tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-114298592011-07-07T19:34:25.066-04:00Helping Citizen Activists Through the Political ProcessHecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comBlogger561100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-48820488333086888342008-04-13T10:47:00.005-04:002008-04-13T11:04:37.608-04:00

Dear HecateOur statewide coalition has taken your advice about our budget campaign since the beginning. We started last fall to brief all the appropriate administration line staff, Administration and Finance and finally the Governor’s staff and the Governor himself. House 2 included a modest increase in one of our line items—(not as much as we need to repair the program, so we’re asking the

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-59037172037437358862008-03-09T12:13:00.003-04:002008-03-09T12:50:08.478-04:00

Dear Hecate:I was really irritated to hear that the Speaker was going to have a an "up or down" vote on the Governor's Casino bill before the House began it's debate on the budget. As I understand it that means the bill will have it's hearing at the Joint Committee on Economic Development & Technical Development, get reported out favorably to House Ways and Means Committe and then get reported

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-74842588172711248622008-02-24T17:48:00.003-05:002008-02-25T08:33:58.102-05:00

Dear Hecate:I just wanted to thank you for advising us to add a "revenue message" as we lobbied our state legislators for our budget line item this winter. The best part was going in with some of our allies who were lobbying their related budget line item and being able to say -- "We are tired of competing with each other for limited resources and asking you to make "tough choices" between us. We

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-88162207032907130692008-01-25T17:32:00.000-05:002008-01-25T17:55:31.874-05:00

Dear HecateWhy are budget earmarks a dirty word? Our little program is targeted to a very specific population in our community, and our not-so-very-powerful Rep has been able to protect us every year in the budget by "earmarking" some funds for us in the line item that funds programs like ours. In fact the line item is full of earmarks for other programs like ours from all over the state. We all

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-65208989731861493772008-01-19T07:44:00.000-05:002008-01-19T08:27:09.301-05:00

Dear HecatePlease explain the recent announcements from the Governor's office about their upcoming budget to be released on the 23rd. The initiatives seem pretty well thought out and reasonable to me (especially the one investing in our state parks), but in the light of a well know $ 1 billion structural imbalance, why doesn't he explain how these new initiatives are going to be paid for? It

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-14536153887205459452008-01-12T10:21:00.000-05:002008-01-12T11:21:58.468-05:00

Dear HecateOur group got the list of budget analysts in the Secretary of Administration and Finance who are developing the Administration's FY 09 Budget from the Public Policy Institute's September Insider Budget Briefing. We've met with a really nice brainiac budget analyst who handles the account that funds our program in November and she told us that we were a priority for the Governor, but

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-10267209012198568682007-09-30T15:54:00.000-04:002007-09-30T16:34:35.342-04:00

Dear Hecate, You really have to get rid of your attitude about public officials!! There are many of us working as policy analysts or managers of public programs in state and local government who used to be outside advocates representing various special interest groups. And, frankly we honestly feel we have more power to make change than we ever did when we were outside! And we don't have to put

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-23013908748915248162007-09-20T07:31:00.000-04:002007-09-20T08:23:40.218-04:00

Dear Hecate:Our organization has been very grateful for Governor Patrick's public and private support for our programs. We actually got a modest increase in our budget line item, and the administration has been very responsive to a number of our suggestions for improving regulatory policies and streamlining some management practices. We are now working with budget analysts in the Agency and the

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-4277859815659995322007-09-15T17:41:00.000-04:002007-09-15T18:03:25.951-04:00

Dear HecateI work for a respected advocacy organization and the new Administration is recruiting me to a farly high level position in the Agency that largly manages the programs we've all been working on to improve for years. Ironically, the position is the one that is responsible for "building positive and productive relationships with outside constituencies"-- the community of providers as well

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-12762861861081223532007-08-10T16:46:00.000-04:002007-08-10T17:35:29.624-04:00

Dear Hecate:Well, the session is over for the summer, and our line item that had been vetoed by the governor was NOT over-ridden by the Legislature. In fact they did not take up any of the vetoes, even after we did all the stuff you told us too. We got one theory from our so-called champions in the House and Senate, another theory from our so-called friends in the administration, another theory

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-30490549034576904622007-07-23T21:42:00.000-04:002007-07-23T22:59:16.698-04:00

Dear Hecate:I am so mad I could spit. Our little program got vetoed by the Governor and like your previous writer, we were told not to worry by the Governor's office but unlike your previous writer who was told the Administration would find the money to fund the program from a more approriate department, we were told that the Legislature would be certain to over-ride our veto, like they have for

