comMITTed to Romney!

SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT

The Right Romney Record

BOSTON – Last week, local radio talk show host Gregg Jackson penned an op-ed on the “real Mitt Romney.” Unfortunately, it failed to note the many conservative accomplishments Mitt Romney had as Governor of Massachusetts. Here is Governor Romney’s real record of leadership in Massachusetts:

THE RECORD #1: Gov. Romney Provided Strong, Pro-Life Leadership In Massachusetts And Massachusetts Pro-Life Organizations Agree.

• Gov. Romney Vetoed Legislation That Would Have Provided For The “Morning After Pill” Without A Prescription. (Gov. Mitt Romney, The Boston Globe, 7/26/05)
• Gov. Romney Promoted Abstinence Education In The Classroom. (Office Of Gov. Mitt Romney, “Romney Announces Award Of Abstinence Education Contract,” Press Release, 4/20/06)
• Gov. Romney Vetoed Legislation That Would Have Changed The Longstanding Definition Of The Beginning Of Human Life From Fertilization To Implantation. (Gov. Mitt Romney, Letter To The Massachusetts State Senate And House Of Representatives, 5/12/05)
• Gov. Romney Supports Parental Notification Laws And Opposed Efforts To Weaken Parental Involvement. (John McElhenny, The Associated Press, 10/29/02)
• Gov. Romney Supports Adult Stem Cell Research But Has Opposed Efforts To Advance Embryo-Destructive Research In Massachusetts. (Theo Emery, The Associated Press, 5/27/05)
• Massachusetts Citizens For Life Executive Director Marie Sturgis: “Having Governor Romney in the corner office for the last four years has been one of the strongest assets the pro-life movement has had in Massachusetts.” (Kathryn Jean Lopez, National Review, 1/10/07)

THE RECORD #2: Gov. Romney Championed Traditional Marriage In Massachusetts.

• Gov. Romney Called For A Massachusetts Constitutional Amendment Defining Marriage As Between A Man And A Woman. “I disagree with the Supreme Judicial Court. Marriage is an institution between a man and a woman. I will support an amendment to the Massachusetts Constitution to make that expressly clear.” (Office Of Gov. Mitt Romney, “Statement By Governor Mitt Romney On SJC Decision On Same Sex Marriage,” Press Release, 11/18/03)
• When The Legislature Would Not Vote On The Amendment, Gov. Romney Filed Suit To Force A Vote. “Governor Mitt Romney and a group of Massachusetts residents asked the state’s highest court yesterday to override the Legislature and let voters decide whether to ban same-sex marriage, accusing legislative leaders of violating the state constitution by refusing to act on the proposal.” (Jonathan Saltzman, The Boston Globe, 11/25/06)
• Gov. Romney Enforced A 1913 Law Preventing Out-Of-State Same-Sex Couples From Marrying In Massachusetts. “Same-sex couples who live outside Massachusetts will not be able to marry in Massachusetts when gay marriage becomes legal here next month, Gov. Mitt Romney said.” (Pam Belluck, The New York Times, 4/25/04)
• Massachusetts Family Institute Kris Mineau: “He’s been rock solid on the issue of marriage.” (Steve LeBlanc, The Associated Press, 1/12/07)

THE RECORD #3: Gov. Romney Put Conservative Principles To Work In Health Care.

• The Club For Growth: “Governor Romney Deserves Credit For Proposing A Plan That Encourages Individually-Owned Health Insurance…” “Given these limitations, Governor Romney deserves credit for proposing (and to a lesser extent, enacting) a plan that encourages individually-owned health insurance and circumvents some of the inequities carved into the federal tax code.” (The Club For Growth, 8/21/07)
• Health Care Reform “Has Cut The Number Of Uninsured In The State By Nearly A Third.” (Steve LeBlanc, The Associated Press, 4/11/07)
• The New York Times: “Observers of the state’s progress since the health care law was passed in April 2006 say they are impressed that the varied constituencies – including health insurers, businesses, advocates, medical providers and taxpayers – largely continue to support the law and have worked to resolve differences.” (Pam Belluck, The New York Times, 7/1/07)
• Uninsured Massachusetts Residents Can Obtain Health Care Insurance For As Little As $175 A Month. Steve LeBlanc, The Associated Press, 3/3/07)

THE RECORD #4: Gov. Romney Appoint Judges Who Would Be Tough On Crime And Would Not Legislate From The Bench.

