DiMasi: Local aid may be slashed 10 percent next year

New plan : why not cut spending instead of coming up with more tax ideas - this is exactly why i voted for question 1 - these politicians dont get it - if they cut spending to municipalities then teachers, policemen and firemen get laid off, which is exactly what the opponents to question one said would happen if it passed, and its still happening when it failed - this commonwealth is running itself into the ground at this point.....

Hey Sal, how about instead of taking the easy road and whacking the cities and towns, and by extension property taxes andinstead you take a really courageous stand and eliminate bloat and corruption at the state level.
Eliminate prevailing wage law, reform pensions and eliminate the baloney full retirement after 20 years or less deals at 42 years old, clean up the Lottery Commission, Mass Port, Turnpike and the T where all old hacks go to die after sucking at the taxpayers teat for as long as possible. Get your union pals in line and get concessions instead of contributions and endorsements. Do all that and thebn come to state aid.

Looks like Czar Demasi is prepping us for some tax increases. Pushing those emotional buttons. "Layoffs in public safety" "Teacher layoffs". Funny, why doesn't the Czar address the sinful retirement perks so rampant in the public sector? Why won't the Czar comply with the ethics Subpeona? Me thinks the Czar is trying to get the spotlight off of his face.

So for the people that voted to keep the income tax must be glad that they're paying the 5% tax plus in addition, they'd lose local aid, the same local aid that was threatened to be lost if Question 1 passed last month. Mass. resident must love paying taxes.

maybe something to generate taxes would be good Mr. Speaker ? Maybe the casino idea is looking better now ? Maybe working with municipalities to generate renewable energy for govt buildings (schools, for example) so they can generate their own energy and not send the money to power companies. Cities are paying ridiculous rates for insurance so let's take the steps NOW to make it more affordable for municipalities, employees of those municipalities so people aren't losing jobs causing another decrease in tax revenues, foreclosures, etc...Time to be smart not political.

Alternatively, the beacon hill hacks like Dimasi and his cronies could stop sucking at the taxpayer teet and cut bogus state spending, like paying salaries to the fat cats on the Mass turnpike board.

Maybe if the state looked into the spending habits of the friends of the House Speaker, this State could be in a lot better shape. How can someone get away with all he is doing considering two councilors have been taken down and I am sure they aren't the only corrupt ones on Beacon Hill

Oh great - tax the phone lines so they can raise our bills. Have a meals tax so the politicians can put more "sand in the sandbox". All sounds good with one addition - any money collected under these taxes is used to offset the property tax levy in our local towns. That assures that Prop 2 1/2 is defended - if they want to raise the prop tax - they still have to get an override approved.

Steve W.

Don't worry, all. These never involve layoffs or reductions in salary.

Maybe if Sal and all his cronies gave back all the special interest money they've accepted local aid wouldnt have to be cut....

GET RID OF SAL!!! (and all the rest of 'em!)

As long as the layoffs hit the union workers...teachers, police, fire, etc...I don't mind. These unions are killing us. Look no further than the American auto workers unions who more twice an hour more than the workers in the Japanese plants.

The reason Speaker DiMasi's not sure he's going to complete another two year term as speaker is because any state rep who votes for him will feel their constituents wrath come election time, and even if DiMasi is re-elected as speaker, it's a pretty good bet he'll be indicted and have to resign, before he is convicted. Speaker DiMasi knows all too well that he'll lose his state pension if he's an active state employee when convicted. Sal will bail if he loses the speaker's fight or is indicted. He's not sticking around for two more years of "will he quit before he's indicted" stories. And if my state rep's any example, he told me the last thing he wants to do is to have to again vote for DiMasi as speaker. He said he's received at least a dozen calls and letters from constituents who told him they'll never vote for him again if he votes to re-elect DiMasi as speaker. Apparently, one way or another, through DiMasi's indictment or being repudiated by his House colleagues, Sal's on the outs and change is coming to the Massachusetts House of Representatives!!!

Maybe they should also sweeten the deal to allow towns to dump paid police details, too in favor of civilian flaggers.

Why don't you bums on the hill cut your pay in half? You dont' work 12 months a year or even come close to 40 hours a week. Oh whats the point the morons of mass keep electing you so they get what they deserve...more big government taking from their citizens.

Wow! How naive does the state government think the taxpayers are? The article states "DiMasi also signaled that he would be willing to support Governor Deval Patrick’s plan to allow municipalities to impose new property taxes on telecommunication companies for phone lines." Of course, the Department of Telecommunications & Cable will approve a pass through of these taxes as a cost of business so the ratepayers (aka taxpayers) will be paying for this anyway but instead Patrick, DeMasi, and the public unions can decry the big bad utilities for raising rates on the overextended ratepayer while they continue to get their big raises. This is intellectually dishonest but since the taxpayers voted down the income tax repeal, what do they have to fear at the ballot box in two years?

