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Towards a just & healthy democracy in the Commonwealth... and beyond!
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Wed Jul 21, 2010 at 10:35:25 AM EDT
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(You need look no further than our candidate for Lt. Governor when it comes to walking the walk. Rick's a populist in the very best sense of the word, and his devotion to both country and community is unquestionable. Yet another candidate on our slate of whom we can be unabashedly proud! - promoted by michael horan)
Rick Purcell is a long-term resident of Holyoke, Massachusetts, a distinguished community activist, a compassionate health care worker, and decorated US Army veteran who served 10 years of active duty.
He's also Jill Stein's running mate for Lt. Governor!
http://www.rickpurcell.org |
| Nat Fortune :: Meet Rick Purcell: GRP 2010 Candidate for Lt. Governor |
| Rick has been a resident of Massachusetts since 1974, when he moved to Holyoke with his mother and siblings from the Tohatchi Indian Reservation in northern New Mexico. A graduate of the Holyoke and Chicopee Public Schools, Rick served 10 years of active duty in the US Army, most recently as an air evacuation medic in Operation Desert Storm. Honorably discharged, Rick returned to Holyoke in 1992 to continue his career in health care at Baystate Health System, where he currently works an an ergonomics specialist to prevent and treat repetitive stress injuries.
Since returning to Holyoke, Rick has been a true and relentless voice for his community. Time and time again, Rick Purcell has lead the fight to hold local government accountable to its citizens, calling for increased community oversight over the city charter commission, police relations, and the operation of city services. Rick chaired the citizens group opposing privatization of city waste treatment, initiated ballot campaigns to form a police commission, and in 2006, ran for City Council, garnering 33% of the vote and the endorsement of the AFL-CIO in his first bid for elected office.
A passionate veteran who has served as commander of United Veterans of Holyoke and was elected to four terms as Commander of the War Memorial American Legion Post #25, Rick is a strong supporter of Veterans for Peace, calling for us to "Honor the Dead, Heal the Wounded, and Bring Home the Troops." As Rick noted this Memorial Day, "we owe it to our veterans to fight the battle here to end the unnecessary wars. We need to make sure that the $10 million that Massachusetts spends every day on those wars is brought back home to take care of our schools, hospitals, and veteran's centers. And to give our veteran's some green jobs that won't destroy our environment.... That's how we can really honor our veterans." |
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| Which of these Lt. Gov candidates can you most count on to speak up for you and your community? |
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Results
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Green Mass Group is an online forum for Green thought and collective action in Massachusetts. It is a community forum for justice, sustainability, democracy and health in the Commonwealth and beyond.
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| Quotes |
"Now, is this the deal I would have preferred? No. I believe that we could have made the tough choices required - on entitlement reform and tax reform - right now, rather than through a special congressional committee process. But this compromise does make a serious down payment on the deficit reduction we need and gives each party a strong incentive to get a balanced plan done before the end of the year. Most importantly, it will allow us to avoid default and end the crisis that Washington imposed on the rest of America."
--President Barack Obama on the debt ceiling "deal"
"Despite Democratic control over the White House, despite Democratic control over the Senate, despite overwhelming opposition from the American people, a small minority of the members of the Republican-controlled House have successfully pushed an extreme right-wing agenda onto the American political landscape. It is an ideology which believes that despite the fact that the rich are getting richer, the middle class is shrinking, and poverty is increasing, all - all of the burden for deficit reduction should rest on working people."
--Independent Senator Bernie Sanders on the debt ceiling "deal"
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Then and Now
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Then...
"Last year Evergreen, a Massachusetts company, agreed to establish their first-ever United States based manufacturing facility here in Massachusetts. They did so, or are doing so, at Devens. They have now agreed and chosen to triple their size at Devens. Their next phase of expansion, right here in Massachusetts, a signature company in a signature sector, and we congratulate all of the folks at Evergreen and look forward to continuing to work with you...
We made a personal commitment to Evergreen for the sake of Evergreen, but also because we wanted to show that there are ways in which state government, in working together with private industry and with the utility companies, could begin to create a different kind of environment, a different kind of business climate here, to grow that sector, and it is happening. It's happening. Evergreen is one of the most prominent examples, but there are a whole host of examples."
--Governor Deval Patrick, April 7, 2008, boasting about state investment in Evergreen.
and Now...
"Evergreen Solar Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection yesterday, completing a stunning reversal of fortune for a high-flying alternative-energy company that once seemed to herald a new era for the Massachusetts economy... At its peak, Evergreen employed roughly 900 people locally and attracted more than $50 million in state support, as its stock price soared above $100 a share.
Yesterday, Evergreen's stock closed at 18 cents. The company shuttered its manufacturing plant in Devens earlier this year and now has only 85 employees left. Massachusetts is one of its top creditors, owed $1.5 million in rent."
--Erin Ailworth, Boston Globe, August 16, 2011
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