• For The State’s Highest Courts, Governor Romney Said He Would Appoint Judges With “Strict Construction, Judicial Philosophy.” (Raphael Lewis, The Boston Globe, 7/25/05)
• For The State’s Lowest Courts, Governor Romney Focused On Legal Experience And Whether The Nominee Would Be Tough On Crime. “He said he has focused on two factors: their legal experience and whether the nominees would be tough on crime. He said most of the nominees have prosecutorial experience. ‘People on both sides of the aisle want to put the bad guys away,’ Romney said.” (Raphael Lewis, The Boston Globe, 7/25/05)
• The Boston Globe: “Some of Romney’s nominees do have stellar Republican or conservative bona fides. For example, Romney’s pick for Peabody clerk magistrate, Kevin L. Finnegan, is a former two-term Republican state representative. Another choice was Bruce R. Henry, the son-in-law of former SJC Justice Joseph Nolan whom Romney wanted to represent his administration in seeking a stay of the court’s gay marriage ruling.” (Raphael Lewis, The Boston Globe, 7/25/05)

THE RECORD #5: Gov. Romney Took Action When Problems Were Found With The Big Dig. He Removed The Head Of The Turnpike Authority And His Quick Response Was Widely Praised.

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I just finished reading an article by Gregg Jackson over at TOWNHALL.COM that makes one of the most preposterous claims so far in a campaign that has been loaded with preposterous claims.

He actually tries to lay responsibility for the disastrous “Big Dig” in Boston at MR’s doorstep!!

For those of you who may not be familiar with it, the “Big Dig” is a 3.5 mile tunnel through the center of Boston that was designed to relieve some of Boston’s traffic congestion. My understanding is that it is the most expensive public works project in US history. The initial cost was projected at about $3 billion and ended up at $14 billion.

Now, here is where those pesky things we call “facts” come into play. The project was first conceived in the early ’70’s. Fact: Mitt Romney was in France in the early seventies, working as a Mormon missionary. Fact: Mitt Romney had nothing to do with the planning of the project. Fact: The project was considered too expensive by President Reagan and he vetoed the bill, which Congress promptly over rode. The initial work on the project began in 1983, a time when Mitt Romney was in the private sector and would not begin his public service for more than a decade. Fact: By the time MR became the Governor of Massachusetts, the “Big Dig” and been a work in progress for 20 years.

So, in closing, I just wanted to offer this caveat to our readers. The propaganda campaign is in full swing right now, and if past experience is any guide, it will only get worse as we go along. Don’t let the spin artists in the media shake your support of Mitt Romney, be sure to get the “facts” before you decide.

~~John Cronin~~

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I’m going to click all categories. I am opening up the blog to whatever stories, discussions, ideas, etc…you want. Please be advised though that any crude or profane language will be deleted. You must discuss your ideas in a civil fashion with no name calling. Other than that, the floor is yours. Other posts will be posted as needed, but this one’s for you. One note: Try to think outside the box, and make this discussion as varied as possible

Read, Set, Go!!!

Ann Marie

P.S. While you’re at it contribute. Yes, I am a shameless promoter. Follow the following instructions to do so…Thanks!

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Ways to contribute:

1. Visit this URL: Contribute, and fill in your information and donate by credit card. Please use fundraiser ID: 250001, and my name Ann Marie Curling.

2. Write a check with your donation amount (please write Ann Marie Curling - 250001 in the MEMO field). Print the form located at Contribution Form PDF, and fill in all the necessary information. Then mail your form and check to the following address: Romney for President Exploratory Committee, Inc., P.O. Box 55899, Boston, MA 02205-5899.

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http://www.mass.gov/Agov2…iew+Summary.pdf

Mitt Romney just released the findings of the “stem to stern” safety review of the Big Dig Tunnel system. Click here to learn more.

Governor Mitt Romney today signed legislation to protect infants and children from shaken baby syndrome, a form of child abuse that is the leading cause of injury-related infant death nationwide. Nearly one-third of children who are injured from being shaken die, and those who do survive often suffer lifelong physical and mental damage.

