Sunday, November 10, 2013

Frank Addivinola: Affordable Care Act: Ineffective, unfair and dangerous

Frank Addivinola.jpg
Frank Addivinola - Candidate for Congress - 5th District

Affordable Care Act: Ineffective, unfair and dangerous

Fifth Congressional District

As tens of thousands of Americans tried in good faith to meet the requirements of the Affordable Care Act and sign up for health care coverage, the federal website was not operational.

Though the Obama administration has called in a new chief to sort out the mess, and he has promised to get the federal website fully functional by Nov. 30, this would leave Americans only two weeks to comply with the law. Therefore the administration pushed the mandate deadline to March 31.

To read more of the wickedlocal interview, click here

Executive Leadership…and Unlikely Restraint

In a 2005 article reviewing a book on presidential leadership, John Yoo—professor of law at the University of California at Berkley, and Bush-era architect of the “9/11 constitution”—wrote:
‘‘A ‘great’ President may be one who does not stay within carefully chalked lines of acknowledged presidential and congressional authority, but one who, to surmount a crisis, revolutionizes the accepted understanding of his powers.’’
In hindsight, Yoo’s bullish stance on the revolutionary powers of the chief executive is appropriately terrifying.
Somewhere between the presidential institution’s intrinsic demand for power and its ever-expanding authority, we seem to be dealing with an altogether new sort of executive leadership. More and more, the president’s enhanced administrative capabilities allow him (or her) the ability to accomplish a lot more than we might like—often without much congressional, partisan, or public support.
Since the Reagan administration (and before that, until the Nixon years) presidents have increasingly bypassed Congress using administrative authority that is regularly less time-consuming and demanding of political capital. By use of formal and informal executive powers, presidents have wielded the power of appointment, executive orders, executive agreements, proclamations, signing statements, an augmented Executive Office of the President and increased White House control of federal bureaucracy.
In the case of the Obama administration, we are witnessing all of the institutional muscle with none of the necessary leadership through restraint. The Bush years were no better.
Ideally, the president, and subordinate bureaucrats, administrative wonks, EOPers, etc. would resist Yoo’s prescribed impulse to outstrip the lines. That hasn’t happened recently. And the bigger the executive office grows the more opportunity there is for it to slip the bounds of restraint.
Consider the institutional layers of the modern presidency. They begin at the top. A White House staff is comprised of analysts and advisors tasked with meeting the chief executive’s needs and preferences.[1] The EOP, in and of itself, has grown from six administrative assistants in 1939 to today’s 400 employees working directly for the president in the White House office – not to mention some 1,400 individuals staffing the divisions of the EOP.[2] All told, the president enjoys an enormously enhanced capacity to gather information, develop programs and strategies, communicate with various constituencies, respond to interest groups and exercise supervision over the executive branch. This extended staff serves as a bureaucratic, programmatic force multiplier of the president’s eyes, ears, and arms.[3]
For instance, the executive controls the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) which offers the president the means to exert his or her influence over the flow of monies, and the shape and content of national legislation—for its part, the OMB is tasked with the analysis and approval of all legislative proposals (not just budgetary requests), not to mention all legislation and executive orders that originate in the White House.[4]
Of course, this is only one small wing of a presidential bureaucracy.[5] The institutional officialdom—or organization—is comprised of a vast network of smaller bureaucracies and the success of those subsidiary services ultimately depends upon their successful leadership and management and restraint.
Some 2.6 million federal employees work at the behest of the president and his cabinet. Any surprise they’ve ALL avoided ObamaCare?
Until we recognize that the executive institution is not an expressionless, impassive structure—but a startling nerve-center of American politics that wields fearsome influence—we will not fully appreciate the importance of executive leadership…through restraint.
 
