Wednesday, March 18, 2009

[Shrek] A Message For My Conservative Friends

OK folks, this message is really just for my friends who are on the "right" of the political center line. I didn't think I'd need to make a post like this, but recent talk radio comments and political blogs have shown to me that you conservatives need some helpful advice:

Learn which battles to fight.

Remember how silly the liberals looked when they fought every single battle they could find while the previous administration was in the White House, no matter how dumb or trivial it was? That's how silly you look now.

What's raised the ire of the conservatives here in the Commonwealth lately is our governor, Deval Patrick, going on vacation to the Caribbean and taking his State Police body guards with him. The State Police body guards are, not shockingly, paid with tax dollars, and many folks think we shouldn't be wasting tax dollars on protection for our traveling governor.

Well, our two previous governors, both Republicans, also had State Police protection when they traveled. Was money being wasted in those cases, especially when one of those two was running for President and was spending lots of time in New Hampshire and Iowa?

No one will find it odd that these folks that are complaining are saying that the issue they now have is that in our current economic situation we should be cutting all wasteful spending in light of all the projected drops in revenue for the state.

The obvious conclusion is they think wasting money when there isn't an economic crisis is OK.

So you see, not exactly the point people are trying to make.

Listen, if people want to give Governor Patrick crap because he gave State Senator Marian Walsh a $175,000-a-year job as an assistant director at a state bonding authority, a position that had sat vacant for more than a dozen years, I'll stand with you.

If people want to give Governor Patrick crap because he wants to add 19 cents per gallon to the current gas tax, making it the highest in the nation, I'll stand with you.

If people want to give Governor Patrick crap because he wants to raise the tolls on the Mass Pike...well, sorry, you're on your own there. I don't use the Pike, so that's a battle I'm not going to fight.

See, it's a lesson I've already learned.

1 comment:

  1. And correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't he still Governor while on vacation? If he has need of bodyguards, wouldn't he need them at all times? Like the Secret Service for the President. They go where he goes. Would ppl be happier if something happened to him on vacation because his guards weren't w/ him - but hey, they saved some money?!?! Bah. Ppl don't think things through.

    And oh my heck - gas taxes need to be going DOWN right now, not up. Ugh.

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