To: Members of the General Court
June 28, 2004
Despite Senators Lees’ and Joyce’s statements during last week’s Senate debate on the appointment of a U.S. Senator, that they mutually don’t put much stock in anything CLT says, here are more CLT recommendations.
While we could not research every outside section because the Legislature is still improperly placing all kinds of complicated non-budgetary legislation into the budget, we generally support the Governor’s vetoes, especially the following:
1. A moratorium on charter schools: Sustain it, for the children. The children are our future. Support kids, not the teachers unions. Support choice for parents who care.
2. A senior exemption from property taxes: As the Governor requests, let there first be a referendum vote, allowing not-yet-seniors to determine whether they want to raise their own property taxes to give a break to seniors who might be economically better off than they who have mortgages, kids to educate, their own retirement to save for.
3. Tuition for illegal immigrants: What part of “illegal” does the Legislature not understand? Encourage the kids to learn English and get their citizenship; in the long run, it will benefit everyone more.
4. The courts and other things: Reform first.
5. Wages for “direct care” workers: We too support this wage increase. But we recall in the past the six figure salaries of the compassionate people who run some of the human service provider agencies. Take from the rich, give to the poor.
6. Free prescription drugs for low-income residents: It has not escaped our attention that government’s medical costs are huge and about to become huger as the boomers age. Don’t make a bad situation even worse.
7. Smoking ban: What’s with the money to implement it? Just tell local police to stop worrying about terrorism, domestic abuse, teenage drinking, etc. and go harass restaurant owners.
P.S. Both Senators Lees and Joyce don’t like what we’ve said about THEM, when Lees refused to submit Governor Romney’s amendment on the income tax rollback, and Joyce when he ran for the Senate on that rollback then voted against it. And some of you wonder why we are cynical?
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