ZOGBY: MCCAIN MOVES INTO LEAD 48-47 IN ONE DAY POLLING

ZOGBY SATURDAY: Republican John McCain has pulled back within the margin of error... McCain outpolled Obama 48% to 47% in Friday, one day, polling. He is beginning to cut into Obama's lead among independents, is now leading among blue collar voters, has strengthened his lead among investors and among men, and is walloping Obama among NASCAR voters. Joe the Plumber may get his license after all...

Boston McCain HQ needs phone bank volunteers

As we head down the stretch to the McCain presidency, the Boston Victory HQ needs a few more volunteers to man the phone banks.

BOSTON VICTORY HQ
WHERE: 145 Tremont St. Boston, MA 02114

The office is conveniently located across from the Park St. T Station, adjacent to McDonalds

WHEN: Drop in volunteer hours are from 9am-8pm, Monday throught Friday and 10am to 6pm on weekend.

PHONE: 617-338-2008
EMAIL: Boston@JohnMcCain.com

New Hampshire GOP centers

Victory 2008 Victory Office Locations

New England Regional HQ

250 Commercial Street Suite 3007

Manchester, NH 03101

Office: 603-369-4944

Fax: 603-369-4977

Email: CDonnelly@McCain08hq.com

Nashua Victory HQ

139 Daniel Webster Highway

Nashua, NH 03060

Office: 603-888-3138

Email: Anna@NHGOP.org

Laconia Victory HQ

664 Main Street

Laconia, NH 03246

Office: 603-524-1999

Email: Brent@NHGOP.org

Stratham Victory HQ

151 Portsmouth Avenue

Stratham, NH 03885

Office: 603-778-1154

Email: Eric@NHGOP.org

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Lebanon Victory HQ

57 Mechanic Street

Lebanon, NH 03766

Office: 603-448-0004

Email: Kelly@NHGOP.org

Milford Victory HQ

42 South Street

Milford, NH 03055

Office: 603-673-0152

Email: Elizabeth@NHGOP.org

Concord Victory HQ

47 North Main Street

Concord, NH 03301

Office: 603-228-1171

Email: Dan@NHGOP.org

Salem GOP Office

356 South Broadway

Salem, NH

Contact: 603-682-4630

Email: Shannon@NHGOP.org

Rochester GOP Office

31 North Main St.

Rochester, NH 03867

Contact: 603-369-7011

Email: AStamps@McCain08hq.com

Cheshire Co. GOP Office

328 West St.

Keene, NH

Contact: 603-283-6488

Email: Anna@NHGOP.org

Derry GOP Office

120 West Broadway

Derry, NH

Contact: 603-505-0943

Email: CDonnelly@McCain08hq.com

Massachusetts Voters Guide

Information from www.sec.state.ma.us

WHERE TO VOTE

If you are voting in Massachusetts polling places are located in each precinct in your city or town. You can call 1-800-462-VOTE (8683) or 617-727-2828 or go to www.wheredoivotema.com to find where your polling place is located.

The Smith Democrats and Smith Republicans will be running shuttles to the polls on Election Day from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. leaving every 15 minutes from in front of John M. Greene Hall.

STATE ELECTION CANDIDATES

State Senator -
John F. Kerry, Democratic, Candidate for Re-election
Jeffrey K. Beatty, Harwich, Republican
Robert J. Underwood, Libertarian


Representative in Congress -
First District
John W. Oliver, Democratic, Candidate for Re-election
Nathan A. Bech, Republican

Fourth District
Barney Frank, Democratic, Candidate for Re-election
Earl Henry Sholley, 8 Lakeshore Dr., Norfolk, Republican
Susan Allen, Independent

Sixth District
John F. Tierney, Democratic, Candidate for Re-election
Richard A. Baker, Republican

Seventh District
Edward J. Markey, Democratic, Candidate for Re-election
John Cunningham, Republican

STATEWIDE BALLOT QUESTIONS

Question 1 - State Personal Income Tax

Voting YES would reduce the state personal income tax rate to 2.65% for the tax year beginning on January 1, 2009, and would eliminate the tax for all tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2010.

Voting NO would make no change in state income tax laws.

