Obama Stays on Health Care

Posted on August 22, 2009 by billmanzi

The President uses the weekly message to stay on health care, taking the time to debunk some of the claims being made against Democratic proposals for reform. He talks about some of the misinformation being spread, including revisiting death panels, mandatory coverage for abortion, illegal immigrants being covered under health care reform, and big government taking over health care. But once again one of the key factoids that needs to be considered that gets somewhat glossed over is the Presidents point that health care premiums are rising at three times the rate of wage growth. What the President did not mention is that this massive inflation in health care costs has been going on for some time and has already cut a hugely destructive swarth through our economy. His point that there is a day of reckoning coming is right on target. Read the numbers, and you can only come to the conclusion that the day of reckoning is closer than many think. It is self evident that no one party or philosophy has a monopoly on truth or good policy. But I find it inexplicable that in light of what is staring us right in the face that some just advocate leaving the current system in place.

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Mayors Blood Drive

Posted on August 21, 2009 by billmanzi

The month of August is traditionally a very difficult month for blood donations. In light of that fact and being aware of how critical it is that an adequate supply of blood be kept on hand the mayor’s office will be sponsoring a blood drive between August 22- 31. Your participation would be appreciated, and would mean much to those who are in need of this invaluable lifeline.
Hospital patients in our community who are battling life-threatening injuries and illness may rely on the donations of critical-type blood donors, like you, to survive this summer. Blood donations can decline as much as 10-15 percent in the summer months, bringing the amount of critical type blood available to hospitals to dangerously low levels during the summer months. A chronic shortage in our community means that blood may not be available when it’s needed most — for trauma victims, premature babies and cancer patients.
In fact, someone needs blood nearly every two seconds and you can help save the lives of up to three people with a single blood donation. Please consider, in light of this fact, that if you donate just one time this summer your blood donation will have a profound effect on our community blood supply. That’s why I’m personally asking for your help this summer.
Remember, the need for blood is constant and your donation will be greatly appreciated by all.

P.S. Please schedule an appointment to donate blood this summer by calling 1-800-GIVE-LIFE (800-448-5433) or go online at givelife.org.

Saturday, August 22 through Monday, August 31
Monday & Wednesday 2:00 p.m.—7:00 p.m.
Saturday 8:00 a.m.—1:00 p.m.

Enter to win Red Sox tickets
Give Blood Get Ice Cream

Call (800) GIVE LIFE to make an appointment

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Kennedy Looks to the Future

Posted on August 20, 2009 by billmanzi

Senator Ted Kennedy has authored a letter to Governor Patrick, Senate President Murray and Speaker Deleo asking that consideration be given to a modification of Massachusetts law that would allow the Governor to make an interim appointment to the United States Senate seat pending the special election currently called for to fill any potential vacancy. The Senator is clearly concerned that a five month vacancy could be costly to the health care reform effort that he has worked so hard on for his whole life. The letter does ask that the Governor, if given this authority, extract a personal committment from any prospective interim appointment that they not be a candidate for the seat in the special election. In spite of his personal health difficulties the senior Senator from Massachusetts still has his eye on the health care issue he cares so deeply about. His declining health has not lessened his always present drive to protect the citizens of Massachusetts.

I have attached the Senator’s letter below. As a practical matter I find it hard to argue with his logic, which does not in any way remove the right of the people of Massachusetts to select a successor at the ballot box. It would simply make sure that Massachusetts has two Senate votes at a critical time for our State and Country.

kennedy_letter__1250757221_6262-2

Posted in National News, State News | Tagged , | 8 Comments

Barney Frank Slugs it Out With Right

Posted on August 19, 2009 by billmanzi

Barney Frank confronts some of the right wing protestors gathered at a Dartmouth forum he hosted on health care. Barney is willing to mix it up, and more Dems ought to be willing to mix it up as well. If you have a working knowledge of the subject matter slugging it out with folks claiming that the health care reforms have death panels should not be too hard.

Posted in State News | Tagged , | 8 Comments

Out of Touch and in a Fog

Posted on August 19, 2009 by billmanzi

A Boston Globe story by Andrea Estes a couple of days back told the story of the refusal of the House of Representatives to take up a bill that would allow retailers to advertise the fact that they are willing to pay the 6.25% sales tax for customers shopping in Massachusetts. The fact that we even have such a ridiculous law should in and of itself be an embarassment. The fact that the House leadership refused to entertain a bill filed by John Quinn, Democrat of Dartmouth, that would have made such advertising legal, is really beyond comprehension. How about the reaction from some retailers.

