Good Grief, Charlie Baker

Charlie Baker is going to have to do some serious spin on this on…

As Republican Charles Baker seeks to capture the independent vote that bolstered U.S. Sen. Scott Brown’s win, a Herald review shows Harvard Pilgrim tripled the former CEO’s annual salary as it hit consumers with a 150 percent increase in premiums.

Brown rode to victory as an independent voice on health care, a position critics say Baker will have a tough time following with those numbers.

Baker defends his record and argues that Gov. Deval Patrick is late to the health-care discussion. He said he’s been “shouting from the rooftops” about the need for hospitals and medical providers to make the cost of health care more transparent, and pushing for legislation that would control costs.

“My salary’s been a matter of public record for 20 years, and I’m probably the only candidate,” for whom that’s the case, Baker said. Baker’s salary as CEO of Harvard Pilgrim surged from $548,351 in 1999 to a high of $1.7 million in 2008. He earned $1.3 million in seven months in 2009 before he resigned to run for governor last summer, filings with the state Attorney General show.

Over the same period, premiums at Harvard Pilgrim went up by 100 to 200 percent.

When Baker took the reins in 1999, rates on Harvard Pilgrim’s most popular plans ranged from about $166 to $187 a month per member. Those rates soared to $425 to $483 a month, as of April, according to filings with the Massachusetts Division of Insurance.

Two months ago, the Commonwealth elected a Republican to the Senate due in part to his promise to be the 41st vote against the health care bill. With health care being at the front line of today’s political battleground, will those same voters ignore the fact that Charlie Baker was “part of the problem” with the health care industry?

“You have to look at him as the incumbent in terms of health-care costs,” said Democratic operative Michael P. Shea. “If you look at his salary and the increases that people are paying now, how can he say he did a good job? It’s absolutely fair to pin this on him. He hasn’t shown he’s part of the solution, he’s part of the problem.”

Patrick is expected to keep the focus on health care – and keep the heat on Baker – as he proposes a so-called soft cap on premium increases. His plan pits him squarely against health insurers in an intensifying three-way race that also features unenrolled candidate Tim Cahill, the state treasurer.

Baker said Patrick is trying to shift the focus.

“This probably beats talking about spending and taxes and unemployment if you’re him,” Baker said. “I’ve supported a lot of things that would put my organization and my industry at risk. I have no idea if it’s going to be good or bad for my company or my industry, but it’s the right thing to do for the people of Massachusetts. I got a lot of grief from people for doing that.”

Sooner or later, he will have to address the real issue, rather than playing the “I’m rubber and you’re glue” argument, just Deval Patrick will have to answer to his criticisms too. A guy making nearly $2 million a year, while us regular people are paying painfully high health care premiums…maybe, according to Harvard Pilgrim, he did deserve the salary bump…but anyone who didn’t see their salaries triple may think differently.

An Open Letter To The People of Massachusetts from Scott Brown

Dear Friend,

On Tuesday, we will have a choice in the special election for United States Senate. We can send another rubber stamp to Washington, or we can try something new: We can elect an independent voice for all of Massachusetts — and that’s the United States Senator I promise to be.

The choice we make will send a powerful message to the big spenders in Washington. They need to quit expanding our government and defending wasteful spending, and start expanding this economy and defending our jobs.

Some people say I don’t have all the advantages in this race, and that’s fine by me. Being the underdog has taught me to work harder, and to better appreciate the opportunities of our state and our country.

I’m running because I want to be a voice for people. I’m alarmed that our nation’s spending and debt has risen along with unemployment. I want to stop terrorists who are plotting to strike our country again. And while I believe every American deserves health insurance, I do not think we should plunge ahead with a healthcare bill that will raise taxes, increase spending and lower the quality of care. I’d like to see us start over and take our time to do it right.

These are just some of the challenges facing us. I can’t wait to roll up my sleeves and get to work. I hope you feel the same sense of urgency as I do. It’s far too important to sit out this election.

