Once again, I have found myself wondering why our legislators are taking time away from important issues to focus on neutering the language of legislation.
The House has given initial approval to a bill that would require all future legislation be written in language that is gender neutral.
The one-paragraph bill says legislation should contain non-gendered phrases such as “he/she” or “his/her.”
A law professor says that’s part of a trend in the business and legal professions. It’s been propelled, in part, by the rise of female executives.
The Massachusetts law is being co-sponsored by Reps. Cory Atkins, Christine Canavan, Kay Kahn and John Rodgers.
It was sent to the Committee on Bills in the Third Reading today, meaning it could come back for a vote before the full chamber at any time.
“I think John [McCain] is trying to throw that big tar baby out there. You want to lose, you don’t want to win. Of course Barack Obama wants America to be successful.”
While I see nothing wrong with the term “tar baby,” I do have a problem when Republicans are criticized for using it when Democrats get a slide. If it is inappropriate for Republicans to say “tar baby” and they get called arrogant if they do, so should Democrats.
“He has no concern for the members,” said one legislator, who requested anonymity. “This is stuff we should be dealing with in the first year (of the session). It’s a lose-lose for anyone facing a challenger.”
Another irate Democrat compared DiMasi unfavorably to his predecessor, former House Speaker Thomas Finneran, saying the controversial vote could alienate support for the embattled North End Democrat.
“Finneran always did things to protect the membership,” the lawmaker said, “and he (DiMasi) has only worked to protect himself.”
Even pols who support the repeal of the 1913 ban on out-of-state residents from marrying here are concerned about the political timing, which renews the roiling gay marriage debate and provides opponents with fresh fodder only months before voters decide who to send to Beacon Hill.
How bizarre. It’s bad timing only because it brings back the gay marriage debate? While this certainly isn’t great timing for gay marriage supporters and supporters of the repeal, I would suggest that it’s bad timing because it takes time from the legislature to worry about problems within the borders of the Commonwealth rather than trying to advance the gay marriage lobby. We have the rising costs of health care and energy and the Legislature is going to take time to worry about whether or not out-of-state gay couples can get married in Massachusetts? Please… this is a complete waste of their time.
Meanwhile, the state Senate has voted in favor of raising taxes on all cell phones, and voted against requiring convicted child rapists to register with the Sex Offender Registry Board for life, against 10-year mandatory minimum sentences for the first offense of rape of a child by force, and against prohibiting convicted sex offenders from operating ice cream trucks. Is our biggest problem right now whether or not out-of-state gay couples can get married here? I don’t think so.
Let’s worry about our own problems first before worrying about the problems of people that don’t live in the Commonwealth.
Bad political timing? It’s only bad political timing if you believe supporting the repeal could have adverse effects on your re-election.
Congressman John Tierney, D-Mass. along with other members of the New England Congressional Delegation sent a letter to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, urging her to increase funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program to $9 billion in legislation this summer, perhaps a second economic recovery package.
“The residents of northeastern Massachusetts should not have to choose between food and heat. The amount of money we are asking for, to ensure a safe winter for our residents, is the equivalent to what we spend in just three weeks in Iraq. President Bush and his big oil accomplices don’t balk at spending that money; so, I would hope that they would not balk at this life-saving request either,” said Tierney at a press conference. Although the President has actually proposed significant cuts in emergency fuel programs, Tierney believes the changing circumstances will lead to a change in the White House position.
To ease the burden of rising heating costs, Tierney believes it will be necessary to more than triple current funding. More than 6 million New England households rely on assistance to heat their homes, thus the current volatility in the oil market is highly concerning. In Massachusetts more than 177,212 applications for LIHEAP funding were received by the commonwealth’s Department of Housing and Community Development this past winter alone.
If the Democrats in Congress didn’t block offshore oil drilling and drilling in ANWR, this wouldn’t be an issue.
Seven Massachusetts Starbucks stores are are among the 600 stores nationwide slated to close. Those stores are located on the Middlesex Turnpike in Burlington, the Dartmouth Mall in Dartmouth, 70 Union St. in Newton Centre; Emerald Square Mall in North Attleborough; Five Post Office Square in Sharon; 425 Washington St. in Stoughton; and Shrewsbury Market Place in Worcester.