�The victims of shaken baby syndrome are helpless to defend themselves from such violence,� said Romney. �Through better education, we will allow new parents to understand the challenges they face and help them to prevent tragedies before they occur.�

The new law, which takes effect immediately, directs the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, the Department of Social Services and the Massachusetts Children�s Trust Fund to develop and implement a comprehensive, statewide prevention initiative to reduce death and disability resulting from shaken baby syndrome.

In Massachusetts, the Department of Social Services confirmed 76 cases of shaken baby syndrome from 2001 to 2004. Of these cases, nearly half of the victims were shaken by their biological parents, not by caregivers.

The law adds a program to educate new parents about the dangers of shaken baby syndrome. Parents or guardians of all newborns in Massachusetts will receive, before leaving the hospital, education and materials developed by the Department of Public Health describing the dangers of shaking infants and children.

The law also authorizes the development of a program to support and serve victims of shaken baby syndrome and their families. The victim support program will also help state officials collect additional data to aid future efforts to combat shaken baby syndrome.

�We are grateful to Governor Romney and the Legislature for moving this crucial piece of legislation forward,� said Harry Spence, Commissioner of the Department of Social Services. �With this law, Massachusetts has decided to act to address shaken baby syndrome, the most frequent cause of death and injury among infants and toddlers.�

Over the past four years, the Romney Administration has been aggressive in combating child abuse in the Commonwealth. The Administration approved and implemented the Baby Safe Haven law, which provides mothers of newborns a safe location to surrender infants seven days old or younger as a last resort. The Governor also signed legislation in August of 2006 requiring emergency room personnel to become trained in spotting signs of sexual abuse in children.

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http://alabamaforromney.blogspot.com/

Romney state blogs can now start the alphabetical list off right! Karl Basham, who has recently helped re-vitalize Mississippi for Mitt, has started “Alabama for Romney” and has several excellent new posts in the last few days. Karl is a Captain (soon to make Major) in the Air Force and is going in less than two weeks for a 6 month deployment in Iraq. Wish him well in his tour of duty!

Speaking of Alabama, I ran into an article titled “ALABAMA VOICES: Word thieves threaten richness of language” from the Montgomery Advertiser by Tom Fitzpatrick. It only mentions Romney periperally, but the writer laments that a literary rich term like “tar baby” has been hijacked by race-baiters and will become taboo in our vocabluary as a racial slur. This topic is near and dear to me, because, as many readers here may know, I asked the question to Romney at the Ames event last month that elicited his “tar baby” comment.

Fitzpatrick delves into an interesting history of the orgin of the term and laments about its apparent sailing into the sunset. Of Romney, the story mentions:

Gov. Romney referred to the Boston “Big Dig” tunnel fiasco as a tar baby he didn’t want to touch. Sounds apt, but critics across the nation, led by black activists, savaged him. Romney apparently didn’t know that “tar baby” in recent years has become a racist’s epithet for a black person.

Personally, I think it will be a disgrace and loss to both blacks and whites if “tar baby” is allowed to be pirated by word thieves, goes the way of “gay” and “intercourse,” and lives on bereft of its original meaning.

Well said Mr. Fitzpatrick!

Look at all the debate my simple question led to . . . who would’ve thunk it . . .

Jeff

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Work on reforming the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority continues today. Gov. Romney swore in Mass. Secretary of Transportation as the acting head of the agency.

