was blameless, which we all seem to know, he was not. He claims all the troubles started when he left, but the cries from the outside world, as to how bad AIG was on trouble, started long before he left. <BR/><BR/>AIG has had 4 injections and still is baring breathing. To let them go into some form of bankruptcy would hurt us now... but I stress... I am no by any means, educated in the high high financial worlds. My first mortgage here in Mass was 25,900.00 at 10 1/4%. My calculator doesn't even have that many digits and it's very hard to understand, just how far reaching a company can be. They are, or were, one very large company out of control that had their hands into the world of finance.Jim Pillsburyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13994415040029248494noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517736040315331529.post-10981480138752970462009-03-05T11:42:00.000-05:002009-03-05T11:42:00.000-05:00Folks,Last night at the library, was indeed a love...Folks,<BR/><BR/>Last night at the library, was indeed a love fest, only this time, they kept their mouths shut. I've haven't seen that much kissing, since the last wedding I went to. All this loving, while we have rising unemployment, foreclosure, increased food pantry requests, etc, etc. Is .19 cents a gallon not going to affect everyone in the State, inculding business? Do the legislators feel any pain? <BR/><BR/>One thing that I went away with is, almost everyone raised their hands to support tolls on other highways in the State... Combing the transportation agencies into one big one makes sense to me, on time and reliable train service was brought up by working mom. He get's it.. I think, but is playing chess with the Speaker and his loyalists to see who can maneuver better in turbulent waters. Deval is no dope and also knows, 2010 is around the corner and he has perhaps some competition in the next race. <BR/><BR/>Deval also said he would not sign any bill, that did not include reforms of the Transportation system. Also.. a good thing. But time is running out and March 29th is the deadline for the Legislators to act, before the Toll increase is applied. <BR/><BR/>Many things are on the table on both sides of the State House.. and then their are our concerns. Lot's at stake here for everyone's economic future in paying user fee's and increased taxes. <BR/><BR/>Both sides are equally to blame for the massive confusion now and since the legislature has such poor work ethic, I'm betting the farm, it goes to the wire... and we will see how bad the system works for us. <BR/><BR/>A sunset provision was talked about for gas tax or a rate increase based on the health of the economy... the first will be ignored down the road and the second will hurt us more, when things get better. <BR/><BR/>It will be interesting and very note worthy to all, to see who votes for what at the State House in the next few weeks. I'll post those votes when I get them.<BR/><BR/>Keep an eye out for updatesJim Pillsburyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13994415040029248494noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517736040315331529.post-68423420315700650372009-03-05T10:33:00.000-05:002009-03-05T10:33:00.000-05:00Jim whats your take on the continued bailout of AI...Jim whats your take on the continued bailout of AIG? Aren't we just throwing good money after bad? Maybe they are just too bad off to save, or maybe they are not using the bailout money as they should, but how much are we going to give them before we say enough already?Linda and Georgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03049001731078923638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517736040315331529.post-74319467842120884562009-03-05T08:11:00.000-05:002009-03-05T08:11:00.000-05:00Hope you can give us an overview of how the meetin...Hope you can give us an overview of how the meeting with the Governor went last night. Did not see much about it on the news, but I did see you in the audience when they scanned the crowd. Nice to know you were there as you said you would be. Was the meeting worthwhile, or just another love fest for the dems?Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06020380895501720914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517736040315331529.post-89340599400332733332009-03-04T17:45:00.000-05:002009-03-04T17:45:00.000-05:00Im not going to the Library to speak to the govern...Im not going to the Library to speak to the governor. That is a complete waste of time, he is not going to let any of us regular people speak to him. This is all arranged, a press opportunity, before he takes off for his trip to Jamaica, that we, the taxpayers, are paying for I am sure. Hope someone asks him about that at the meeting tonight. Jim, let us know how it goes, although I don't have high hopes for this at all.Angry in Framinghamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03953776091630649567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517736040315331529.post-10209526904899053912009-03-04T16:56:00.000-05:002009-03-04T16:56:00.000-05:00Hope many of us will be showing up in Natick tonig...Hope many of us will be showing up in Natick tonight to see the Governor. We need to be united in what we say, without seeming to be an "organized opposition" group. Jim is right, all the reps will be there holding the party line, so in order for us to have any chance of being heard, we need to be calm, intelligent, and determined to be heard. Good luck to all of us, and don't sit home tonight an them complain on here tomorrow. Jim can not be the only one fighting this fight!Framingham residenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03059625912799850621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517736040315331529.post-73432170259220390732009-03-04T11:30:00.000-05:002009-03-04T11:30:00.000-05:00For the record, I am not stupid and I don’t live o...For the record, I am not stupid and I don’t live on another planet. I am just careful, don’t trust banks, don’t live beyond my means, and don’t depend on the government to do anything for me at all. I take care of my family myself. That’s what my daddy did, that is what I do. My wife makes the home, I make the money, and we are doing just fine thank you. You can put me down all you want, but from my vantage point, I must be doing something right since you are all hurting and I am just fine.Dylanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15500510112171837810noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517736040315331529.post-6326954540338074462009-03-04T09:20:00.000-05:002009-03-04T09:20:00.000-05:00I need a job, and I am willing to actually work fo...I need a job, and I am willing to actually work for my pay check, so maybe I can replace one of these bozos. I have as much knowledge and intelligence as my rep. Well, maybe I don't know as much about hourses, but the rest of it I am pretty sure I can match her on. Where to I apply, and how do I get these people fired?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com