( - promoted by William Tucker)
So NHDP paid a fine because an auto-call of theirs that said "This is State Democratic Chair Ray Buckley calling..." also needed to say "paid for by" NHDP.
Okay.
I'm glad this came up, because it reminds me that the call was in response to when, last September, Bill O'Brien was so scared of losing his own state rep primary that he mailed out a write-in plea wherein he pretended to be supportive of Democratic party values. In part, emphasis mine:
Creating jobs, educating our children and looking out for our most vulnerable citizens transcends [sic] party politics. That is why, as your state representative, I have focused on solutions and not political rhetoric. I would be honored to have your support and to have your [sic] write in my name to fill the fourth, unfilled, state representative nomination for the Democratic party in our district.
It's now one year later. Candidate Bill O'Brien has become House Speaker Bill O'Brien. Let's take a look at how his "political rhetoric" has matched up with his "solutions."
"Creating jobs": In the two months since the budget Speaker O'Brien crafted and championed became law, it has directly caused the loss of 1,376, mostly private sector, jobs.
"Educating our children": The House of O'Brien has been particularly hostile to the education of children, pursuing a raft of bills that included: pushing a constitutional amendment to eliminate the state's obligation to pay for schools; lowering the dropout age; abolishing kindergarten; eliminating educational public television, decimating Children In Need of Services; gutting the new bullying law; defining down what is an adequate education; and taking the least funded public college system in the country and cutting that funding in half.
"Looking out for our most vulnerable citizens": From the report on the vote for the budget Bill O'Brien called a "historic achievement":
The budget would cut $115 million from hospital reimbursements and would reduce funding for dozens of programs including domestic violence prevention, child-care subsidies, ServiceLink resource centers and community health centers. It eliminates mental health services for 7,000 people and eliminates services for children ordered by the court to get counseling.
...During yesterday's debate, Democrats introduced 14 amendments to restore money for mental health services, drug and alcohol treatment, career and technical schools, the university system, child-care subsidies, domestic violence programs, the consumer protection bureau, and other services. Each amendment was voted down.
(find me > 140 on birch paper; on Twitter < 140)
UPDATE: More today on the "Creating jobs" solution:
St. Joseph Hospital laid off 44 people Wednesday, reduced hours for some employees and eliminated vacant positions in its latest response to state budget cuts.
..."It's the unfortunate situation we find ourselves in as a result of the state budget," [hospital spokesperson Melissa] Sears said. "We would not have needed to do this if the budget hadn't been created and passed in the manner it was."
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