Romney is a Fraud

Former Lobbyist Romney Criticizes Lobbyist

An aide to Romney's loathsome $150,000-a-year spokesman criticized the Democratic State Committee chairman, saying, "The last thing we need is a lecture on ethics from the lobbyist." (source: Boston Herald, 4/30/03)

I guess this means that the administration's lobbyist-lecture quotient is full. Which makes sense. After all, prior to being named Fraud Governor, (insert trumpet noise here), Romney's last job was as a lobbyist. (source: "SLOC Cancels Lobbying Licenses", Salt Lake Tribune, 1/11/02)

Romney Breaks Judicial Nominating Pledge

In February, the Fraud Governor said that "the citizens of Massachusetts deserve to have a squeaky-clean process that has no room for politics and favors." He wiped away the regional commissions that nominate judges and centralized the heavily politicized operation in one 21-member group to make recommendations instead.

Then he broke his own word. The "process" the Fraud Governor used to compile the list of a dozen or so names sent to the White House recently for the opening on the U.S. District Court in Boston involved 1) no application, 2) no formal interviews, 3) no consultation with the state or local bar associations, and 4) no advertising of the vacancy created when U.S. District Court Judge Robert E. Keeton announced he was stepping down. Romney and his chief lawyer Daniel P. Winslow (the hack former counsel of the Republic State Committee) compiled a list with virtually no input from the citizens or most attorneys who will appear before the new judge. "It was just Dan Winslow going eenie, meenie, minie, moe - who should I pick? An insider's game." (source: Boston Herald, 4/29/03)

Among the luminaries picked over by Romney were:

-Jeffrey Locke, the former Republican district attorney of Norfolk County and son of Republican State Senator David Locke;
-Brackett B. Denniston III, who was was chief legal counsel to former Govs. Weld and Cellucci;
-Justice Janis M. Berry of the state Appeals Court Appeals Court, failed Republican candidate (1992) for Attorney General, and attorney to GOP fund-raiser Alexander "Sandy" Tennant;
-Superior Court Judge David A. Lowy, a former assistant counsel to Weld and the husband of former Massport chief Virginia Buckingham (who was chief of staff to former Gov. Cellucci, and press moll to former Gov. Weld.) (sources: Boston Herald, 4/1/03; Boston Globe, 4/1/03; Boston Globe, 4/13/03)
Globe 4/1 Globe April 13

Fine picks, FG. Not a hack among them.

The sound you hear is just another squeaky-clean Romney promise, down the drain.

Rhetoric
On January 14, 2003, Romney's loathsome $150,000 a year spokesman issued a press release titled "ON TRANSPORTATION, ROMNEY PLEDGES TO "FIX IT FIRST," which claimed that due to shrinking tax dollars, state road construction projects would focus on repairing the state's crumbling roads and bridges. "Massachusetts can no longer afford to allow our existing system to crumble under the weight of overuse and official neglect," the Fraud Governor is purported to have said. "We need to redirect the state's resources to reflect a priority on repairing what we already have." Theh release said that first priority would be given to sharply reducing the backlog of deteriorating roads and bridges. "Massachusetts has nearly 5,000 bridges, with 12 percent rated as "structurally deficient."

Reality
On April 24, 2003, the Fraud Govenor called the extension of Route 3 to the Sagamore Bridge a top priority. "I'm a big believer in fixing the Sagamore Bridge. The length of time people wait to get across that Sagamore Bridge just scares people away from the Cape. I want to make it a much faster, smoother way to get on the Cape." (source: Boston Globe, 4/25/03)

So I guess the Sagamore Bridge must have fallen into disrepair, eh? Not really.

State officials said the proposal to eliminate the rotary was moving because of the commitment from the governor, who during his campaign listed the elimination of Sagamore rotary traffic problems as a key transportation initiative. Saith the Fraud Governor, "It'll make a big difference to people who live there, to people who go there on vacations, and for tourists who come and bring billions of dollars to Massachusetts. If I couldn't get that fixed, I'd have to resign in shame. I'd better get it done by the end of my first term."

Which begs the question: what is Romney fixing first, a crumbling bridge, or a campaign bribe?

By the way, the local business community is against the project. They're afraid it will do for the local economy what the Route 495/Route 25 project did for Route 28. (Hint - it croaked the small businesses along the highway.) Should the Fraud Governor care? Well, on January 27 his loathsome $150,000 a year spokesman issued a press release titled "COMMUNITIES FIRST: ROMNEY EMPOWERS CITIES AND TOWNS" which claimed that cities and towns would have unprecedented flexibility in road projects. But I'm sure they meant conditional flexability - as in, 'as flexible as necessary, provided they agree with Romney.'

