Re-elect Deval…

…If you’re out of your mind!

The Bureau of Labor Statistics released it’s state-by-state economic data for the month of August on Friday. Massachusetts unemployment rose from 8.8% in July to 9.1% in August. In the past month Massachusetts has shed an additional 10,494 net jobs. While we are in a national and international economic recession, under one party Democratic rule Massachusetts continues to do one of the worst jobs at handling the recession.

Massachusetts new tax hikes including the sales tax hike went into effect on August 1, 2009. In the first month Massachusetts the unemployment rate rose faster than any other New England state. In Vermont unemployment went down for the third month in a row. Net job loss in Massachusetts exceeded the other 5 New England states combined.

Since January of 2007 when Deval Patrick became Governor and joined the Democratic super majorities in the state legislature unemployment has risen from 4.6% to 9.1%.

UPDATE: More from the Globe, New York Times and Michael Graham.

What a Wonderful World

Red Mass Group on Gov. Patrick’s success at bringing jobs to the Commonwealth.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics released it’s state-by-state economic data for the month of June today. Massachusetts unemployment rose from 8.2% in May to 8.6% in June. This 0.4% increase was worse than the national increase of 0.1%, worse than any other New England state, and 40th nationally overall. While we are in a national and international economic recession, under one party Democratic rule Massachusetts continues to do one of the worst jobs at handling the recession.

Since January of 2007 when Deval Patrick became Governor and joined the Democratic super majorities in the state legislature unemployment has risen from 4.6% to 8.6%. 137,506 people have been added to the list of unemployed and Massachusetts has shed 134,442 net jobs. Massachusetts all time high was 10.9% in January, 1976.

Just wait until Deval’s tax hikes go into effect.

UPDATE: More from Mary Connaughton, the Boston Globe and Boston Herald.

SECOND UPDATE: From Hub Politics, Hillary Chabot and Dave Wedge.

THIRD UPDATE: More from the Globe and the Boston Herald.

Civil Dialogue

Gov. Patrick, always staying positive.

Gov. Deval Patrick hinted Wednesday at trying to draw progressive measures into the state tax code after his first term, saying more affluent Bay State residents are able to ease burdens on low-income people.

The remaining 18 months of his term are not likely to include any major tax hikes, Patrick said, two days after approving over $1 billion in new taxes in the fiscal 2010 budget, support he withheld until the House and Senate delivered him changes to the state’s transportation, ethics, and pension laws.

“I’m done with taxes for now,” Patrick said.

In a News Service interview, Patrick said he has heard demands for preserved and restored state services, which have taken a beating as revenues have cratered and caseload demands have surged.

“What we have in Massachusetts is a number of wealthy people who would be willing to contribute more – not all of them, but certainly have the capacity to contribute more – to relieve some of the pressure on the working poor,” Patrick said. “Those are big, big questions, huge challenges. They need to be sorted out in specifics and not the kind of abstracts we’re talking about now, and I don’t think we’re going to get to any of those specifics for some time.”

Patrick said, “We don’t have many really progressive mechanisms in Massachusetts, and we’re going to have to sort that out in the fullness of time, put it that way.”

Human services, education advocates and others argue that adequate state programs require increased revenue, and say the beneficiaries of those services should pay their share. Patrick told “Greater Boston” host Emily Rooney on WGBH Wednesday that he had detected an “appetite” among the public for a graduated income tax, but said such changes required a careful approach.

Lawmakers have frowned on tweaking the income tax since voting to override a voter mandate and freeze the rate at 5.3 percent in 2000.

Asked about Patrick’s tax talk Wednesday, House Ways and Means chair Charley Murphy said, “Whenever you’re talking about tax policy, it’s thin ice and you have to approach it cautiously.”

Legislators can expect more of the pressure tactics that have irked them in recent months, Patrick said, calling his invitations for populist lobbying of the Legislature not just effective but also a way to “keep faith with the notion of democracy.”

Patrick said that during his summer town hall tour attendees have urged him to stay his course.

“I get a lot of ‘hang in there, you know, we love what you’re doing, don’t let the bastards get you down,’ that sort of thing, and they could be talking about any number of bastards, by the way,” Patrick said during a News Service interview.

