GOVERNMENT WASTE

- MASSACHUSETTS -

Date	Individual / State Agency	Who, What, Where?
04/01/06	Springfield	Springfield, Mass. Teeters on Financial Disaster According to the New York Times, the city of Springfield, after years of Corruption (with a capital C) and mismanagement, borders on bankruptcy. The city has been the victim of a decimated industrial base, middle-class flight, endless poverty, all aggravated by government mismanagement and unprecedented corruption. Springfield, once the shining example of elegant older homes, is now pocked with decrepit buildings and burned out hulks left standing because the city does not have the money to tear them down. A quarter of the city’s residents live in poverty. The state government has loaned the city $52 million and placed it under a financial control board comprised of the mayor, the City Council president, and three people from the governor’s office. Springfield could slide into the abyss because of two problems: 1) repayment of the $52 million loan, and 2) a grand jury convened to investigate corruption seems locked in a comatose state although trials are upcoming for the Springfield Housing Authority and 12 people on charges of racketeering, bribery, extortion and tax evasion, plus the mayor’s chief of staff Anthony Ardolino has been charged with tax evasion and conspiracy, fixing thousands of dollars in parking tickets, and skimming money from two bars. But the major stumbling block is the negotiations with unions representing teachers, the police and firefighters. Ah yes, the all too-powerful government unions. The teachers, who had their wages frozen four years ago, recently had a judge side with their efforts and will now seek back wages. If successful, the police and firefighters will sue for similar back wages, which will likely cost the city $35 million. But the intractable position of the unions and inept/corrupt politicians is causing real hardship for the town. Typical of the giveaways on the east coast, politicians gave the unions unrealistic raises to maintain their vote-getting machines, even including one deal whereby police officers got 60 days of sick leave per year. And we all know what happens next. When the cops retire, they collect a king’s ransom for unused sick leave, a practice that’s never found in the private sector. Assuming that each police officer saves 30 days of sick leave per year, after 20 years of service, they likely have 600 days accrued, so when they retire, they can expect a check in the range of $150,000-$200,000 in addition to their pension. Alan LeBovidge, commissioner of the state Department of Revenue, said, “The attitude the unions are taking is gimme, gimme, gimme. We can’t give the unions money we don’t have.” The city may be forced to sell golf courses, impose trash fees on residents, and ask non-profit organizations for payments in lieu of taxes, assuming they can somehow root out the curruption that has placed the city in this dire situation.
07/01/06	Boston	“Big Dig” Not Worth Money or Time According to a recent survey of the $14.6 billion “Big Dig” in Boston, 62 percent of 1,155 voters canvassed said the project was not worth the financial investment or time saved in commuting. Reasons cited were the ten years of construction mishaps and delays, cutting businesses off from their prime traffic, multiple toll hikes, constantly changing traffic patterns, and the “roller coaster” effect of badly poured concrete concluding with the falling panels last week that killed a Boston woman. Gov. Mitt Romney announcing tests of epoxy-anchored bolts in the Interstate 90 network have revealed a “systemic failure” of the ceiling suspension system that will require millions of dollars in time-consuming repairs. As the tally of defects continues to mount, Romney said problems in the three-year-old tunnel system are far worse than first imagined, with ceiling supports pulling away in hundreds of locations and engineers contemplating a complete replacement of all 696 epoxy-bolted fixtures. If an honest investigation is conducted, no doubt the waste and corruption that was likely epidemic in the construction of a series of 3-miles of tunnels that cost $14.6 billion (mostly paid by the federal government) will become painfully apparent. The irony of the situation as for driving in the Big Dig tunnels, a wary majority shout, “No way!” Most, 45 percent, say they will avoid the tunnels if possible; 34 percent will circumvent them totally; 20 percent will continue to brave them.
08/01/06	Boston	“Big Dig” Another Colossal Failure The saga of another overly ambitious and poorly conceived government scheme has fallen apart before our very eyes as the scandalous “Big Dig” in Boston crumbles after 18 years of construction and an expenditure of $14.7 billion. Unfortunately typical of these huge expenditures of taxpayer money, the people were sold a bill of goods about how the “Big Dig” would solve Boston’s traffic problems. When the first cost estimates were prepared, the project would cost $2.5 billion. By 1991, the cost was hiked to $6 billion, then $7.5 billion, then $10 billion and eventually ballooned to $14.7 billion when the final numbers were tallied. Herein we have the classic government overrun of 500 percent and the project is falling apart at its very core. Are we not all very tired of the government wasting billions of tax dollars on failed defense contractors, NASA, FEMA, and their programs to solve poverty and the war on drugs? The grand scheme envisioned far more than just the “Big Dig” to solve Boston’s congested highways. At its earliest stages, taxpayer watchdog groups accurately predicted the Central Artery Project (aka the “Big Dig”) would become a bottomless pit for tax dollars, and who cares how much it would cost because the federal government would pick up two-thirds of the tab, so its “not our tax dollars.” President Regan vetoed a highway bill in 1987 in part because he said the “Big Dig” couldn’t be justified. But that didn’t stop the vultures in Congress. They overrode his veto. We’re not simply talking about just the 3-ton panels that fell and killed a woman a few weeks ago. Oh no, there are far more severe problems with the project. In 2004 a severe breach flooded 250 gallons a minute of water into the tunnel. Engineers have counted over 1,000 leaks sprouting from the walls and ceilings, which have greatly damaged the steel supports, as well as the fireproofing and drainage systems. Inspectors have recently uncovered thousands of additional ceiling defects in the I-90 tunnel system, dramatically expanding repairs needed to open highway segments now expected to remain closed far longer than first imagined. An engineering review of the Interstate 90 tunnel network found that steel ceiling brackets do not meet safety specifications in nearly 3,300 locations, a fourfold increase in defects since initial inspections. But how could $14.7 billion be spent with so many problems? According to experts, the project was built with faulty bolts and inferior concrete. It sounds like Tony Soprano had a hand in the concrete delivery business. Governor Mitt Romney described the ongoing bloat associated with maintenance of the tunnels, “What we have is a systemic failure of accountability as to how the money got spent. We have hundreds of people manning the turnpike tolls who make $60,000 to $80,000 a year, with some electricians earning $300,000 with overtime.” As one example of the government drunken sailor mentality, $23 million was spent on ramps spanning the Charles River, which had to be demolished because 1) they did not meet community approval, and 2) they went nowhere. Who made piles of money from this little venture?
08/01/06	Legislature	Politicians Revel at Your Expense At least 10 Bay State lawmakers hobnobbed with fellow pols, lobbyists and CEOs in Nashville at a conference that included tours of Dollywood, Graceland and the Jack Daniels Distillery - all courtesy of state taxpayers. Bay State taxpayers shelled out $158,000 this year to help fund the annual meeting of the National Conference of State Legislatures, which is being held at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in the heart of Music City. In all, the NCSL received nearly $8 million in taxpayer dollars this year from all 50 states and several U.S. territories. The luxurious, $300-a-night Gaylord Opryland Resort is encased in climate-controlled glass atriums and includes 9 acres of lush gardens, winding rivers, a 44-foot waterfall, laser-light shows and tours aboard Delta flatboats. The conference itinerary included a tour of the Country Music Hall of Fame last night, as well as a free concert by LeAnn Rimes. There are also several side tours, including trips to the Dolly Parton-themed amusement park Dollywood, Elvis Presley’s Graceland estate and the Jack Daniels Distillery. Dufresne said she was unsure which lawmakers were attending which events. The Nashville event is also costing Tennessee taxpayers $700,000, according to published reports.