It sounds an awful lot like the Fraud Governor's 'conditional integrity.'

Romney looking to gut Prop. 2 1/2?

Romney's A&F stooge, Eric Kriss said that local aid cuts are small potatoes, because 'cities and towns are benefiting from steady growth in property tax revenue that should allow them to weather the fiscal storm.' (source: Boston Globe, 4/24/03).

Nicely put, Mr. Stooge. Except that your boss, the Fraud Governor, has repeatedly said that one of his chief goals as governor will be to reduce the cost of housing in Massachusetts. Hmmm, lower housing prices would lead to lower property tax receipts. Unless, of course, you increase the levy percentage.

Last year the Fraud Candidate proposed amending Prop. 2 1/2 by changing the excise tax rate. Perhaps the Fraud Governor is now looking to do away with the whole thing?

Romney budget criticism is self-defeating

An aide to Romney's loathsome $150,000 a year spokesman criticized the FY04 House Ways & Means budget. "We feel the Legislature went a bit too far with the fees and we would rather they look at the common-sense reforms the governor set forth in his budget." (source: Boston Globe, 4/24/03)

Sure - like the Fraud Governor's plan to extort $75 million dollars from casinos in other states as a condition that Massachusetts not legalize expanded gambling, despite the fact that those same casinos repeatedly said that they would make no such payments.

Now THAT'S common sense.

It's a bit like criticizing fee increases when most of the proposed increases were taken from your adminstration's own budget.

An aide to Romney's loathsome $150,000-a-year spokesman criticized the House for going along with the Fraud Governor's plan to cut local aid, saying "It's wrong for them to make draconian cuts to cities and towns without making wholesale reforms to state government first."

This, of course, comes on the heels of Romney's plan to increase funding for the Quinn Bill, a hack program to reward toady cops who supported the Fraud Candidate's campaign in 2002. Romney proposed increasing Quinn Bill funding by $5 million to $45 million a year. (source: Boston Herald, 4/23/03)

Come on, Romney, try to be consistent - at something other than being a fraud.

Romney Fails 100 Day Test

Last fall, the Fraud Candidate released a Power Point presentation called Getting Down to Business where he promised to take action with regard to job creation.

His slide show contained the following action plan:

-Hands on regional work groups.
-- # Priority: keep existing jobs
-- #2 Priority: create new jobs
-- 100-day results focus
-- Clock starts November 6.

Now, 100 days from November 6 would have been February 14, 2003. And we've heard precious little about Romney's Job Creation Results.

So maybe we miscounted. Maybe Romney meant 100 business days.

Hmmm, 100 business days from November 6 would have been March 26. And still heard nothing about the Fraud Governor's Job Creation Results.

Maybe his clock is broken.

Romney Using Plates to Duck Auto Insurance Costs?

Despite the fact that Romney wants Massachusetts residents pay higher fees on everything from bottled water to chronic illnesses, the Fraud Governor is driving around with Utah license plates on his 'I'm-just-a-regular-guy' pick-up truck. (source: Boston Herald, 4/20/03)

Wonder if this is the self-proclaimed MA resident's way of paying lower car insurance - sort of like the Massachusetts' policemen who register their Lincoln Town Cars at their New Hampshire Quinn-bill cottages. Utah auto insurance rates versus Belmont rates ... small change for a millionaire - but so was the property tax exemption that Romney illegally took when he was squatting in Park City. Curious.

Thanks for setting a great example, Fraud Gov! And it's chatching. Deputy Chief of Staff Alex Dunn and aide Spencer Zwick are also driving cars with Utah plates.

Wonder if Romney's loathsome $150,000-a-Year-spokeman has changed his registration yet?

Romney Stiffs Lawrence for Fenway Photo Op

On October 7, 2002, the Fraud Candidate put out a press release entitled "Romney Pledges to Protect Jobs and Avoid Tax Increases." The release said that:

"As Governor, Romney will spend the first 60 days meeting with his regional economic boards. He will ask each board to put together a list of companies that are in danger of leaving and companies they want to move to their area. "Then we are hitting the road," said Romney (in the release). "I'm going to personally visit with the companies that are in danger of pulling out of Massachusetts, and I'm going to convince them to stay."

