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Towards a just & healthy democracy in the Commonwealth... and beyond!
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Mon Aug 30, 2010 at 17:40:56 PM EDT
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| From Mike Heichman:
On September 1, Nat Fortune will be appearing at the 2010 Get Out the Vote Coalition Forum. This forum will be for candidates for Auditor and Treasurer. It will be held at the Reggie Lewis Athletic Center, 1350 Tremont St, Roxbury at 6 PM (across the street from the Roxbury Crossing T Station). The major sponsors are MassVote, the Bay State Banner and the Dorchester Reporter and there are over 30 co-sponsors.
Nat plans to arrive about 4:30. He also plans to stay until the end of the forum at 8 PM and talk with people outside. He will have literature for us to pass out. I asked Nat for some talking points when we have a chance to talk with people as they arrive. I have included his entire list, so you will have a better idea of who we are supporting. I also urge you to go to his website:
Nat Fortune for State Auditor |
| eli_beckerman :: GRP candidate for Auditor, Nat Fortune to debate |
| Talking points (use the ones that work for you, need to whittle these down. Suggestions welcome)
Independent. Works only for you.
• independent, honest, forthright
• independent of the parties, lobbyists and insiders running Beacon Hill
• only candidate who won't take money from lobbyists
• member of only party whose candidates won't take money from lobbyists
Smart. Analytical. Tenacious.
• statewide and town awards for analysis of state and local contributions to school funding
• used EnergyStar benchmarking and energy audits to lower school energy use 30% in two years
• only rocket scientist in the race!
A Watchdog who will Bark.
• your watchdog for strong schools and fair taxes
• will audit Board of Education to make it more responsive to and supportive of parents, teachers, and school committees
• will audit companies receiving tax dollars for job creation to see if we are really getting our money's worth
• will audit the $1.1 billion/year in tax waivers ("tax expenditures") given to favored corporations with inside connections on Beacon Hill
• will work to end tax breaks for companies that cut jobs (like Fidelity and Raytheon)
• will work to redirect job creation to rehiring firefighters, teachers, and librarians (by comparing the return on investment for our money)
• will work to make taxes fairer and more progressive through analysis of state revenue streams
• will work to lower taxes for those who need it most by assessing costs , benefits and tax fairness of new legislation
Sustainably yours,
Nat Fortune |
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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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