Question 2 - Possession of Marijuana

Voting YES would replace the criminal penalties for possession of one ounce or less of marijuana with a new system of civil penalties in which offenders age 18 or older would be subject to forfeiture of the marijuana plus a civil penalty of $100. Offenders under the age of 18 would be subject to the same forfeiture and, if they complete a drug awareness program within one year of the offense, the same $100 penalty.

Voting NO would make no change in state criminal laws concerning possession of marijuana.

Question 3 - Dog Racing

Voting YES would prohibit dog races on which betting or wagering occurs, effective January 1, 2010.

Voting NO would make no change in the laws governing dog racing.

Medford Green Line Extension meeting scheduled, November 12, 2008

The Executive Office of Transportation has recently rescheduled a meeting of the Green Line Extension Citizens Advisory Group for Nov. 12, from 4—6 p.m. at St. Clement’s High School (New Parrish Hall), 579 Boston Ave., Medford, where they plan to discuss the long-promised report on maintenance facility sites and their final recommendations.



Source:CNC News

Medford Family Network hit hard by governor’s cuts

Medford GOP Blog Editor's Note:Is it me, or is the Governor just cutting us where it will hurt to make voters fear voting yes on Question 1? Why is the Governor creating longer lines at the Registry, cutting funding for care for mentally handicapped adults, and by hitting Family groups like MFN? Why have we not heard of single Deval Patrick staffer being laid off, his switching to more affordable personal transportation, or his relinquishing his own salary, a move that many current Deval supporters mocked at the time when Governor Mitt Romney did just that? How many jobs could be saved at organizations like MFN if Deval would cut the fat in State government, in his own posh offices - including the one in Washington D.C. - and by donating some of his salary or stipends from book deals made while our Governor?

Medford Family Network hit hard by governor’s cuts
By Rob Barry/rbarry@cnc.com

News of Gov. Deval Patrick’s Section 9C budget cuts sent a shockwave through many of the state’s social services last week, including the Medford Family Network (MFN), which offers free family support and parenting education to the community.

“We just received notification that we need to cut our budget by 20 percent and there is not one ounce of fat in our budget,” said Marie Cassidy, the program’s coordinator. “This will result in my inability to hire staff that I needed to hire and it cuts into childcare for families attending classes.”

Around 1,700 families a year use the programs offered by MFN, but Cassidy said the number of families who could potentially benefit from the service is more on the order of 5,500. Particularly now that the U.S. appears to be in the midst of a large economic downturn, Cassidy said organizations like the MFN are very important to have in a community.

“There will be an increase in child abuse, which is why we need to be there,” Cassidy said. “Domestic violence had a huge blip last month statewide, though it wasn’t too bad in Medford.”

The MFN is one of 42 state-funded family networks in the commonwealth. Established in fiscal 1994, the MFN was the first in Massachusetts and one of only six to receive a Children’s Trust Fund grant, which allows the organization to provide services to families of children up to age 7, as opposed to 3.

Kristy Bonaventura, president of Friends of the MFN (FMFN), said the organization helped her a great deal when she adopted her son.

“I was pretty frantic at first,” said Bonaventura. “A friend said, ‘Call Marie.’ I’ve made more friends in this community than I ever would have made. Now when I bring my son to the parks, I always know at least one of the other families there.”

Now, as president of the FMFN, Bonaventura is trying to do some fundraising. Her organization has put together a 75-minute comedy fundraiser at the Giggles Comedy Club in Saugus. Set for Nov. 6 at 6:30 p.m., tickets are on sale for $20 at medfordfamilies.org.

“Everybody is putting their money in their mattresses right now so a lot of people probably are hesitant to spend for a night out,” said Bonaventura. “But this one is going to be a great time.”

In the past, the FMFN has done all its fundraising through similar such charitable events. But Bonaventura said it may be time to look at other options.

“One of our goals this year is to start building relationships with local business,” she said. “We’re also looking into grant writing.”

At present things are uncertain.
Cassidy said there is no bottom line of what parts of her $132,000 budget will be cut. She was confident that the MFN would pull through the tough times though.

“We are going to involve the enthusiasm and support of our families,” said Cassidy. “We are not going to compromise our quality.”

Standout for Jeff Beatty

There will be a standout for U.S. Senate candidate Jeff Beatty at noon, Saturday November 1, 2008 at the corner of The Fellsway and Salem Street Medford.

