South Shore Republican Voice

WHOOPS!

2011-05-27T16:03:00.000-07:00

On May 26, 2011, the Massachusetts Republican State Committee dissolved the Brockton Republican City Committee, reducing its membership from 205 to 26. The alleged purpose was to allow the Brockton Committee to avail themselves of a quorum (previously 21, now 3), which they had been unable to attain for several years in order to perform their business.

As a result, one of the 7 Brockton Ward Committees (Ward 5) has been sent to outer space since only one former member was present at the May 26 meeting. The other 6 Ward Committees now have a total of 26 members instead of 205.

Wow! What an opportunity for ANYONE from ANY WARD to sign up 35 members for his/her ward, thus stacking the vote for the Spring 2012 election, and thus guaranteeing him/herself the chairmanship of the Brockton Republican City Committee. This is true since the 7 Ward Chairmen of the constituent committees of the City Committee have not shown themselves to have the energy, incentive, ability, or interest in political events to advance their party in Brockton.

After almost superhuman efforts to rid itself of a felonious prior Chairman, the State Committee has now committed the City Committee to voluntary suicide and surrender to nefarious parties who will now take over all the functions of the City Committee. It is beyond the comprehension of this observer why our leadership would do such an act and deprive the Brockton Republican City Committee of any advances that have been made over the past 50 years. We are now obliged to observe Bylaws imposed by an authoritarian State Committee instead of following our own Bylaws written at great effort 25 years ago, which have shown no faults in the past.

Mark my word, one year from now the Brockton Republican City Committee will be chaired and run by a group we have spent the last 5 years trying to expurgate. You can count on it. The Brockton City Committee will not recover from this fatal error.

New incentive for profiling?

2010-11-19T18:31:00.000-08:00

Click here to read the latest news about crime in Brockton and the latest reason not to celebrate our town's "diversity."

ALL IS LOST!!

2010-10-22T13:38:00.000-07:00

Obama and the king of Saudi Arabia

ALL IS LOST!!!

From the Boston Globe, October 20, 2010:

"Hamas must be given role in peace efforts, Carter says" (Page A3).

Former President Jimmy Carter, in Syria with an international group of statesmen, said that "1.5 million Palestinians are held in a cage or prison while their human rights are taken away."

"Plane with Saudi students diverted, searched" (Page A2).

The three students spoke little English and had just arrived in the United States from Saudi Arabia to study aviation. Smoke was found coming from the lavatory.

"Taliban elite joining talks, officials say" (Page A4).

Taliban commanders from the highest levels are secretly leaving their sanctuaries in Pakistan with the help of NATO troops to join peace talks with the inner circle of President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan. US officials admitted that talks between Afghan and Taliban leaders are underway.

From the Boston Globe, October 21, 2010:

"US influence in Iraq is dwindling" (Page A20).

A party led by anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr appears poised to play a major role in the Iraqi government eventually to be formed by Prime Minister al-Maliki. Iraqis are turning to Iran for guidance. An Iraqi lawmaker said that the Iranian ambassador has a bigger role in Iraq than US Vice President Biden. Iraqis measure US influence largely by military presence, which is rapidly declining.

Are we still admitting Saudi students into US schools of aviation? Have we learned nothing? After losing thousands of American lives to install democracy in Iraq, are we encouraging a return of Muslim theocracy? After missing our target in Afghanistan, and after a troop surge to defeat the Taliban, are we providing helicopter support so the Taliban can resume stoning teenage women? Did our President for years follow a Chicago clergyman whose best-known philosophy is "God damn America"? Does a former US President truly believe the terrorist Hamas murderers are susceptible to bargaining with Israel? After all of this, is it surprising that a well-known commentator was fired for stating he was nervous about Muslims on airplanes? Where is our country headed?

Unbelievable.

Obama's Islamic agenda

2010-08-07T18:10:00.001-07:00

I am appalled at the prospect of our Islamic president Obama visiting Hiroshima 65 years after President Truman's proper and courageous decision to use the atomic bomb to end World War II.

There is no doubt whatsoever that our illegally-installed president would apologize to the world for our former President Truman's decision to end the war by dropping the bomb. This would be the ultimate betrayal of the public that would be conceivable, and would constitute a full betrayal of the duties of American citizens and especially of American diplomats to defend the principles of American citizenship.

There is no question that Mr. Obama's ultimate goal is to inflict sharian law upon the United States, with its dismemberment of thieves, stoning of women at the slightest provocation, and completely unacceptable punishments for misdemeanors.

To add to this deplorable objective his complete subjugation to the wishes of the unrepentent Islamic community would be the worst possible outcome of his presidency.

There is no way that this traitor to his country should be given the opportunity to disgrace us by apologizing for winning World War II! Keep him away from Hiroshima and Nagasaki!

Now is the time to organize an effort to defeat this attempt at disgracing us. If anyone has an idea how to organize an effort against this traitorous goal, please reply to this message. We need to to put together something to prevent this from happening.

Health Care Lunacy

2010-03-20T13:30:00.001-07:00

There have been no postings to this site in several months. My excuse is that local and national matters of interest have reached such a state of lunacy that I haven't known where to begin. This week, however, marks the high point of lunacy with the assumed passage of health care "reform," more accurately to be considered the death knell for sensible health care in America. Most disturbing is the fact that the bill is disliked and even feared by a majority of US citizens. Nothing short of dictatorship will assuage the craving of our president for power.

Since the 2300-page text of the Health Care bill was made public just this morning, March 20, I downloaded it for a quick look-see. I have chosen a few details to explore on this blog for the edification of any readers who may show up, but mostly for my own satisfaction in having stated my opinion once again. As one small example (pages 289 to 307 of the text), I looked at:

REDUCING POTENTIALLY PREVENTABLE HOSPITAL READMISSIONS.

What I found is frightening, and is only a tiny piece of the pie. Do you happen to know who the current Secretary of HHS is? Neither do I, but I promise to look it up. This Secretary, whoever she (or he) might be, will have full power to pay or starve hospitals and physicians upon her whim. I quote in small part:

"ADJUSTMENT TO HOSPITAL PAYMENTS FOR EXCESS READMISSIONS.-

(1) IN GENERAL. - With respect to payment for discharges from a .. hospital .. on or after October 1, 2011, .. to account for excess readmissions in the hospital, the Secretary shall reduce the payments that would otherwise be made to such hospital .. by an amount equal to etc. etc. blah blah blah."

Do you begin to see my point? More quotes:

"MONITORING INAPPROPRIATE CHANGES IN ADMISSIONS PRACTICES. -

The Secretary shall monitor the activities of .. hospitals to determine .. steps to avoid patients at risk in order to reduce the likelihood of increasing readmissions... If the Secretary determines that such a hospital has taken such a step .. the Secretary may impose an appropriate sanction." To summarize, the Secretary of HHS will monitor hospital admissions to see if they are admitting the same patient more often than she thinks is appropriate, and will punish hospitals for trying to avoid such situations. Neat.

Another one:

"PHYSICIANS.- (1) STUDY. The Secretary .. shall conduct a study to determine how the readmissions policy .. could be applied to physicians. (2) CONSIDERATIONS.- (A) creating a new code .. and payment amount .. under the fee schedule .. of the Social Security Act (in a budget neutral manner) for services by .. a physician who sees an individual within the first week after discharge from a hospital ..; (B) developing measures of rates of readmission for individuals treated by physicians; (C) applying a payment reduction for physicians who treat the patient during the initial admission that results in a readmission; and (D) methods for .. payment reductions to the physician ..."

Am I really reading this? If your doctor treats you in the hospital and you are later readmitted, the Secretary can apply payment reductions to the doctor?

These are just a few of the readmission provisions in the huge bill. And budget neutrality is a consideration? If so, why does the bill appropriate $25,000,000 each year just to implement these 19 pages of the bill, out of 2300? I can't wait to see what is in the other 2281 pages.

Thank you for reading all of this!

Power plant stupidity

2009-11-06T16:26:00.000-08:00

My octogenarian brain, with 54 years of residence in Brockton, cannot believe the utter and complete stupidity of Brockton government in its attitude toward the proposed power plant.

The Brockton Enterprise of November 6, 2009, has two feature articles: "Somerset power plant to shut down" and "Mall loses another store; Waldenbooks to close its doors ...".

Recently, the proposed 12-screen movie theater for Westgate Mall has been cancelled; we denied access to an entertainment center at Westgate Mall; Westgate Mall itself is bankrupt and is up for auction; a downtown renewal project on Montello Street has been abandoned; the national unemployment rate has surpassed 10% for the first time in 26 years; and meanwhile, our leaders are turning down an offer by Brockton Clean Energy to create 756 new jobs and $368 million in economic stimulus.

Where is the supposed brainpower in Brockton government leading us?

I also may be stupid, but I can point to my Ph.D. degree from M.I.T. as some indication that I might be thinking straight.

I call upon former Mayor Jim Harrington and Mayor-Elect Linda Balzotti to forget their politically motivated illogical opposition to the power plant, and to admit to the common sense of accepting a new power plant in Brockton. Brockton Clean Energy's suggestion that old, obsolete power plants will close if they build a clean natural gas plant, is proved by the Somerset power plant closing to be right on the mark! Without the new plant, the area will be depleted of a huge source of energy.

The proposed power plant will provide $12.5 million annually for the economy of the Brockton metropolitan area - what kind of stupidity will oppose this while boasting of its inefficient, money-draining solar power field that lights up a few rooms at City Hall (when the sun is shining)!

Let's be real, Jim and Linda. And Jim, now that you're out of office, what prevents you from helping the local economy and to hell with the special political interests that compelled you to abandon your initial support and to adopt a stance opposing the plant? The Democrats abandoned you and you owe them nothing. Join with former Mayor Jack Yunits and do us all a favor! Speak up honestly now that it doesn't matter to your political career. The Massachusetts AFL-CIO, the Teamsters Local Union, the Brockton Education Association, and 24 other local unions support the plant and the jobs it will create. The Massachusetts Energy Facilities siting Board approved the plant by a vote of 9-0. Get with it!

Elect LARRY CURTIS Councilor at Large

2009-10-10T16:09:00.000-07:00

We need to have Larry Curtis on the City Council of Brockton to promote the power plant project. If Brockton misses this opportunity to advance its economic growth, it may be another generation before another such chance comes up. Let's support Larry and let him fight for our future!

Fred Fontaine for Councilor at Large

2009-10-10T15:58:00.000-07:00

Fred Fontaine deserves to be our Councilor at Large. With an M.I.T. education and a record of public service, he will push for the Brockton power plant and strive for the economic development and prosperity of Brockton.
For a review of his commitment, go to his home page.

ALL HAIL KING DEVAL THE FIRST OF MASSACHUSETTS

2009-09-27T06:36:00.001-07:00

Having now shown himself to be above the law, can we next expect King Deval to proclaim, as kings do, that he is actually descended from above?

Here is how it has played out in recent days. After Senator Edward Kennedy's recent death, the Obama administration found itself perhaps one Senate vote short of passing its threatened health care bill. Massachusetts law, passed to restrict former governor Romney's powers of appointment, prohibited our governor from appointing an interim U. S. senator to save the health bill. Sensing stress and opportunity, the Kennedy family and the White House took a sudden interest in the Massachusetts legislature, and pressured them to overturn this prohibition. Which of course they did, as the good little sheep that they are.

However, Massachusetts law also imposes a delay of 90 days on new statutes before they become effective. Oh my goodness, what to do! That would be too late to rescue the health "reform" act in the United States senate.

Again sensing disaster in Washington, the Massachusetts legislature filed a bill to declare an emergency and waive the 90-day delay. But it did NOT pass the Massachusetts House by the necessary 2/3 vote. Hooray for democracy! But behold, Beacon Hill found a way out. Governor Patrick decided unilaterally to declare an emergency, and to waive the 90-day delay, thus setting himself up to single-handedly get the health reform bill passed in Washington and to bankrupt the United States and Medicare recipients all at once.

He promptly appointed Kennedy friend Paul Kirk as interim "Senator." In our opinion, Mr. Kirk is no more a legitimate Senator representing Massachusetts than I am. He is an apostle of King Deval and Lord Obama. Nevertheless, we expect little to be done about it in our little Northeast Kingdom.

Christy Mihos Speaks up for power plant!

2009-08-12T08:43:00.000-07:00

In an article entitled "Brockton can benefit from power plant," gubernatorial candidate Christy Mihos makes it clear that accepting Clean Energy's proposal would be a win-win situation for our city of Brockton. Click here to read the article that appeared in The Enterprise on August 6, 2009.
Seldom has Brockton's condition been so clearly outlined, from a historical and analytical point of view. Mr. Mihos has clarified the issues admirably in the face of our city government's obstinacy. Our mayor and city council have backed themselves into an indefensible corner and should be ashamed. It's not too late to change their minds!
Thank you for your efforts, Mr. Mihos.

Help Your City!

