On-going Issues
There are many issues that we have been addressing since the election of Barack Obama as our 44th president. Of prime importance are the economy, the state of the educational system, the environment, and health care. Of course we are also concerned about issues that affect both our city and our state.
The President's Health Care Reform
One of the most controversial and hotly debated issues that all of us are facing is the state of our health care. Daily we see images of so-called Tea Party Republicans drowning out civil discussions of the issue. We also see congressmen and congresswomen who support the president's plan being harassed. There are those in the media who are fanning the fires of hate and fear in an effort to bring down the president. (For more information, see Health Care Reform Forum, Movie Night, and Town Hall with Nikki Tsongas.)
The President's Education Agenda
According to the White House, "President Obama and Vice President Biden believe that our kids and our country can’t afford four more years of neglect and indifference." The education of our children is important to all of us. Our future and theirs depends on what we do from now on. more....
President Obama's Housing Plan
President Obama unveiled his housing plan on Wednesday, February 18, 2009. According to the White House, it could help up to nine million people directly. Better yet, it could help the rest of us too.
"In the end, all of us are paying a price for this home mortgage crisis. And all of us will pay an even steeper price if we allow this crisis to continue to deepen," President Obama said in Phoenix, AZ. "But if we act boldly and swiftly to arrest this downward spiral, every American will benefit."
According to President Obama, there are four key elements to the Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan:
Here are copies of the Executive Summary and Questions and Answers for Consumers (both PDF documents) to help you understand and be better equipped to discuss the Housing Plan.
Local and State Issues: Pension Misuse
A document compiled by NASRA (the National Association of State Retirement Administrators) updated in July, 2008 entitled, Selected State Policies Governing Termination or Garnishment of Public Pensions states that, "Generally, retirement boards are required to deny or rescind the pensions of any public employee convicted of a crime related to his or her duties. A member may be entitled to receive their accumulated retirement contributions. In certain instances a member of a retirement system could be subject to forfeiture of any rights to benefits or their accumulated retirement contributions. Separately, a retirement board is required to suspend a disability retirement allowance for the period a member is incarcerated as a result of a felony conviction." (http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/mgl/32-15.htm)
Below are just some examples of recent pensions requested by and/or provided to corrupt or disgraced lawmakers in Massachusetts.
Former Massachusetts state Senator James Marzilli was defeated for reelection this past year. Marzilli, with 23 years of public service, is requesting that his state pension be doubled because he was defeated.
In June (2008), Marzilli was arrested when he attempted to grab the crotch of a woman on a park bench in downtown Lowell. He also harassed another woman before escaping from police. After his arrest, Marzilli checked into a psychiatric ward where he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Marzilli, 50, is seeking to use a state law that allows someone under the age of 55, with more than 20 years experience in state government, to double their pension if they fail to become nominated or reelected to their position. Marzilli's pension would increase from $14,000 to $27,000. (Foolocracy.com - December 27th, 2008)
One of the most controversial and hotly debated issues that all of us are facing is the state of our health care. Daily we see images of so-called Tea Party Republicans drowning out civil discussions of the issue. We also see congressmen and congresswomen who support the president's plan being harassed. There are those in the media who are fanning the fires of hate and fear in an effort to bring down the president. (For more information, see Health Care Reform Forum, Movie Night, and Town Hall with Nikki Tsongas.)
The President's Education Agenda
According to the White House, "President Obama and Vice President Biden believe that our kids and our country can’t afford four more years of neglect and indifference." The education of our children is important to all of us. Our future and theirs depends on what we do from now on. more....
President Obama's Housing Plan
President Obama unveiled his housing plan on Wednesday, February 18, 2009. According to the White House, it could help up to nine million people directly. Better yet, it could help the rest of us too.
"In the end, all of us are paying a price for this home mortgage crisis. And all of us will pay an even steeper price if we allow this crisis to continue to deepen," President Obama said in Phoenix, AZ. "But if we act boldly and swiftly to arrest this downward spiral, every American will benefit."
According to President Obama, there are four key elements to the Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan:
- Refinancing help for four to five million homeowners who receive their mortgages through Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac;
- New incentives for lenders to modify the terms of sub-prime loans at risk of default and foreclosure;
- Steps to keep mortgage rates low for millions of middle class families looking to secure new mortgages; and
- Additional reforms designed to help families stay in their homes.
Here are copies of the Executive Summary and Questions and Answers for Consumers (both PDF documents) to help you understand and be better equipped to discuss the Housing Plan.