This is the last weekend before the election. Please make an effort to attend.

Next meeting, Medford GOP

The next meeting of the Medford Republican City Committee is scheduled for Wednesday, October 29, at 7pm. We will be meeting at the South Medford Fire Station, in the Dello Russo Room

Most accurate pollster in 2004 election shows: Obama 44.8%, McCain 43.7%, Not Sure 11.6%...

Jeff Beatty campaign update

News From The Trail
From Jeffbeatty.com

JEFF BEATTY IS ON A ROLL!!!

1. Jeff Beatty, Republican Nominee for United States Senate will appear at a Pep Rally on Friday, October 24, 2008 at 5:30 p.m. Beatty will join his supporters for a rally at Lincoln Square, Worcester, MA. 01610. The Rally will kick off his tour of Massachusetts, where he will spread his vision of leadership to the citizens of Massachusetts.

2. Next, Jeff Beatty will join Jim Braude and Margery Eagan on Monday, October 27, 2008 for the only radio debate in the United States Senate Race. The debate will be held at Boston's 96.9 WTKK, 55 Morrissey Blvd., Boston, MA 02125 at 1 p.m., and will be rebroadcast at 7:00 p.m. Beatty Volunteers will be holding a tailgate party before the debate, everyone is welcome!

3. Lastly, be among the first to view a new and powerful commercial that is now posted on http://www.jeffbeatty.com/. This is an important campaign, and with your support, we can defeat John Kerry!
Please forward this to your friends and family. Thank you again for your continued support as we remain on the road to victory!

http://www.jeffbeatty.com/

See the debate the Kerry campaign doesn't want you to

The highlights of the Jeff Beatty - John Kerry Massachusetts Senatorial debate can be found here, I will find and post video of the entire debate later when Jeff Beatty's people get that up on youtube(the Kerry campaign is meanwhile trying to burn all available copies).

Republican is ready to challenge Kerry

GOP candidate says he can provide change for Mass.
Boston Metro

As the November election approaches, many voters are seeking change in the government.

Republican Jeff Beatty, who is looking to unseat U.S. Sen. John Kerry, hopes to be part of that change. His background rests heavily in security-based operations. In college he was in the ROTC and was a card carrying Teamster before joining the Army, where he served in the elite Delta Force. He was also a member of the FBI and CIA prior to creating the company TotalSecurity.us, which he ran for a dozen years until the end of 2007.

Beatty decided to run for Senate because he believes that Kerry poorly represents Massachusetts in Washington, citing Kerry’s decision-making process and previous affiliations to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as corrupt.

“This is just wrong,” said Beatty, “It is wrong to be working for special interests and not for the interests of the voters in Massachusetts.” If elected, he plans to bring jobs back to Massachusetts by putting strings on federal funding and lowering state taxes to bring more businesses in.

He also wants reform the Treasury Department and take back assets executives have received to help homeowners.

“Voters are ready to replace Senator Kerry, but not with another millionaire, they want somebody who understands their life,” said Beatty.

“I think we’re going to win this election because on Nov. 4, when people go to the voting booth they’ll ask themselves a question: who do I trust to protect my family, job and country?”

Jeff Beatty debates John Kerry October 20th, 2008, on NECN

Beacon Hill spending cuts to hit Medford

By Rob Barry/ rbarry@cnc.com
Fri Oct 17, 2008, 03:26 PM EDT

Medford Transcript

With projected state expenditures expected to exceed revenues, Gov. Deval Patrick yesterday issued $1.053 billion in Section 9C cuts. As a result, city officials fear Medford may be slammed with a shortfall of up to $280,000.

“The School Department did an analysis this morning,” said Mayor Michael J. McGlynn. “At the low end we’re looking at a $50,000 cut in education grants. At the high end, $200,000.”

In addition McGlynn said the community policing grant of $80,000 would likely be in jeopardy.

“We’re assuming a part of that or all of that is gone,” said McGlynn. “Without cuts in local aid, we’re looking at a deficit of $300,000 citywide if the maximum is cut.”

Officials are calling this the largest mid-year cut in Massachusetts’ budget history and its impact will be felt by many.

State Rep. Paul Donato, D-Medford, said funding for human services will be hit the hardest. Organizations for low income and special needs individuals — like Ferguson Industries for the Blind in Malden — will have to close their doors.

