Monday, July 30, 2012
In our inaugural “Blue Commonwealth" survey, influential Democrats paint an early picture for November's general election.
A majority of influential Massachusetts Democrats thinks Scott Brown's reputation of being a "liberal conservative" will cost Elizabeth Warren votes from those Massachusetts voters who usually vote Democratic: That's the main finding of Patch's Inaugural Blue Commonwealth survey. When Patch asked if Democrats think that, so far, Elizabeth Warren has effectively explained how she will push for traditional Democratic issues like women's rights, education for all and vote against corporate greed, the majority said she had. Forty responses were collected, a majority of which agreed Brown is making inroads with traditionally Democratic voters. One hundred twenty-three Massachusetts Democrats were surveyed last week in Patch’s inaugural Blue …
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Board of Selectmen vote for one main voting center and at a following meeting, revoke their vote. Here is why.
At the July 9th Board of Selectmen meeting (which Acton Patch did not attend) the Selectmen voted to consolidate all the voting precincts into one designated area, the Upper Field House at the high school. All was well until the Town received word that the school calendar was already booked and could not readily accommodate such a change. "[There was a previous agreement between Town Manager Steve Ledoux and Superintendent Steve Mills] There seemed to be a misunderstanding... I think the primary September and March election are school days which means parking is obviously a pain," said Ledoux. On July 10, Ledoux wrote to the Board of Selectmen, "Despite my discussion with the School Superintendent, the High School cannot accommodate voting…
Friday, July 20, 2012
The bill both aims to ensure violent criminals stay behind bars while easing prison overcrowding by reducing drug-offense penalties.
A bill that toughens sentences for violent repeat-offenders passed the Senate today after having been overwhelmingly in the House Wednesday evening. The so-called "three-strikes" law eliminates parole for someone convicted three times of one of 40 or so violent crimes, with at least one conviction having carried a minimum three-year prison term. It passed the House with a vote of 139-14. In the Senate, it passed 31-7, with Acton's Sen. Jamie Eldridge (D) voting against the bill. "Our criminal justice system needs reform, and I believe that reform should be evidence-based and fiscally responsible," Eldridge wrote to Patch. "Unfortunately, the so-called “Three Strikes” bill failed on both accounts, which is why I voted against it. The bill …
Monday, July 16, 2012
In our inaugural “Red Commonwealth" survey, influential Republicans paint an early picture for November's general election.
An overwhelming majority of influential Republicans from Massachusetts say Mitt Romney has missed an opportunity so far in the presidential race by not explaining Romneycare and how it differs from Obamacare: that’s the finding of this week’s inaugural Red Commonwealth survey of influential conservatives. When Patch asked Massachusetts Republicans what part of Romney's record as Massachusetts governor he has explained poorly to conservatives, one respondent said: "Romney has not adequately explained the difference between the Massachusetts version of universal healthcare and the federal version." 90% of survey responders agreed Romney had missed an opportunity on Romneycare. Another respondent said Romney has not done a good job of …
Saturday, July 14, 2012
The 2012 Race for the State Senate seat for Middlesex and Worcester District.
Incumbent State Senator Jamie Eldridge (Democrat) is looking to be reelected this fall. See a recent Acton Patch interview with Jamie at his campaign office in South Acton. Dean Cavaretta (Republican) is running against Eldridge for the State Senate seat of the Middlesex and Worcester District. See the Acton Patch interview with Dean at his campaign office in Maynard.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
The bill increases public aid while not raising taxes.
The House and Senate overwhelming passed a $32.5 billion budget last week and Gov. Deval Patrick has until July 8 to review and sign it, or to issue vetoes. The thrust of the bill is to shore up aid to public programs while at the same time not increasing the burden to taxpayers. Overall, the 2013 budget is about 3 percent higher than this year's, but considerably tighter than previous recent years. Here are some of the bill's highlights: 1. It includes no new taxes or fees. Instead, $516 million will be taken from existing funds, including $350 million from the state's rainy day fund, leaving it over a billion dollars in the black. Still, that's down from the $2.2 billion it had in 2008. 2. It tightens welfare. The bill would limit the …
Charlie Kadlec
7:41 am on Tuesday, July 31, 2012
The comments by a few self-selected "activists" are predictable and unlikely to influence anybody, but why does the Patch not identify the people whom it quotes ? Ms. Warren's biggest problem is not Scott Brown's "liberal reputation", it is her own dishonesty in falsely claiming "Native American" ancestry since the 1980's and now denying that she did it deliberately to gain an advantage in the … more ›