DeLeo rebuts governor's criticism of tax-hike measure

I will not pay any more taxes. I pay over $1,500.00 per year on tolls. That's just a start. I am done. I will shop over the internet and find ways to "minimize" by tax burden in any way I can. Capisce?

more taxes. just what taxachusetts needs. increase the sales tax and you'll have to increase the state police patrols, to handle the increase in traffic of shoppers going to new hampshire. i'm sure the store owners in new hampshire are doing cartwheels over the increase in mass. state sales tax.

No more tax increases, we can't pay our bills now as it is

It's very simple:

REFORM THEN WE CAN TALK ABOUT RAISING REVENUE.

Show the taxpayer that we are not being fleeced by the scammers. SHOW us by making very real examples of those gaming the systems - "enhanced " pensions & disabiliites; welfare frauds ALL of it - SHOW us you are cutting your teeth on serious reforms THEN we might be open to raising revenue - OR you will see that we are already paying enough and then YOU get re-elected. END the pike altogether - THAT will get you big points with the taxpayers

Most of us in the private section are having to take pay cuts. Shouldn't the same be happening in the public sector?

what a joke. lets only tax part of the population and not the rest. patrick is a retard.

Real reform would be to fix the never ending tax hold up at the point of a gun.
After all the flim-flam the bottom line is you get robbed again! When will it end?!?!?!?!? Am I mistaken or were we supposed to get the temporary tax increase to 5.5% returned to 5%? (Not 5.25% rounded up to 5.3% when you did your taxes)
House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo won his first political victory with the 108-51 vote, persuading lawmakers to sign onto his plan to increase the sales tax from 5 percent to 6.25 percent.

The governor is right on AND they proposed "reforms" are a bloody joke.

Get serious with the damn pensions--retroactively
Get rid of public service unions NOW
Put the "law-makers" on 2 paid days a week
Get rid of 60% of the state "agencies which duplicate each other's responsibilities
Get casino's here now.. these dopes are going to bet someplace, why not
here?
We need leaders--this pack of morons got us here and aren't smart enough to get us out (assuming thay wanted to) we need to dump these corupt morons--
VOTE AGAINST ALL INCOMBENTS

Where the Hell are the flagmen ?i

P-O-L-I-T-I-C-A-L P-O-S-T-U-R-I-N-G. Nothing More.

A coward is much more exposed to quarrels than a man of spirit.
Thomas Jefferson

No one will listen to you anymore!

About time someone took a stand for reform!

Unfortunately our Legislature wants to continue their slimy business as usual. I'm not sure they really understand how big the backlash form this is going to be if they raise taxes with even any simulated reform of the incredibly corrupt state government employment system.

what happened to the 700B dollar stimuluos package ? - that money was supposed to cover all of this crisis --- this is nothing but a smoke screen -

leaving MA ...like all of the others

Any chance police detail could be on the table? What a waste of taxpayer's money. Plus no other state in the country pays for that and it's not like the police union is exactly progressive.

Patrick makes this kind of noises, but without adequate cooperation from the rest of Beacon Hill...why can't we get rid of the Turnpike? Why do we still have cops guarding holes in the ground? How come we can't seem to be rid of needless duplication of facilities in all the small towns? I was aghast when I found out, after the Easter sickout, that toll collectors make an average of $70K/year. Cops get ~$35/hr to 'guard' construction sites-and we then pay for their pensions, inflated by 'detail work'. I remember when we added a 10c tax on gas for 'roads and bridges' .Did any roads and bridges get fixed? SOP in Mass.

Really Deval. Too bad you are the fall guy. The legislators got us again. Did they have lobster for lunch again today? Change your drapes again Deval?

The globe had a great article on this last week that I felt reflected mass. sentiment and the governor's. No sales taxes. What is so wrong with the targeted taxes? I'm calling my rep.