“The reverberation not only comes from state services,” said Donato, “but in today’s economic times the decrease in volunteer services and private contributions play a large part.”

What’s ironic, Donato said, is that those most affected by an economic downturn will be the hardest hit by these cuts. But state revenues are down from a decline in income, corporate and real estate taxes collected. Adjustments had to be made.

Chapter 70 local aid was not on the chopping block for this round of cuts, Donato said, and the state is in better shape than many others.

“But we’re not sure what’s going to happen in the 2010 budget,” said Donato. “But it appears there will be some impact on local aid.”

A water taxi for the Mystic?

By Brad Kane, Globe Correspondent

The next mode of mass public transportation in Medford may be by boat on the Mystic River.

The city government is using $706,000 in federal grant money to develop a Mystic water taxi as part of a larger plan to increase the city's interaction with the meandering waterway by linking existing and future developments.

The water taxi will also be an alternative form of transportation and could link the city's 55,565 residents to riverfront developments in Somerville, Malden, and Everett, said Medford Mayor Michael McGlynn. There is also the possibility of the boat taking people into Boston.

"There is so much development taking place along the river in all neighboring communities that there is potential to create a whole new economy," McGlynn said. "They know what we want to do and that there is a lot of potential there."

The federal money, which comes from the Ferry Boat Discretionary Program, will be used to plan the taxi route of three or four Mystic sites in Medford and then develop a dock at Medford Square. The grant was originally $825,000, but Congress rescinded a portion of it, leaving $706,000.

"The value of it is what it can bring in the future, not necessarily what it is going to do right now," said Lauren DiLorenzo, director of Medford community development. "Even if there is a downturn in economic activity, now is the right time to get the infrastructure in place. It may not affect every citizen today, but it will go toward helping people in the future."

A large part of Medford's economy once was shipbuilding, particularly clipper ships, and the Mystic River played a large role in their construction. While the same Mystic cuts through today's Medford, the city is not taking full advantage of what the waterway offers, McGlynn said. To increase its use of the waterway, the city has developed more parkland on the riverfront and helped developers with projects like Station Landing, a 16-acre mixed-use facility on the river.

"Lots of people would like to be able to enjoy the river more, but people can't get to it very easily," said Penny Antonoglou, a Cambridge resident who works five days a week in Medford. "Some stretches are really nice, but there is some discontinuation between those areas."



Full post

Angry at Beacon Hill? Vote Republican

By Joan Vennochi, Globe Columnist
October 12, 2008

MASSACHUSETTS voters could send a message to liberal Democrats on Beacon Hill by voting to rescind the state income tax. Or they could just stop sending liberal Democrats to Beacon Hill.

"If you really want to send a message . . . send more Republicans," said state Representative George Peterson, a Republican from Grafton.

There are only 19 Republican legislators in the 160-member House of Representatives; only five of 40 state senators are Republican.

That means the Bay State votes overwhelmingly for Democrats who bring a certain fiscal philosophy to their job.

That philosophy is no mystery. Democrats view taxpayer-funded government services as essential to solving a range of problems.

Yet, even as voters elect Democrats, they're angry about how they spend their money. Taxpayer anger is supposedly the impetus behind Question 1, which calls for eliminating the state income tax.

So, why not get angry enough to switch horses and vote Republican?

"I always tell people that if they want to send a message to Beacon Hill, they should vote for Republicans. Nothing gets the attention of the majority party faster than a slew of lost elections," said Charles Baker, president and CEO of Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare. "Look at 1990. The Republicans won a ton of House and Senate seats, and Bill Weld, Paul Cellucci, and Joe Malone all got elected to statewide positions. The climate, for a while anyway, changed."

At the moment, it's hard to find many Republicans to elect. Baker, who served in the Weld administration, is often mentioned as a possible Republican candidate for governor or US Senate. However, he has yet to commit to a race.

Commonwealth Unbound, the online magazine of the nonpartisan public policy group MassINC, recently noted that Massachusetts ranks dead last in the nation in contested races by the major parties for seats in the Legislature.

Of 160 House contests, only 28 have both Democrat and Republican candidates. In the Senate, seven races have both Republican and Democrat candidates.