Except on Friday, April 11, when the Northeast Regional Competitive Council in Lawrence had its kick-off meeting - the Fraud Governor was no where to be seen. No where in Lawrence, that is. He was seen - at Fenway Park - hanging out with the little people at the Red Sox Home Opener. (source: Boston Herald, 4/20/03)

I guess he was trying to stop the BoSox from leaving town
.

Romney Wants to Cut Unemployment Benefits

After campaigning as a friend to the working men and women of the state, the Fraud Governor wants to cut unemployment benefits, from 30 weeks to 26 weeks.

The No-Tax Governor also wants to increase employer premium payments. Employers annual costs would increase from $370 per employee to $448 per employee. (source: Boston Globe, 4/18/2003)

In other words: pay more, get less. It's the Romney way!

Romney Sought To Increase Used Car Sales Tax

The Herald reported that Romney has dropped plans to quietly hike the sales tax on used cars. Romney had been pursuing a plan to tax used car sales according to the car's higher retail value - dropping the past practice of calculating the tax based on the trade-in value, which is usually thousands of dollars lower.

An aide to Romney’s loathsome $150,000 a year spokesman first denied Romney had such a plan, until the Herald showed her an internal memo dated April 15. (Tax day!)

Then she said, “we have abandoned the plan.” (Which obviously admits that they were planning on the plan to begin with! This must have been one of those 'no tax' tax increases.)

But that’s not the best part. Even as Romney was scheming to increase the auto sales tax, he was issuing a press release decrying higher taxes.

AS THEY RUSH TO FILE RETURNS, TAXPAYERS HEAR FROM ROMNEY

CONTACT: Shawn Feddeman, (617) 725-4025
April 15, 2003

Governor promises to hold the line on higher taxes, calls on Legislature to pass reforms

On tax filing day, Governor Mitt Romney visited the South Boston Postal Annex to tell taxpayers that he will hold the line on taxes. Romney also challenged the Legislature to reject the "false choice" of deep spending cuts or higher taxes by adopting the reforms proposed in his budget.
(snip)

Are you kidding? Romney promises to hold the line on higher taxes while he schemes to impose higher taxes?

Yikes.

This was even too much for Romney-shill Barbara Anderson, who wheezed that “any increase in taxation, even if based upon a logical formula, is an assault on already overburdened taxpayers.”
(source: Boston Herald, 4/17/2003)

Tuerck: Romney Bank Loophole is tax hike

David Tuerck, president of the conservative Beacon Hill Institute, today told the Boston Globe that the Fraud Governor's move to close a 'loophole' in the state banking code was actually a tax hike.

A recent bill, backed by Romney, raised bank tax rates and 'stuck them with a $140 million bill for back taxes' having to do with real estate investment trusts (REITs). Tuerck said, "You can call this closing a loophole if you want. What it really is is a tax hike." (source: Boston Globe, 4/17/03)

By pushing this tax hike, Romney has effectively argued that investors used REITs to dodge taxes. Yet Romney was a significant investor in the Corrections Corporation of America REIT. Which begs the question: Was the Draft Dodger a Tax Dodger, too?

Romney Hires Healey Hack

Once again breaking his promise to not lard up state government with hacks and political insiders, the Fraud Governor has hired Edward J. Weldon as assistant press secretary in the Executive Office of Transportation and Construction. Weldon will earn $40,000 a year, and work under Dan Grabauskas, the Republican Party's failed Treasurer's office candidate.

Prior to his hack hire, Weldon worked for Lightweight Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey at the Republican State Committee as their $30,000 a year field director. Yes, he lives in Beverly, just like the Lightweight Lt. Gov. (source: Boston Herald, 4/16/2003)

Despite Weldon's Party pedigree, an aide to Romney's loathsome $150,000 a year spokesman denied that the Commonwealth's newest hack's Party connections got him the new job and $10,000 salary bump.

"Politics had nothing to do with it. My understanding is that it was a very thorough process and that (transportation) interviewed a number of people."

Maybe she's right; *one* is a number.

Romney Flips on House Pay Bill

On April 11, the Fraud Governor said that he would not oppose the Legislative re-org.

Shawn Feddeman, who is an aide to Romney’s loathsome $150,000 year spokesman, told the Boston Globe, “the governor believes the House should be able to organize themselves as they wish and he would expect the same courtesy in his restructuring proposal of the executive branch."

Four days later, Romney spun like a top and threatened to veto the bill, saying ''I think the executive branch should be able to have the ability to review compensation matters. I'll take a very careful look at that provision of this bill.'' (source: Globe, 4/15/2003)

Sounds like someone conducted a poll.