2009-07-31T10:58:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, August 4th, there will be a meeting of the Brockton Planning Board to consider approval of the power plant site plan. Public comments will be heard! Mysteriously, the Enterprise had a long article on July 31 about the state siting board's approval of the power plant, but it failed to mention that there will be a public hearing on August 4 by the Brockton Planning Board to discuss the issue with the public. What kind of treachery and bias is this on the part of Brockton's daily newspaper?

Brockton Clean Energy, and I personally, appeal to you to show up in force Tuesday at the hearing to show that our mayor and City Council are dangerously out of step with what is best for Brockton. There is NO QUESTION that permitting the plant to be built here would be beneficial for the community. Ten of the eleven City Councilors are doing a major disservice to the residents of Brockton. It's a disgrace.

Please read Brockton Clean Energy's appeal below and do what you can to help us all make the most of what we have here in Brockton.

Dear Supporters,

Your continued support is vital to the success of Brockton Clean Energy!

On Tuesday, August 4th, we need your help! The Brockton Planning Board is considering the approval of the project's Site Plan. The meeting will be open to the public and the Planning Board will hear public comments.

With your support Brockton will move one step closer to constructing the $350M project and realizing the economic benefits, which include more than 300 jobs and millions in new tax revenues to fight crime and provide vital services.

Supporters should arrive at the meeting early, particularly if you would like to speak in order to put your name on the list for public comment. The meeting will take place at Brockton City Hall in the GAR Room at 7:00 p.m. Brockton City Hall is located at 45 School Street.

21-Year-old operator in fatal motorcycle crash

2009-07-27T09:20:00.000-07:00

Christopher Wood of Halifax, riding home on his Yamaha from a party at 7:30 p.m. on July 25, left the road in Plympton and was thrown from his motorcycle. He did not survive. Mr. Wood was accomplished in automotive matters, having graduated in 2006 from South Shore Vocational Technical High School and later from Universal Technical Institute in Norwood.

19-Year-old drunk motorcyclist kills friend in rollover

2009-07-20T18:18:00.000-07:00

On July 19 at 1:00 a.m., Patrick Joyce of South Boston, drove into the guardrail on Route 24 in Stoughton, and his Jeep rolled over. His friend Bob Devlin was thrown from the car and died at Caritas Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton.

21-Year-old motorcyclist crashes through fence

2009-07-19T13:26:00.000-07:00

On July 12, in the middle of the afternoon, Leo Boutiette of East Bridgewater sped his motorcycle and himself through a stockade fence. He was not wearing a helmet and suffered such injuries that he said he had no feeling in his legs. Witnesses told police he was speeding dangerously through the neighborhood.

BE SMART! Bring on Brockton's Power Plant

2009-07-15T18:10:00.000-07:00

In a remarkably intelligent and informative contribution to Brockton's examination of the power plant controversy in the Enterprise on July 15 (click here to read it), Richard J. Lawton admonishes us "Don't Let Fear Guide Decision on Power Plant." Of course he is right.

He says "Historically, we have all born witness to climate and pollution theories designed to scare the public into fear and rash decisions" and "... The immediate threat of global warming and the dangers of CO2 emission .. is the most recent doomsday scenario peddled by politicians to push through a political agenda - i.e., increased taxes."

Amen, Mr. Lawton. Incidentally, Mr. Lawton is not just a lay citizen. He is "chairman of the Energy Task Force made up of university professors and graduate students engaged in studying energy in Massachusetts and the region."

Mr. Lawton wonders why Canada is capitalizing on our need for energy by constructing a 1,100 megawatt nuclear reactor approved in 2008 for exporting electricity to the energy-strapped northeast of the U.S.A., and the approval for Quebec Hydro to transmit power to this region through Maine and New Hampshire.

Wake up, citizens of Brockton, see the light, and do what you can make it possible for our children to live lives at least as comfortable as our own. The Education Trust says the U.S. is the only industrialized country in which young people are less likely than their parents to graduate from high school. This is unacceptable!

We have an energy crisis here, and Brockton should share in the benefits of realizing this fact and doing something about it. Nobody else is going to help us - we have to do it ourselves!

20-Year-old drunk driver kills passenger; 6 injured

2009-07-14T10:24:00.000-07:00

At 2 a.m. on July 10, on Route 91 in Springfield, MA, Nathaniel Chisnall of Enfield, CT, crashed his car into the guard rail while driving under the influence of alcohol. A 23-year-old passenger was killed at the site, and he and his other five passengers all were injured.

20-Year-old motorcyclist dies in collision

2009-07-12T08:07:00.000-07:00

Mitchell Campbell of Randolph, 20, reportedly in an act of road rage, crashed his motorcycle into a pickup truck on Route 138 at the intersection with Route 495 on July 11. He was pronounced dead at Morton Hospital in Taunton.

19-Year-old motorcyclist critical after collision

2009-07-11T16:15:00.000-07:00

At 3:20 p.m. on July 8, Aaron Johnson of Brockton, 19 years old, ran his motorcycle into a Chevrolet driven by 21-year-old Justin O'Kelly of East Bridgewater at the intersection of Routes 14 and 27 in East Bridgewater.
O'Kelly was charged with failure to yield. Johnson is in critical condition at Boston Medical Center.

19-Year-old driver races train; kills 5 teens

2009-07-11T15:28:00.001-07:00

On July 9 Dan Broughton near Detroit, MI, raced around another car, skirted the crossing gate, and his car was struck by a train going 67 mph. His car was dragged for a mile in flames, and he was killed along with his four passengers aged 14 to 21. Broughton was driving on a suspended license.
Of course, Massachusetts is set on challenging the rights of the elderly to drive.

21-Year-old driver charged with homicide

2009-07-11T07:32:00.000-07:00

Jonathan Muir, 21, of Falmouth, crashed his speeding car into a tree in Bourne at 1:30 a.m. on June 29. His passenger, Cassandra Flynn-Rakos, 21, of Bourne, died at the scene. There were three injuries. Muir has been charged with speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol.

Johnny Pimentel, 22, dies in rollover

2009-07-06T12:41:00.000-07:00

Pimentel's red BMW was going 80 miles per hour in Sudbury at 6:20 a.m. on July 4 when it missed a turn, jumped a stream, hit a bridge, and rolled over, killing him. And yet the relentless media campaign against elderly drivers goes on and on. Are the media providing balanced coverage of the dangers we all face on the road?

Note: The photo is a file photo and not Mr. Pimentel's actual car.

19-Year-old driver dies, 5 injured

2009-07-05T08:34:00.000-07:00

A 19-year-old driver, Michael Lally of Quincy, was ejected from his car and died when he crashed his car into another vehicle in Quincy in the early morning of July 4. Four cars were ultimately involved, and five people were hospitalized with injuries.

31-Year-old drunk driver murders 3 passengers

2009-07-05T07:49:00.001-07:00

31-Year-old Jason Spurlin of Lake Worth, Florida, crashed his car at 1 a.m. on July 4 in Walpole, Massachusetts. He survived, but is charged with homicide because his three passengers, aged 20, 20, and 23, all died. Spurlin was going 70 mph in a 30 mph zone, and was unlicensed.
Meanwhile, the media attack on elderly drivers is growing in intensity.

23-Year-old driver kills three

2009-07-05T07:39:00.001-07:00

A 23-year-old driver, Gleidson Pereira of Plymouth, Massachusetts, rolled over his sedan on Route 95 in Attleboro at 2:45 a.m. on July 4 when he lost control. He was killed along with two passengers, 27 and 29 years old. A third passenger aged 29 was hospitalized with serious injuries.
Meanwhile, the media continue their relentless condemnation of elderly drivers. What a crazy society we live in.

Brockton needs a stimulus!

2009-07-01T18:13:00.000-07:00

Adrian Walker of the Boston Globe thinks "Brockton needs a spark" (see his column on June 30 by clicking here).

We have made our position about the prospective power plant very clear in earlier postings, but Mr. Walker has analyzed the situation powerfully. He sees no harm and much value in encouraging the construction of the new gas-powered power plant in Brockton. After all, he contends, the city is "going through tough times." He points out that our tax base has eroded, the library has closed all four branches, storefronts are boarded up, and crime is creeping up. He says "This might seem like a good time for a project that will pump an estimated $2 million a year in revenue into the city's coffers."

We could not agree more! Unfortunately, Mayor Harrington would not explain his opposition to the project, despite the fact that when Harrington was president of the Brockton City Council, the same project was approved unanimously by the Council. Why?

There comes a time when political considerations should be set aside, vocal opposition should be ignored, and the future of the city should be definitive. As Mr. Walker points out, "The options for developing the area are too few to allow one to slip away."

Let's get with it, Mr. Mayor and City Councilors. Do the right thing for the city of Brockton and your constituents. Get this project rolling!

Youthful Driver in Rollover Accident

2009-07-01T16:07:00.001-07:00

A young woman from Raynham (age 23) rolled over her 2008 Ford Fusion on Route 24 on June 30, involving another car with a 52-year-old driver. The accident occurred near Exit 16 in the southbound lane. The young lady was being treated at Morton Hospital in Taunton, and her name was not being released. It seems likely to this reporter that speed was involved.
This occurred while the testing of elderly drivers was being debated on Beacon Hill.

Healthcare Madness?

2009-03-11T14:20:00.001-07:00

It has been reported that Brockton Area Multi Services Inc. is expanding by adding 52 staff positions to perform its function of supervising the Children Behavioral Health Initiative. The agency says this is the most important initiative added to its portfolio in 25 years. The included Wraparound Family Services, for children "with significant emotional and behavioral health needs," will be funded with a $4 million grant. This program will increase its services from 50 families to 300 families.

Now it's as difficult to be against the health of our children as it is to be against motherhood. It might be pointed out, however, that 4 million dollars could probably prevent foreclosures of 100 homes and perhaps keep 300 or more people from homelessness. Which application of this money would prevent more misery and be more cost-efficient than the other? The question at least deserves exploration.

Whether the prevalence of autism is actually increasing with time is open to question (click here). Reports of autism cases grew dramatically in the U.S. from 1996 to 2007. It is unknown how much, if any, growth came from changes in autism's prevalence.The number of reported cases of autism increased dramatically in the 1990s and early 2000s, prompting investigations into several potential reasons:
 More children may have autism; that is, the true frequency of autism may have increased.
 There may be more complete pickup of autism (case finding), as a result of increased awareness and funding. For example, attempts to sue vaccine companies may have increased case-reporting.
 The diagnosis may be applied more broadly than before, as a result of the changing definition of the disorder.
 Successively earlier diagnosis in each succeeding cohort of children, including recognition in nursery (preschool), may have affected apparent prevalence but not incidence.

According to the published literature, the reported increase is largely attributable to changes in diagnostic practices, referral patterns, availability of services, age at diagnosis, and public awareness.

A 2007 study that modeled autism incidence found that broadened diagnostic criteria, diagnosis at a younger age, and improved efficiency of case ascertainment, can produce an increase in the frequency of autism ranging up to 29-fold depending on the frequency measure.

We may be completely wrong, and we hope so, but the apparent relationship of the alleged increased prevalence of autism to the increased availability of funding, and the resulting utilization of funds in the Brockton area, seem sufficient to raise questions.

The Latest Face of Creationism - Danger for Republicans

2009-03-09T13:03:00.001-07:00

On June 26, 2008, Governor Jindal of Lousiana signed into law the Louisiana Science Education Act, disavowing the science and teaching of evolution, in spite of the following protests:

Professor Arthur Landy of Brown University, a former teacher of Governor Lindal, told him: "Without evolution, modern biology, including medicine and biotechnology, wouldn't make sense."

"Creationists who want religious ideas taught as scientific fact in public schools continue to adapt to courtroom defeats by hiding their true aims under ever changing guises." – Scientific American, January 2009, p. 92.

"Louisiana will undoubtedly be thrust into the national spotlight as a state that pursues politics over science and education." – American Institute of Biological Sciences.

The law will "unleash an assault against scientific integrity." – American Association for the Advancement of Science.

'The state of Louisiana [should] not allow its science curriculum to be weakened by ... confusing students about the nature of science." – National Association of Biology Teachers.

Bobby Jindal, governor of Louisiana, is being pushed at Republican voters as the 2012 presidential front-runner. Beware of those who do not believe in science, logic, or education! "Intelligent design" = "Unintelligent dogma".

The US Supreme Court has found unconstitutional any act that "impermissibly endorses religion by advancing the religious belief that a supernatural being created humankind." This finding fostered the stubborn invention of "intelligent design," a renamed version of creationism that does not explicitly evoke a supreme being, and alleges that evolution is a theory, not a fact. Federal courts, however, found that intelligent design is not science, and that "it cannot uncouple itself from its creationist, and thus religious, antecedents." The court has declared the teaching of intelligent design in public schools to be unconstitutional.

Bills similar to the one signed by Lousiana governor Jindal have been introduced in Alabama, Florida, Michigan, Missouri, and South Carolina. All have failed.