It has been 12 years since any Republican represented Massachusetts in Congress. US Senator John Kerry is running for reelection against a little-known challenger, Republican Jeff Beatty. Democrats won back the governor's office in 2006.

The 1990 election that swept William F. Weld into the governor's office swelled Republican ranks in the Legislature to the point of being able to sustain a gubernatorial veto. The GOP's numbers have been shrinking ever since.

As governor, Mitt Romney recruited more than 100 fellow Republicans to run for legislative office. Not one won election.

"There's a disconnect" between what Massachusetts voters say they want and who they elect, said Republican state party chairman Peter Torkildson, a former congressman who lost his seat to a liberal Democrat.

"If you're a Republican here, you have to be Joe DiMaggio. You have to be a tremendous player. The standards are very tough to meet," said Peter Blute, a Republican who also went to Congress, until he, too, was defeated by a liberal Democrat.

A range of theories explain the GOP's lack of traction in Massachusetts. They include the Bay State's broad-based rejection of social conservatism; the general disdain for Bush administration policies; the power of local labor unions; and the fact that many who find the Massachusetts political climate offensive simply move elsewhere.

It's also hard for Republican candidates to raise money and attract media attention.

But there could be opportunity in the Bay State's current political flux. If Democrat Barack Obama wins the presidency, Governor Deval Patrick could go to Washington. Patrick said he won't, but that isn't stopping Democrats like state Treasurer Tim Cahill and Attorney General Martha Coakley from positioning themselves. Kerry's name also comes up in connection with an Obama administration, and US Senator Edward M. Kennedy's illness leaves questions about that seat, too.

But, first, the GOP needs good candidates at the grass-roots level. They're hard to find because Republican candidates in this state usually go nowhere but home on election day.

The Question 1 vote will measure one facet of citizen anger. But if Massachusetts voters keep electing liberals, maybe they should get angry at themselves for doing it.

Joan Vennochi can be reached at vennochi@globe.com.

Rail plan offers chance to get back on track

By Eric Moskowitz, Globe Staff
October 12, 2008

Sitting in a coffee shop on Highland Avenue, where streetcars once clanged east and west, Somerville native Stephen V. Mackey explained why the Green Line extension is a no-brainer: A century ago Somerville pulsed with enough mass transit - an intricate network of local trolleys and Boston-bound commuter trains - to develop as the densest city in New England, tight warrens of multifamily housing organized around the rails and local squares. But over time the stops got pulled, leaving local residents to rely on cars and buses.

To make matters worse, said Mackey, president and CEO of the Somerville Chamber of Commerce, the city got saddled in the 20th century with two elevated highways, and it remained home to both a massive heavy-rail maintenance yard and a matrix of tracks that continued to carry the trains that no longer stopped in Somerville.

This is a "walking, transit-oriented city, in its bones," he said. "If you believe in mass transit, you've got to bring it to the most densely populated city."

There are several reasons why the MBTA's Green Line extension from East Cambridge's Lechmere Station through Somerville to Medford's Hillside neighborhood is eagerly anticipated in Somerville, even as the reaction in neighboring Medford has been mixed. The project is expected to reduce car trips and auto emissions while spurring economic development in a city heavily reliant on residential property taxes. For those familiar with the past, though, it's as much about restoring transit as extending it. It's about correcting inequity.

"There is an opportunity here to right a few wrongs, in terms of what happened to the city," said Ellin Reisner, president of the Somerville Transportation Equity Partnership, a community group that advocates for improved transit. (Reisner, along with Mackey, also serves on the state's Green Line Extension Project Advisory Group.)

It's also part of why the state's proposal to couple the transit extension with a 24-hour, 11.5-acre storage-and-maintenance yard for Green Line cars in the Inner Belt stings. Somerville has already coped with heavy-rail maintenance for over a century, in the form of the Boston Engine Terminal, now home to the MBTA's Commuter Rail Maintenance Facility, a nearly 9-acre building on a campus of more than 30 acres, hard by Interstate 93.

Now the state is considering adding an 80-car light-rail storage-and-maintenance facility about half a mile away, at the end of Inner Belt Road, adjacent to the Brickbottom district. Local officials, business leaders, and community activists have objected unanimously to the plan, which they say would stymie future goals for mixed-use, transit-oriented development in the underutilized industrial areas.

