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You are absolutely correct again Mr. Armerding.

“Together we can … what?”

“Together we can drive the taxpayers out of Mass….”
“Together we can give in-state tuition to thousands of lawbreakers…”
“Together we can raise taxes…”

Next person….

“Together we can….?”

Bilge rat,
I’m disappointed in you.
We may disagree vehemently on some issues, but you generally always come back with a reasonable, intelligent response.
Your posting here, and your failure to respond to my observations in Ken Johnson’s “Change is our birthright” blog, leave me wondering if, when all is said and done, you, like so many “conservatives” who are terrified of change, just feel compelled to resort to vilification and fear mongering.
I don’t want to go back into the tit for tat stuff these blogs were becoming, but, please, offer some genuine ideas and real facts – not the semi ignorant rantings of people who are so frightened by change that they cannot accept reality,

(heavy sigh)

Michael, Michael, Michael…..

I really don’t see the fear mongering, villification and fear you allege is in my prior post…..and I resent being referred to as “ignorant”. Nothing I stated was ignorant, I merely employed a different format, in keeping with “together we can…what?” If pointing out the obvious is ignorant, so be it…..

All I feel is pity for anyone who fell for the hollow “together we can” mantra. I mean, really…like Mr. Armerding said, “together we can….what?”

I think the fact that Gov. Patrick has not offered any reasonable, intelligent “change” and is following the typical Mass. democrat party line of higher taxes and bigger government with less representation, etc, is what’s bothering you. Face it Michael, the man lied to his supporters, deal with it.

As far as being “terrified of change”, yeah, I AM terrified, but NOT of change if it’s for the better…..

I’m terrified that I may not be able to afford to pay my taxes because they are rising higher each year with less to show for them.
I’m terrified that I won’t be able to afford health insurance for my family.
I’m terrified we won’t be able to afford college for our child because we are working ourselves to death to fund social programs that we will NEVER be able to benefit from.
I’m terrified that the usual status quo will never change in this state.

Over and out….

Well said.
I know that much of the “liberal” agenda has faltered. I’ve seen that failure first hand. As a liberal, it breaks my heart and challenges my intellect because I believe liberal ideas and agendas, if well run, can work.
Let me give you an example.
Back in the 1990′s, I ran an AIDS prevention and services program for a non-profit on the No. Shore.
I oversaw multiple state contracts for the agency that were well in excess of 500K dollars.
One of the contracts funded a program the state labeled, ACT Now. It stood for “Access to Care and Treatment Now”
Initially, the program was designed to provide up to 1500 bucks a year to uninsured, HIV positive people. The premise was that offering uninsured, and often disenfranchised, people access to funds to allow them to see a primary care physician quarterly, or even twice a year to monitor their T cell counts, would help them from showing up in ERs in crisis- thus saving everyone a whole lot more money.
The program, until the politically correct, faux liberal ideologues who now dominate Mass`politics got in the way, worked.
i was based in Gloucester and got an initial grant for about 18K for this particular program.
Gloucester, because of the entrenched, decades old heroin problem had, and still has, a major HIV and Hepatitis B and C problem.
I hit the streets, bars, and docks to let people know if they, or someone they cared about, were HIV positive with no health insurance, I could help them access semi regular primary care.
I think about 30, deserving, people utimately enrolled in the program.
The program was a such a success, allowing those 30 or so folks to get regular blood work they might otherwise have foregone if they had to pay out of pocket, I couldn’t expend the 18k!
When the grant came up for renewal, I suggested the agency ask for less money because the program had allowed us a bridge that we’d used very efficiently to help uninsured, HIV positive people stay connected to primary care until we could hook them up to more substantial, long term services.
Why ask for more money when you can’t even expend the money the bureaucracy has already given you?
Well, you would have thought I’d suggested Jesus Christ was Osama bin laden’s brother, and that was before most of us had even heard of Osama!
I quickly learned that in the non-profit sector that gets funding from the state, you never tout your successes and efficiency.
You never, ever, once you’ve been given a tax payer funded state grant, acknowledge you might be able to the job with less.
After all, the exec director of the non profit needs a salary to house him/herself in a style to which he/she is accustomed. The staff has to be paid and the board members need to feel their coming from Manchester by the Sea or Andover because their involvement is essential to those less fortunates in Lawrence, lyyn, or Gloucester.
The last thing any of them want to hear is that those noble tasks can often be accomplished with monies they already have or, as in the case of the ACT now program in Gloucester,
less money than they”d already been awarded.
I guess it is the nature of the bureaucratic beast.
But at least I, as a liberal, can acknowledge the shortcomings of this system in terms of human services.
I just wish more of you conservatives could acknowledege the gross inefficienies in the tax payer funded bureacracy that
currently funds the Pentagon and enriches the friends of big Dick Cheney and bonny Prince George.

You had me agreeing with you up until your last paragraph, Michael.

No matter who is running the country, democrat or republican, they will always be looking to enrich themselves and their big corporate supporters. I don’t think it’s fair to say it’s only the republicans. The democrats are just as money hungry and corrupt.

Regarding your grant from the state, what you’ve stated is absolute fact. I learned this myself several years back when I worked for a major utility company and handled the Commonwealth of Mass account. They wouldn’t pay their bills until about a month before the fiscal year ended. At that point, if there were any funds left over they would spend it on unnecessary system upgrades and equipments. I was told by my former state contacts if each agency did not use what they were budgeted for in the current fiscal year, they would get less money for the following year. If they used all their money they could then ask for more in the next year. And it worked! Each year their budget grew. It didn’t matter who was in office, democrats or republicans…..
So much for fiscal responsibility…..

I applaud your fundraising efforts and dedication to helping those less fortunate. Having been involved in several fundraisers over the past few years, I know how difficult it can be. Knowing that one person can make a difference, even if it only affects a small group of people,
far outweighs the hard work and exhaustion that accompanies planning these things!

I support is the Salvation Army. They are a wonderfully caring organization with a very low overhead. They are one of the best charities around. I had a friend who had to use their services after her husband left her shortly after the birth of their son. She was an unemployed, stay at home mom who needed a little help paying the bills until she could arrange day care, etc, to go back to work. She was mortified at having to ask for help and refused to apply for welfare or food stamps. I went with her to the Salvation Army (she was too embarassed to go by herself) upon the recommendation, of all sources, a Mass Electric customer service rep. I can say first hand how teriffic this organization is. They were kind, nonjudgmental, and supportive. I can’t say enough how great they were.

So you see, Michael, even us “conservatives” can be soft-hearted, when the situation warrants!
Have a great day!