In the 1960 presidential campaign, Republicans planted the seed of doubt concerning the potential influence of the Catholic Church on a potential Catholic president. They were wrong to do so. Now, however, they themselves are insidiously pursuing a course of gradual intervention of religion in government, as exemplified, for example, by "faith-based charity," curtailment of stem cell research, and asking repeatedly "What would Jesus do?" with regard to government policies. This is taking place in the face of continuous erosion of public church affiliation – a 54% majority of Massachusetts residents were Catholics in 1990, for example, while only 39% are Catholic today. Massachusetts residents who claim no religious affiliation make up 22% of the population today, versus only 8% in 1990.

This group of religious fanatics will not give up. But more and more voters will disavow them as their activities offend the sensibilities of an informed public. Extreme conservatism has gone too far, again.

HAPPINESS IS ......

2009-02-26T12:47:00.000-08:00

How often do we see happy Republicans nowadays? Tuesday night, February 24, we saw lots of them at Town Hall in Halifax, Massachusetts. Members of the city and town Republican Committees from the 2nd Plymouth and Bristol district elected Richard Greeley as their new State Committeeman, representing Brockton, Halifax, Hanover, Hanson, Whitman, and parts of Easton and East Bridgewater. To learn more about Mr. Greeley's political views, visit the Halifax Republican Town Committee blog by clicking here. Mr. Greeley is the owner of Greeley's Oil Inc., a fuel oil dealer in Halifax, with extensive familiarity with the proper function of government in a free enterprise society.

For Brocktonians, the happy event capped a glorious two-day march to victory. On the previous night, the Brockton Republican City Committee had replaced their discredited prior Chairman Larry Novak, who had resigned, by electing Beverly Doherty, a bright, smiling, good-natured, capable leader with a compulsion to revive the spirit, integrity, and purpose of her Committee. Her election was a victory for propriety and progress, repudiating the methods of the previous "leadership" team. Ms. Doherty is seen here with Jeanie Falcone, Massachusetts State Committeewoman from the district.

Brockton Committee Chairmanship

2009-02-07T15:31:00.000-08:00

As a devoted Republican, it gives me no pleasure and a great deal of pain and indecision to discuss the matter of the Chairmanship of the Brockton Republican City Committee. Our Chair for the past nine years, Attorney Lawrence Novak, has pleaded guilty to three federal felony counts. He faces loss of his lawyer's license and has been expelled from the Massachusetts Republican State Committee, of which he has been both Treasurer and Vice Chairman. What a pity. I personally could feel very sorry for Attorney Novak if he had taken the advice of the level-headed members of the Brockton Republican City Committee in late 2005, after he had been indicted, and withdrawn from the chairmanship at that time until his case had been resolved.

But no, Mr. Novak stubbornly resisted resigning to preserve the dignity of our committee, and for more than three years has attempted to lead his steadily declining committee from his weak position as an indicted felon. I cannot forgive him that selfish attitude, although his cleverness kept him in office all this time, to the detriment of the Brockton Committee.

Mr. Novak, now no longer a member of the State Committee, by extension is no longer a legitimate Chairman of the Brockton Committee. The Executive Committee has called a meeting to replace him. He reportedly intends to resign from the Committee, but has not done so. Now is the proper moment for him finally to display some grace and dignity, and resign immediately. The Committee, formerly but no longer his personal bailiwick, needs to move on and start reorganizing after the disaster of the past three years. As we have stated before, actions have consequences, and Mr. Novak must face that fact.

NOTE ADDED FEBRUARY 14: Mr. Novak has resigned from the Brockton Republican Ward 1 Committee and from the Chairmanship of the City Committee. A meeting will be held on February 23 to elect a new Chairman.

NOVAK PLEADS GUILTY TO MONEY-LAUNDERING

2009-02-02T10:54:00.000-08:00

For details from the Brockton Enterprise of February 2, 2009, click here.

OBAMA SNUBS THE MILITARY

2009-01-30T10:07:00.000-08:00

Barack Obama may have stumbled over his words briefly during his inauguration, but he made an even bigger blunder later Tuesday evening. The newly sworn-in President opted not to appear at what should have been one of the most important Balls on his agenda that evening - The Salute to Heroes Inaugural Ball.

The Salute to Heroes Inaugural Ball was begun in 1953 for President Dwight Eisenhower's inauguration. The event recognized recipients of the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military award. There were 48 Medal of Honor recipients in attendance, who were undoubtedly disappointed by the Commander-in-Chief's failure to show. Over the past 56 years and 14 inaugurations, no President has skipped this event - until now.

The Salute to Heroes Inaugural Ball is sponsored by the American Legion, and co-sponsored by 13 other veteran's service organizations, including those such as the Paralyzed Veterans of America and the Military Order of the Purple Heart.

FOUL PLAY BY POWER PLANT OPPONENTS

2009-01-07T16:24:00.000-08:00

In the long history of Brockton, Massachusetts, nobody has done a greater disservice to the citizens of the city than Ed Byers, owner of Cindy's Kitchen, by opposing the construction of a power plant in Brockton. To promote his cause, he has repeatedly lied to the city and to his vocal supporters about the alleged dangers of the plant. To view a Brockton Enterprise report on his nefarious reporting, click here.

Mr. Byers, a manufacturer of salad dressing, has voiced his unsubstantiated opinions about the proposed power plant at every opportunity. He has gathered influential support including that of the politically driven mayor of Brockton, James Harrington, and that of the seriously tree-hugging voice of Brockton's radio station WXBR, Ron van Dam. Mr. van Dam has given Mr. Byers and his supporters extremely generous air time to deprecate the motives and the competency of the prospective builder Advanced Power. It's easy to oppose development if you are inherently anti-business and do not care to substantiate false claims. Fear is cheap. Mr. van Dam has made it clear that prospective revenue for the city of Brockton should not even enter into consideration. He would far prefer to build money-gobbling and inefficient solar plants to boost the city's image. Of course our present "brightfield" solar power plant may power part of city hall – or it may not. We have never had a report on costs and benefits of this installation, now several years old.

The Campello Businessmen's Association has supported building the gas-fired power plant by 10 to 1.

Mr. Byers claimed this week that a similar power plant built in Johnston, R.I., in 2002 caused nearby houses to become unmarketable and to be razed. The mayor of Johnston has written an open letter to the citizens of Brockton denying that this claim has any merit. The houses in fact were razed many years before the power plant was built, for other reasons. Mayor Polisena said that a gas-fired power plant built in his city seven years ago has been a good neighbor, and that he would welcome Advanced Power to his city to build there if Brockton turns them down. Mr. Byers has offered no explanation of his falsehood. Enough already. Bring on the plant.

NOTE TO RESPONDERS: Please identify yourself. Anonymous comments will not be posted.

Camelot defiled

2008-12-30T08:15:00.000-08:00

Face it. Caroline Schlossberg wouldn't be given a second glance as a senatorial candidate. Only the plundered Camelot aura has put Caroline Kennedy in the running.

The following brief excerpt from a recent New York Times interview of Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg casts some light on her qualifications for the office:

"NY Times: I just wonder if — he’s not giving interviews about it, you’re here, (laughter) and I think everybody would want to know: Did he [Senator Ted Kennedy] get excited about the idea? Did you feel like he wanted you to do it? That’s it.

"Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg: 'AS I SAID, I mean, he loves the Senate, it’s been, YOU KNOW, the most, YOU KNOW, rewarding life for him, YOU KNOW, I’m sure he would love it to feel like somebody that he cared about had that same kind of opportunity, and I think he really — and so do I, think the impact he’s had on, YOU KNOW, working people, YOU KNOW, the minimum wage fights that he’s led, health care, I MEAN that’s really — his example is something that, AS I SAID, inspires me, because of the impact that he’s been able to have. Whether it’s voting, civil rights, YOU KNOW, across the board, and I think he’s shown that the Senate can have that kind of an impact on people’s daily lives. And that’s what’s appealing about this opportunity, and I MEAN, I think, for those reasons he would love to have somebody that he cares about following, YOU KNOW, that tradition. But I think in terms of me, YOU KNOW, he doesn’t care, YOU KNOW, he’s happy if I’m happy.'"

In view of this demonstrated level of eloquence, we believe Governor Paterson of New York has it within his power to replace the would-be empress incumbent Hillary Clinton with an overgrown teenybopper. I mean, you know, we all know Hillary. And I mean, you know, Caroline, Honey, you're no Hillary.

The Kennedy clan has been afflicted for 65 years with more than its share of problems, from assassinations to sports deaths, rape, plane crashes, cowardice in emergencies, drunkenness, marriage annulments, and innumerable scandals of diverse types. Through it all, the imagery of Camelot has persisted for 45 years in the eyes of many. Caroline, must you destroy it by exploiting it? The press is currently making itself look foolish by searching for merit where none exists. You would do us all a great favor if you would just phone Governor Paterson and withdraw from contention.

Brockton celebrates diversity

2008-12-20T08:07:00.001-08:00

Shown above are twelve Brocktonians arrested on December 18 for plotting to kill a Brockton policeman, in revenge for the death of Earl Parks, who fired at policemen while fleeing arrest on drug charges. Did Brockton police overreact to the attack on them? Gee, how could our civil servants be so uncivil? For U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan's press conference on this matter, click here.

Without Brocktonians like these twelve, what would support our local press? Would they be reduced to printing stories about successful entrepreneurs who regrettably profited from providing services to the community? God forbid! How can you keep a newspaper going with just good news!

Without citizens like these twelve, what would keep all of us on our toes? I shudder to think how boring life would be if all Brocktonians were lifelong residents and did nothing to shake things up. Of course that cannot be. Our diverse society has moved far beyond those peaceful, hopeful days, and on to new frontiers. Bless the newcomers, keep up your exciting adventures!

The shameful Bush legacy

2008-12-16T18:23:00.000-08:00

Although I am a life-long Republican, I confess my great relief at being finally rid of the immoral, if not criminal Bush administration. Our national pride has been demolished, our international image destroyed, and our world leadership squandered by the Rumsfeld-Cheney-Bush triumvirate. The photo above, of a US soldier grinning over the body of an Iraqi detainee at Abu Ghraib in 2003, says it all. I voted enthusiastically for G. W. Bush in 2000 – how could we go wrong with parents like his? Mr. Gore, the environmental monotheist, would have been an utter disaster. In 2004, I voted against Mr. Kerry, not for Mr. Bush. In 2008 I voted for Mr. McCain in the hope of rescuing the Republican party from utter disaster. In retrospect, we should perhaps have devoted our energy to the idiotic fight against global warming in 2000, or elected an anti-war Vietnam traitor in 2004. No outcome could be worse than what we have now.

Columnist Dale McFeatters has stated the case far more eloquently than I can. I quote his December 16 syndicated column:

"Prisoner abuse started at the top
By Dale McFeatters, Scripps Howard News Service

Saturday, December 13, 2008

The period when the U.S. government officially condoned harsh and abusive interrogation techniques -- low-grade torture, really -- at Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay and the CIA's secret prisons was a low one for our standing in the world and our self-image at home.
Now that period has been decisively rejected in a report by the Senate Armed Services Committee, its chairman, Carl Levin, D-Mich., and senior Republican, John McCain of Arizona.
The committee, 13 Democrats and 12 Republicans, found, without dissent, that those techniques 'damaged our ability to collect accurate intelligence that could save lives, strengthened the hand of our enemies and compromised our moral authority.'
The committee rejected the excuse that episodes like Abu Ghraib were the work of low-level prison guards acting on their own.
In fact, the report took the blame all the way to the top, calling then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and other top Bush administration officials directly responsible and tracing the green light for abusive treatment to Feb. 7, 2002, when President Bush signed an order declaring that the Geneva Conventions did not apply to captured al Qaeda and Taliban fighters.
Pending further sunshine on this dark period, McCain's verdict will do nicely: "These policies are wrong and must never be repeated."

©Scripps Howard News Service

November 4, 2008

2008-11-05T07:33:00.001-08:00

Let us pray.

(For the symbolism of black roses, Click here).

VOTE YES ON QUESTION 1

2008-10-29T07:53:00.000-07:00

Taxpayers of Massachusetts at long last deserve a break.

Repealing the state income tax makes sense for many reasons. The scare tactics of Question 1 opponents are not valid because:

1. The legislature for years has successfully blocked reduction of the income tax to its original 5 % in spite of overwhelming voter support. They will also block repeal of the income tax, so they have nothing to worry about (except being re-elected!).

2. The legislature has the option of increasing the state sales tax to compensate for the lost income tax revenue. This would have the advantage that taxpayers can minimize their taxes by not spending, whereas the income tax is mandatory. State revenue would be maintained at present levels by a much more transparent mechanism. The fewer types of taxes we face, the more understandable the system becomes.

3. Taxpayers are threatened with a huge increase of property taxes if the income tax is repealed. But this is impossible because of Proposition 2-1/2, which severely limits annual property tax increases. Thank you, Barbara Anderson and Citizens for Limited Taxation!

The Brockton Enterprise editorial of October 28 exploits class warfare and uses completely twisted, idiotic reasoning to oppose repeal of the income tax. Click here to read this garbage. They argue that "Those earning more than $100,000 annually would get the most back, about an average of $16,300. The inequity is stunning." Inequity? Really? It’s not fair that those paying the most taxes would benefit the most from a repeal? Would it be more equitable to limit their benefits and distribute them to the indigent instead? What is fair about that? It sounds to us like "spreading the wealth around," the goal of our esteemed Democrat candidate for President. Working taxpayers already pay much more than their fair share of entitlements for non-working citizens and even non-citizens. Come on now, there's a limit to what our country can ask, if we intend to keep our democratic system going.