"It's like, you hit me once" with the commuter-rail facility, Mackey said. "You're going to hit me again?"

State planners are at an important stage in the Green Line project, and the location of the maintenance facility is one of three main questions remaining to be answered, along with the nature and placement of a spur to Union Square - which sits near the Fitchburg commuter-rail tracks, not the Lowell commuter-rail tracks, where the right-of-way is to be widened to accommodate the main Green Line extension - and the nature and placement of the Medford terminus.

In Medford, which is less dense and more suburban than Somerville, residents have greeted the project with a mix of support and opposition, and officials have been lukewarm. The proposed stops there would be placed in neighborhoods that locals consider fully formed, unlike the several areas along or near the route in Somerville - Inner Belt, Brickbottom, Union Square, Boynton Yards - where local officials want to encourage development, and Medford would also cope with the traffic associated with a last stop.

Moreover, while Medford also lost transit service in the 20th century, the change was not as dramatic as in Somerville. And Medford lacks the galvanizing example of Davis Square, where a Red Line stop, Somerville's only train station, opened in 1984. It sparked the square's transformation from a shabby, boarded-up area into the city's most vibrant commercial and residential district.

"I like to call that smart growth by accident," said Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone, recalling that some in the community initially resisted that extension. "But today you see nothing but unification demanding new transit in Somerville, because we've seen the benefit of what occurred in Davis Square."

Somerville officials and activists have long helped hold the state's feet to the fire on a Green Line project that planners toyed with for years, and that the state originally committed to nearly 20 years ago to avoid a federal lawsuit from the Conservation Law Foundation. The foundation had threatened to block the Big Dig if Massachusetts did not balance the highway project with mass-transit investment.

More recently, Governor Deval Patrick and lawmakers have supported the project and pledged full funding to complete it by the end of 2014, regardless of whether Massachusetts succeeds in securing federal aid for half the cost.

"We're moving forward anyway, federal approval or not," said Wendy P. Stern, state undersecretary for transportation planning and program development, in a recent interview. "But we do feel this project is worthy at the federal level for the green light."

The state's Executive Office of Transportation, which manages expansion for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, last spring revealed most station locations as well as the possible maintenance-yard site. Immediate objections to the yard caused the state to revisit that issue; the answers to that and other outstanding questions were supposed to be presented to the advisory group Sept. 15, but the state canceled the meeting. EOT officials have said they hope to have the answers soon, but they have not yet rescheduled the meeting.

Those answers and other details - including predicted impacts on ridership, emissions, noise, drainage, and private property for the preferred route, existing conditions, and alternatives - are needed for the federal and state environmental impact reports that EOT hopes to submit for review by the end of the year. That would allow the state to keep a timetable of seeking federal funding and starting engineering next year, with construction to follow from 2011 through 2014.

With the yard issue still unresolved, Somerville officials, community leaders, and local legislators have pressed for answers and stressed the potential of the Inner Belt and Brickbottom and the harm in splitting the area with a long, narrow maintenance yard. (Among other things, the proposed facility would sit alongside the Brickbottom Artists Buildings, a 155-unit condominium complex largely inhabited by artists, the only housing currently in the area.)

In a Sept. 12 letter to EOT, Curtatone said the city "as a matter of environmental justice" should absorb no more than a 30-car Green Line yard - the number needed for the extension - and faulted the state for failing to explain why the facility cannot be placed adjacent to or even within the commuter-rail yard.

Stern and Stephen M. Woelfel, manager of statewide transit planning, said existing facilities at Lechmere and in Newton are inadequate, and the proposed site - which would incorporate an MBTA-owned property known as Yard 8 - would be comparatively cheap and easy to develop and connect to the Green Line, they said, given a desire to adhere to the project's roughly estimated cost of $600 million.

Local officials say long-term economic benefits must also be considered. "Just because they own some land there, just because it's the cheapest and easiest fit, doesn't mean we should accept that," said state Senator Anthony D. Galluccio, a Cambridge Democrat whose district includes Inner Belt and Brickbottom.

Woelfel said the EOT has looked at more than 11 sites, adding, "We're working frantically to look at a couple of new ideas that have been floated and hopefully release that soon." Still, he said, much of the area in and around Yard 8 has been rail-owned for over a century.