“I can’t believe it,’’ said Robert Bendetson, owner of Cabot House, a furniture company, which has been running newspaper ads (including in the Globe) promising consumers: “We’ll pay your sales tax.’’

“I’m just trying to save customers money. It doesn’t take any money out of the state,’’ said Bendetson, describing past sales tax holiday weekends as “one of the prolific sales events of the year.’’

“But I’ll have to change it,’’ he said. “Look, I’m not trying to break any laws.’’

How about Steven Sheinkopf?

Steven Sheinkopf – owner of Yale Electric, which also tried to lure customers by offering to pay their tax – said they are looking for another way to pass along the savings to their customers.

“We’ve changed our ads,’’ he said. “They should be concerned that the sales tax gets paid. All the other stuff, the obscure laws and all of it, just makes business harder for the rest of us. It’s sad because we just increased the sales tax and more customers will look at New Hampshire or the Internet. “

And the stated rationale:

In an e-mailed statement, Kaufman said the bill, “while laudable in its attempt to stimulate retail sales, concerns me because it could disproportionately favor big business retailers over small business ‘Mom & Pop’ stores. These big-box retailers have the balance sheets to absorb the tax, which small business retailers do not. In this economy, this is hardly the time to put small businesses at such a distinct disadvantage.’’

A comment by Jon Hurst, President of the Massachusetts retailers, indicating that he thought that the advertising technique prohibited was employed mostly by smaller retailers, was in the Globe editorial today that called for the repeal of this ridiculous law.

That’s a strange concern, notes Jon Hurst, president of the retailers association, since it was mostly small stores that were advertising they would pay customers’ sales tax in the first place.

And in any case what in the world are we doing when we are prohibiting stores from advertising in a manner that might keep Massachusetts shoppers from going over the line to New Hampshire to shop. Why is it that keeping investment and jobs in Massachusetts is somehow painted as a bad thing, especially when the State of Massachusetts loses no money??? Out of touch!

Read the Globe editorial here.

Read the Globe article here.

Posted in Methuen, State News | Tagged | 2 Comments

Methuen’s Primary Home Rule Petition Held Up

Posted on August 18, 2009 by billmanzi

The Home Rule Petition filed by Methuen seeking to save upwards of $35,000 by omitting the primary scheduled for September has been stalled in the House of Representatives, failing to move out of the Elections Committee chaired by Boston Representative Michael Moran. Rep. Moran and the House leadership have decided however to move identical petitions from Lowell and Revere forward, leaving one to wonder why some petitions would move forward, and Methuen’s would be left behind. The stated reasoning, that Methuen’s election would involve a mayoral primary while the others would only deal with city council primaries, does not even stand up to rudimentary examination. The City of Lowell is a City Manager/City Council form of government. In that City the Chief Executive Officer, the Manager, is chosen by the City Council. There has been some spirited debate in Lowell on the future of the City Manager, and I would dare say that the election in Lowell would have a pretty big impact on the Managers future, a fact conveniently ignored by House leadership. And I think I can fairly say that there has been substantially greater political controversy in Lowell over the merits of the primary omission than there has been in Methuen, where it really has been no issue at all. Read the Left in Lowell blog to get a flavor for some of that debate in Lowell.

My point here is not to debate the Lowell petition, but to put forth the proposition that if the idea of saving money by omitting the primary is a bad idea then it should be a bad idea for all. Methuen passed its Home Rule Petition back in January in the hopes that it would be seen as a money saving idea without a political connotation. We have asked severe sacrifice of our municipal unions, achieving ten percent wage reductions across the board from all city workers. We have omitted the City Firework celebration, saving $35,000 dollars, about the same as we would save from the primary home rule petition. We have done this to meet our financial obligations after a $3 million dollar cut in state aid. On the City side such financial sacrifice has enabled us to avert layoffs and maintain services. This City has stepped up and taken tough decisions. The omission of the primary is another one, and whether you feel it is a good idea or a bad one the same principal should apply for all.

