What's Next?

In Today's Story in the Sun Chronicle Rep. D'Amico says he is finally giving up his quest to end the state's tax credit program for the film industry. Saying, "Once you start giving out money and build a constituency for that money, it's tough to take it away." OK...if he knew this all along, why did he waste our time and taxpayer money fighting for this?
When Mr. D'Amico became our Representative, he said "growing the state's economy is one of his priorities this year." He would also work on bills that would create more State revenue.

Well, we all know he worked to raise taxes to bring in more revenue...but as his web site states; he is not working for the district he represents.

Rep. D’Amico’s 2009-2010 Legislation:
Transparency and Accountability in Economic Development Spending (H333)
An Act establishing seventeen year-old primary voting (H568)
Dark Skies (H3064)
An Act to promote small plot farming in the Commonwealth (H715)
An Act relative to towing storage (H234)
An Act relative to optometrists (H2036)
An Act providing for distinctive registration plate for firefighters (H3191)

Do these look like bills that will bring back jobs to our community? Are these growing our economy? I do not think so...As the article states, "he has often been a lonely voice against the tax credit,D’Amico said he will now move on to other causes such as demanding more transparency in the Legislature's budget." The lonely voice continues on...

A History of Violence.

House Majority leader Steny Hoyer is speaking out against alleged threats of violence being made against at least 10 house Democrats as they get ready to go back to their districts before Easter. He has demanded, of course, that the Republican leaders openly condemn this violence, as if the people committing such acts wouldn't see through the political chivalry.

Minority Leader John Boehner has condemned the acts and added that threats of violence are not the American way. He said instead we need to make our voices heard and register people to vote, call our congressmen or volunteer on a political campaign in order to get our voices heard.

With all due respect to Mr. Boehner; violence is the American way. Does he not remember the Boston Tea Party? Does he not remember the American Revolution? It was through violence that we won our independence against the tyrannical government of the King of England. It was through violence that the North and South sought to have their political views upheld over the others. It was America that invented the most destructive device in human history, and it was America that used it on Hiroshima and Nagasaki effectively committing one of the most violent acts in human history.

We are a nation of violence. Our technological and industrial dominance over the last century has not changed that, the opposite, it has simply given us bigger and better and more sophisticated ways of which to commit violence.

And again, with all due respect to Mr. Boehner the Americans have been trying to make their voices heard and the government refuses to listen. Tell the residents of New Jersey that their voices are being heard. Tell the residents of Massachusetts that their voices are being heard. Tell the protesters outside of the Capital that their voices are being heard. Tell the Town Hall attendees that their voices are being heard. Tell the Americans who called the capital last week to the tune of 100 thousand calls per hour that their voices are being heard.

The American people are screaming at the top of their lungs at their government and they are being ignored!

While I too do not promote violence against a fellow human being, let's not be so naive into thinking that this government may be pushing it's citizens a bit to hard, and let's not be fooled into thinking that given the right circumstances the government could be creating it's very own recipe for disaster.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security.

D'Amico is running out of gas!

Now Mr. Representative, time to give up this fight and work for the district you represent!

The film industry easily survived a challenge in the House Wednesday to tax breaks that opponents say are giveaways but which supporters claim are necessary inducements for industry jobs in Massachusetts.
Efforts to pass a pair of proposals scaling back industry tax breaks, an idea that Gov. Deval Patrick supports as part of overall budget-balancing plans, won only 10 and 15 votes in the House after lengthy debate. Patrick had proposed capping the tax credits to $50 million in fiscal 2011. Critics of the film tax credits had proposed limiting them to $7 million, the same level they were capped at in
2006 before lawmakers voted to expand the program. One of those critics, Rep. Matthew Patrick, came to the verge of tears as he slammed his colleagues for supporting the credits. "What message are we sending to the 400 mental health workers we laid off? That Hollywood is better than they are? That those people who dedicate their lives to this commonwealth aren't as good?" he shouted. "Think about it." But Patrick found himself outnumber by members like Rep.
Paul McMurtry, who, in his first-ever speech on the House floor, said "thousands of people" in Massachusetts depend on the movie industry to provide for their families. "Do not bring Massachusetts back to the days of silent films," he said. McMurtry, who owns a Dedham cinema, said some constituents offered their support to him on the condition that he keep his theater open. Proponents claimed the film tax credit has generated half a billion dollars of economic activity, drawing tourism, filling hotels and providing free marketing of Massachusetts in the films shot here. Rep. Ronald Mariano described actress Sandra Bullock telling a morning TV audience about spending a summer on Gloucester. But critics said much of the economic activity simply subsidizes rich actors' salaries and fails to generate enough revenue to pay for itself. The debate, which lasted just shy of three hours, also featured comments from Reps. Carl Sciortino, Steven D'Amico, Jay Barrows, Brian Wallace, Jay Kaufman and John Keenan. Defending the tax breaks, Keenan said film star Leonardo DiCaprio will probably pay more in income taxes in Massachusetts than the Salem rep will pay in his life.