I concur. Mitt, F-YOU!

Well at least SOMEONE is paying attention

I've been saying this on several of the blogs I comment on, and now, thankfully, someone has taken a closer look:

BOSTON - It's part of Mitt Romney's core narrative: Massachusetts, in the throes of a fiscal freefall, fell back on his CEO skills and turnaround wizardry to spark — in his words — "a dramatic reversal of state fortunes and a period of sustained economic expansion."

It's a rosy opinion of Massachusetts' economy that few in the state share. Instead, observers say, the state's recovery from a disastrous 2001 recession has been tepid at best, and Romney gives himself more credit than deserved on job creation and balancing the state budget.

Romney says that by the time he left office, the unemployment rate in Massachusetts was lower and the state had recovered nearly 80,000 jobs from the low point of the recession.

A fuller look reveals a state still struggling to recoup the jobs washed away in the recession, while much of the rest of the country has already sailed past pre-recession highs. . .


. . . Massachusetts is one of just six states that hasn't added back all the jobs lost during the recession.

"Our losses were steeper, and our gains have been slower and as an end result we are still nearly 100,000 jobs down," said Dana Ansel, research director for the Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth, a nonpartisan think tank.

The state's unemployment numbers also showed little movement during Romney's tenure.

Romney and the Republican's don't want this widely reported but Romney's predecessor was a Republican as was the governor before her. And even the governor before that one was a Republican. While it is easy to assume Romney inherited an office mismanaged under the Democrats to support his claims. especially since this is Massachusetts, and Romney doesn't want to correct that assumption, it is simply not the truth.

Observers say Romney can claim some legitimate fiscal successes — vetoing spending increases, fighting against tax increases, and helping lure some businesses to Massachusetts, including a new facility being built by Bristol-Myers Squibb.

Yes he vetoed spending increases for one of the Commonwealth's most important industries, education. This veto meant that teachere in the states Universities and Colleges went without pay increases to keep up with the cost of living AND those institutions went without needed improvements. This caused Massachusetts to fail from 3rd in education to 5th and while that might not seem like a huge drop, where would you rather go to school?

The fact is the slow recovery can be partially laid at the cutting of the educational budget. When many businesses in towns/cities in MA rely on the "industry" of higher education, not funding it ripples through their economies and the state's as a whole.

Romney's economic claims challenged

Hands OFF! Only Republicans can make money in Iran!

A dose of guilt with your "free" Marine Windbreaker

This is a deck of 12 cards my son received from the Marines last week. As you read through them, partaking of all the emotional manipulation going on in them, please think of Andrew Madison Rove (son of Karl Rove), the 5 sons of Mitt Romney, Paris Hilton, Jenna and Barbara Bush (they could serve state side), any and all Young Republicans (especially those in college and there a lot of them) who have not and are not serving.

Doesn't the priviledged, upper class think that our way of life is worth protecting, that they need to do their part, or want to make a difference? They that benefit the most from this way of life.

The cards are presented in order (there is a number on the bottom right of the back of each card. To see the larger version, click on it. The band that held the cards has the directions.

Inside Paperboard Cover

Band

Card 1

Card 2

Card 3

Card 4

Card 5

Card 6

Card 7

Card 8

Card 9

Card 10

Cards 11 and 12 do not have a number on them so it is impossible to tell which order they belong in. Attached to each card is a perforated Business Reply card asking for name, address, phone number, cell number, date of birth, email address (you can check a box for them not to send you anything via email), name of school, last grade completed, and the size for your free windbreaker (offer expiring 7/31/2007).

Interestingly enough on this post card (which anyone can read as it is being handled) is a "Privacy Act Statement." All the information provided will be used for recruiting purposes only.

Card 11

Card 12


Look for more as we go into Bush's second surge to get us to 200,000 troops in Iraq and a plan for us to be there 5 to 10 more years. It is beginning to look enough like Viet Nam yet to you? Or do we need to get to 200 dead American service persons a day? We are now at 5 a day.

Update:Cheap skate Marine corps chose to let our Marines die from IEDs rather than give them the equipment they needed

Mitt following ever more surely in Republican ways

January 6m 2007 many newspapers around the Commonwealth reported that incoming Massachusetts Govenor, Deval Patrick, warned that the state has a 1 billion dollar shortfall caused by the ". . . patches and plugs and games and gimmicks that were played by the previous administration." The previous administration being that of now presidential cadidate Mitt Romany.

In his defense Romney spokesman, Eric P. Fehrnstrom, said that the out going administration left Patrick with a blueprint for a balanced budget for the 2008 fiscal year. The the short fall for 2007 only appears because "Patrick restored $383 million in cuts Romney made in November to balance this fiscal year's budget."

Patrick explained his decision to restore the money saying that "many state agencies and people made spending plans based on the $383 million after it was approved by the Legislature in July; some agencies had already spent the money before it was slashed by Romney at the very end of his administration."

Fehrnstrom, also said that "the challenge with the budget is overspending by Democrats in the Legislature."

Right, tell that to the teachers in the Commonwealth's colleges and universities who have done with out raises for the last few years. Tell that to the state colleges and univeristies, who are the jewell in the Commonweatlth's crown, doing without. It is an industry that was once known for it's quality, standards. It was "the" place to go if someone wanted the best education by a state higher education system.

This is another fine example of Mitt following in Republican ways, and their distain for public education, look at how those rankings have dropped under the "fine" leadership of Mitt Romney.

Mitt Romney, Bush III?

http://www.masslive.com/living/republican/index.ssf?/base/living-1/1168333639226020.xml&coll=1&thispage=1
http://www3.whdh.com/news/articles/local/BO39099/
http://www.eagletribune.com/local/local_story_362064525?keyword=topstory