Local and State Issues: Pension Misuse
A document compiled by NASRA (the National Association of State Retirement Administrators) updated in July, 2008 entitled, Selected State Policies Governing Termination or Garnishment of Public Pensions states that, "Generally, retirement boards are required to deny or rescind the pensions of any public employee convicted of a crime related to his or her duties. A member may be entitled to receive their accumulated retirement contributions. In certain instances a member of a retirement system could be subject to forfeiture of any rights to benefits or their accumulated retirement contributions. Separately, a retirement board is required to suspend a disability retirement allowance for the period a member is incarcerated as a result of a felony conviction." (http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/mgl/32-15.htm)
Below are just some examples of recent pensions requested by and/or provided to corrupt or disgraced lawmakers in Massachusetts.
Former Massachusetts state Senator James Marzilli was defeated for reelection this past year. Marzilli, with 23 years of public service, is requesting that his state pension be doubled because he was defeated.
In June (2008), Marzilli was arrested when he attempted to grab the crotch of a woman on a park bench in downtown Lowell. He also harassed another woman before escaping from police. After his arrest, Marzilli checked into a psychiatric ward where he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Marzilli, 50, is seeking to use a state law that allows someone under the age of 55, with more than 20 years experience in state government, to double their pension if they fail to become nominated or reelected to their position. Marzilli's pension would increase from $14,000 to $27,000. (Foolocracy.com - December 27th, 2008)
Coming Events
September 11, 2010
4:30 PM
Rubber Duck Regatta 2010
Over 10,000 rubber ducks will be dropped into the Merrimack River from the Basiliere Bridge (Main Street, Rt. 125) in Haverhill in support of Haverhill's Charities.
To join in the fun and for a chance to win a 2010 Toyota Yaris, please go to adoptaducktoday.com or call 978-374-5223.
September 14, 2010
7:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Primary Elections 2010
For information about who's running on the Democratic Ticket in Massachusetts and ballot questions, please go to our Elections page. Please see Democratic Party Cumulative Filings if your are from New Hampshire.
"History suggests that unless a progressive president is able to mobilize widespread support for significant change in the country at large, it's not enough to have a congressional majority." -- Doris K. Goodwin
According to Metro (February 25, 2009), "A Lowell Superior Court judge has denied a motion by former state Sen. James Marzilli to dismiss the indictments against him stemming from allegations that he sexually harassed four women in one day in Lowell last June. The judge said Marzilli can stand trial April 6."
Vincent J. Piro, a former state representative from Somerville who lost his seat after he was charged with taking a $5,000 bribe, used the law to boost his pension from about $6,750 - not including annual cost-of-living adjustments - to $18,872.
Richard Voke, a former House majority leader from Chelsea who retired in 1998 after losing a bitter fight for the speakership to Thomas M. Finneran in 1996, upped his pension from about $14,779 to $28,193.
Francis G. Mara, a former state representative from Brockton who retired in 1996 after he was fined for taking gifts from insurance lobbyists, increased his pension from about $3,783 to $18,921. (Boston.com - January 11, 2009)
It won't hurt his retirement wallet that [former House Speaker Salvatore] DiMasi, 63, waited for the calendar to turn a page before announcing that he was resigning and will file for his pension. According to state pension officials, DiMasi's decision to wait until after the New Year earned him an extra $2,000 or so a year, depending upon which retirement option he chooses. That'll buy an extra cannoli and cappucino or two on Hanover Street.
DiMasi, who was an assistant prosecutor in the Suffolk District Attorney's office in the mid '70s before launching his 30-year career on Beacon Hill that culminated in his election as speaker in 2004, had 32 years and three months of creditable service as of December 31, 2008. But by remaining in office until the next day, the speaker earned a full year more of creditable service.
With his speaker's pay at $93,000 and the pension based on the average of the top three years of earnings, DiMasi won't be in the William Bulger range, but he'll have a nice cushion to fall back on.
If he takes "Option A," DiMasi will receive monthly payments totaling $71,000 a year until he dies. Had he left office last month when the wolves were scratching at the door, it would have been $68,800 annually. If he chooses "Option C," which gives him a lower annual payout but provides an annuity payment to his beneficiary, DiMasi will get about $59,000 a year. Had he resigned in December, his annual take would have been $57,000. (CW Unbound - January 26, 2009)
In a decision that ends a three-year dispute between [William M.] Bulger and top Massachusetts politicians and gives him a pension of about $196,000 a year, the Supreme Judicial Court said that Bulger correctly included the $2,419 housing allowance as income when he applied for a pension after more than four decades of work for the state.