But that's the point, Mackey said, with one eye on history - of transit access, transit deficits, and rail yards - and another on the future.

"Once you take a government rail-maintenance facility, you're going to live with it for 150 years," he said.

PATRIOT LEDGER OPINION: Democracy in Massachusetts is running on empty

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Patriot Ledger
Posted Oct 09, 2008 @ 06:30 AM

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QUINCY — On Nov. 4, Massachusetts will once again likely be in the top in the nation of voter turnout on election Day but it won’t be because of a thriving democracy here in the Bay State.

A recent survey by Commonwealth Unbound, the online magazine of the nonpartisan public policy group MassINC, found Massachusetts ranks dead last in the nation in contested races by the major parties for seats in the Legislature.

Only 17 percent of the 160 House contests – just 28 races – have both Democrat and Republican candidates. In our region, only three of the 15 House seats have candidates from both major parties. A fourth Democrat incumbent has an independent challenger.

The numbers are a little better for the 40-member Senate. Seven races have both Republican and Democrat candidates but none of the seats in our area are contested. But we’re still last in that chamber.

Some may claim that focusing on the two parties skews the numbers but looking at the races in total, the picture is no less bleak. Only 16 of the House seats where either a Democrat or Republican is running is being challenged by either an independent or third-party candidate. In the Senate, just one non-Democrat or Republican is contesting a seat.

That is an abysmal record for a state that has prided itself on politics being more than a spectator sport.

It cannot be blamed on voter apathy. Not only is Massachusetts consistently above the national average in voter turnout in presidential elections, we ranked in the top 10 in 2006 in turnout.

Nor can the lopsided voter enrollment and registration explain the paucity of races.

Dating back four decades, Massachusetts Democrats have dwarfed the number of Republicans and both parties combined are far behind those who are unenrolled. And yet Republicans such as John Volpe, Edward Brooke, and the last three governors before the current administration have attracted voter support.

Many argue the power of incumbency thwarts challengers and they claim term limits would rectify that. Yet Minnesota has no term limits and 100 percent of their seats have candidates from each major party. In fact four of the top 10 states for contested elections and 12 of the top 20 do not have term limits so it is hard to see that as a stifling effect.

While the MassINC survey focuses on state legislatures, there is a dearth of candidates from both parties in nearly all elections in Massachusetts. The race for the U.S. Senate seat has a Republican contender challenging the Democrat incumbent but only one of the three races for U.S. House is contested, with the other two getting a free pass.

Clearly it is too late to do something about this year but we hope election officials review the rules for someone to run for office and see if any changes can be made to open up the process more, either through later filing deadlines or a reduction in the number of signatures required. (We won’t hold our breath waiting for incumbent lawmakers to loosen the rules to attract more opponents.)

In the meantime, maybe someone reading this will begin to lay the groundwork for a run in 2010. After all, we live in a democracy. Let’s try to act like one.

Jeff Beatty - "I would have voted against the bailout"

By Donna O'Neil
GateHouse News Service
Posted Oct 07, 2008 @ 12:25 PM

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Wakefield — Jeff Beatty, the 56-year-old Harwich Republican who is making a bid to unseat incumbent U.S. Senator John Kerry, said he would not have voted for the economic bailout package.

“It’s more of a package of political cover than recovery for families and Main Street,” said Beatty.

“Kerry voted for it so that he can kick the can down the street a little past the election,” he said, noting that Massachusetts Democratic representatives William Delahunt and Stephen Lynch voted against the bailout.

“Kerry voted to protect his friends and his financial interests - to protect his $2 million in AIG stock,” Beatty said. “He’s not protecting families and jobs. Look at Wall Street. Wall Street didn’t like the bailout. That is obvious.”

Recently Beatty walked in a parade in Roslindale. He said there were two issues parade goers were most interested in — the bailout and the energy crisis.

In a recent interview, Beatty pointed out four specific issues that he will work to resolve, if elected, now that the bailout package has been passed.

“We have to get the money back from the executives — the tens of millions of dollars they took while they were building their houses of cards,” he said. “The $700 billion represents $7,500 per household or $2,500 per individual. That’s a lot of money that we are on the hook for now. We need to get the money back.”