The Democrat's of Ma, don't want reform, there have been no cuts made in this state not like the private sector has had. VOTE THEM ALL OUT OR DO NOT COMPLAIN.

So I guess wanting to increase the gas tax and add taxes to candy and booze is reform. Go figure.

Blah, Blah, Blah, Deval. Do something and stop procrastinating.
You made a promise to the residents of Massachusetts for reform, but have done nothing but give us lip service.

Talk about a distinction without a difference. Someone puts ten gallons of gas in their car and pays $1.90 more in gas tax under the Governor's plan. Then they drive to Home Depot and spend $150 dollars - paying $1.88 more under the Speakers plan. Both of these taxes are broad-based.

IF he's sincere, Patrick deserves some credit here for at least trying to take a stand but it's probably not going to be enough. The legislature will have its way.

I've said it once, I'll say it again: 1-party rule just doesn't work. It destroys any sort of balance in judgment and governance.

His mouth says he does not yet support the sales tax increase, but his previous actions suggest that he would like nothing more than to throw another tax on our shoulders. Candy tax, hotel tax, alcohol tax, toll hike, gas tax, car mileage tax, etc. etc. ect. He’d probably suggest taxing the air we breath if he could get away with it. Anyone with half a brain can see that this “opposition” to the tax is nothing more than a smoke screen to confuse the taxpayer into thinking he’s looking out for them.

It is not mentioned here but Patrick called for streamlining public transportation. FINALLY! Someone in the State House who admits to the MBTA being a waste of taxpayers' money. By reforming MBTA and getting rid of the good ol boy network that handing out jobs to family members, the state could save millions without raising taxes. Thank you Deval!

Where are all the crazy comments about tax 'em all or Cadillac Deval? When he comes out and speaks what he's always been saying, no revenue without reform, the Globe comments section has nothing.

Typical, no one will contribute to debate if it's in a constructive manner.

Deval Patrick is a FARCE! and he should RESIGN.
- He let the Turnpike Authority get away with their sick-out on Easter Sunday which inconvenieced 10's of thousands of people. Patrick rewarded their juvenile behavior by withdrawing spending cuts.
- Now Patrick wants us to believe that he is going to VETO a tax hike,
You CAN'T FOOL ALL OF THE PEOPLE ALL OF THE TIME

The good ol' boys of Beacon hill won't let Deval reform their crony pension programs and their friends' jobs in the highway business. They want more tax money and no questions asked. Deval is a threat to their system. I'm not a Deval Patrick fan, but it is obvious that the legislature is opposed to reforming and they are going to raise taxes proactively in order to thwart any attempt at reforming their crony politics. It's the easy way out for all those money hungry reps. Sad.

i hope people remember how these lowlifes voted; we deserve everything we get as we continue to vote them in.wait till you go out to buy a car ! Oh i forgot "it's for the children !")

Reforms before any new revenue, meaningful reforms too, not just some symbolic reforms.
Contact your State Reps and Demand reforms first.

We want all public workers on the SAME Insurance Plan.
We want an end to double dipping.
We want the Mass Pike to fold into Mass Highway and Toll Booths removed.
We want an end to Legislative Per Diem
We want the Pension retirement age raised to 62

“At the end of the day, I am very confident we are going to have true reforms,” DeLeo said. “I’m very proud about what the House of Representatives have done in this relatively short period of time.”
===========================================
Your very proud of the fact you can raise taxes?? What is there to be proud of? If you get your way and raise the taxes you will drop all of the reforms because it will be easier that way.
YOU HAVE NOTHING TO BE PROUD OF!!! YOU HAVE ACCOMPLISHED NOTHING BUT TO BURDEN THE TAXPAYERS WITH MORE OF A LOAD!!