I don't see those idiots under the Golden Dome taking any paycuts. They probably will vote themselves a raise!
I Love My Country, but I Hate and Despise my Government

See I told you. If question one passes, local aid will be cut, services will be cut and property taxes will go up.
What it failed and they are cutting aid anyway?
SUCKERS

Several cape towns are nothing more than a trough for the lazy. Orleans has over 70 town employees per square mile, and is bloated with debt.

Notice you hear these so -called " the people's servants in goverment " talk about cutting aid to cities and towns but you never hear " I will take a pay cut "

Bust those municipal unions. They're killing the tax payer.

When oh when to all public agencies get rid of no show jobs? Those who pay taxes loose services those who do not still get things given to them.

I thought voting yes on Question 1 was going to take away local aid? See what happens when you do not send a strong message to these hacks. This State is in shambles.....

I curse all you clowns that voted against question 1. just like I said they going to tax and cut local aid anyway so you should have taken some of the money when you had the chance . Morons in this state will go along with raises taxes ,screw that tell them to layoff all the lazy city and state suckpumps but no , they'll try and layoff teachers and cops and fireman to make their corrupt point .

I hope they cut by 50% and crime goes up 75% in all towns.

Can Sal tap into his vice money to help out here?

Remember when the fearmongers were all, "Ooooh, if you vote yes on Question 1, your local communities will have less aid!"? Well, guess what, it's happening anyway AND you get to have the same amount of state taxes taken out of your paycheck.

I hope all those who were duped into voting no by the teachers' unions and state legislators will learn from this experience, vote for smaller government, and vote YES on the next initiative that puts money back into workers' pockets.

They're not going to cut waste and graft, folks. They're cutting local aid by 10% so as to preserve their waste and graft. That's why they got behind the anti-proposition 1 campaign: they feel entitled to your money, no matter how ineptly they spend it.

You can be sure, however, that DiMasi and friends will jump up on the grandstand and publicly scold any Bay State employer who lays off employees on account of their own entitlement-addled ineptitude.

Maybe now when that question -- you know which one -- appears on the ballot again, you'll vote the correct way and force spending increases to be approved through 2-1/2 overrides, rather than the snatch-and-grab legislation that's nickel-and-diming dimwit progressive New Englanders.

Didn't I read that the Liquor control board in Boston is a part-time job for 3 people- who each make $85,000, $85,000, and $100,000 a year PART TIME.

Can we cut some of the patronage and bloat first PLEASE

2 Words...CUT SPENDING!

It's all Bush'es fault!!

here it comes- cuts in all the crtical, high impact services- education and local aid- the front line for MA taxpayers. Of course, left untouched are the defined benefit pensions, the archane union work rules, the waste, patronage and graft. You get the government you deserve...

And where the heck is our governor- last time I saw him he was bawling in Chicago over a month ago- does he realize there's a crisis? Together we can...

I agree with all twenty three comments that iv'e read before me. We must be the only ones who voted yes on question1.
Time to get with it Massachusetts residents!!

Sal,,, Diane and Chuck are waiting for you.

Get rid of DiMasi!!

Diane Wilkerson for Governor!!!!!

I smell a tax increase coming.....This is their way of getting an additional increase in the gas tax...I know this is paving the way, Any bets????

I'd support this on one condition - these new revenues should be used solely to offset current property tax levies. For example, if the levy for the town is $100 million and you collect $10 million in new taxes - the town's taxpayers split $90 million instead of $100 million - everyone gets a 10% tax cut. Otherwise this turns into a giant sand box for the pols to play in.

Why do you all waste your time posting here with complaints, call DiMasi:

Telephone: 617-722-2500

Rep.SalvatoreDiMasi@hou.state.ma.us

The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. I moved here from New Jersey and my income tax went down from 5.8% to 5.3%. My sales tax went from 7% to 5%. My property taxes went down 40% here from New Jersey. On top of this my car insurance even went down here in MA as well.

This is unacceptable. It's time for local leaders - selectmen, mayors, and city counselors to band together (not the inept MMA) and demand that their local reps preserve local aid.

This state is not fast becoming a National Joke...That ship has sailed when Question 1 went down in flames...Thanks to the nutty left wingers and teachers unions for brain washing the people of MA...
Hopefully...someone will bring Question 1 back and the good citizens of MA will have learned a hard lesson....In order to drop pounds...You need to starve the PIGS at the Trough!........Eliminate the bloated government pensions...Toll jobs....Mass Pike.....and full time legislature....and go to a VAT consumer tax.