Hey, Fraud Governor, you can put your finger back in your pocket, now.

Romney Increases Petroleum Tax

The Fraud Governor slid the equivalent of a 2-cent a gallon gas tax hike onto unsuspecting motorists, according to Cosmo Macero of the Boston Herald ("Pump it up! Goosing the gas tax with Mitt", 4/11/03). Romney increased the tax that gas wholesalers pay for every 10,000 gallons that they deliver to retail filling stations. The tax was $50. As of April 1, it became $250. This is a fivefold increase.

Quite a jump for a no-tax administration!

No word from Romney's loathsome $150,000-a-year spokesman on how Romney plans to explain away this latest tax increase. However, fellow-Republican Stephen Dodge said that the Romney administration was being disingenuous if it expected the public to think that Romney's ploy was anything but a revenue grab.

Keep in mind, when it comes to Romney, Stephen Dodge has NO axe to grind; as a former aide to Sen. David Locke, his Republican credentials are impeccable.

Come to think of it, Romney's credentials are impeccable, too - as a fraud!



Romney Flips on Gas Tax

No-New Taxes Romney has flipped on the gas tax.

Last year, he was against it. On June 11, 2002, Romney's loathsome* $150,000-a-year spokesman, said that the Fraud Candidate was against toll increases and 'any hike in the gas tax.' (source: 'Candidates consider gas tax hike,' Boston Globe, June 11, 2002.)

This year he is for it. On April 11 2003, the Fraud Governor told members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation that he is 'open to a federal increase in gas taxes.' (source: 'Romney weighs in –carefully – on Bush tax-cut plan,' Boston Globe, April 11, 2003)

One thing he'll never flip on: being a Fraud!


(*In search of the 2003 Buffalo Beast 50.)

SEC Investigation Pending

CBS Marketwatch News Flash:
SEC probing hedge fund short selling
Hedge funds focus of Senate Banking hearing

WASHINGTON (CBS.MW) - The Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating allegations of manipulative short selling by hedge funds, SEC Chairman William Donaldson said Thursday.

Last year, Romney bragged that he made money investing in 2001. He invested in the stocks of 25 companies, and made more than $500,000 from seven different companies. (source: Boston Herald, May 29, 2002)

Hmmm. While no one else in America was making money in the stock market, Romney made more than $500,000.

Wonder if the Fraud Investor was shorting the market?

Wonder if the Fraud Governor will 'cooperate' with the SEC investigation?

Romney's Excise Tax Hike Gains Strength

Last year, the Fraud Candidate proposed increasing the excise tax on SUVs. The House has recently picked up his charge and is moving toward increasing the municipal levy, despite the fact that Romney claims he is a No-Tax Gov.

The Herald properly pointed out that changing the excise tax would mean changing Prop 2 1/2, which the Fraud Candidate said he would not do.

The Herald also said that No-Tax Maven-ette, Barbara Anderson said that "voters will never stand for excise tax hikes. This probably would be the straw that broke the taxpayers' patience."

Setting aside the fact that her metaphor is fractured beyond repair, it is too bad that Anderson ducked the issue last fall when Romney first proposed his SUV excise tax amendment, and became the first statewide candidate in recent memory to propose tearing up Prop. 2 1/2.

Because Anderson refused to call Romney on the issue last fall, her credibility is as low as that of her fraudulent champion.

Romney Should Cut the Quinn Bill

Team Romney (aka, the Fraud Squad), who want to cut local aid by $232 million, said lawmakers should consider ``common sense'' reforms rather than cut local aid more.

O-kay. Number one on the Common Sense Hit List: whack the Quinn Bill. This would save $100 million dollars.

Number Two ... hey, where did everyone go? Why do the words "Quinn Bill" make the Fraud Squad run and hide?

Rhetoric
Romney's crack PR team put out the following release on April 7, 2003.

Romney wins student support for higher education plan
Accepts petition signed by UMass, state and community college students

Student leaders today showed their support for (the Fraud Governor's) higher education reorganization plan by presenting him with a petition signed by hundreds of students ... The petition was circulated over the past five days by members of Students for Higher Education Reform and the University of Massachusetts Republican Club. Last month, the Student Government Association at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst endorsed Romney's higher education reorganization. (snip)

Reality
One day later, the Student Government Association called Romney a liar. The Student Government Association at UMASS-Amherst has not come out for or against the shakeup. Student speaker Dan Saunders said "I'm really kind of baffled as to where this came from. We'd be very disappointed if anybody is trying to use the SGA as a PR tool." (source: Boston Herald, April 8, by Kevin Rothstein)

Dan Saunders = disappointed
Romney = fraud

Romney has proposed charging $50 for tuberculosis tests, and THEN to charge a $400 fee if someone tests positive. (Michael Powell in the Washington Post, April 2003.)