However, apparently Deval thinks it's ok to ask some folks to pay $7 for tolls in this difficult time ..... All of them are doing a lousy job, Republicans and Democrats alike. The govenor is right about reform, there is so much waste, but no one in the legislature has the guts to cut anything that might harm their reelection chances.....so we'll just get the same old thing....again. Really disappointing

“At the end of the day, I am very confident we are going to have true reforms,” DeLeo said. “I’m very proud about what the House of Representatives have done in this relatively short period of time.”
Yes he is proud to have screwed the taxpayers and voters out of more money.
Move out of state people, then they won't have anyone to tax.
This is Robert DeLeo's email address write him about YOUR outrage over the Sales Tax increase. I have twice now and will do so every day until this is repelled.
Then vote them ALL out of office, no more incumbents - send a message!
Robert.DeLeo@state.ma.us

At the end of the day, What we have is a legislature that does not care in what the people want. No new taxes before real reforms are in place!

This is ridiculous. What am I missing. Raising taxes for tax paying residents in a recession????? Gas, sales or otherwise, raising taxes in a recession is wrong. I am NOT opposed to raising taxes at all. They should be raised when the economy is humming and they should be saved for times just like this, not spent. I'm sorry that social programs and other things that are used for taxes have been cut, but you know what, that is what is unforunate about a recession. We all must share the pain. There should be budget cuts and layoffs in the government just like the private sectore. Our politicians suck -politics get in the way of good businness and good investment.

DeLeo. Just another example of a do nothing politician. And what has really been done to cut spending? Are we funding less special pensions? Another abuse of we hear about daily. Is the Mass pike no longer paying tuition for the family members, not employees mind you family members, of employees? Are we paying toll takers less then 85 grand now?

Please. Its a joke. DeLeo doesn't want reform. He has too many cronies to provide for.

Its funny that with a down economy I have to make sacrifices to pay my bills, I go without so that I can get ahead, I have a budget and I am constrained by that budget. I go to work wondering if I will have a job at the end of the week. I continue to see people day in and day out doing the same, under the same stress and yet I turn on the tv and see Nancy Palosi, and Mr Deleo spending my hard earned tax dollars with no constraints or worries perhaps its because they live on over a 167,000 per year.. Perhaps they should live on what most people live on 20,000 to 50,000 per year and worry weather they will have a job and then perhaps once they join the real world they would show some fiscal constraints. They need to realize its hard to get blood from a stone please wake up and realize we don't have any more to give, we don't know if we will have a job. Walk a mile in our shoes and perhaps they could do what they were put there to do. Serve the public and work in our best interests not that of the special interests.

The people from the Socialist Republic of Taxachussetts have spoken. Everyone is threatening to drive NH to save money on taxes for goods, services, and gasoline as a show of force, boycotting the oppressed taxes set forth by our disconnected representatives. One would never know that the revolutionary actions taken against the British for unjust taxation and representation began here in what has now become the Socialist Republic of Taxachussetts. Listening to the talk shows and reading the blogs one would conclude that the residents of this state are comprised of nothing but a society of oppressed victims.
The question I put forth to the people of this over taxed state is where will you be next November during the elections? If history continues to repeat itself you will either be no shows at the polls or elect the same destructive legislative idiots like DeLeo who put forth these ideas of increased sales taxes during distressed economic times. As for me, this is my last trip over the border to NH to save money, as I am moving there permanently. I would rather live free or die than to subject myself to the fleecing by self-serving disconnected representatives, such as DeLeo who is repeatedly elected by his seemingly helpless servants. Last one left turn out the lights…. I will great you at the border.

What a load of crap. This is so he DOESN'T HAVE TO LAY OFF HIS BROTHER IN LAW!!

Sir, enjoy the rest of your term in office cause it will be your last. You are truely out of touch with reality and the people you represent.

Are you kidding me? If this is all Deleo has to submit---- more taxes,bring back Sal DiMasi. Where is the state's plan to reduce costs ? Your job is to represent the interests of the residents not your personal agenda.
CUT YOUR SPENDING DeLEO, stop spending money you don't have. Represent main street not your special interest groups.