So we urge all voters to vote YES on Question 1, repeal the state income tax, and let the legislature do its best to get out of whatever hole they have dug for themselves by allocating our earned incomes unwisely and lavishly.

Obama's foreign policy qualifications

2008-10-27T13:50:00.001-07:00

Colin Powell, professional patsy, now endorses Obama

2008-10-20T08:45:00.001-07:00

On February 5, 2003, then Secretary of State Colin Powell addressed the UN Security Council on behalf of the Bush administration, with CIA Director George Tenet lurking over his shoulder. Suspecting that this was an important moment in US history, I turned on my VCR. Now, almost six years later, I have reviewed that tape and convinced myself that it was indeed a turning point in history.

General, you should have "stuck to your guns." As a brilliant military strategist/technician, your legacy was assured. However, accepting a high political appointment placed you way out of your league. Your disingenuous presentation to the UN did incalculable damage to the United States and to the world at large. In bowing to pressure from the Cheney-Rumsfeld-Bush axis, you dishonored yourself by presenting flimsy evidence to the world. Your 1-hour speech contained no hard evidence to support your contention that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.

The alleged purpose of your speech was to persuade the UN to enforce its Resolution #1441 and compel Iraq to disarm itself of WMDs. You told the Security Council that you wanted to share with them what the US "knew" about the WMDs by way of facts and "disturbing patterns of behavior." However, your entire case was founded on the absence of hard evidence, which you claimed proved Iraq's efforts to conceal and deceive. UN inspectors had found nothing, which you claimed was a very suspicious turn of events! You admitted that the satellite photographs you presented were "hard to interpret" and required the attention of experienced analysts with many years of experience. You yourself were unable to see what was alleged in these photographs.

It's hard to believe that you yourself were convinced of the allegations that Hussein had WMDs, yet you managed to convince the world that this was the case. I can only conclude that you succumbed to pressure for political reasons. This may have been confirmed the following year, when you resigned your office for unclear reasons.

Are we now seeing a repeat of your faulty judgment in your endorsement of Barack Obama? Are you again succumbing to pressure from different quarters? In your endorsement of Obama, you criticize the Bush administration for getting us into two wars. Pardon me, sir, but are you not largely responsible for legitimizing these wars? Have you no conscience? Please retire completely, General, and write your military memoirs. Leave politics and diplomacy to the experts.

Derrick Jackson's dishonest journalism

2008-10-14T08:28:00.001-07:00

Jackson's October 14 column in the Boston Globe ("McCain plays the race card – He's careening into George Wallace territory") - reaches new lows in journalism (Click here). The column offers not one shred of evidence to support its headline. Fortunately, most of Jackson's intended audience either cannot or will not read a newspaper.

Jackson refers to a crude comment made by an unknown and perhaps nonexistent Sarah Palin supporter at a rally. Not only was it not a comment by John McCain, as the headline suggests, it was not even a comment made at a McCain gathering. Jackson says "The hockey mom is slinging mud from the pit.," when in fact it is Jackson himself who is slinging mud and casting racial implications. If the truth be known, Mr. Jackson's article itself fosters and promotes white racism against blacks and makes it a little more palatable. It is obvious that black racism against whites is even more rampant than the reverse. Evidently Jackson thinks this is good news for his candidate in November.

Jackson invokes Congressman John Lewis's alarm about the incident to support his charge of racism. I believe Congressman Lewis is the same man who claimed 10 million black slaves were thrown overboard on ships coming to America and that even today the sharks follow the trail.

After reading Jackson's commentary, I suggest that my readers send him a personal email condemning his dishonest journalism, at jackson@globe.com.

Hair of the dog that bit you!

2008-10-11T09:33:00.001-07:00

America's total debt (household, business, finance, and government) is about $55 trillion dollars. That is $55,000,000,000,000, folks. For all of us, that's about $185,000 per person in the United States (including you and your family members!). A staggering amount of money, and we are learning this month that it is real cash that we owe, not just a paper figure. And this does NOT include unfunded pensions, Social Security, or Medicare. Click here to read a detailed report.

The most frightening part of this is that the amount we owe is about 4 times the size of the annual Gross Domestic Product of the United States! If the entire nation's output of goods and services was devoted to paying off our debts, we would not reach our goal until about 2013.

Most of what we, our cities and towns, and our nation "own" has been obtained by borrowing money. In fact, none of us owns much more than the clothes on our backs, if that. Our homes? We've seen in the past month that most of us don't own them at all. If we think we do, and think we are in no danger of losing them, we are committed to paying higher and higher federal and state taxes to keep them. We have to pay our debts eventually! We may have paid off our mortgages, if we're lucky, but we are still in debt to the amount of $185,000 each, closely approximating what our homes are worth – or what they were worth last week!

In the past few decades, the credit culture has grown without limit until everything we own represents borrowed money. This has finally arrived at an unsustainable point at which we cannot indulge ourselves in more big cars, electronic gadgets, and homes with cathedral ceilings and 3-car garages that we don't really own and can't afford. We are already up to our necks paying for what we have already acquired. We can't pay any more. Thus the credit crisis. The NOW culture has met its match.

By a process of self-correction, credit for everyone has been severely restricted, banks can't make any more interest on unrealistic loans, and the economy will grind to a standstill until the output of our personal labor has reduced our outstanding obligations to a realistic level. This might take years in the normal course of events. Business inventories will have to be real assets owned by the businesses, payrolls will have to be met with cash on hand instead of by short-term loans, mortgages will have to be justified by ability to pay, and new business investments will have to come from personal wealth, not borrowed funds.

However, our government has seen fit to inject about a trillion new dollars into the economy. The intent of this is to EASE CREDIT! Strange, isn't it, that easy credit is the cause of our present economic collapse, and the best cure our government can provide is to make credit more easily available again! Is this like the morning Bloody Mary for a hangover (hair-of-the-dog-that-bit-you)?

Good luck to us if this is the best we can do.

City of Chumps takes a hosing

2008-10-04T09:53:00.000-07:00

Brockton taxpayers are paying ten thousand dollars (yes, $10,000) EVERY DAY for desalinated water that is being dumped back into the river. Nevertheless, the Enterprise editors believe that "BROCKTON WATER WOES ARE FINALLY SOLVED" (click here). Even though the water is not needed, and may never be needed, the city of Brockton will be paying for it. We saw a 60% increase in our water bills on July 1, 2008, and increased sewer bills are in prospect.

The Enterprise says that "people learned how to conserve," so that the city "draws less water from Silver Lake …. today than it did a decade ago." If you believe that, you will buy a bridge to nowhere. These are the same people who daily dump tons of used lottery tickets, cigarette butts, and fruit juice bottles on the streets and lawns of their city. Do you believe they have learned to turn off their faucets while they brush their teeth? One can only laugh at this assertion. So what happened to make Silver Lake big enough to serve our needs?

In 1980, while paddling an inflatable boat on the Matfield River in Bridgewater, I was astonished and a little frightened to see a geyser springing out of nowhere just north of the river. It was perhaps a hundred feet high, made a roaring noise, and possibly amounted to upwards of a million gallons per day. A little investigation later showed that this was the probable location of a pumping station for Silver Lake water on its way to Brockton users, and the geyser was probably a leak in the main that was draining off perhaps 10% of Brockton's needs. I have no idea how long this went on, but it's certainly indicative of the condition of the supply mains and infrastructure for our water system.

The Enterprise on 8/1/93 reported Utilities Superintendent Robert Smith's claim that Brockton lost 11 to 14% of its water to leaks. This being the case for known leaks, it may be that they accounted for only a small fraction of the unrecognized leaks around the system. We could safely estimate that if we were pumping 10 million gallons a day from Silver Lake, only 7 or 8 million gallons was reaching our faucets. We were told to conserve! Hah! Meanwhile, the leaks were gradually repaired, the populace did not change its ways, and Councilor Harrington forced the Water Department to refuse an MWRA connection, by almost eliminating Commissioner Perkins's budget. By 1999, water consumption had been reduced by about 15% (Enterprise 5/13/99)- allegedly because of conservation (not likely), but probably because of repaired leaks. It was too late to stop Harrington's Folly, the desalinization plant, and Brockton committed to paying for unneeded water.

That seems to be the history of the unusual situation. Brockton taxpayers will foot the bill forever.

Do readers have additional thoughts on this matter? Please send in your comments.

More on the Democrats' guilt

2008-09-30T09:11:00.000-07:00

While we believe Barney Frank's incompetence is the chief cause of the present financial crisis, other Democrat figures including Barack Obama participated. For a compelling, factual presentaion on the situation, the 10-minute video now available on Youtube is a MUST VIEW! Just click here for a telling revelation.

As a supporting video, check out this one also.

Addendum: Even if you do not agree with my views on this matter; even if you do not respect Bill O'Reilly; even if you're a liberal (God forbid!); you should watch this video about Barney Frank ((click here) and his guilt in the financial disaster we currently face. Please give me your comments.

Barney Frank - the ultimate hypocrite

2008-09-23T14:32:00.000-07:00

The duties of Barney Frank (MA) as Chairman of the Financial Services Committee of the United States House of Representatives for years have been:

To oversee all components of the nation’s housing and financial services sectors including banking, insurance, real estate, public and assisted housing, and securities. The Committee continually reviews the laws and programs relating to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Federal Reserve Bank, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and international development and finance agencies such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. The Committee also ensures enforcement of housing and consumer protection laws such as the U.S. Housing Act, the Truth In Lending Act, the Housing and Community Development Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, the Community Reinvestment Act, and financial privacy laws.

This being the case, the negligence of Barney Frank is directly responsible for the national financial crisis of 2008.

Instead of taking the blame, however, Mr. Frank is striking out in all possible directions, demanding accountability from others for the problems he caused, and insisting on controls and regulations in his liberal agenda before agreeing to the administration's rescue program.

Mr. Frank - you should be resigning in disgrace instead of throwing up smoke screens to conceal your guilt. You are guilty of gross negligence and worse. For years you have insisted that the financial community award mortgages to borrowers unable to pay. Your liberal philosophy has led the United States to financial disaster, the likes of which we have probably never witnessed before. SHAME SHAME SHAME! Leave Washington now, and let ethical and wiser people take over from your disgraceful "leadership."

The new GOP

2008-09-13T15:29:00.001-07:00

We love you, Sarah!

Unfulfilled Commitments

2008-09-10T07:23:00.000-07:00

On April 5, 2008, Lawrence Novak and Alan Greene, Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Brockton Republican City Committee, were elected at a caucus to be delegates to the Republican National Convention in September. They were elected to represent:

Easton
Avon
Braintree
Canton
Dedham
Holbrook
Medfield
Milton
Needham
Norwood
Randolph
Stoughton
Walpole
Westwood
Bridgewater
Brockton
East Bridgewater
Hanson (2 precincts)
West Bridgewater
Whitman
Boston (parts of 11 wards)

Information has been received that neither Mr. Novak nor Mr. Greene attended the convention to fulfill their commitment to represent these communities, for unknown reasons.

We invite them to present their reasons here to their many thousands of disappointed constituents.

McCain - Palin Lawn Signs Needed!

2008-09-05T13:28:00.001-07:00

I've had numerous requests for McCain/Palin lawn signs for the Brockton area.
If anyone has information on how to obtain them, or who is leading the campaign locally, kindly comment here. The information will be put to good use.

A "Black Herring" at Harvard

2008-09-03T12:15:00.000-07:00

IS THIS RACIAL PROFILING?
When Senator Joseph McCarthy in 1950 accused the State Department of harboring communists, President Truman called it a "Red Herring." By this he meant the charge was diversionary and an effort to stir up hysteria.

In this sense, the current brouhaha at Harvard over racial profiling is a "Black Herring." The Boston Globe, however, defends the investigation initiated by Harvard President Drew Gilpin Faust (Click here to read the editorial "Profiling and Harvard police, Boston Globe, Sept. 2, 2008).

In our opinion, the cases cited in no way warrant such an investigation. In a response to the news item, Peter Towner of Saugus wrote in his Letter to the Editor entitled "Left-wing lunacy in Cambridge" as follows: "Last month Harvard University police stopped and questioned a young man who was taking apart a bike lock with tools. In the eyes of a police officer, that young man could be stealing that bike, and not to question him would be dereliction of duty." Amen, Mr. Towner. Would the alternative have been to ignore what was going on? This would be tantamount to anarchy. In the wake of this ridiculously overstated incident, the two policemen in question were placed on administrative leave. Give me a break!

Other "incidents" suddenly cropped up, liberal faculty took up the cause, and Harvard police training was brought into question. The Globe now states that "the independent panel should also look for clues outside of Harvard's police department."

Leftist activists and media are completely out of control. Society has an obligation to restrain them from their idiotic antics.