This is really sad, the Starbucks on Union Street in Newton Centre was the first Starbucks I ever went to. It is inside an historic train station on the Green Line. This is a tragedy, especially when there’s a Starbucks down the road on Centre Street (which used to be a Seattle’s Best Coffee) which could have gotten the axe instead. The Union Street Starbucks is a gorgeous location, and most certainly benefits by being right off the T. What are those numbskulls in Seattle thinking??
A)
ALLOW ME TELL A STORY ABOUT OUR LITTLE TOWN
THE BIG MOVIES FILM HERE NOW AND THE STARS ALL HANG AROUND
SOME CELEBS ARE FROM HERE BUT WE STILL HOPE THEY KNOW
THAT WE’RE THE ONES THAT MADE YOU, WE’LL DECIDE WHEN YOU CAN GO
WE CAN’T STAND YOUR SUCCESS WE ARENT AFRAID TO LET IT SHOW
JUST ASK LENNY CLARK HE’LL BE SURE TO TELL YOU SO
WE’RE ARGUING FOR SPORT HERE, AND ITCHING FOR A FIGHT
WE’RE OBSESSED WITH YOUR PRESENCE
YET REPULSED BY YOUR SIGHT.
CHORUS:
God love THE CITY’S CHOSEN FEW congrats to one and all
You’ve battled to the top my friends now we’re ready for your fall
You’ve reached new heights and seen the sights smell the roses while you can
For another star is falling in Boston tonight !”
B)
WE’RE CREATURES OF HABIT, NOTHING EVER CHANGES HERE
2 AM LAST CALL, SO YOU BETTER BUY MORE BEER
WHEN OUR TEAMS WIN IT ALL, ALL WE GET’S A ROLLING RALLY?
AND EVERY GODDAMN FUNCTION’S MC’D BY MIKE OMALLY,
ITS 2008 AND NEW KIDS ARE STILL THE RAGE
WELL AT LEAST WE KNOW WHEN THEY PLAY PETER WOLF WON’T COME ONSTAGE
THE CHURCH IS IN A BIND, THERE’S TROUBLE IN THE HALLS
BUT IT’S THAT SENATOR FROM ARLINGTON THAT TRIED TO GRAB MY BALLS.
CHORUS
God love THE CITY’S CHOSEN few congrats to one and all
You’ve battled to the top my friends now we’re ready for your fall
You’ve reached new heights and seen the sights smell the roses while you can
For another star is falling in Boston tonight!”
C)
IF YOUR NAME AINT RUSSELL, WILLIAMS , BRADY, ORTIZ, YAZ, ORR, BIRD
THIS PLACE CAN BE A LITTLE TOUGH, SOME MIGHT SAY ABSURD
DALE AND HOLLY BUILD YOU UP WHILE THE BIG SHOW TEARS YOU DOWN.
JUST LIKE EDGAR RENTERIA WE’LL SHIP YOU OUT OF TOWN
BUT IT’S THE GM’S AND THE OWNERS WHO’LL TAKE IT ON THE CHIN
CAUSE WE DON’T WANT EXCUSES WE JUST WANNA WIN
YA SEE WHEN LOSING YOUR EVERYONE’S ENEMY
I WISH HENRY, KRAFT AND WYC WOULD KICK THE SHIT OUT OF JEREMY
CHORUS:
God love THE CITY’S CHOSEN FEW congrats to one and all
You’ve battled to the top my friends now we’re ready for your fall
You’ve reached new heights and seen the sights smell the roses while you can
For another star is falling in Boston tonight !”
D)
HOW ABOUT THOSE “AUTOMATICS”, ERNIE’S GOT A LOT OF FANS
THEY DON’T SLEEP IN CHEAP HOTELS OR RIDE IN CRAPPY VANS
THEY’RE HEADED FOR THE TOP, THOUGH THEY MAY NOT BE THERE YET
THEY’RE STILL THE ONLY BAR BAND THAT’S TOURING IN A JET
AND DON’T FORGET OUR ACTORS; CHAPMAN, SCANNELL, LYNCH AND GOODMAN THE DIRECTORS ALWAYS SEEM TO MAKE OUR HOMETOWN GUYS THE HOODLUM !
BUT I’LL TELL YA FINDING TALENT IN THIS TOWN SURE AIN’T EASY, EVEN MARTY HAD TO USE A LOUSY LOCAL BAND FROM QUINCY.
CHORUS:
God love THE CITY’S CHOSEN FEW congrats to one and all
You’ve battled to the top my friends now we’re ready for your fall
You’ve reached new heights and seen the sights smell the roses while you can
For another star is falling in Boston tonight !”