“Let them hear that on Beacon Hill!”

UPDATE: More from the Globe and Red Mass Group.

SECOND UPDATE: From the Boston Globe and Boston Herald.

THIRD UPDATE: From Red Mass Group, the Globe, the Herald, WBZ, WBUR, Mary Connaughton and Holly Robichaud.

The Common Wealth of Taxachusetts

And off we go down the path of tax hikes and toll hikes and falling short of making the necessary reforms to keep those hikes from happening.

Bay State consumers, already hard-pressed by a slumping economy, will be slapped with a 25 percent sales tax hike and nearly $1 billion in total tax increases Aug. 1, Gov. Deval Patrick said yesterday after signing a massive transportation reform bill.

Patrick had vowed to veto the sales tax boost if lawmakers didn’t enact transportation, pension and ethics reforms – but all three measures passed.

“I could not support a sales tax increase and ask people to pay for the status quo,” Patrick said in a statement. “Because of (the reforms), I will approve the new revenues we need to bring our budget into balance, offset the need for even more difficult cuts and expand opportunity throughout the commonwealth.”

The transportation measure also means an unpopular toll hike – scheduled take effect July 1 – will likely be averted. The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority board is meeting Monday.

I am not convinced, not in the slightest, that all possible options were considered to avoid increasing taxes. When times are tight for the rest of us, we have to cut our spending. Why can’t the state? I know too many people that have to endure pay cuts in addition to their own spending cuts and times are still rough. I know too many people that have become unemployed in the last year who will also bear the brunt of tax increases at the worst possible time. If they think the state has it rough, as around, they don’t have it so bad.

If someone can explain to me why perfectly good roads are getting repaved and perfectly good highway signs are getting replaced while taxes are being raised, then perhaps you have a shot of convincing me that the hikes are necessary. But I doubt it.

We’re all tired of the incessant rain that has been falling on the Commonwealth for weeks–but there is always hope in knowing that there is sunshine in our future…at least with regards to the weather forecast. As far as the forecast for the economy of the Commonwealth–I see that dreary days well into our future.

Remind me again, why do I bother to stay in Massachusetts?

Latest Budget Includes Taxes, Not Reforms

The budget unveiled by our elected officials on Beacon Hill still lacks in the reform department.

Beacon Hill lawmakers last night unveiled a $27.4 billion budget that hikes taxes nearly $1 billion while slashing aid to cities and towns.

The spending blueprint raises the sales and meals taxes from 5 percent to 6.25 percent, and ends the sales tax exemption on booze bought in package stores, soaking taxpayers for an estimated $860 million.

Cities and towns would also be able to raise hotel and meals taxes, expected to cost taxpayers another $95 million.

Democrats who control the budget-writing committees noted that they cut $700 million in spending.

“This reflects the reality we’re in,” said Rep. Charles Murphy (D-Burlington).

But House Republican Leader Rep. Brad Jones said the budget would whack struggling families.

“The fact of the matter is, I think this budget will have a heavy dose of taxes, obviously some serious cuts and very little reform,” Jones said.

The spending cuts and tax hikes come as the state faces a $3 billion dropoff in tax revenue.

Some of the budgets provisions include:

• Cut Quinn Bill education funding for current police officers to $10 million, while eliminating them entirely for new officers
• Force state workers to pay as much as 25 percent of their health-care premiums – a hike of at least 5 percent
• Steer $275 million to transportation funding to stave off Pike toll hikes and MBTA fare increases.

How about we force state workers to pay as much as 50%, as many of us in the private sector do. Sorry, but an increase of 5% to their share of their health care pales in comparison to the real world and we are going through.

$275 million to stave off hikes in the Pike tolls and MBTA fares? Will they guarantee that the tolls and fares can’t go up? Sorry, but I’d bet good money that even with $275 million to “stave off” those increase, they will come in short order.

Whatever the budget proposes, I am sure more could be done–much more–they just won’t. Until Beacon Hill takes the idea of reform seriously, we will be forced to endure tax increases on top of cuts to services. That is inexcusable.