Please do not pass a blanket sales tax hike. Look to solve our problems rather than cover them up. FIX them, then tax!

I suppose the public's criticism is unfounded as well. What an arrogant...
What about the idea of reforms first, Mr. DeLeo?

Wow, I'm not a fan of Gov. Patrick, but I liked everything he said in that video. The legislature has no interest in reforming the 5 transportation departments we have. They're the best place to hand out high paying jobs with magnificent benefits (i.e. easy way to return political favors). They'd rather just raise taxes and make us pay for more chaos. That's easy.

The problem is DeLeo et al cannot comprehend the mild reforms Patrick is proposing as it would outrage their union constituents. We all know the legislature is an enabler of waste, fraud, abuse, patronage. This is another example of the process in action. Reform before revenue.

What a pathetic retort from Mr. DeLeo. "This is the legislative process." That's it? That's his basis for claiming the general court has in fact given due diligence to the ethics, pension, transportation, and drunken sailor spending issues that helped create this mess?

Do not preach to us of your confidence, or your "fiscal prudence", lawmaker. Do not hold any pretense to our faith in your interest or ability in reducing the footprint of the debacle that is Beacon Hill. Your veto proof majority makes it clear that you and yours are done worrying about the waste in your budget, and have no interest in making the same hard budgetary choices facing households and businesses throughout the Commonwealth.

I think it's high time we showed DeLeo And Friends that the democratic process trumps the legislative process. Polish those resumes, boys and girls.

Let me get this straight, you are "thinking" about some good reforms but due to time constraints you must pass this huge tax increase first and then we are to trust that you will come back into session during the summer and really do some reform.
Seems to me that we need some new lawmakers, a lot of them.
Remember, we're dumb but we're not stupid.

What a moron.

Sales tax raises unfairly burdens the lower economic strata.

To the rock-headed Republicans who foam at the mouth over "one party government" -- take note. You're looking at how a genuine democracy works. Soon, thanks to Sen Spector and Sen-Elect Franken, we will restore democracy to federal government, too.

As a Democrat, Sen. Spector may stand a better chance to achieve some goals he recently described (The need to roll back presidential power grabs, New York Review of Books, May 14, 2009, pp. 48-52). He wants to force the Terrorist Surveillance Program started by Pres. Walker Bush to obey the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978, through a law requiring the Supreme Court to hear a pending case.

Through another proposed law, Sen. Spector would provide Congress with powers to challenge Presidential signing statements. With both proposals he expects to need a two-thirds majority to override a veto, so 60 Democratic votes alone would not suffice. Choosing such ambitious goals and using very rare space in the country's prime literary review for a political message, Sen. Spector displays above-average hubris for a seasoned politician.

That would be a novel and effective way to express your displeasure over the way your representatives waste your money.
Except about the part where it wouldn't.
When I was growing up in Massachusetts some 30 years ago, the slogan was "Make it in Massachusetts . . . spend it in New Hampshire."
We now have the magical ability to gripe about it in cyberspace, but nothing has changed and nothing is going to change until the voters wake up, and you can bet that the career-politicians and patronage hacks pocketing your tax money are not holding their breath waiting for that to happen.

In case Mr. DeLeo has been under a rock for the last year we are at the END of the day. We have the most obscene pension public pension system in the entire US, and week after week we read of a new obscenity. This week it's a long time insider lawyer who "didn't know" what was going on was a violation of the law. Wake up and get with it. Tax money needs to provide services to the taxpayers, not to lots of politically connected donors, family members, friends, etc.

Before you go about finding new sources of taxes, fix the current mess! A lot of taxpayer dollars are clearly being wasted!

The Gov. wants us to contact our local Rep and complain about the tax hike- Did I miss something? I only heard about a possible tax hike yesterday , they voted last night at 10:51p.m. and Patrick is telling us to complain today - SO much for our elected officials even pretending to represent us or attempting to have a public debate . Why not hire 2,000 more people and raise our taxes even more because it is not a Government for the people but a Government for the Politicians, unions and pensions.