If we are to take a 10% cut in local aid in exchange how about taking over our pension liabilities. Governor Patrick had proposed the smaller pension plans that were not performing up to par of the States plan should have been swallowed up by the State Pension plan. Now is the time for the State to take all the cities and towns pension obligations in exchange for cuts in local aid. The facts are the facts firefighters, policemen, and custodians of the local pension boards are no match for the big boys on Wall Street. We need to put our trust in the professional money managers of the State Pension system.
Speaking as a former Treasurer of municipality and current School Business Manager the time has come. Then comes the hard part. Pension reform, it is
so needed.

so needed

Public employee unions in Mass should be BUSTED and destroyed. They have gotten us into this mess, so let them feel some pain as we try to get out of it. Lots of good suggestions so far, like getting rid of the prevailing wage laws. It is beyond disgusting that unskilled and uneducated fools are required to be paid $35+ per hour (or whatever it is, in that ballpark) to do jobs that a monkey could do, just because some powerful union nitwits leaned hard on the legislators. That is much more than what the average recent college grad makes around here, even with 5-10 years of experience. If the unions aren't taken on now then they never will be, and this state will continue to descend into economic oblivion. They have to rely on threats and extortion to get wages and benefits that they could never earn with their own skills, and everyone else pays the price. Bust the public employee unions, they are the enemy!!!

Why not eliminate county government? Follow that be eliminating the Senate and all their perks and aids. Also, term limits sure sounds good.

If you had good pension plan...would you defer it? If you got a raise would you decline it and work for a "hometown discount" to spread resources throughout the company to make it more efficient? Probably not.

Sure, Sal is thrown out but look at the little piglets already lining up to take Sal's place at the front of the trough. Johnny Rogers from Norwood is a name that's being thrown around. Now there's a real change. More of the same. Business on Beacon Hill will never change. It's a sickness that runs deep and will continue as long as a one party system exists and Pols run unopposed.

How about we look at more wastefull spending... do you all know that the MCAS that is given in 9th 10th and 11th costs a ton of money to administer (millions). I know the fed picks up some but the towns the rest. I got an idea just get a copy and have a teacher whose job was saved correct it. Then give the real one in the 11th which is the only one you have to pass to graduate. No that makes too much sense lets layoff more teachers expand classes and then complain that our students do horrible on the MCAS. I bettcha some politicians gettin nice and paid by the MCAS administrators company to keep status qou.

DUH- It's the PUB(L)ic sector unions plain and simple.
They are the scourge of the taxes we pay.
The 'pinky ring' leaders make me puke and the politicians that kowtow to them are vile and reprehesible sellers of their souls for votes to the vile bile.

hey, 1 through 42 move, if you don't like democracy you can move out of our great state (with the exception of #40) we don't need or want you crybabies for when the going gets tough.

Look, we need stop this nonsense and collectively organize to realize the issue is the capitalist system on the national and international level that is the problem and causing our pain and suffering. We need to call on each other to effectively speak truth to power so that we can realize social change and transformation that creates the space for social justice and economic democracy.

Deval is a laughingstock.

This is a joke. Again, no accountability. Why doesn't DiMasi get his own "house" in order before he whacks everyone else. And by "house" I mean all the corruption, bloat, greed and insider deals. Like HE'S the man to that, right! What a joke.

How many hundreds has he put in his bro or manzierre???

This may be the most unimaginative administration and legislature of all time. They only see one side of the issue...revenue.

Will the FBI hurry up and pay that visit to Sal?

Feel good about voting against Question 1 now?

So many fools voted to against question 1 to protect their union gravy. Now they'll be eating Alpo with the rest of the good citizens.

I would much prefer to have property taxes higher with revenue benefiting the town I live in. Than to watch the corrupt circus collect it all and hope they can spare a few pennies on each dollar as it drips through the inefficient syphon.

Additionally, at least prop-2 1/2 would keep a lid on things. Way to go fools.

F

"DiMasi, who has been under fire because of several ongoing ethics investigations, reiterated that he plans to run for speaker again in January. But when asked whether he planned to serve the full two-year term, he said, "I don't know. Do you think you'll have your job two years from now?" "

If this a was a justworld, DiMasi would be ou tof a job already. And insetad he makes a sacastic comment to a reporter who is probably very worried about his job today. What a dope.

Toll salaries, mass pike jobs, etc do not compare to Boston Teachers whose Salaries/pensions/healthcare benefits are excessive compared to the private sector. I know of three teachers in their early 50s who retired last year with an annual pension of $85-90K each with 90% health benefits. Workers in their 70s could never attain that level of financial security in the private sector.

Here's another take - how about cutting the $50million that the state is giving to Newton to build their new $140 million High School - you know, the one that the people living in Newton voted for (after their mayor convinced them that their taxes wouldn't go up as a result)> now that school project is about $60m overbudget and the rest of the state is getting billed $50m for this ridiculous overimprovement.
Let the people of Newton who voted to spend $200 million (that's only the current estimate) pay for it all themselves so the rest of the taxpayers in Massachusetts can use the $50m where it's really going to make a difference

Municipal Budgets & Unions...its not all what you think. It's MANAGEMENT, not so much Union that's killing us. Look at the pay scale. I make $15.80 an hour & I've worken for the City for more than 7 years. The head of our Building makes $110,000 +. There are a dozen other "MANAGEMENT" under her who make a killing too. And scores of do-nothings making more than $60,000. Meanwhile, my co-pays have increased so much that even though I have health ins, I can't afford to go to the Dr.