Full story

Tax-cutting questions appear on ballots next month

By STEVE LeBLANC – 15 hours ago

BOSTON (AP) — For years, Massachusetts was known derisively as "Taxachusetts." But voters could help shed that label in November by completely eliminating the state's income tax in a single stroke.

If approved, the ballot initiative would wipe out 40 percent of state revenues and give back to each taxpayer an average of $3,600.

Full story

MegaVote for Massachusetts' 7th Congressional District

Recent Senate Votes
U.S.-India Nuclear Cooperation Approval and Nonproliferation Enhancement Act - Vote Passed (86-13, 1 Not Voting)The Senate passed this bill that would allow the U.S. to trade nuclear technology with India.

Sen. Edward Kennedy voted Not Voting......send e-mail or see bio

Sen. John Kerry voted YES......send e-mail or see bio

Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 - Vote Passed (74-25, 1 Not Voting)The Senate approved a bill authorizing the Treasury Department to spend up to $700 billion to purchase bad mortgage-backed securities from troubled financial institutions.

Sen. Edward Kennedy voted Not Voting

Sen. John Kerry voted YES

Recent House Votes
Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 - Vote Passed (263-171)The House agreed to a bill authorizing the Treasury Department to spend up to $700 billion to purchase bad mortgage-backed securities from troubled financial institutions.

Rep. Edward Markey voted YES......send e-mail or see bio

MegaVote is powered by Capitol Advantage © 2008

A message from Carla Howell

Dear Friend,

I want YOU to come to the END the Income Tax Rally tomorrow. Will you
please be there?

Date: Saturday, October 4th
Time: 12:00 Noon - Doors open. Speeches begin at 1 p.m. sharp.
Location: Faneuil Hall in Boston
How to get there:
http://www.smallgovernmentact.org/libraries/Directions-parking.pdf

More on Faneuil Hall: http://www.faneuilhallmarketplace.com/

You're going to kick yourself if you miss this Rally to END the income
tax.

Maybe you heard the announcements and chatter about this YES on 1, END
the state income tax rally on WTKK radio. Or heard Howie Carr asking you
to come. Or read about it in the Globe or the Herald or one of the
dozens of other newspapers spreading the word.

Sam Adams helped launch the American Revolution from the stage of
Faneuil Hall. James Otis won hundreds to the cause of Independence and
Liberty at Faneuil Hall.

Come to this rally. Join these champions of liberty. Help rally support
for ENDing the income tax this Election Day.

We need you to come. We need you to bring a friend or neighbor. It'll be
exciting - and fun!

Get a look at our speakers:
· Michael Graham, Talk Show Host on WTKK, author, and stand-up comedian.
· Me. Carla Howell. Co-founder and chair of the Committee For Small
Government.
· Kamal Jain, government budget analyst, will show you the tax money
· Matt Kinnaman, columnist, former candidate and Republican Party
Committee Member
· Keith McCormic, Republican candidate for State Senate in the Hampshire
& Franklin District
· Ted Tripp, for Citizens for Limited Taxation
· Cynthia Stead, a small business owner and weekly columnist for the
Cape Cod Times and former Massachusetts Legislative and Administrative
Aid
· Dr. Chuck Ormsby is a mathematics professor, a columnist, and a two-
term member of the North Andover School Committee.
· John Cunningham, small businessman and tax-cutting candidate for
U.S. Congress against Democrat Ed Markey

These speakers support you. They are campaigning for you. To END the
income tax this November 4th.

Celebrate and Rally with these terrific champions of ENDing the income
tax.

Share their laughter.

Savor their passion for lightening the tax burden of 3,400,000
Massachusetts workers and taxpayers.

Delight in their quips and insights into the huge, immediate, direct
benefits to taxpayers of ENDing the income tax.

Let them share in your values. Let them meet you.

Please plan to come tomorrow. Put this in your calendar. Or your
Blackberry. Or on a prominently placed Post-It Note to remind you.

Date: Saturday, October 4th
Doors Open: Noon to 1 p.m. Come early to get your seat.
Speeches begin: 1 p.m. sharp and run until approximately 2:40
Location: Faneuil Hall in Boston

Please join us. Please come.

Small government is possible,

Carla Howell

John Kerry votes in favor of Senate bailout plan

Senators who voted NO...