Wonder how much he will charge them if they die?

Rhetoric:
Despite the current state budget crisis, Romney has pledged to spend "whatever it takes" to keep citizens safe. (Boston Globe, March 26, 2003>0

Reality:
Romney has level-funded Hazmat response teams. As a result, training has been cut back and new state-of-the-art equipment cannot be ordered.
(Boston Globe, April 8, 2003)

(I guess it all depends on how one defines "it".)

Romney has filed legislation to overhaul the Board of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority. He wants to be able to fire the board members for any reason, with or without cause.

Last year, Jane Swift (R-Flagbearer) tried to fire the board - for cause (which the courts later found she did not have) - and was roundly criticized. Christy Mihos and his allies claimed the Board's purpose lay in its independence; that a beholden Board would be of no value. Mihos is now saying that the Governor should be able to control the Board to control costs.

The Globe reported last year that, in the wake of Swift's action, Mihos commissioned a poll showing that Romney could beat Swift.

Thanks for the gumball, Christy. You're fired.

Ike Romney, the war hero who protected France during the Vietnam War, wants to cut funding for Mass Maritime academy "at a time its graduates are critically needed for the war effort."

The globe today quotes his spokesperson as saying Romney has no intention of closing the school. Rather, the Fraud Governor's privatization plan is only meant to strengthen the institution into a free-standing college.

In Romney's mind: Less money = better services.

Kind of like: Romney = fraud.

Romney won't name the Big Dig tunnel after Tip O'Neill because, "the truth is, the taxpayers pay for these projects, not the politicians."

However, in 1997, the state of Michigan named a government building in Lansing after its former Gov. Geo. Romney - and Mitt the Fraud proudly went to the dedication ceremony.

I guess that government buildings in Michigan aren't paid for by taxpayers.

Romney is standing firm on his plan to name the Central Artery tunnel the Liberty Tunnel, to honor "''the men and women who fought to defend liberty in our country.''

Willard Mitt Romney: Super-Patriot.

Kind of makes you wonder why, when his country called during Vietnam, Romney ran to FRANCE.

The Globe's Steve Bailey today writes of the Fraud Governor's plan to expand the bottle bill: "cleaning up my neighborhood, or yours, is not what the expansion of the bottle law is all about. It is about one thing and one thing only: raising revenue to fill the state's desperate budget deficit. That is why the proposal is tucked away in the state budget, and not filed as a separate bill to be debated as it should be."

And this from a No-Tax Republican? Too bad we don't have a No-Fraud Governor.

``It's hypocritical to say no but spend the dough,'' said House Ways and Means Chairman John H. Rogers (D-Norwood) on the Fraud Governor's criticism of last year's tax increase, despite the fact that his (FG's) budget spends every penny of the tax hike.

The Fraud Governor's $48,000 a year communications director for Travel and Tourism is moonlighting for ... the state of PA! The Herald reports that Amy Strack did consulting work for Pennsylvania's tourism campaign - which is vigorously trying to lure business away from the Bay State. She then sent a bill earlier this month for $500 for ``professional review'' of a Pennsylvania tourism document, then denied that she was paid for the work, saying "``Even if they do offer (pay) I'm not going to accept it."

Then the Herald obtained a copy of an invoice Strack sent to Mary Means & Associates, a consultant leading Pennsylvania's ``heritage tourism'' campaign, for $500. The invoice was dated March 3.

Whoops.

Strack, who was promoted by MOTT director Paul Sacco, said she saw no conflict in working for a competitor state. ``It's all for the greater good of the tourism industry. I don't think it's really an ethical question.''

Then again, what does Team Romney know about ethics?

(source: "Pa. has friend in Bay State: Tourism aide billed rival", by Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, Wednesday, April 2, 2003.)

The Fraud Governor today criticized the $1.2 billion tax hike passed by lawmakers last year, calling it a burden on average families. According to the State House News, he said "It underscores something that I think we want to remind ourselves of on a frequent basis: raising taxes hurts working families."

