VoxOp
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DIMASI'S TROUBLES
"The burgeoning ethics case against House Speaker Sal DiMasi is bringing the whole chamber down. But soon Gov. Deval Patrick's 12-member ethics task force will set things right! (We hope the force members get cool capes to wear as they fight corruption and questionable backroom deals.)"
AMY DERJUE, www.bostonmagazine.com
"It is definitely true that Sal has had people gunning for him, and those people are pro-slot/casino people. Those people are looking to gain the speakership should he step down.
"Then why, oh why, doesn't Sal DiMasi just cooperate with the investigation and get it off the table and out of the news? If DiMasi didn't do anything wrong (and maybe he did, but maybe he didn't), then this damage to his leadership isn't helping us on the many fronts on which we need him to lead. Not the least of which are slots, which the racetrack people have renewed vigor and zest to push now that they can't beat up on greyhounds for profit anymore."
LYNNE, www.leftinlowell.com
"House Speaker Sal DiMasi may believe he is standing up for a deep-seated constitutional principle when he invokes legislative immunity in his refusal to comply with an Ethics Commission probe relating to payments received by Richard Vitale and other associates from
"But to the public, DiMasi is performing an act similar to those public officials facing questions about the legality of their actions. Since executive privilege isn't available, legislative immunity seems like a good fall back. . . .
"[If] I were offering political or public relations advice to a politician, I would strongly argue against it. Trying to protect your papers from review in an ethics probe only creates the impression that you have something to hide."
OUTRAGED LIBERAL, baystateliberal.blogspot.com
CHINA'S STIMULUS PLAN
"Don't judge a stimulus package by its half-trillion-dollar price tag. China's early Christmas present is not as big as it seems.
"Taking into account expenditures that were expected to take place in any case, the amount of new spending proposed by Beijing is actually a small proportion of the headline figure. The package also gives excessive weight to infrastructure spending and loan expansion rather than targeting domestic consumption, which must rise much more to sustain China's growth, some analysts say. . . . Still, the move highlights Beijing's desire to inject a confidence boost to market sentiment and to demonstrate to the world the government's engagement in the situation."
TINA WANG, www.forbes.com
"It's worth noting that ability to do this is one of the things that responsible budgeting gets you. During boom times, China amassed budget surpluses and built up reserves. Now, during a downturn, they're able to respond with a huge spending initiative at a time when (a) such spending is needed to keep the economy going, and (b) the downturn makes it cheaper than it would otherwise be to complete such projects.
"Unfortunately, in the United States the rules governing state and local budget practices essentially ensure that the reverse will be done."
MATTHEW YGLESIAS, yglesias.thinkprogress.org