I won’t congratulate Cogliano for inheriting a headache such as this. But I wish him luck.

~~~Thomas

Dave adds: This quote from Governor Romney sums it all up:

“Traditionally, this agency has also been run for the benefit of political outsiders. Those interests will undoubtedly fight change. They may take a run at you over the coming years to do things that would be more like the practice of the past. I’d acknowledge that more important than the decisions you will make during your tenure on this board will be your insistence that this agency rebuff patronage, self-interests and favoritism always in favor of the public interest.”

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http://www.lowellsun.com/editorials/ci_4176623

Realizing what a friend she’s had in Governor Romney, Barabara Anderson, Executive Director of Massachusetts-based Citizens for Limited Taxation wrote today an opinion piece praising many of Romney’s recent and ongoing actions.

. . . while other states are moving to prevent eminent-domain abuse, Romney had to veto an amendment to the economic stimulus bill that will allow developers to create their own little mini-towns-within-towns by floating bonds to pay for the infrastructure. As one legislative opponent wrote in support of the veto, this whole concept “would benefit from undergoing full legislative process, including public hearing, rather than enactment as a veto override of a Senate amendment to a spending bill.”

Trying to sneak in eminent-domain as a minor point on a big bill. Nice try, but Romney’s too swift for that! Later Anderson contrasted Romney and former Gov. Dukakis.

Fortunately, Mitt Romney is now in charge of the Big Dig, and is clearly in his element when addressing a crisis. And for contrast, we have former Democratic Gov. Michael Dukakis, returned to rewrite history.

He is everywhere, on television, talk radio, in newspaper articles, insisting that the Big Digaster wouldn’t have happened if the Republican governors had listened to him: They should have kept his transportation secretary, Fred Salvucci, to run it right and for his estimated $2.4 billion cost.

Michael, you can’t rewrite history until everyone who actually lived it and remembers it is dead. And I’m not.

The detials that follow prove her point. Dukakis seems to be suffering from selective memory and an overly partisan mindset.

Jeff

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http://news.bostonherald….rticleid=152338

This, from the Boston Herald’s Dave Wedge:

Just as he did after the fatal Big Dig collapse, Gov. Mitt Romney sprang into action yesterday following news of a possible terror attack, taking firm control while scoring praise from political pundits and even some Democrats.

The possible 2008 presidential contender was the first governor nationwide to launch the National Guard - even though none of the terror-targeted planes were headed to Boston. He also called a 10 a.m. press conference, beating even President Bush to the airwaves, and abruptly canceled a trip to Wisconsin for a Republican fund-raiser.

�I think the governor�s actions were most appropriate, under the cirumstances,� said U.S. Rep. Martin T. Meehan (D-Lowell). Asked how Romney�s take-charge persona is playing out on the national political scene, Meehan replied: �Anytime an executive makes the right decisions under pressure, voters respond.�

Many doubters will look at this as they did the Governor’s response to the Big Dig tragedy and say he’s angling for political gain. What people fail to recognize is that this guy is simply wired this way. He reacts to difficult situations with superior leadership. Those are his natural instincts.

Dave

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http://weeklystandard.com…5ivsyw.asp?pg=1

The Big Dig and Romney’s response are featured in this week’s Weekly Standard:

“Early on, anyone looking at the Big Dig saw that it was a management horror show,” Romney told me. “It has been grossly under-managed, with huge cost overruns and extraordinary delays. What we began to find out was that it also had apparently cut corners and not been subjected to the kind of rigorous oversight that you’d expect in the world’s largest public works project.”

“When I learned that a ceiling panel had collapsed and killed a human being,” Romney went on, “it followed the same pattern, but the human cost had now reached a new level. What was before a financial embarrassment became a human tragedy.”

He described how he plans to handle the problem. “The best way to make something better is to expose it to the disinfectant of sunlight,” Romney says. “My approach in these kinds of settings is to open the doors, open the windows, let the light in, let the public see what’s going on. In my experience, people always feel better knowing about the real problems than guessing what those problems might be.”

Taking the reins, without regard for the political consequences. Leadership and competence defined again by Governor Romney.

Dave

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http://iowansforromney.bl…mitt-speak.html

A new Iowa political blog focused on the 2008 presidential race is being run by Kevin Schmidt. It is named “RealWorldPolitico.” I breifly met Kevin at Romney’s PAC event in Ames and he seemed like a nice guy. Fortunately, Kevin recorded Romney’s speech and the Q&A session (two seperate mp3s) and has them available at this link (the speech cuts out a few minutes early). In the Q&A session, mine is the second question about the political risk of taking over the Big Dig . . . yes, the question that brought forth the now famous “tar baby” comment.