Together, the housing allowance and annuity had boosted the pension from about $179,000 to about $208,000 a year. Now Bulger will get nearly 60 percent of that increase, or $17,000 a year, according to State Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill, who chairs the State Board of Retirement and opposed the richer pension. . . . The 72-year-old South Boston politician is a legendary powerbroker on Beacon Hill who became a symbol of patronage and corruption for critics. (Boston.com News - November 10, 2006)
John A. Brennan Jr... resigned after 19 years of service as a member of the Malden Public Library Board of Trustees, a volunteer seat he held despite his busy career as one of Beacon Hill's most influential lobbyists.... [However,] Brennan, a 63-year-old former state senator who departed the Legislature in 1990, barely attended monthly library board meetings during the last four years, missing 30 out of 36 meetings.
His application for retirement benefits last December may explain why he hung onto the post for so long. An obscure 1998 legislative amendment that originated among Brennan's former Senate colleagues allowed him to fold the years he volunteered on the Malden library board into his pension calculation, doubling his taxpayer-supported pension.
Instead of receiving $19,097 a year in retirement based on 16 years as a full-time legislator in the 1970s and 1980s, he will receive a $41,088 annual pension for the combination of his legislative and library service, according to estimates based on his retirement application. (Boston.com)
Vincent J. Piro, a former state representative from Somerville who lost his seat after he was charged with taking a $5,000 bribe, used the law to boost his pension from about $6,750 - not including annual cost-of-living adjustments - to $18,872.
Richard Voke, a former House majority leader from Chelsea who retired in 1998 after losing a bitter fight for the speakership to Thomas M. Finneran in 1996, upped his pension from about $14,779 to $28,193.
Francis G. Mara, a former state representative from Brockton who retired in 1996 after he was fined for taking gifts from insurance lobbyists, increased his pension from about $3,783 to $18,921. (Boston.com - January 11, 2009)
It won't hurt his retirement wallet that [former House Speaker Salvatore] DiMasi, 63, waited for the calendar to turn a page before announcing that he was resigning and will file for his pension. According to state pension officials, DiMasi's decision to wait until after the New Year earned him an extra $2,000 or so a year, depending upon which retirement option he chooses. That'll buy an extra cannoli and cappucino or two on Hanover Street.
DiMasi, who was an assistant prosecutor in the Suffolk District Attorney's office in the mid '70s before launching his 30-year career on Beacon Hill that culminated in his election as speaker in 2004, had 32 years and three months of creditable service as of December 31, 2008. But by remaining in office until the next day, the speaker earned a full year more of creditable service.
With his speaker's pay at $93,000 and the pension based on the average of the top three years of earnings, DiMasi won't be in the William Bulger range, but he'll have a nice cushion to fall back on.
If he takes "Option A," DiMasi will receive monthly payments totaling $71,000 a year until he dies. Had he left office last month when the wolves were scratching at the door, it would have been $68,800 annually. If he chooses "Option C," which gives him a lower annual payout but provides an annuity payment to his beneficiary, DiMasi will get about $59,000 a year. Had he resigned in December, his annual take would have been $57,000. (CW Unbound - January 26, 2009)
In a decision that ends a three-year dispute between [William M.] Bulger and top Massachusetts politicians and gives him a pension of about $196,000 a year, the Supreme Judicial Court said that Bulger correctly included the $2,419 housing allowance as income when he applied for a pension after more than four decades of work for the state.
Together, the housing allowance and annuity had boosted the pension from about $179,000 to about $208,000 a year. Now Bulger will get nearly 60 percent of that increase, or $17,000 a year, according to State Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill, who chairs the State Board of Retirement and opposed the richer pension. . . . The 72-year-old South Boston politician is a legendary powerbroker on Beacon Hill who became a symbol of patronage and corruption for critics. (Boston.com News - November 10, 2006)
John A. Brennan Jr... resigned after 19 years of service as a member of the Malden Public Library Board of Trustees, a volunteer seat he held despite his busy career as one of Beacon Hill's most influential lobbyists.... [However,] Brennan, a 63-year-old former state senator who departed the Legislature in 1990, barely attended monthly library board meetings during the last four years, missing 30 out of 36 meetings.
His application for retirement benefits last December may explain why he hung onto the post for so long. An obscure 1998 legislative amendment that originated among Brennan's former Senate colleagues allowed him to fold the years he volunteered on the Malden library board into his pension calculation, doubling his taxpayer-supported pension.
Instead of receiving $19,097 a year in retirement based on 16 years as a full-time legislator in the 1970s and 1980s, he will receive a $41,088 annual pension for the combination of his legislative and library service, according to estimates based on his retirement application. (Boston.com)
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"MAKE NO SMALL PLANS. THEY HAVE NO MAGIC TO STIR MEN'S BLOOD." -- Daniel Burnham