Blog Archive, January to March, 2008

2008-08-29T09:01:00.000-07:00

Since this blog was inadvertently deleted early in 2008, we publish here the recovered postings from the initial introduction until the date of deletion, for the historical record:

Intro
As a newcomer to blogging, but an old-timer in communications, this blog is created on January 19, 2008, with the hope of opening up avenues for all those south of Boston to express opinions of a political, technological, social, economic, or other nature. Great oaks from little acorns grow. Please bear with me while I conjure up an initial contribution to inspire comments or controversy!

Power plant in Brockton?
Let's be honest with one another. Despite what we read, not all Brocktonians are opposed to the power plant being built in Ward 4 in our fair city. As one example, our former mayor, whom we elected how many times, five or six, has always been beyond public reproach. He has been employed by the proposer of the power plant to promote its construction, and his integrity has never been questioned. Just an example.

The question boils down to honesty. The opponents are vociferous, adamant, and unconvincing. Their true motivations are not what they say. It's not asthma for their children, traffic, or a 250-foot chimney they really object to. What they want is NIMBY (not in my back yard). But whose back yard are they talking about? This project would be in an isolated industrialized area of Brockton. How many neighbors would they have? This is not Weston.

Let's face it. Brockton won't have many opportunities to make money from its sewage discharge. The only opportunity for this was raised years ago by a former mayor who ceremoniously drank a glass of treated Brockton sewage. We can't sell it all to him. If we can sell it, I'm all for it. Banning its sale to the power plant is just a subterfuge engineered by the opponents in their disingenuous actions driven by political correctness in their enthusiasm to defeat the plant.
To add to this misguided subterfuge, it is now being proposed to ban the sale of desalinated water to the plant. Come on, guys and gals, we need to sell this desalinated water to keep the price within reason. The more we sell to industry, the lower the price will be for us, if in fact the desalination water ever comes to our taps. We're talking real money out of our pockets here, unless we can sell it to a lot of customers!

So, in this writer's opinion, let's tell the truth. If you don't want the plant because it will be ugly, or will not make Brockton any more of a garden city than it is, just come out and say so. Don't threaten us with imagined dangers from emissions, noise, traffic, dirty fueling, or whatever. Most of these are your inventions to hide the fact that your motive is NIMBY. And there are not enough back yards in that area of Ward 4 to justify the noise you are making.

Is there an override in Brockton's future?
Are the residents of Brockton being softened up for a suggested Proposition 2-1/2 override? It looks that way to me.

A revenue shortfall of $10 million is projected for Brockton's budget of $304.7 million (2008 figure). This is about 3.3 %, unless my math is off. And yet each city department is being asked to present a budget with a 40 % cut. Why? Are we seeing scare tactics here?

It looks Draconian on the face of it, and one explanation would be to frighten the department heads and taxpayers into supporing a tax override. If there is another explanation, perhaps a reader can post it here. Police Chief Conlon visualizes the elimination of at least 30 police officers (up to 20 % of the police force) from such a budget cut. Fire Chief Galligan foresees closing one or more of our nine fire companies. Parks Superintendent Dorgan sees the closing of our public pool in the summer and eliminating programs at four playgrounds. Public Library Director Williams says there is no fat to be cut. Surprisingly, Superintendent of Schools Nembirkow (with a $135 million budget) says he has not been asked to prepare a reduced budget proposal.

We are not holding our breath in the expectation of $10 million worth of cost-saving measures by city government. So you can guess where this will all lead.

Veteran Brockton Republican City Committee decimated:
On February 5, voters of Brockton will elect the new members of the seven Brockton Republican Ward Committees. All of them automatically will become members of the Brockton Republican City Committee.

The mechanism for choosing candidates is for the present Committee leadership to present a slate of candidates for election to the committee of each ward. This year, Chairman Larry Novak performed this service.

Of the 166 legacy members of the City Committee as of the end of 2007, for one reason or another 83 (50%) were eliminated. In return, Mr. Novak personally recruited 147 new members. The new Brockton Republican City Committee after the February 5 election will consist of 83 veteran members and 147 new members recruited by Mr. Novak. There is no question where loyalty will fall when it comes to future votes of the Committee.

We congratulate Mr. Novak on an outstanding recruitment effort, and we hope he will keep an open mind when it comes to suggestions from the (now minority) group of veteran members of his Committee.

State Committee race makes the Sunday news:
Robert Preer, Boston Globe correspondent, found the local race between David Heidke and Larry Novak for a contested seat on the Republican State Committee to be of sufficient general interest to explore the matter in the Globe's January 20 edition.

Contests for political State Committee positions are quite rare, but as Robert Preer points out, this contest is quite heated. I urge readers to read carefully the article at http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2008/01/20/gop_committee_rivals_are_turning_up_the_heat/?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Massachusetts+news. You can also find this article by a Google search for Heidke Novak Globe.

Keep Jeanie Falcone on the Republican State Committee:

Since being elected to the State Committee, Jeanie Falcone has served faithfully and enthusiastically to represent the Second Plymouth and Bristol district.
Jeanie is a problem-solver! When the State Committee position became vacant, she jumped voluntarily into the gap. Nobody else stepped up to the plate.

Jeanie is an organizer! She demonstrated her management ability by single-handedly organizing a large-scale charitable event in Brockton on very short notice.

We appreciate all she has done with integrity in the relatively short time she has been involved in her elected position, where she has proved to be an honorable, hard-working, and successful officeholder. Under no circumstances should she be replaced.

Jeanie Falcone unites region:

It was exciting to see the chairmen of the Brockton, Easton, Whitman, and East Bridgewater Republican Committees together last night at George's Cafe in Brockton for Jeanie's fundraiser. Seldom does any cause engender such universal support.
In the top photo, Peter and Jeanie Falcone enjoy the festivities with State Committee candidate David Heidke and his wife Becky Greer. Below, Whitman committee chairman Steve Bois exchanges ideas with former State Senator Ned Kirby of Whitman.
Other dignitaries in attendance included former State Committeewoman Rita Kechejian, newly-elected Brockton School Committee member Tom Minichiello, Attorney Paul Lawton representing Plymouth County Sheriff Joe McDonald, and the chairmen of several Brockton Ward Republican Committees.
Congratulations and thank you, Jeanie, for pulling us all together.

Presidential choice:

While browsing InBrockton.com this morning, I was struck by a gentleman's request for help in choosing a presidential candidate. It got me to thinking about fundamentals, and how to prioritize what I myself am looking for.

In the end, I told him it was simple: Choose between pragmatism and platitudes.

In other words, do you want someone who faces reality as it evolves or someone who just wants change for the sake of change?

From my point of view, a person who has changed his mind a few times as the world changed beneath him has not committed an error. But a person who changes his mind to appeal to his audience of the moment is guilty of fraud. Real world situations are not static, and must be addressed in terms of what is best at the time they occur.

It may not have been best to invade Iraq, but since we are now there, the problem must be addressed in terms of the present. 2008 is not 2003. Vote yes in 2003 and face the real consequences in 2008. Vote no in 2003 and face the fact that you were outvoted and have today's problems to face. The Bush tax cuts might not have been the best move at the time, but now that they are here, we had better make them permanent.

For facing facts as they arise, admitting and explaining past performance, right or wrong, I find nobody as honorable and straightforward as John McCain. And Republican or Democrat, all the others appear to me to be facing only one another, superficially, and not addressing the issues. I'm not a scholar in the fields of religion, abortion, environment, immigration, taxes, racial tensions, economics, Second Amendment, or what have you. I don't agree with any one of the candidates on all of these issues. But being pragmatic myself, I can ignore small variances if my candidate will face things as they are.

It boils down to two basic approaches to the world:

1) Just change things, or
2) Just fix things.

Change per se is meaningless. Fixing things accomplishes something.

Republican State Committee quandary:
Without further comment, I refer viewers to:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/02/10/criminal_case_clouds_election_of_novak_to_state_gop_post/

Maria Carey-Lallemand for Vice Chair:

Maria Carey-Lallemand is a candidate for Vice Chairman of the Brockton Republican City Committee in the March organizational meeting.

Mrs. Carey-Lallemand was Secretary of the Committee from 1992 to 1996, and in 1992 she was a candidate for State Representative for the 9th Plymouth district, opposing Thomas Kennedy. She is a graduate of Brockton High School, Massasoit Community College, and Stonehill College. She has been Executive Vice President of a well-known area restaurant, Vice President of Futures, Inc., and is currently Associate Director of the Brockton Area Workforce Investment Board. She intends to work with the Committee Chairman to breathe new life into the Committee and to strive for more frequent meetings.

Members who endorse her at this time are:
Thomas J. Minichiello, Jr., Brockton School Committeeman
Peter Falcone, Treasurer of the Committee
Eleanor D. Claff, Corresponding Secretary of the Committee
Chester E. Claff, Jr., Parliamentarian of the Committee
Robert Wisgirda, Chairman of Brockton Ward 1 Republican Committee
Robert Cogan, Jr., Chairman of Brockton Ward 2 Republican Committee
Gene Gomes, Chairman of Brockton Ward 5 Republican Committee
Rita Kechejian, former Massachusetts Republican State Committeewoman
David Heidke, recent candidate for Republican State Committeeman
Frederick M. McDermott, former Brockton School Committeeman
Stephen Grande, former Brockton School Committeeman
Anselmo "Eddy" Tabit, Ward 3 Republican Committee
Sara J. Barker-Blinn, Ward 2 Republican Committee

If you would like to add your name to this preliminary list, please add a Comment to this posting, or email cclaff@verizon.net.

Here come da override!
It only took 26 days for our prediction of January 20 to come true (see our earlier posting). Mayor Harrington is asking for an override of Proposition 2-1/2. Be of good faith, readers, and don't listen to the predictions of disaster. The real disaster will come if we pass an override and set another precedent for unlimited spending. Cut, cut, cut! We will all live through it. See today's Enterprise article at

http://www.enterprisenews.com/homepage/x1969635249

Surprise, surprise.

An open letter and personal appeal to Brockton Republicans:

Dear Brockton Republicans:

Eleanor and I have been members of the Brockton Republican City Committee for more than 40 years. We've never personally written to you before. Can I tell you why we're writing now?

The Committee used to meet monthly. Together Eleanor and I wrote, addressed, and mailed tens of thousands of postcard notices to the members. Eleanor baked cookies for every meeting. After the meetings, a core group of us would retire to Christo's for pizza, beer, and political chat. We have a corner lot, so every couple of years we had half a dozen political signs on our lot to mow around. All of this was fun, exhilarating for us, and productive for the Committee. We even won a few elections.

Lately, though, meetings have been few and far between. For two years, between 2005 and 2007, there were no committee meetings at all. We forgot some of our friends' names. Executive Committee meetings bemoaned the sad state of things, and were filled with finger-pointing, shouting, and even hate. Some of us were, and still are, fearful for our personal safety. Some of us avoided meetings. Some of us, including me, stomped out in anger. Eleanor and I were at the point of resigning completely.

Then we talked with Maria, and we decided to stay and try to change things instead of giving up. Maria Carey-Lallemand had moved back to Brockton, rejoined the Committee, and was aghast at what she saw. She decided to run for the office of Vice Chairman to try to bring sanity back to Committee affairs, and to breathe new life and activity (and yes – safety!) into what we do. She is determined to do this – and she has the proven background to justify her determination. When Maria becomes part of an organization, she quickly rises to the top – from General Manager and Executive Vice President of a local restaurant company years ago, to Associate Director of the Brockton Area Workforce Investment Board today. She is an Ambassador for the Chamber of Commerce, a Brockton Rotarian, and is on the Board of Directors for the Brockton Visiting Nurse Association. She's competent at what she does, and works hard to maintain her competency. We're so lucky she wants to help the Committee rise out of the ashes.

The Treasurer of our Committee, many of the seven Brockton Republican Ward Committee chairmen, and many other faithful Republicans on the Committee are with her all the way. To tell the truth, the prospect of having Maria in a position to restore respect, honor, purpose, and direction to our Committee is the only reason we're writing to you today and the major reason we're still members after what has happened to our favorite organization. We want it to survive and become strong again!

We're only plain folks, not given to fighting or even being outspoken, but this is one issue we can't idly ignore.

Please go to the organizational meeting next month, and vote for Maria. It's the first step toward becoming a respected Committee again.

Sincerely,

Chet and Eleanor Claff

Irate voter denounces Novak:

It had to be someone outside of Novak's district who finally has stated his outrage at Novak's re-election to the Massachusetts Republican State Committee despite his unresolved criminal indictment. His letter to the Enterprise is posted at

http://www.enterprisenews.com/opinions/x835253976

The letter does not mention that Novak is still Chairman of the Brockton Republican City Committee, and is scheduled to be re-elected to that post also at a meeting in early March. At this time he appears to be unopposed and impregnable. Here is why:

At a meeting of the City Committee on October 6, 2005, shortly after Novak's indictment, a motion was made to ask him to take a leave of absence from his post as Chairman until his case was resolved. Another motion was made, and defended, to take a vote on the matter by secret ballot. Although Novak was present, Vice Chairman Alan Greene presided, in view of the subject matter. Greene immediately refused to have a secret ballot, and asked for a show of hands. The motion to ask Novak to step down was defeated by a large margin. Should Novak have been in the room to see who supported him and who did not? Good question. Were those voting somewhat intimidated into supporting him? Good question.

