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SternSkipper -> RE: So.. Was Romney a good governor? (10/26/2012 6:43:49 PM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: crazyml
Plainly, this thread may or may not become a bun-fight, but I'm interested to know.
My "impression" very much as an outsider (albeit one with links to MA having lived in Concord MA for a couple of years) is that he did a decent job.
Also... how does his MA record (and the policies he supported while Governor) correlate with his platform as a candidate for Prez?
So when were you in Mass? Because, I've lived here through most of the 90s an all of this century so far. Also I've always paid pretty careful attention to the government and politics here. Romney wasn't the worst Governor we've had, but that's only because a republican that preceded him and a badly beaten down woman Governor who also proceeded Romney basically sucked. Romney talks about being bi-partisan, but he vetoed most of what came across his desk. He only signed about 40-59 bills into law, and A LOT of those were relating to Romney Care.
Of course, he did sign in some things to make the deficit of $3 billion disappear...Things like a special tax bill to impose a $200+ (sorry, I don't remember the dollar amount of the base) escalating tax penalty (that they wanted to not call a tax ... ironic, huh?). The others were to raise fees on JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING you could get from the government in terms of licensing and services. My driver's license went up $60 in one year, my amateur lobsterman's license went up $25, excise taxes on my car up $400, excise tax and registration on two boats up up $1100. Also, he was the governor who decided because he wasn't going to have a deficit around his neck on the way to the white house, he cut state aid to cities in town. Suddenly, we had school systems, that while still being required to follow rigid state standards, yet to a MUCH larger extent had to become town funded, bigger classrooms, less materials, less teachers, HIGHER PROPERTY TAXES. That's what happens when overnight, you take away $700-$800 million from cities and towns to make your books look good. Mitt is an expert at making the books "look" good. At the beginning my property tax was around $900, when he left to become your conservative superhero, it was over $5k.
Oh, and 2/3s of the deficit HE CLAIMED to have solved was resolved by moneys he didn't raise or cut expenditures to resolve. HE GOT LUCKY. The previous session of congress had created a capital gains tax that kicked in just as Romney faced this deficit. That knocked it down to $1.2 billion, I think. Hmnmmm Social Issues Well he sold himself to the gay community like he was practically going to meet them in the alley after last call, but once elected refused to send a gay marriage bill to congress. He fought the court order to allow it, and supported some wingnut outfit that wanted to legislate via referendum, gay marriage out of existence. It made it to the ballot, but was defeated by the people's vote. I can't remember with precision what the details were, but he also enacted some additional gun control. Assault weapons, I think. And I think gays using a surrogate to have kids caught all kinds of shit just getting the kid proper birth papers. So I guess he didn't let the constitutional rights of children get in the way of his "FOR APPEARANCES" war on gays. Most Massachusetts residents feel Romney was there to create the most plausible launching pad for a Presidential race. I feel confident in saying that if he had run for re-election, a wino with a police record probably could have beat him. He also banned Stem Cell Research in the cradle of the emerging Biotech World never mind how that set Massachusetts back economically, people die when science doesn't advance at the pace it's supposed to.
Back to the economy, he refused to continue tax incentives to the computer and software industry that resulted in the off-shoring, and moving of tens of thousands of jobs, inside the 128 belt alone.
I've heard the claim that he created jobs, but from what everybody I know feels we LOST more\ jobs than any other time between 2003 and 2007.
So if that's you're idea of a good Governor, I want a hit too.
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