I'm so glad you all got raises this year, state government. Good work Governor et al...doing EVERYTHING you can to decrease the burden on the rest of us. Uh huh. Why don't you increase our taxes as we're losing our jobs and our benefits left and right but give yourself and your buddies raises.

I'd like to see you start laying off the not-really-that-useful, overpaid state workers (perhaps starting with our governor? next the head of the MTA?) and then, only then, when you've tried everything else, should you even consider raising tolls and taxes.

Hey Bob,
I have news for you. Sales in MA will decline and the folks who still have jobs will lose them further. Rather than shop at Target, it will now be exclusively at target.com. Likewise for JC Penney. And by the way, I am going up to NH next week to have a new set of tires put on tax free. That will be another $50 you morons will never see.
This is a legislative process allright, and I vote to never spend any $ inside the state.

DeLeo looks like a porker and he is a porker. What an idiot. He is into this for himself. Go for it Bobby. Take us all down with you, you moron.

MA Viser of the B Globe is Governor Patrick's "BOY""!

Can't wait for the Tax Holiday this year. LOL.

DeLeo is making a mistake by increasing the sales tax during this recession.

This is exactly the kind of crap I expected from DeMasi had pick successor. This man is just as corrupt as good old Sal is. This little incident should finally show the people of MA just how screwed the Governor is. The fact he got through any reform is a miracle!

Everyone fed up with the state legislature should show up at the state house when the Senate votes on this sales tax hike bill. If the Senate passes it, they should block all the exits and not let them leave until they rescind their vote!

Where were you all in November 2008? Did you vote for keeping the state income tax? if you did, then shut up and stop complaining --- you told your state rep that you were happy to continue with the status quo and any spending that they would like to do.

Another MA Legislature doing whatever it wants and refusing to confront the corruption and excess rampant in state government.

Stop screwing the people you are supposed to represent (the public) in favor of the people who are supposed to be working for us (the state employees).

I can't believe you sleazeballs can even sleep at night.

New taxes? Are you kidding me, DeLeo and the rest of them will be in the unemployment line after the next election including Deval. This governor and all the rest of the cronies will see the results of their incompetence.
The Boston Tea party will return, people have had enough. I am a life long resident and I have had enough of all of them. I will work and spend my money to remove anyone who votes for new taxes. People have had it with all of them at the state house. They just don't get it!
If you want to shut down the retail market and create more unemployment raise the sales tax. You idiots

What a joke. New Hampshere has no sales tax, no income tax and they pay $10,000 per mile to maintain their roads compared to $80,000 per mile in Massachusetts. This state is out of control, they already have enough money. Why is it that Massachusetts has nearly half the state employees as California,
a huge state. Do we really need this many people on the state payroll

I love it when the Dem's fight.

The public be damned, full speed ahead, just who does the "public" think they are? We have a job to do here.., to take care of, nurture, increase the size of government, and tax the surfs for whatever it costs... Signed.... DeLeo

It is interesting that concensus on raising taxes is so easy to achieve, but apparently reforms require endless "debate".
To the Senate: PLEASE put a stop to this nonsense, no (new) taxation without reform and representation!

DeLeo added, “We have deliberation here, we have debate here, and that’s exactly what we’re doing.”

Wait----when does the debate happen? I didn't see the debate over the Quinn Bill funding....did I miss it?

Even if they don't debate at all----or just make all the deals in the back rooms, why not just ACT like they have to do more at their jobs besides hand out jobs and pander. Humor me. Anything. Anything to show they are not completely corrupt......
Frankly, it's mindblowing how ridiculous these guys sound sometimes....