The Massachusetts Family Institute, issued a press release earlier today, accusing the Senate of redefining marriage in other states:
With its vote today to dismantle a 1913 law prohibiting out-of-state couples from marrying Massachusetts if they are ineligible for marriage in their home state, the Massachusetts Senate is inviting court challenges to the marriage laws of other states.
“The Massachusetts Senate has no right to infringe on the internal issues of how other states define marriage but that’s exactly what they voted today to do,” said Kris Mineau, president, Massachusetts Family Institute.
Dubbed falsely by same-sex marriage activists as a law with an anti-race bias, the State Supreme Judicial Court in 2006 ruled that the law was not racially motivated.
“Legislators were pressured unscrupulously by same-sex marriage activists to dismantle this law or be branded racists,” Mr. Mineau said—adding that the Human Rights Campaign hired lobbyists to work over Massachusetts legislators on this issue.
Kerry said in an interview with the Herald: “We had red alerts and orange alerts and all these alerts. We haven’t had an alert since the election.”
Republicans immediately attacked the statement, saying Kerry has a misguided viewpoint on the war in Iraq.
“Sen. Kerry’s suggestion that the terror alert system is a political tool provides a unique insight into the fundamental misunderstanding he and Barack Obama have about the threat America faces,” Republican National Committee spokeswoman Blair Latoff said. ‘It is extremely disappointing that there are those who still believe that protecting Americans is a partisan issue.”
Kerry made the comments while discussing the difference between the political climate now and during the 2004 election, when he challenged President Bush.
“The economy I had in ’04 was a pretty good economy, and today it’s obviously down in the dumps, and we were one year into the war in Iraq and I was saying it was wrong, and we had red alerts and orange alerts and all these alerts. We haven’t had an alert since the election,” Kerry said.
“And we’re now six years into the war and everyone sees the handwriting on the wall. So we have a very different mood today. For those who say timing is everything in politics, it is.”
I won’t waste time trying to convince people unwilling to be convinced that Kerry’s suggestion is just plain stupid. However, Senator Kerry should ask himself why it is that increased terror alerts would have helped President Bush instead of himself. Could it be that Americans know that Senator Kerry (or any democratic president for that matter) would be less effective, if not ineffective in executing the War on Terror?
Senator Bob Hedlund (R-Weymouth) asked Senate President Therese Murray to take away Senator James Marzilli’s chairmanship, citing that he is “clearly incapable of fulfulling his duties as chairman…I cannot think of a single argument why the taxpayers of Massachusetts should be paying for a chairmanship stipend to a senator who is incapable of fulfilling his duties and who has announced he does not plan to return to the Senate.”
Sounds reasonable, but Murray will do no such thing, and Marzilli will continue to take his $7,500 tax-payer funded stipend.
“The Senate has a process in place through its Committee on Ethics and Rules to discipline a senator if and when a legal matter is resolved,” said Murray spokesman David Falcone when asked about Hedlund’s letter yesterday.
The Senate Ethics Committee is investigating whether Marzilli (D-Arlington) should be removed from office but won’t make findings public until after the charges against him are settled in court.
Marzilli will have a tough time fulfilling his chairmanship duties from McLean Hospital, let alone his duties as a state senator. Seeing as Marzilli was caught trying to grab several woman and ask them for sex, it’s not going out on a limb to suggest that this is political backscratching.
Considering this is Senator Marzilli, maybe there is more than backscratching going on…
Governor Deval Patrick signed a $28.1 billion budget yesterday, not before vetoing $122.5 million and asking for “expanded authority to make additional cuts if the economy worsens.”
The cuts come at a time when the state is looking at soaring energy prices and higher than expects costs associated with the state’s landmark 2006 health care law.
Patrick said the vetoes — and the authority that would allow him to make midyear cuts across state government instead of just in the executive branch — will help insulate the state if the economy takes a dramatic slide.
“I believe we’ve got to prepare now for economic trouble ahead,” Patrick told reporters.
Many of the cuts came to so-called “earmarks” or individual pet projects inserted into the budget by lawmakers — from $100,000 for an invasive weed control project on the Charles River in Waltham to $1,150,000 for the Boston, Cambridge and Everett Fire Department Hazardous Material Response Teams.
While I’m glad he cut these ridiculous earmarks, the “expanded authority” worries me, and his lack of confidence in the economy doesn’t help either. Let’s hope this “expanded authority” doesn’t turn into a tax increase.