Additionally, this link should get you to the streaming audio (about 13 minutes) of Gov. Romney on today’s “Morning in America” radio talkshow hosted by Bill Bennett . . . he states he has 2.4 million listeners/day and is the #9 radio talk show in the nation. Sounds like good exposure for Gov. Romney. Not sure how long it will be available online as free streaming audio.

Topics discussed:
The Big Dig
Welfare Reform
Immigration
War on Terror/Iraq/Afghanistan
Israel and Lebanon
China and Economic Policy

One thing that struck me from the interview . . . Romney said: “we under-communicate to the world and to the American people when we call it a “War on Terror.” Terror is the technique that’s involved by the others side. This really is a war against radical jihadists. And we’re going to have to recognize that, and see it’s breath and help the world of Islam reject the extremists, because they and we together are going to have to do this.”

Just after the interview Bennett said of Romney: “Clear, smart, an articulate voice thinking about the wider world as well as his own state of Massachusetts . He’s shown that he can work with Democrats; the question is can he work with Republicans–because there aren’t any up there . . . or at least not very many.”

Great showing, once again, by our man Mitt!

Jeff (cross-posted at Iowans for Romney)

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http://www.opinionjournal.com/cc/?id=110008742

A Wall Street Journal editorial today takes on the Big Dig, including a conversation with Governor Romney. A portion:

Mr. Romney, one of the leading Republican presidential contenders, has arrived at a Rudy Giuliani-type moment that could elevate or ruin his political fortunes. He inherited this pile of political manure, and Massachusetts’s heavily Democratic careerist legislators “just don’t want him cleaning out the stables,” as Eric Fehrnstrom puts it, who focuses on transportation as one of Mr. Romney’s top aides.

But Mr. Romney scored his first significant victory when he forced the resignation of the independent Turnpike Authority head, Matthew Amorello. Mr. Romney is now empowered to put his own clean-up crew in charge. He seems well qualified for the task; after all, he first gained international renown for righting the scandal-plagued Salt Lake City Olympics.

Dave

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/a…n_re_us/big_dig

A little late (if you can call yesterday’s news late) on this one. Looks like Governor Romney is moving at a steady pace with the Big Dig, and this is the next step.

BOSTON - Days after forcing out the head of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, Gov. Mitt Romney on Tuesday moved ahead with long-held plans that he says will streamline the agency, make it more efficient and save tax dollars.

Romney announced he will ask board members at their Aug. 16 meeting to approve the creation of a task force that will scrutinize the agency and identify areas where it can be merged with the state Executive Office of Transportation or other state agencies.

The governor has for years wanted to consolidate the two agencies.

Click the link and read the rest of the story.

Ann Marie

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http://news.bostonherald….888&format=text

Boston Herald columnist, Virginia Buckingham, wrote a peice today titled
“Mitt unduly tarred with Mel�s brush“. It represents a semi-apology to Romney, and, if not that, at least a well-reasoned defense of his use of the term.

It�s a coincidence that Gov. Mitt Romney is taking heat for what some see as a racial slur in the same news cycle as Mel Gibson�s anti-Semitic rant.

But it would be a real shame if there was no distinction made by the guardians against discrimination between Romney�s common reference and Gibson�s disgusting tirade.

All slurs are not created equal.

Romney quickly apologized for his use of the term �tar baby� to describe his involvement in the Big Dig political mess. If unintentional bigotry loves company, Romney has plenty of it including Sen. John Kerry, The Boston Globe editorial board, the Boston Herald editorial board, White House press secretary Tony Snow and WBUR�s �On Point� host Tom Ashbrook.

In a June 2003 Boston Globe profile, Kerry described his leadership of a congressional committee on missing soldiers in Southeast Asia as a potential �tar baby.�

In a 1994 editorial, the Globe described U.S. dealings with Iran as resembling a �tar baby� and even articulated the term�s assumed meaning in a 1998 editorial on China�s censoring of the Internet: �The Communist rulers of Beijing ended last year tangling with a tar baby. The tar baby - passive, sticky and invincible - was played by the Internet, which the leaders want to censor.�

The Herald weighed in on Romney�s Turnpike merger proposal in a 2004 editorial noting �What lawmaker wouldn�t want to pass this tar baby to the guy who may be running for re-election in 2006?�

More recently, in May, the White House�s Snow colorfully refused to comment on a government surveillance program saying that doing so would �hug the tar baby.�

And Ashbrook, as well as Romney apparently, missed the resulting brouhaha since the WBUR host also used the term in a June 16 broadcast to describe the Guantanamo prison issue.