State Representative Linda Dean Campbell has indicated that she may block the Lowell and Revere petitions from moving forward on the basis of equity. She should be applauded for standing up for her community courageously against the arbitrary and unfair decision on this petition reached by House leadership. Today’s Tribune story speculated that this action could be retaliation against Campbell for her vote against hiking the sales tax. Hmmm. Campbell refused comment on that issue. In light of the multi month delay in passing another Home Rule petition that would enable the construction of a brand new Head Start School on a city lot one would have to wonder.

Read the Lowell Sun story here.

Posted in Methuen, Methuen Mayor's Race, State News | Tagged | 2 Comments

The Public Option on the Chopping Block?

Posted on August 17, 2009 by billmanzi

The Obama Administration sent out some of its top guns to the Sunday talk show circuit and appears to be signaling that it can accept a health care bill that does not have the public option included. The subtle shift in tone has been jumped on by the media and will cause some great angst for Obama on the left side of the aisle. From the Washington Post:

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius opened the door to a compromise on a public option, saying it is “not the essential element” of comprehensive reform. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” that Obama “will be satisfied” if the private insurance market has “choice and competition.”

The President himself engaged in some retreat on a public option in a town hall meeting out west.

“The public option, whether we have it or we don’t have it, is not the entirety of health-care reform,” Obama said. “This is just one sliver of it.”

The reaction from the left was muted in the Post article, but I believe Howard Dean’s comments will be reflective of the general reaction:

“I don’t think this bill is worth passing without a public option,” said Howard Dean, head of the grass-roots group Democracy for America.

Democratic Senator Kent Conrad said that the votes do not exist in the Senate for the public option, and dismissed any thought of inclusion of such an option in the final Senate bill:

“The fact of the matter is there are not the votes in the United States Senate for the public option,” said Conrad, one of six panel members involved in the talks. “There never have been. So to continue to chase that rabbit, I think, is just a wasted effort.”

I do not know if Senator Conrad’s vote count for inclusion of a public option is sixty or fifty one, but the Democrats still have the option of using the reconciliation process to pass a bill in the Senate with 51 votes. It is an option that could change the dynamic, although it appears that key Democrats are against that potential. Senator Conrad also spoke of not meeting the Presidential “deadline” for action of September 15th. It appears that the Senate needs more time to “deliberate”. The President will need to push this process, in my opinion, because if the bill gets delayed much beyond that date it is going to be so much harder to make any real change to the system. Tough sledding for the Obama Administration on a critical policy issue. Will the President get a bill, and if so will it be worth signing? I am not optimistic this morning.

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Woodstock 40 Years Later

Posted on August 16, 2009 by billmanzi

The 40th Anniversary of Woodstock! Where did all that time go??? The concert still draws quite a bit of conversation, and whatever your thoughts the musical talent assembled was really quite extraordinary. Here is Carlos Santana and young drummer Michael Shrieve really going to town in one of the very best live performances of the concert!

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The Methuen Scholarship Foundation Golf Tournament

Posted on August 15, 2009 by billmanzi

The Methuen Scholarship Foundation had their golf tournament, designed to raise money for worthy students from Methuen, last week. I entered a team, and choose not to play in the hope that my team would win the tournament. Well they did. Congrats to my team of ringers, including City Auditor Tom Kelly and City Council President Deb Quinn. And congrats to the Scholarship Foundation for a successful tournament. We will be back to defend next year.

The Winning Team Dollars for Scholars Golf Tournament

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All Health Care, All the Time

Posted on August 15, 2009 by billmanzi

The President again stays on the subject of health care reform. He debunks the more obvious lies emanating from the attack machine of the right, especially the “death panel” rumor embraced by so many Republicans, including from some who have supported the counseling program twisted so severely into “death panels.” There is plenty to debate about health care in the United States, but the nonsense put out during this debate is startling. There is a lot more ground to cover on this subject, and the debate will be fierce. The Democrats have some choices to make, and a big one will be whether they should just go it alone. Republicans may not be able to participate in a bipartisan solution with all of the pressure being put on by the Republican talk masters who appear to be in functional control of the Republican Party. Will the President get a bill, and if he does will it contain a public option? Should the Democrats be with a bill that does not have a public option??

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