I want you to know that no matter what happens on Election Day, I consider myself a winner for having gone through this campaign. I was born and raised in Massachusetts, and I’ve lived here my entire life. But it wasn’t until now that I got a chance to fully appreciate the true spirit of the people of Massachusetts. They are the most patriotic, hard-working and optimistic people in the world. I have come away with a much deeper love and appreciation for them.

For all of that, and for the privilege of meeting with you in your neighborhoods, your homes, and where you work, I thank you.

Scott Brown

Do They Get Fresh Towels, Too?

It has been reported that Massachusetts taxpayers are footing a $2 million monthly bill to house the homeless in motels.

A record number of families are being put up in motels in Massachusetts. High unemployment and the rising number of home foreclosures is the reason the state is taking this action.

Housing Massachusetts’ homeless is costing tax payers around $2 million per month. It costs an average of $85 per night to have families, including nearly 1000 children, stay in motels.

The Interagency Council on Housing and Homelessness admits that the use of motels for the homeless is not ideal, but is the best that can be done at this time.

Homeless advocates are worried that families are not getting the support of shelters with living rooms, kitchens, and play areas.

Does that come with a guarantee that we won’t get accosted on the streets of the city by these people? Certainly they must be getting free meals in addition to taxpayer subsidized room and board? Are these people even required to perform some services in exchange for this benefit? Perhaps picking up litter in the streets? Or is the state just flushing this money down the toilet without doing anything to make these people either earn what they getting, or helping them get jobs to pay for it? I know the economy isn’t in great shape (thanks goes to the federal stimulus for doing such a great job turning things around) but there is clearly a source of cheap labor here that ought to be taken advantage of. There’s enough trash in the city for all these people to clean up. They don’t need a free ride on our dollar. 

What Happened To 100,000 New Jobs?

Whilst campaigning, then candidate Deval Patrick told the unsuspecting voters in the Commonwealth that he would create 100,000 new jobs in Massachusetts. What he didn’t say was those jobs were going to be public sector jobs.

Okay, maybe not 100,000, but since Governor Patrick took the oath, 2,000 jobs have been added to the state payroll, while unemployment in the Commonwealth has doubled.

Massachusetts GOP Chairman Jennifer Nassour said: “Government should be focused on encouraging investment by the private sector which will lead to job growth. Instead, state government is increasing taxes on families and businesses at a time when they are hurting the most. Increasing the sales tax will cost 12,000 jobs, on top of the 275,000 already unemployed in Massachusetts. The state and federal governments are exacerbating the situation by adding more public jobs because ultimately more tax dollars will be needed to continue funding those jobs. We need smaller government, lower taxes and fewer burdens on businesses in Massachusetts so that families can get back to work.”

Together we can?

Makes you wonder why Deval isn’t moving out of state.

The Anderson Tapes

Barbara Anderson on the Bay State’s tax fetish.

Governor Deval Patrick, in an effort to let us know how serious the budget crisis is, says that “if we fired every single state employee, we’d still have a billion-dollar hole.”

Of course we would. Many of those employees would go out on instant pensions. Others would collect unemployment, have state-subsidized health insurance, or get a job at one of the independent authorities where they would start to accrue bigger pensions like those available at the MBTA after 23 years.

Would we still have a $28-billion state budget to go with the billion-dollar budget hole? Who would be running it and spending the money? Governor, what’s your point? That payroll costs aren’t much of the problem?

Can we stop being silly now?

At least Patrick’s sticking to his demand for “reform before revenues.” Unfortunately, the Legislature is sticking to its resistance to reform.

As various Democrats have said: “We can’t reform our way out of this crisis.”

Translation: “Let’s go directly to the revenues.”

So the Senate opened its budget debate by passing a 25-percent sales tax hike and local option taxes. Maybe it will get to reforms after my column deadline. Darn, it’s hard to write while holding my breath.

UPDATE: More from Cape Cod Today, Wayne Woodlief, the AP and Boston Phoenix.

SECOND UPDATE: More from Adrian Walker, Scot Lehigh, WBZ, WCVB, Red Mass Group, the Globe and Herald.