I personally have used the term tar baby, at least in conversation, if not in writing (though I�ve done that, too) plenty of times in my 19-plus year career.

And I confess not only did I not know of its racial implications, I also didn�t know of its origination as a literary trap for Br�er Rabbit. The Boston Globe�s language expert, Jan Freeman, filled me in on that in a June column.

Ignorance isn�t an excuse, it is only an explanation. I assume most, if not all, of those who were offended by Romney will accept his explanation and apology and, more, understand his comment in the spirit in which he offered it.

A voice of reason coming out of Boston? I thought Romney was the only capable of that!

Seriously though, Romney was immediately denounced by the “race baiters” community and painted as a racist for using the term. I commented before how they seem to give Democrats/Liberals a pass when they use the same term. Where was the public outcry when John Kerry used it? How can the Boston Globe and the Boston Herald use the term without even a ripple, but when Romney says it to a small group in Iowa, it’s major national news? How can the term be used in this Massachusetts Magazine article JUST TWO WEEKS AGO without any public outcry (Hat tip: Jason Bonham at Illinoisians for Mitt for this last one) . . . I mean Romney is NOT the first person to refer to the BIG DIG as a “tar baby”. To quote the article:

Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney: At first blush he appears to be a winner, as he calmly rolls up those white shirt sleeves and takes control � but not so fast. Mr. Clean may have gotten national credit for purging the Winter Olympics of scandal, but this ceiling panel thing could prove a tar baby for him yet.

Funny how they can refer to the BIG DIG as a “tar baby” without repercussions but Romney cannot.

Jeff

Addendum:

This blogger agrees with us on the subject. It’s a good read from just another person who thinks there is a double standard when it comes to race between Republicans and Democrats.

Here’s the post.

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Here is a “guest blog” from one of the “Iowans for Romney”, Keith Steurer, an Engineer giving his take on the BIG DIG and Romney’s response to the situation:

ENGINEER’S PERSPECTIVE OF THE BIG DIG FAILURES

I am a structural engineer, licensed in 2 states, with 6 years design experience. The recent BIG DIG failures have been of great interest to me and to my co-workers. There is an unwritten rule in engineering, that when things go wrong, you read up on them as much as possible to make sure that it never happens again. There have been several historic engineering failures throughout history. Usually, the only thing that makes them historic the loss of life (IE Hyatt Regency catwalk failure), or the freak factor (Tacoma Narrows Bridge failure). The BIG DIG has both of these factors because there has unfortunately been a life ;lost due to the failure, and this project is freakishly expensive, large, and encompassing.

I have read up much about the BIG DIG tunnel ceiling failure, and how it happened. Basically, there were concrete panels, hung above the traffic with epoxy anchors. We use epoxy anchors all the time in construction because they are versatile, easy to install, and take very little training or expertise to install. HOWEVER, great caution should be used when installing them in a ceiling. This is known throughout the engineering world. They only perform correctly if installed correctly. As a designer, I actually have a rule that I never use epoxy anchors in a ceiling. WHY? Because the epoxy doesn’t tend to fill the hole completely, and while the epoxy is setting it can run out of the hole. Manufacturers of the epoxy anchors have plenty of testing to show that they are safe for use in ceilings, but sky diving is also technically safe, and I still do not take that risk either. Also the panel fastening system was not redundant. Meaning, if one fastener fails, the remaining will not have the capacity to support the system, and they will all fail, one at a time. They reported that many of the anchors were not tightened adequately either. This is a simple installation problem. Unfortunately, these anchors are most often installed by the least trained, least responsible laborers on a job site, and are rarely tested in place to verify correct installation. I deal with this on my own projects.
I read a great article in the Engineering News Record. See link : http://enr.ecnext.com/free-scripts/comsite2.pl?page=enr_document&article=netrar060731
This is written for engineers, by engineers. I feel it is very honest in exposing the back and forth of who was taking charge of the project and inspections, and what needs to be done. Governor Romney is quoted as having questioned all 1,150 epoxy anchors in that particular tunnel, which is exactly what any trained inspector would do. Unfortunately, it appears as if the previous inspectors (if any), and others involved in this massive project have too much money at stake, too much bribing, and corner cutting going on to take reasonable charge of their own work. No one likes to be the guy that shuts down a construction site to have things tested, but someone has to do it for this level of risk. I am impressed with Romney’s resolve to ensure every part of the project is safe, not just the immediate areas of concern. He has taken on much larger challenges that this, so I am sure he will not fail the people of Massachusetts. I look forward to seeing what type of system they come up with to replace the anchors, and hopefully this will never happen again. Are you listening, fellow engineers???