If Novak remains unopposed, I intend to abstain from voting. I hope others will join me.

On January 31 of this year, at a meeting of the Committee, Novak was asked why there was no Nominating Committee for the March election, even though the Bylaws prescribe one. Novak said we didn't need a Nominating Committee. I asked him to repeat after me: "We are going to ignore the Bylaws." He repeated: "We are going to ignore the Bylaws." (The Bylaws are posted in full on brocktonrepublicanparty.org).

Small wonder that nobody undertakes to oppose him again, especially since the March meeting will be packed with brand-new members hand-picked by Novak, outnumbering long-time members by 2 to 1.

No safer detergents for Massachusetts!

It's not often that the Massachusetts Senate and House unanimously approve a measure that is completely, totally, fully, 100% meaningless.

In September 2007, the MA Senate unanimously passed S 536 banning the use of detergents containing phosphorous compounds. Last week, the MA House unanimously followed suit with H 4523. What is funny is that no detergents ever contain phosphorous compounds. So your Tide will be no different in the future.

Last week the House also passed H 4488, "Education Reorganization." Might we suggest that this might be beneficial to all 167 members of the Massachusetts Senate and House who voted for these bills? Did any of them read it before signing? If so, is there not one of them who passed Elementary Chemistry in High School?

The fact is that detergents contain phosphorus compounds, but never phosphorous compounds. Maybe we need to add spell checkers to the laptops on Beacon Hill. Actually, phosphorous compounds do exist, which makes this booboo even more interesting. My simple grade-school Webster's tells me the difference. If anyone posted a question on Google about "phosphorous," they would have seen the reply "Did you mean phosphorus?"

This would not be quite as poignant if I had not personally, face-to-face, presented these facts to a Massachusetts Senator last fall. He laughed and said he would look into it.

If Martha Coakley's office ever tries to enforce this bill, there will be some well-deserved red faces in Boston. Congratulations, Procter and Gamble, for making good products that need not be modified.

Blog content policy

2008-08-26T10:15:00.000-07:00

It should be obvious to everyone, but it bears repeating, that the following is part of the policy of Blogger.com:

"IMPERSONATION: We do not allow impersonation of others through our services in a manner that is intended to or does mislead or confuse others."

For this reason, and because of our own code of ethics, we do not allow Anonymous comments without full identification of the submitter. This is not true of other blogs purporting to represent Republicans, so beware.

Cancer scare in Middleboro

2008-08-20T10:10:00.000-07:00

This is 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene (TCB), and it's causing quite a fuss in Middleboro, MA. It's suspected of being present in a "hazardous waste site" in that town, and residents are scared. A recent news report in The Enterprise said that the site "was contaminated by Middenes, a cancer-causing compound …". Let me dispel a little of that fear expressed by neighbors in their responses to the online article about the matter.

Scientists in the early 90s fed TCB to rats for two years at a rate of 1200 ppm per day – for a human, that would be equivalent to 1/4 of an ounce a day, which would come to a gallon and a half of TCB over the two-year period of the test. They were looking for cancer, of course, but they found none. If this chemical were ever going to cause cancer, certainly that would have done it!

At one-third that dose (like 1/10 of an ounce a day for a human), the chemical caused no effect at all in rats, not even a liver or kidney problem. This study was done by Hazleton Washington Laboratories, a subsidiary of Corning Incorporated, following Good Laboratory Practice Regulations.

The EPA in 2000 stated "No information is available on the acute (short-term), chronic (long-term), reproductive, developmental, and carcinogenic effects of 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene in humans."

So come on, residents of Middleboro, don't fall for scare tactics by politicians looking for publicity and high voter approval. You have unwittingly been fed propaganda by the media.

Courage, Logic, and Politics

2008-08-14T06:16:00.000-07:00

Our admiration knows no bounds with regard to the Letter to the Editor of the Enterprise by Andrea Small of Brockton ("You can't say no to everything in city," August 13, page 5). Click here to read the letter.

In brief, Ms. Small scolds us all for rejecting all proposed industrial/commercial developments for the city of Brockton (convention centers, power plants, amusement centers, etc. etc.). She supports the Good Time center as an entertainment venue that will bring beneficial shoppers, diners, and families to Brockton. Any "collateral damage," she contends, will occur whenever there are "nut cases out there," which is undoubtedly the case with or without the presence of Good Time. She suggests we are afraid of change – and/or afraid of success.

Ms. Small shows no small measure of courage and logic to state her case in the face of what appears to be opposition at every turn. As the illustration at the top suggests, however, we suspect her position is the right one and deserves the respect of all Brocktonians.

Mortgages, Recession, and Responsibility

2008-08-01T16:40:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: I am not an attorney, an economist, a banker, or an expert in any field associated with recessions, depressions, or the economy. However, I have been around since Hoover was President, and have some personal opinions on what's going on. I will be giving my views below, some of which will be controversial, with the hope that they will stimulate discussion and debate.

Why are we in a recession right now in 2008? In my opinion, there are three major contributing factors:

1. Government/political correctness
2. Greedy borrowers
3. Greedy lenders

These views were reinforced by an article in the Brockton Enterprise by columnist Jeff Adair. If you would like to see the background of this discussion, click here.

Let's consider first the GOVERNMENT/POLITICAL CORRECTNESS factor as a cause of our present difficulties.

In the 50s and 60s, a tidal shift in national goals and in how we view ourselves took place, from a color-blind melting-pot society to a color-sensitive diverse society. Which did we want, unity or diversity? You can't have both.

At the same time, employees became "human resources" to be treated as assets instead of as people. To serve the needs of a diverse, heterogeneous society, Affirmative Action became the standard by which equality of differing groups was to be achieved. In turn, Affirmative Action led to Equal Opportunity Employment, Equal Opportunity Lending, and Equal Opportunity Housing. E Pluribus Unum became E Unum Pluribus (From One, Many).

Because of the equal opportunities promised by the New Society to all people, public policy in mortgage lending cast an evil eye on blacklisting or red-lining demographic regions or societal groups based on ability to repay loans, and instead encouraged politically correct evaluation of borrowers' suitability for loans, instead of "discriminatory" evaluation based on their ability to pay. The ability to borrow turned into a governmentally guaranteed right instead of a privilege earned by thrift and saving. Because the majority expected to be given loans on easy terms, society granted them their expectations. Government largesse became need-based, with no need for other justification. Caution was thrown to the wind with a view to re-election by an increasingly liberal electorate, and the civil rights movement gained one of its great victories.

As wonderful as this was for those who could now own their homes because of politically inspired lending policies, the burden of mortgage payment ultimately became insupportable, and government again had to step in to rescue homeowners from foreclosure, at great expense to society. This is now reaching a peak and may well precede a drastic breakdown of the fiscal health of the entire United States. It may be time to re-evaluate the Equal Opportunity mindset and return to reality.

GREEDY BORROWERS have certainly contributed heavily to the present recession. Since I was a good deal younger, in the late 50s, prices have increased by a factor of 10, corresponding to average inflation of 4-3/4 percent annually. What a $10,000 salary then could support now needs (and gets!) $100,000. A car that cost $2,000 then now costs $20,000. A starter home that cost $16,000 in the late 50s now costs $160,000 (or more). An apartment that rented for $100 a month then now costs $1000 a month. Right? But today's wage-earner isn't satisfied with spending levels only 10 times those common in the late 50s. No. A kid just out of college in the 50s and earning $5,000 a year was satisfied with an apartment that cost him/her $90 a month. Do you think a college grad now paid $50,000 to start would settle for an apartment renting for $900 a month? No way! Or a house that cost him/her $150,000? No way! No fewer than 9 rooms, minimum 12-foot cathedral ceilings, central air, and backyard pool. Think $300,000 or more. Why wait until you're old and doddering in your 40s to have all these nice things? Do you think he/she would settle for a $200 19-inch TV? No way! Hey, what were credit cards invented for? Certainly not to sit in the pocket. Welcome to the overspend generation. Welcome to the world of thousand-dollar telephone bills. Welcome to the world of a spoiled generation trained from infancy to expect the very best, and to expect it NOW. How could we survive without the $4.00 Starbucks cup of coffee?

Yes, supported by an altered culture that beckoned with easy credit, and a Dr. Spock-inspired need for guiltless self-indulgence, off we went into the la-la world of unaffordable pleasures. What young workers today fail to appreciate is that some day they will depend on the income from their investments to sustain their way of life. If their investments can return 5 % annual income, at retirement they will need to have investments of $2,000,000 just to pay living expenses of $100,000 per year. Inflation will eat away at their standard of living at an average rate of almost 5 % also, so in order to stay even with a $100,000 standard of living, they will need $4,000,000 of investment. So they had best give up their Starbucks and start saving NOW.

GREEDY LENDERS happily went along, in their government-encouraged easy money policies welcomed by greedy borrowers. Mortgages became Ponzi schemes – each default supported by new borrowers paying more than they could afford. Overpriced homes were sold to gullible victims unaware or careless of risks. Banks made risky loans knowing that pseudo-governmental agencies such as Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae were standing by ready to take these loans off their hands and concentrate the risks in huge pools of valueless securities. In a recent interview with executives of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, it was said that "one of the reasons the firms hold so many bad loans is that Congress has leaned on them for years to purchase mortgages from low-income borrowers" - to read the Boston Globe report on this interview, click here. Everyone was happy until the shoe fell. That's always the case when workers are paid more in wages than they generate in products or services. All parties involved in the flow of money – borrowers, lenders, and government – have been guilty of unwarranted enthusiasm in their eagerness to buy, sell, and manage products of every description, regardless of risk.

Where do we go from here? I'm in no position to make recommendations. The culture seeks its own level, not necessarily following logical paths. It's a fact of life that money determines most fiscal policies – the price of gasoline controls the design of automobiles; interest rates control sales of mortgages; taxes determine investment policies; and so on ad infinitum. All I can suggest is to ride out the storm and see where it carries us. Readers are invited to share their thoughts on this matter.

Good Time Emporium - Yes or No?

2008-08-01T09:32:00.000-07:00

Whether or not to allow an arcade/restaurant/funtimes establishment to set up shop in Westgate Mall, Brockton, is a tough question for the City Council to answer. At its previous location in Somerville, MA, the Good Time Emporium got mixed reviews (click here) - this web page will give you the upsides and the downsides of the emporium in graphic black-and-white terms.

All in all, I'm glad I'm not a Brockton City Councilor with this decision to face. On the whole, I believe I favor extending an open hand to the Good Time Emporium. They seem to want to run an orderly business and provide a much-needed service. Places for young people to go safely in Brockton after dark are few and far between. I'm reminded of Norumbega Park in the 1950s, with its penny arcade, canoeing on the Charles, and the Totem Pole dance hall. From High School through college, I found it a worthy destination for good fun, with friends or dates. Times were different then, of course, but the City of Brockton should make the effort to police and control Good Time Emporium with the purpose of providing a service to our young citizens. And who knows, the food at the restaurant might even be good enough to warrant a visit by oldtimers like myself. It would make good use of a huge existing building and bring in real estate taxes to partially pay for policing. The traffic is hopeless at that location, anyhow, so what the heck. Case in point (added at Press time):

Too close, too fast, not paying attention. On Oak Street near Westgate. Car #3 pushed car #2 into car #1, which had stopped routinely for the Belair Street traffic signal. Happens all the time, with or without Good Time Emporiums!

One foreseeable problem, however, would be the volume of traffic when the new cinema center lets out. At those times, perhaps "Right Turn Only" when leaving the Good Time Emporium might funnel the traffic into the mall and disperse it before it reaches the light at Oak Street, and send some of it out to Pleasant Street. Surely we have brilliant traffic managers at City Hall who could figure something out.

P.S. OK, so I'm borderline decrepit and antique. Will someone please read the reviews in the link above, and tell me what "sketchy" and "sketchiness" mean in today's world (if it's not too vulgar). Thanks.

Nominations for Republican Man of the Year?

2008-07-29T08:01:00.001-07:00

It has not been made clear whether nominations are now open for "Man of the Year," to be named at a Brockton Republican City Committee meeting on August 28, 2008.

If nominations are now open, I suggest that Thomas Minichiello, Jr., Brockton School Committee member from Ward 1, is the logical choice. He is the only Republican elected official from Brockton. He quickly succeeded in restricting School Committee "retreats" to local facilities, thereby saving travel and lodging costs. He has been creative and innovative and has diligently reported School Committee matters to our Committee. He has willingly and constructively participated in a number of subcommittees since becoming a member of our Committee. We should recognize and encourage his civic activities. I am proud to have him represent me and my views on a Brockton board.

Heidke for President!

2008-07-26T09:20:00.001-07:00

Just click on this for the greatest campaign in history:

[Editor's note: This video has evidently been discontinued. The comments are still valid.]