Government needs to clean up, cut back - even if it means YOU take a pay cut – the voters all have taken cuts in pay, benefits and other perks of their jobs – if they still have one. Cut back pensions, benefits and all perks.
The MTA needs to be dissolved NOW, no more patronage and cushy jobs – we have real people looking for jobs, hire those in the unemployment lines, not someone’s wife, sister, brother etc, etc. The MTA is the biggest waste of money in the state now and there is no need whatsoever for the MTA – Mass Highway Department works just fine. (Savings = entire MTA Budget)

Let’s get the MBTA straightened out that is the second most miss-run organization. Renegotiate the union contracts, no more life time health benefits, no more 23 and out, no more employees’s being paid 50K a year to sit in an abandoned site.

No more company cars, all employees of the MBTA should buy a TPass every month, take the T to and from work.

This will then give the T added revenues and incentive to actually be on time.

If they work the 1st or last shift they can take their car, BUT they have to pay for parking at the T site.

Those sites cost money to plow, maintain, light, taxes etc. This will cut back on some of the cost of

providing parking to employees. Any employee that doesn’t want to drive must also pay for MBTA parking

to offset costs.

(T employees purchase a T Pass and use it) Savings 6600 x 59.00 = 389,400.00 per month (based on 6600 T employees and the cost of a Subway pass, earnings could be more dependent on where the employee lives.)

(Parking for T Employees Savings 1000 x 25.00 = 25,000.00 per week (based on 1000 T employees 1st and last shift parking fees)

(Employee Vehicle Savings (Payments) 500 x 500.00 = 25,000.00 per month

(Employee Gas/Insurance/Maint (Payments) 500 x 425.00 = 212,500.00 per month

Just the two items above T Pass and Parking would give the MBTA $6 Million additional revenue dollars (conservative estimate)!

Vehicle costs based on 500 T employees would save the MBTA an additional $2.85 Million dollars

And I am sure there is more, just let me look at the books and operation and I could cut millions more in wasted tax dollars.

That is just 3 places that need reform and to get out corruption, graft and greed – there that has saved the Commonwealth at least $10 million dollars – if you need more help with your budget I will be more than willing to be hired by the state and I will cut it the way the citizens want it cut, not the way Beacon Hill wants it cut. (Another words your partying days are OVER).

Wonderful...and I voted against the repeal of the Income Tax, because I (mistakenly) believed the B.S., that a yes vote would result in
new or increased fees and taxes, and a no vote would prevent this.

The next time a vote to repeal any form of taxes or fees appears on the ballot, I WILL vote for the repeal!

Another Thief as Speaker, DeLeo is picking our pockets, no reform. Put them all in jail where they belong, along with their relavtives feeding at the public through a bunch of pigs. How about taxing the public pensions with the the state income tax, which they are now exempt from. We in the private sector pay state income tax on our pension, but state, country city etc retirees are exempt from paying state income tax on their pensions. Another example of a special law passed in the dead of night. Any major or minor purchase I'll take a run to New Hampshire. Every politician in Mass. is unethical theif.

If sales taxes are raised, all firefighters and police should get a 10% raise.

If everyone is so angry why do you keep voting for the same yahoos?? It's your own fault. Good thing we didn't pass Question 1 isn't it?? If you believed that keeping the income tax would result in no tax hikes you were a fool! Again - you can only blame youselves

WE need to march on that state house - period.

And of course the Globe will cover the protest - yeah right - if they did it'd be buried on page 500. - The Herald does a better job representing the taxpayer - the globe loves the tax taker.

We also need to march ON the pike - literally shut it down - THAT will get the attention of the $80,000 a year quarter takers and their $150.000 bosses and politicians.

govermor patrick & rep deLeeo both are morally bankrupt---2 sleazes---and u vote for them

Speaker DeLeo...same old, same old. Why doesn' t the Legislature reduce by a minimum 10% their office staff hours, expenses and consider reducing their weekly hours/salaries??
...And who trusts our government to spend $900 million in our best interest. VOTE them out...

So let me get this straight, you don't agree with something you read so you call the author a retard? ugh.