However, Romney has used these funds to help balance HIS FY04 budget. If he was truly against the tax hike, he wouldn't have used the monies, now would he?

Rep. Paul Casey (D-Winchester), House chairman of the Taxation Committee, said "If the governor is truly concerned about the tax increase, then why is he incorporating it into his budget?"

Hmmm. Perhaps because Romney is a fraud?

Gov gathers list of judge picks for fed court
by Elisabeth J. Beardsley
Boston Herald
Tuesday, April 1, 2003

Gov. Mitt Romney is putting together a list of recommendations to President Bush for a seat on the U.S. District Court in Boston, including several judges and lawyers with deep ties to the Republican political machine, sources said.
In a letter to U.S. Sens. Edward M. Kennedy and John F. Kerry obtained yesterday by the Herald, Romney offers 14 names for the $154,000-a-year post. Eight of the candidates on the list are sitting judges. The other six are private-sector lawyers, mostly from prominent area firms.
Among the connected is state Superior Court Justice David A. Lowy - the husband of former Massport chief Virginia Buckingham. Buckingham was chief of staff to former Gov. Paul Cellucci, who named Lowy to the bench, and is now deputy editorial page editor for the Herald.
Reaching back to the days of former Gov. William F. Weld, Romney suggested Brackett B. Denniston, who was chief legal counsel to both Weld and Cellucci, and is now senior counsel for General Electric Co.

College heads say Romney in dark about own plan
by Elizabeth W. Crowley
Boston Herald
Tuesday, April 1, 2003

State college leaders chided Gov. Mitt Romney yesterday for not knowing even basic elements of his vaunted higher education reform bid.
Already accusing Romney of introducing ``gross distortions'' into the debate over his plan, some of the nine state college presidents said Romney seemed unclear about his plan during a 90-minute lobbying session.
``There were several things that we discussed with the governor that, clearly, he was not aware of in his own plan,'' said Bridgewater State College President Dana Mohler-Faria. ``I was very surprised.''
Among the effects the plan would have, college administrators said, would be to give the governor power to appoint the chairmen of state college boards of trustees - a power each board now has.
``He wasn't aware of that and he certainly seemed surprised by it and understood why we would have concerns about it,'' Mohler-Faria said.

Remember the criticism Romney heaped against Tom Finneran and the so-called Gang of Three? Now that the Fraud Governor is in power, he is singing a different tune. Namely no tune at all!

Finneran is looking to increase the pay of his leadership team. Romney’s response? He says the Legislature should have the latitude to spend its budget the way it wants to - just as he has jacked up the pay of some of his staff.

``In general, the governor believes the House has the right to organize itself as it sees fit and (the Fraud Governor) would expect the same courtesy,'' said spokeswoman Shawn Feddeman, according to the Herald.

Golly. What a leader.

Romney campaigned against political insiders, and repeatedly claimed he would not fall into the Beacon Hill trap of hiring pals or people with inside contacts. So how to explain the newest member of the Group Insurance Commission?

Peter Schwarzenbach, whom Romney hired to work in Admin & Finance, was Vice-President, General Counsel and Secretary of (tah-dah) Staples, Inc., which Romney helped create. Romney was long a member of the Staples board.

But I’m sure Schwarzenbach was hired after a nationwide search, right?

As for Schwarzenbach’s mission, GIC’s For Your Benefit newsletter (Spring 2003) states that he wants to “focus on the changes we can make in our plan structure to allow the individual plan member to help us drive down the cost of health care.”

This guy sounds like someone who would fire his workforce, then claim he had made his former employees become more independent and self-sufficient.

In short, a Romney man!

from today’s Globe editorial “A sickening system”:

“During his campaign for governor, Mitt Romney could not have been more emphatic about his resolve to reverse the state's plan to drop 36,000 chronically unemployed adults from Medicaid. But today is the day they will no longer be insured, and for most of them there is no safety net in place...

“The governor's health and human services secretary, Ron Preston, has two working groups exploring a new version of Medicaid coverage in time for the new fiscal year. But there is no need to reinvent a wheel when the old one did exactly what it was supposed to do. Even in tough economic times, snatching health coverage away from the needy is indefensible.”

And an article in Metro/Region states that:

“During the gubernatorial campaign, Governor Mitt Romney vowed to fight cuts to core services like health care. He has not said how he would undo the current round of Medicaid cuts. A Romney spokeswoman yesterday said the governor would not take any action until the Legislature presented him with a viable plan.”

Big surprise.