Brockton Councilors Afraid of the Truth

2008-07-23T08:24:00.000-07:00

In a disgraceful rejection of the democratic process, the Brockton City Council on July 21 refused to hear the truth about the proposed power plant for Ward 4. To read the Brockton Enterprise report, click here.

Buoyed by her famous success in defeating a trash transfer station, Councilor Michele DuBois moved to deny a hearing to expert witnesses on behalf of Advanced Power. The hearing was to counter a prior hearing granted to Ed Byers of Cindy's Kitchen and his loudmouthed crew of doomsayers. Mr. Kelly of Advanced Power decided not to make a partial presentation, and made no statement. Councilor Brady asked Kelly what it would take to persuade the company to "go elsewhere." The Council then supported Councilor DuBois in her refusal to hear the truth, denying not only the Council but all the citizens of Brockton the opportunity to make a balanced judgment.

The Council seems to be afraid they might be swayed by the truth and have to vote approval for the power plant to avoid hypocrisy. After all, what do they want to do, the right thing or merely what is politically popular among a vocal group of protesters? Politics may well deny Brockton the best opportunity in decades to improve its financial position.

Only Councilors Petti and Cruise viewed the matter appropriately. Thank you, Councilors, for your attitude and your attempt to reschedule the hearing.

Councilors who voted to hear the truth were:
Brady
Cruise
Eaniri
MacMillan
Petti

Those who did NOT want to hear the truth were:
Balzotti
Brophy
DeNapoli
DuBois
Studenski
Sullivan

and SHAME ON THEM! Please contect your councilor and councilors-at-large, and let them know you believe in democratic hearings and full disclosure.

Call for a third party!

2008-07-02T13:12:00.001-07:00

With the disclosure that the United States has used torture techniques adopted from the Chinese communists, (click here to read this news report),

and with the Supreme Court's decision to condone universal gun ownership, the need for a third political party has never been more clear to this writer.

Not since Theodore Roosevelt has there been a serious third-party challenger. Where are you when we need you, Teddy?

Although obviously the fiscal policies of the democrats are anathema to working citizens and caring parents, some of their domestic and social policies have considerable appeal to the humanists among us. A third party, for example, could insist on abolishing inheritance taxes forever and winning wars once we have committed to them, but also insist on abolishing torture by American agents forever, restoring habeas corpus, and keeping government interference within bounds. It could also insist on freedom of choice for women and strict gun control or bans. I'm sure some disenchanted Republicans would seize the opportunity to join forces with such a party, as would numerous Democrats. It would have considerable appeal.

The Cheney-Rumsfeld-Ashcroft axis of evil has unfortunately led us down a dangerous and abominable road. It's inconceivable but true that they have conspired to mislead a gullilble George Bush and a weak Colin Powell into acts incompatible with American standards of decency and honesty. Is there somewhere a strong, courageous leader who could offer the United States honorable leadership again? Probably not in my lifetime.

Larry Novak revisited

2008-07-01T12:12:00.000-07:00

In a decision in favor of the prosecution, retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on June 30 found that the evidence obtained by monitoring a prisoner's telephone call to Mr. Novak is admissible in court.

To read the decision, Click here.

Death in the tub!

2008-06-14T09:27:00.001-07:00

The Brockton Enterprise reported on June 12 that the newest threat to life and health is your shower curtain; to read the article, Click here. Shower curtains reportedly emit 100 different chemicals into their surroundings. Wow and nonsense.

Your writer's opinion is that unless you burn your shower curtain in your hibachi and either hold your nose to the flame, or hold your hand in it, nothing is more harmless than your shower curtain.

In fact, the most dangerous element in your bathtub is water! Some 335 people in the USA die annually from inhaling water in the tub. That's almost one person a day! Nobody, to my knowledge, has ever been sickened to the slightest degree by a shower curtain. It has been suggested that we gradually "phase out" PVC shower curtains to avoid the "danger." Should we also gradually phase out water?

And how about coffee? Coffee emits over 800 chemicals into its surroundings, one of which is caffeine. And 5 grams (1/6 of an ounce!) of caffeine will kill you. Should we phase out coffee because some rat or mouse died when stuffed with caffeine?

It's a shame that there is a living to be made by needlessly frightening the public. More and more organizations are being founded and funded by idiots with income in mind, and no concern for the public welfare, the cost of living, or common sense. Every shower curtain fad costs society a lot of heartache, worry, and money. The same reasoning applies to the current scare about Bisphenol A, a raw material in the manufacture of polycarbonate bottles. Nonsense. For 50 years, nobody has been sickened by a plastic bottle. It has been suggested that polycarbonate in bottles be replaced by an ethylene-vinyl acetate polymer. But did these morons read in the papers recently that Canada is considering a ban on vinyl acetate? Hahahaha, the joke is on us.

Bylaws Desecration - or Bye Bye Bylaws

2008-05-28T09:44:00.001-07:00

A member of the Bylaws Committee of the Brockton Republican City Committee has released its revisions of the 1989 Bylaws for review. In my opinion, this release was premature.

My review found 15 typographical and grammatical errors, and I made 15 other criticisms. The revised document needed further consideration by the Bylaws Committee before being released to others. At least one new provision, to allow the election of Associate Members, is not permissible by Massachusetts law, as we were told years ago by counsel for the Massachusetts State Republican Party. We revised our former Bylaws accordingly.

Some of the changes proposed are for no particular reason. For example, where the present Bylaws call for a 2/3 vote to pass certain measures, the new suggestion is that a vote of 2/3 plus 1 vote is needed. Hey, if you are going to pluck a random number, why not a 9/13 vote? Or a majority plus 9?

The suggested Bylaws were clearly never subjected to proofreading. There were bound to be typos.

In the interest of prudence, and to avoid embarrassment, I recommend that all of the suggested changes be examined closely and the need for each of them be explained in writing. If it turns out that there is no justifiable reason for a change, I suggest that the change not be made. The current Bylaws have never caused any problem, and the main reason for the existence of the Committee appears to be a personal vendetta against the original authors.

The Chairman of the Brockton Republican City Committee should be consulted before any corrected and/or amended version is released in the future. This matter is too important to be tossed around lightly.

Field Park 2010?

2008-05-14T14:30:00.001-07:00

If Attorney Bill Pribusauskas has his way, this is what Field Park in Brockton will look like in the near future. Chairman of the Brockton Republican City Committee Larry Novak interviewed Mr. Pribusauskas on his WXBR segment on Wednesday, May 14, 2008. Mr. Pribusauskas, Treasurer of Municipal Environmental Development Inc., intends to sell licenses to vendors to roam Field Park with their carts selling hot dogs, ice cream, and fizzy drinks. Mr. Novak remained neutral about the prospect.

What next? This idea, in our opinion, should be treated with the horror and revulsion it so richly deserves.

The news of this endeavor was reported recently as follows:

"Local businessman Gary E. Leonard is president of Municipal Environmental Development Inc., a nonprofit corporation established in November and registered with the secretary of state's office.

“Municipal Environmental Development Corp. is a nonprofit to solicit grants and funding from private industry to restore D.W. (Field Park) and all city parks at no cost to the city,” Leonard told The Enterprise.

He said the intent was to privatize the city's park and recreation department. But city leaders say the concept is nothing more than a move to work with the city to bring more programs to D.W. Field Park.

Leonard and other officers of the corporation met with the mayor and some of his advisers last month, according to Moises Rodrigues, director of community services for the mayor.

“It was a PowerPoint presentation,” Rodrigues said. “There's no concrete proposal. It was, 'This is what we're looking to do.'”

Councilor-at-Large Thomas Brophy said he heard “rumors” about the proposal at last week's mayoral inauguration, but was otherwise unaware of it.

“I would not support privatization of the park,” he said. “It's one thing to increase activities, but to hand over running of the park to a private nonprofit, I would not support at this time.”

Any changes, he said, would have to go before the Park Commission and City Council.

“It's completely new to me,” said Ward 4 Councilor Dennis DeNapoli.

The idea of privatization is not new to the councilors.

Brophy said it has been mentioned regarding the golf course at the park, but it has never been anything more than talk.

DeNapoli added, “If (parks Commissioner John) Dorgan retires, I think that's what will happen.”

Reached Monday, Dorgan said he's not planning to retire any time soon. And he said he is not aware of the most recent proposal to improve the parks or privatize them.

“I've heard (privatization) all my life,” said Dorgan. “It doesn't surprise me.”

The Park and Recreation Department, like all city departments, is facing some steep cuts in fiscal 2009. There are currently 13 employees in the department, down from 29 in 1980.

“Privatization was brought up many years ago,” Dorgan said. “I fought against it.”

And although he has “no clue” about any pending proposals, he said, “I hope it doesn't happen.”

He said he has never heard of Leonard's group.

The nonprofit corporation also consists of attorney William J. Pribusauskas of Brockton, treasurer; clerk Chakara D. White of Brockton, a Realtor; and directors Denis R. Marese of Mansfield, who operates a promotions business, and Edward J. Macrelli of Brockton."

Power plant proponents organize

2008-05-14T08:56:00.000-07:00

Carl Landerholm has begun a campaign to promote construction of a power plant in Ward 4 of Brockton. Below is a self-explanatory e-mail he recently circulated, to emphasize the economic benefits to Brockton.

Join the Fight!

Dear Neighbors,

FACT: Mayor Harrington said Monday night that the City of Brockton will lose 43 positions next year, and it's only going to get worse. Some students will lose their bus transportation, and residents are still going to be asked for a Proposition 2 ½ override! Mayor Harrington is choosing to cut, but This Doesn't Have To Happen! [To read the mayor's statement,]:

Click here

Our elected officials are not considering a very significant revenue option for next year that will only leverage future economic development options for Brockton. Stand Up Brockton and tell the City Council and Mayor Harrington that Brockton's leaders have better options than to cut our city services to the bare bones. Tell them we need new economic development, starting with Brockton Clean Energy, and we need to have a debate based on FACTS now.

We cannot allow a potential multi-million dollar revenue-boosting taxpayer to walk out of Brockton when funding for public safety, school busing, and municipal services sit on the chopping block. We also cannot allow our city leaders to seek additional tax money from residents through an override when a safe alternative exists with Brockton Clean Energy. The Mayor needs to know that his choice is the wrong choice for Brockton. Call or e-mail him now and let him know what you think.

Join Us Now and Stand Up Brockton!!

Contact Information
STAND UP BROCKTON
PO BOX 4811
Brockton, MA 02303

Larry Novak's albatross

2008-05-02T10:22:00.000-07:00

"God save thee, ancient Mariner!
From the fiends, that plague thee thus! -
Why look'st thou so? - With my cross-bow
I shot the ALBATROSS."
(Samuel Taylor Coleridge,
Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner)

The Boston Globe Page 1 article on May 2, 2008, is entitled "Mass. GOP losing ground." This is recommended reading for all Massachusetts Republicans. Go to

Click here

Republicans today hold only 19 of the 160 seats in the Massachusetts House, and 5 of the 40 seats in the Senate. More power to Larry Novak, who is seeking the seat in the House vacated by Tom Kennedy. Novak is an experienced campaigner. He is a former member of the Brockton School Committee, and is currently a member of the Mass. Republican State Committee. He is a former Treasurer and former Vice Chairman of the Mass. Republican Party. He courageously ran an unsuccessful campaign against Massachusetts State Senator Robert Creedon several years ago. He is in his third 4-year term as Chairman of the Brockton Republican City Committee, which is now the most populous City Committee in Massachusetts, largely due to his own efforts.

In spite of his broad experience, though, Mr. Novak comes with a built-in albatross around his neck, his own Jeremiah Wright-style associate in the form of his Vice Chairman of the Brockton Republican City Committee. The outrageous antics of this albatross may well be exploited by his opponent during the coming campaign. Mr. Novak would do well to anticipate such guilt-by-association tactics of his Democrat adversary by immediately disassociating himself from his partner, who incidentally will accompany Mr. Novak to the 2008 Republican National Convention as an alternate delegate. Instead of vigorously supporting his sidekick as in the past, our advice to Mr. Novak would be to repudiate his sidekick now, before the campaigning begins. Otherwise his albatross may bring him down as illustrated above.

Brockton's water slaughter - Part 2

2008-03-21T09:49:00.001-07:00

The fiscal dilemma

On March 17, 2008, the Brockton Finance Committee of the City Council approved a 60% rate increase for municipal water. The vote was 7 to 4.

If the full City Council on March 24 approves this increase, my own water bill will increase by $114.00 per year.

The Council faces two choices:

1) Approve the rate increase, passing the cost of desalinated water directly along to users, or
2) Deny the increase, passing the cost of water along to Brockton's general tax funds and adding an additional $4 million to the projected budget deficit.

Clearly, 4 of the 11 councilors bravely favor the second alternative. So do I.

Water is a necessity of life in any community. It is a public obligation to supply it to residents. An example of this obligation can be found in police and fire protection, also public obligations. The cost of police and fire protection is not, and should not, be allocated to private citizens depending on their usage. Instead, the cost is paid from general funds derived from real estate taxes and other taxes, and is part of the city's budget. Water is analogous.