Keith Steurer, PE, LEED AP

Great stuff Keith! Glad to have you on our “Iowans for Romney” team.

Jeff

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http://www.boston.com/new…reenway/?page=1

Governor Mitt Romney has vetoed $31 million for the Rose Kennedy Greenway, the 27-acre ribbon of parks and development being built in downtown Boston, saying it is much more important to use the money to repair the Big Dig tunnels underground.

The move has surprised and angered supporters of the Greenway, who said the veto could delay construction of two highly anticipated cultural institutions — The Boston Museum, a history center near Quincy Market; and the New

Center for Arts and Culture, a forum for music, theater, and dance near The Boston Harbor Hotel. And tentative plans for a YMCA community center near the TD Banknorth Garden might have to be scrapped altogether, said John M. Ferrell, president and chief executive of the YMCA of Greater Boston.

Supporters fear that Romney is losing sight of the grand vision of renewal for Boston that Big Dig planners promised, epitomized by the replacement of the hulking Central Artery with an inviting green space and a walkway from the North End to downtown.

“You’ve got to take the long view, and the long view is the tunnel is going to be repaired, public confidence is going to be restored, and we have to create the Greenway that has been envisioned all along,” said Ronald M. Druker , chairman of the New Center.

The Legislature had approved the money to build covers over the ramps that connect Interstate 93 to streets near the North End, Faneuil Hall, and Rowes Wharf, where each of the proposed buildings is planned.

But Romney — having seized control of Big Dig inspections from the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority and forced out its chairman, Matthew J. Amorello — said the state must reserve the money for fixes to the project’s highways and tunnels.

I understand why some people want this beautification project to continue, but, I believe that Governor Romney is doing the right thing here. Sometimes being a leader requires that tough choices be made, oftentimes unpopular at that. He’s making a decision that is fiscally smart, and responsible. The project has already overrun it’s budget multiple times, and this $31 million should be used in making sure the infrastructure is sound. It just makes good budgetary sense.

Romney also argued that spending $31 million on Greenway ramps placed an unfair burden on the millions of taxpayers who live outside Boston.

“Massachusetts taxpayers throughout the state should not be forced to pay for the build-out and development of parcels that will benefit predominantly residents of the city of Boston and select organizations that are capable of accessing private funds,” Romney wrote in a letter to the Legislature accompanying his veto Friday. “It is more appropriate to rely on the private sector and the City of Boston for additional costs.”

Romney vetoed the $31 million as part of $56 million that he cut from an approximately $189 million spending bill passed by the Legislature.

This also makes sense. It could foster community pride if the private sector were to pay for it. They could possibly set up sponsorships for certain parts of the project (i.e. planting flowers, etc), and put individuals and corporations names on them. Also, maybe the community could come together and do some of the work in a volunteer capacity, thus bringing the cost down. Teams could be brought together, they could have competitions, and bring out a sense of community pride. Just imagine how much more it would be appreciated too if some of the communities sweat went into it?

Greenway supporters said they would push legislators to override the veto tomorrow, the last day of formal sessions.

“It’s not realistic to expect nonprofit organizations to pay for those ramps, and if you look at the record, it’s always been up to the government to do that,” Ferrell said. “And I’m surprised that the governor doesn’t see it that way because the legislative leaders in the House and Senate and the Boston Redevelopment Authority have been very supportive of this, and the governor is the only public official I know who is not.”

So, because “it’s always been up to the government to do that”, it needs to continue to be done that way? Just because something has always been done one way does not mean it’s the responsible way of doing things. If one wants to use that analogy then we my as well be using horses and buggies instead of automobiles.

The veto surprised city leaders because the state agreed to pay for the ramps in the early 1990s when it certified the Big Dig’s environmental credentials, said Richard A. Dimino, president and chief executive of A Better City, a coalition of downtown business leaders formerly known as the Artery Business Committee.

Well, I’m sure that back in the early 1990s it wasn’t expected that:
A ) The project would have gone so overbudget.
B ) The construction would have been so shoddy that it would have killed someone.

So, it’s a whole new ballgame. Tough decisions have to be made, and Governor Romney is making them.

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