Sunday, January 11, 2009
Maintenance budgets, pensions, Palin, etc.
Another Hub Blog roundup post:
-- I'm with Outraged Liberal: I hope the tragic death of firefighter Kevin Kelly doesn't dissolve into a nasty political brawl. Unless an egregious case of negligence is found, sometimes you have to accept the awful truth that an accident is an accident. Debates over budget priorities won't cut it -- unless both the mayor and union are fully prepared to defend certain city expenditures elsewhere in the budget.
-- Pension-reform proposals traditionally meet 'fierce resistance on Beacon Hill' precisely because lawmakers are vested in the system too. Lawmakers approach pension reform the same way the NRA approaches gun-control ideas: Every attempt at small change is viewed as a slippery slope toward larger change.
-- Hub Blog is glad Gov. 'Comforter in Chief' Patrick "seems to genuinely be enjoying the job." Seriously, I was getting worried there that he was one of those "big picture" pols (i.e., John Kerry) who doesn't like the nitty-gritty management part of his job. There's undoubtably a Senatorial windbag side to him, but he seems engaged on the issues -- and I'd wager part of his high approval ratings reflect the impression he's getting a handle on the job and enjoying it. Weld and Romney's approval ratings plunged the second they looked distracted and bored.
-- Some fun Palin bashing. I know I defended her on the class issue. But her plain-folk "Mama Grizzly" act is too much.
Another Hub Blog roundup post:
-- I'm with Outraged Liberal: I hope the tragic death of firefighter Kevin Kelly doesn't dissolve into a nasty political brawl. Unless an egregious case of negligence is found, sometimes you have to accept the awful truth that an accident is an accident. Debates over budget priorities won't cut it -- unless both the mayor and union are fully prepared to defend certain city expenditures elsewhere in the budget.
-- Pension-reform proposals traditionally meet 'fierce resistance on Beacon Hill' precisely because lawmakers are vested in the system too. Lawmakers approach pension reform the same way the NRA approaches gun-control ideas: Every attempt at small change is viewed as a slippery slope toward larger change.
-- Hub Blog is glad Gov. 'Comforter in Chief' Patrick "seems to genuinely be enjoying the job." Seriously, I was getting worried there that he was one of those "big picture" pols (i.e., John Kerry) who doesn't like the nitty-gritty management part of his job. There's undoubtably a Senatorial windbag side to him, but he seems engaged on the issues -- and I'd wager part of his high approval ratings reflect the impression he's getting a handle on the job and enjoying it. Weld and Romney's approval ratings plunged the second they looked distracted and bored.
-- Some fun Palin bashing. I know I defended her on the class issue. But her plain-folk "Mama Grizzly" act is too much.