The effect of a 60% increase charged to users is to remove the cost from the city budget, thereby easing the pressure on city government to economize, and to live within their means. The effect of adding the cost of desalinization to the city budget is to give city government a true picture of their indebtedness for their commitment to purchase desalinated water. The City Council in their unlimited wisdom in 1998 committed Brockton to paying for 1.5 million gallons of desalinated water daily, whether it is used or not. At the present time in 2008, there is insufficient demand for water to require tapping into this potential supply. In other words, the city has committed to pay for unused water for the time being.

The city of Brockton should face the music and add this $4 million to their annual budget. Perhaps then they will understand what they have done. If they cannot soon get a Prop 2-1/2 override, they will have to cut services to pay for it. So be it. You can't have everything. The projected deficit right now is only a little over 1% of the budget – is that as insurmountable as the present administration makes it sound? Instead of spending $325 million, can't they get by with $320 million in hard times?

If you agree, please phone your Ward Councilor and the Councilors at large by Monday, March 24, and tell them to turn down the 60% rate increase. Four councilors already agree with you, and we need only two more on our side.

Brockton's water slaughter - Part 1

2008-03-18T09:04:00.001-07:00

The cost

On June 23, 1998, the Brockton City Council slashed the Water Commission budget from $500,000 to $150,000 to force Water Commissioner Frank Perkins to abandon his Strategic Plan for overcoming the 40-year water shortage by connecting to the MWRA.

On August 18, 1998, the Brockton City Council confronted Commissioner Perkins with an ultimatum – negotiate with Bluestone for a desalinization plant, or else! City Council President James Harrington made it very clear that Mr. Perkins's Strategic Plan was unacceptable. Councilor Harrington demanded that resolutions written by Bluestone be accepted and that negotiations begin with Bluestone. According to Councilor Harrington, this would be "at no cost to the taxpayers." He continued "We have to look at the political reality – people are afraid of the MWRA." At Councilor Harrington's recommendation, the Council then voted to commit Brockton to purchasing 1.5 million gallons of water per day if Bluestone built the plant. There was no turning back. The "no cost to taxpayers" is today reduced to the equivalent of $100.00 a year for each of our 40,000 households. Well, better to spend it that way than on lottery tickets. Right?

Fast forward to November 29, 2005 (The Enterprise, "Desal on tap for Brockton"). A 30% hike in water bills was forecast, at that time an increase of about $79.50 per year per household.

Fast forward again to March 5, 2008 (The Enterprise, "City's water alternative comes with hefty cost"). A 60% hike in water bills is now forecast. For my own household, that would be an increase of $114 per year ($10 per month). Of course, the rates are much higher for businesses. We award tax incentives to new businesses, and then add to their problems by charging them almost double what I pay for water. Small potatoes for me, thousands of bucks for them.

My rate will now be $3.81 per 100 cubic feet instead of $2.38. I wonder what the MWRA is now charging?

Too many people?

2008-03-15T14:50:00.000-07:00

No product is manufactured with more enthusiasm by unpaid workers than babies. And no product more effectively inhibits the growth of our standard of living than more babies to support. While this is not a popular concept, can it be disputed?

The January 14 issue of Chemical and Engineering News carried an editorial by its Editor-in-Chief Rudy Baum entitled "Too Many People," on line at http://pubs.acs.org/cen/editor/86/8602editor.html. The journal reaches over 160,000 professional members of the American Chemical Society around the globe.

Mr. Baum contends in part that "… many of the problems we face today – water and energy shortages, pollution, climate change – have at their root one common element: There are too many people on Earth already, too many more are coming, and they all very reasonably want to live like people in the developed world."

He continues "… an economic system that is based on an ever-increasing number of consumers is, by definition, not sustainable. We must, at the very least, at some point in the near future stop world population growth."

While this is certainly not simply a matter for Republicans to consider, it merits attention. Not since the early 1950s, when President Eisenhower supported global population control, has the U.S. government supported any such policy. Instead, we reward babies and their parents with tax benefits and entitlements. Mr. Baum states " … we must develop a new economic paradigm that provides Earth's stable population with goods and services that make life worth living. That is one of the most fundamental challenges we face in the coming century." I, for one, agree.

According to the Holy Bible, after God created man and woman, he said to them: "Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it …" (Genesis 1:28). This undoubtedly made sense when it was written, as did the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution, and the locally mandated appointments of Viewers of Fences for all cities and towns. But does a time come when changing circumstances warrant new viewpoints? We now know that the Earth has finite resources (codfish, for example) to be shared by its human population . That population is headed toward infinity, so that each individual can be allotted less and less codfish (or water, or wheat, or beef, or electricity). Does strict adherence to religious tenets warrant inevitable catastrophe? The worst thing we can do is just wait and see.

Power plant for Brockton?

2008-03-13T08:44:00.000-07:00

(Note: The following was originally posted on January 19, 2008):

Let's be honest with one another. Despite what we read, not all Brocktonians are opposed to the power plant being built in Ward 4 in our fair city. As one example, our former mayor, whom we elected how many times, five or six, has always been beyond public reproach. He has been employed by the proposer of the power plant to promote its construction, and his integrity has never been questioned. Just an example.

The question boils down to honesty. The opponents are vociferous, adamant, and unconvincing. Their true motivations are not what they say. It's not asthma for their children, traffic, or a 250-foot chimney they really object to. What they want is NIMBY (not in my back yard). But whose back yard are they talking about? This project would be in an isolated industrialized area of Brockton. How many neighbors would they have? This is not Weston.

Let's face it. Brockton won't have many opportunities to make money from its sewage discharge. The only opportunity for this was raised years ago by a former mayor who ceremoniously drank a glass of treated Brockton sewage. We can't sell it all to him. If we can sell it, I'm all for it. Banning its sale to the power plant is just a subterfuge engineered by the opponents in their disingenuous actions driven by political correctness in their enthusiasm to defeat the plant.

To add to this misguided subterfuge, it is now being proposed to ban the sale of desalinated water to the plant. Come on, guys and gals, we need to sell this desalinated water to keep the price within reason. The more we sell to industry, the lower the price will be for us, if in fact the desalination water ever comes to our taps. We're talking real money out of our pockets here, unless we can sell it to a lot of customers!

So, in this writer's opinion, let's tell the truth. If you don't want the plant because it will be ugly, or will not make Brockton any more of a garden city than it is, just come out and say so. Don't threaten us with imagined dangers from emissions, noise, traffic, dirty fueling, or whatever. Most of these are your inventions to hide the fact that your motive is NIMBY. And there are not enough back yards in that area of Ward 4 to justify the noise you are making.

Republican revolution!

2008-03-12T09:47:00.000-07:00

A new star is shining in the southern sky. But this time, the Three Wise Men of the East (Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, and Sean Hannity) are not journeying with gold to anoint the new baby with frankincense and myrrh. Far from it. Instead, they are astonished and mortified that their brand of ultraconservativism is dying, probably killed by the waterboarding they so fervently espouse. Mainstream Republicans have had it up to here with extremist conservatism, torture, cheneyrumseyistic Cyclopean world tactics, the wanton alienation of former allies, bushist signing statements, wiretapping, uninhibited spending, and the budget deficits that go along with dropping our domestic product into the deserts of the world.

Pendulums swing. The nation was fed up with the childish and slick antics of the Clinton White House, and indignantly swung to the right in 2000. Little did we know how far to the right it would go! Momentum and success went to the collective heads of the new administration, and of the ultraconservative Wise Men of radio and TV. They misunderstood the aims of mainstream Republicanism. They now refuse to recognize that they are irrelevant at the voting booth. We now need to get with it, reverse the trend, and bring order and dignity back to the United States. John McCain can do that. Come on, Wise Men, accept your defeat and start now to revise your views.

McCain-Romney ticket? Hell yes!

2008-03-12T09:28:00.000-07:00

What you see above is called the Gaussian distribution curve. It shows the normal distribution of anything that's random – the size of raindrops, highway speeds, and in our case voters. At the bottom on the far right would be the few far-right voters (let's call them evangelicals), and at the bottom on the far left would be the few far-left voters (let's call them socialists).

In my view, the three major candidates are aligned about as shown – Clinton followed by Obama on the far left, toward the socialist end; McCain straddling the center; with Romney a little to his right. The heights of the curves where they are shown somewhat represent the number of voters to whom they appeal the most.

It seems to me that we can ignore the designation of Republican or Democrat if we just consider how the votes are spread – and that the number of votes in each position is equivalent to what real Americans want, regardless of party. McCain clearly appeals to the centrist viewpoint, regardless of the individual issues. Votes to the left of him have already been spoken for. Votes to the right of him have been alienated up to now by the Romney campaign, but may now be available if the right moves are made and if the far-right media champions will just see the light and throw their support toward the center. Otherwise, Gauss will get the best of us all and deny most of us what we want. McCain has pledged, after all, to veto any bills that contain earmarks (pork). Shouldn't that go a long way toward erasing any doubt about his devotion to our well-being?

Forget the evangelicals and the socialists, who are far down on the curve of voters. Joining with Romney would attract large numbers of silent centrists just to McCain's right who are just waiting for an honest, experienced man to guide us through whatever issues arise.

Ever hear of a poor winner?

2008-03-09T08:05:00.000-07:00

At the March 7 elections of the Brockton Republican City Committee, Alan Greene defeated Maria Carey Lallemand as Vice Chair. Supercharged with victory, Alan then hurled a nasty and obscene epithet at Maria. Horrified witnesses removed Alan from the scene to prevent further escalation into fisticuffs.

Alan, I suggest you mail a written apology to all the members of the City Committee. Actions have consequences.

Eleanor Claff acclaimed for volunteerism

2008-03-08T08:41:00.001-08:00

The Page 1 feature article of the March 6 Brockton Enterprise stars Eleanor Claff, a volunteer driver for Meals on Wheels, a service of Old Colony Elder Services. The full article can be found at

http://www.enterprisenews.com/news/x1357043671?

Eleanor has been doing this for more than 10 years. Rain or shine, she is out there helping people who can't do everything themselves. Besides helping the elderly, Eleanor is Corresponding Secretary for the Brockton Republican City Committee.

Furthermore, she's my wife, and a great cook! I'm exceedingly proud of her.

Do Geraldine Creedon and Christine Canavan think we're stupid?

2008-03-08T08:17:00.001-08:00

Well, they may be right. They keep getting re-elected.

They both voted along with ALL the Democrats from the South Shore for a fraudulent bill that would "exempt" some senior citizens from the additional real estate tax to be paid if a Proposition 2-1/2 override is passed. But look at the bill closely, please.

To be eligible for the rebate, low-income seniors would have to be paying more than 10% of their income on real estate taxes. In Brockton, their home would have to be assessed at about 11 times their annual income. In most cases, they would already be facing foreclosure or bankruptcy. A family with $25,000 income would have to be living in a $275,000 house. A family with $50,000 income would have to be living in a $550,000 house. How often does that happen?

When you get down to cases, almost nobody would be eligible for the so-called exemption. People in these situations would already be well into senility, or lying to the IRS, or extremely unfortunate.

The whole purpose of the bill is to mislead seniors into thinking the young working people are going to pay part of their tax bill if they approve an override, and they will be comforted into thinking they're helping their community. So presumably they won't oppose an override. But, none of them will be eligible for the tax break!

Please let all these Democrat Representatives know we see through the deception and will not accept their low opinion of our intelligence.

Here come da override!

2008-03-08T08:17:00.000-08:00

It only took 26 days for our prediction of January 20 to come true (see our earlier posting). Mayor Harrington is asking for an override of Proposition 2-1/2. Be of good faith, readers, and don't listen to the predictions of disaster. The real disaster will come if we pass an override and set another precedent for unlimited spending. Cut, cut, cut! We will all live through it. Click here to see today's Enterprise article.

Surprise, surprise.

President Barack Obama

2008-03-08T08:15:00.001-08:00

When President Obama takes the oath of office next January, he should pay tribute to Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly, and Ann Coulter, the people who elected him.

Remember, you heard it here first.

When President Obama allows the tax cuts to expire, and inheritance taxes rise from 0% next year to 60% in 2011, remember who elected him.

When health insurance premiums double in President Obama's first term so that everyone can be covered, remember who elected him.

When teachers' salaries rise, competency tests are eliminated, and all children are left behind, remember who elected President Obama. The far right wing of the electorate elected him under the guidance of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly, and Ann Coulter.

When al-Sadr becomes dictator in a chaotic Iraq because Obama withdrew our troops, remember who elected him.

This unbelievable exchange took place recently on the Hannity and Colmes TV broadcast:

HANNITY: You'd vote for Hillary —
COULTER: I will campaign for her if it's McCain.
.
Hannity has also declared that it's time for McCain to reach out to him! Such audacity.

News for them – it's possible to retain your principles and still respect the choice of the majority. It's possible to accept 80% of the pie, if that's what the voters support, instead of insisting on 100% or none. And none of the pie is what you'll get in November if you persist in designating John McCain as a maverick liberal, and denigrating what he stands for. You will sink the ship with all of us passengers aboard.