Posted by Reid Smith on 11.8.13 @ 4:03PM  http://spectator.org/blog

[1] Theodore J. Lowi, The Personal President, (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1985), pp.141-150.
[2] Harold W. Stanley and Richard G. Niemi, Vital Statistics on American Politics 2001-2002 (Washington DC: Congressional Quarterly Press, 2001), pp. 250-251.
[3] Sidney M. Milkis, The President and the Parties (New York: Oxford, 1993), p. 97.
[4] Ibid. 160.
[5] John Vaughn and Jose Villalobos, “The Managing of the Presidency: Applying Theory Driven Empirical Models to the Study of White House Bureaucratic Performance,” Political Research Quarterly, Vol. 62, No. 1 (March 2009) p.158.

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

House Republicans Propose Transportation Finance Bill

The Capitol View

House Republicans Propose Transportation Finance Bill


House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. (R- North Reading), Representative Steven S. Howitt (R-Seekonk), ranking Republican on the Joint Committee on Transportation, and Representative Peter Durant (R-Spencer) are joined by their House Republican colleagues in proposing an alternative transportation finance bill – free from any statewide tax increases.

“The House Republican Caucus has repeatedly stated that transportation is a core government function, and agrees that there is a daunting problem looming before our transportation agencies,” said Representative Jones. “However, through the targeted use of surplus revenue and meaningful cost-saving reforms, the Commonwealth will be able to provide a transportation system that its citizens have come to expect – and deserve.”


click here to read more

House Republicans Vote Against $500 Million in Tax Increases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Susann Koelsch

(508) 888-2158 / susann.koelsch@mahouse.gov

April 9, 2013

House Republicans Vote Against $500 Million in Tax Increases
Republicans' Tax-Free Transportation Proposal Defeated by Democrats
BOSTON - Representative Randy Hunt (R-Sandwich) joined House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. (R- North Reading) and the House Republican Caucus in voting against a Democratic-led transportation finance proposal which contained $500 million in tax increases.

Click here to read more

Fundraiser Reception for Dan Winslow

There is a reception for US Senate Candidate Dan Winslow on April 21 in Winchester.
Sunday, April21
4:00PM---5:30PM
Home of Mike Mazzarella & Paul MacDonald
444 South Border Rd.
Winchester, MA 01890
To attend, RSVP to Sarah Schultz at events@danwinslow.com.
Suggested donation is $50 (Friend)

Statement from MAGOP Chair on Passage of $500M Tax Hike



                                      For Immediate Release

                                            April 9, 2013

                                                 Contact:

                                               Tim Buckley

                                              617-947-8670

Statement From Chairman Hughes On Passage Of $500M Tax Hike

Boston- Kirsten Hughes, Massachusetts Republican Party Chairman issued the following statement in response to the House of Representatives’ vote to approve $500 million dollars in tax increases:

"While I respectfully disagree with Governor Patrick on his reasons, I agree he should veto the $500 million tax increase passed by the Democrats in the House. It is surely frustrating to hardworking families to see the Governor and his fellow Democrats in the Legislature reflexively turn to tax increases when they have failed to truly reform state government. They promised us $6 billion in savings in the 2009 transportation reform bill, but have failed to deliver. House Republicans yesterday offered an alternative transportation plan that would solve many funding problems without raising taxes. The Democrats in the Legislature rejected this sensible reform effort in favor of higher taxes. The Democrats have paid lip service to the promise of 'reform before revenue,' and voters will remember this next year."

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Republican US Senate Debate on Wednesday, 4/10, 7PM

The debate between the 3 candidates will be aired live tonight at 7PM on WBZ TV and Radio

Greater Boston Tea Party Rally

Greater Boston Tea Party is hosting a Tax Day Rally at the Parkman Bandstand on Boston Common this Saturday, April 13th, starting at noon. To learn more about the event, speakers and the schedule click here

Sullivan Endorsements

Former US Attorney and former State Rep Mike Sullivan announced that he has received the endorsement of several MA State Reps (Marc Lombardo, Jim Lyons, Shaunna O'Connell), State Senator Bob Hedlund and Sheriff Tom Hodgson in the Republican US Senate Primary

Winslow Endorsements

Boston Herald Endorses State Rep Dan Winslow in the Republican US Senate Primary Click here for more information