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-91636186878956786212007-07-18T16:42:00.000-04:002007-07-18T17:29:39.026-04:00

Dear Hecate,I've been a professional lobbyist for over 30 years and I really get annoyed at all these noisey disruptive tactics by some of these new special interest groups that come up to the state house with hundreds of people to sing and chant about an obscure bill that hasn't even had a hearing yet, and then march into the Governor's office with a petition signed by hundreds of folks who

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-10330324454458676712007-07-14T15:13:00.000-04:002007-07-14T15:49:12.339-04:00

Dear Hecate:So, the Governor vetoed our little earmark, and now we have to put together yet another lobbying campaign to make sure the veto is taken up and over-ridden. We worked so hard!! What's your advice? Hecate says:In Massachusettes, much of the power rests in the office of the Speaker, because a veto message is always returned to the branch in which the bill originated, and the budget bill

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-85774406765858364842007-07-08T16:20:00.000-04:002007-07-08T16:52:13.134-04:00

Dear Hecate,I read in my local South Shore paper that Senator Murray said that the so- called "earmarks" in the state budget are necessary because the more experienced Legislature knows more than the new Governor about each line item and where the funds in each should be directed. Sounds pretty disrespectful to me.Hecate says:First of all remember that it is the Legislative branch's

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-90097814359845512632007-07-07T09:03:00.000-04:002007-07-08T16:54:34.820-04:00

Dear Hecate:Beg Borrow or Steal. That's what we have to do in our city because of 2 1/2. We beg private foundations and donors to fund our innovative education or job training programs for our youth and then can't raise the necessary funds from the property tax to sustain them. We borrow from our own children's future by not being able to raise the taxes to support smaller classes, early

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-66514568024276336012007-07-04T19:18:00.000-04:002007-07-08T16:54:09.975-04:00

Dear Hecate,Our little non profit is trying to come up with a strategy to get our board more involved in educating our legislative delegation about our mission, our programs and our need to get additional funding to adequately pay our direct service staff. Currently our board is debating whether or not to ask for an "earmark" for our program or to work with other programs like ours to support

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-31349881358476807912007-06-24T11:07:00.000-04:002007-07-08T16:55:05.402-04:00

Dear HecateWe are homeowners in a "wealthy suburb" of Western Mass where I work as a school teacher and my husband is a firefighter. We send our kids to the public schools, and we both participate in all the various fundraising activites that support our children's sports and "extra curricular" activities. It's a great school system and our kids are doing very well. We've worked for a 21/2 over

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-1160416501536217882006-10-09T13:26:00.000-04:002006-10-09T13:55:01.593-04:00

Dear Hecate:I read an op-ed in the Boston Globe about something called the Budget Transparency Project that was written by Noah Berger from the Mass Budget and Policy Center, a former policy director for a Democratic Senate President and Steve Crosby from the UMASS McCormack Institute, a former Secretary of Administration and Finance for a Republican Governor. Frankly I was surprised to see these

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-1159567692574311442006-09-29T17:54:00.000-04:002006-09-29T18:08:12.583-04:00

Dear HecateWhere have you been? Since you last posted we've actually won our earmark in the budget, participated in the health reform campaign and won a significant restoration of MassHealth programs. Now we're in the middle of a campaign to monitor the implementation of the new health reform law. It's all moving so fast!!Too Tired to Write Any MoreHecate says:What a hot summer it has been up

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-1148952135930531202006-05-29T20:42:00.000-04:002006-05-29T21:22:15.946-04:00

Dear HecateWhen do the Members of the Conference Committee begin to meet? Are the meetings open to the public? What's the best way for us to protect our earmark in the House Budget?Worried in WorcesterDear WorriedThis coming week the Staffs of both Ways and Means Committees will sit together and begin to review and confirm the differences between the House and Senate budget.........line item by

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-1148222502442271592006-05-21T09:33:00.000-04:002006-05-21T10:46:14.293-04:00

Dear Hecate:My Senator told me that she would be presenting our amendment in a private Democratic Caucus on Tuesday the 23rd and it was there that she would get a sense of whether or not our amendment had the support of the Leadership and enough of the rank and file to succeed during the budget debate that starts the next day. What is the purpose of these private caucuses? Do the Republicans

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-1147872226591194212006-05-17T08:28:00.000-04:002006-05-17T09:23:46.723-04:00

Dear Hecate:Is it true that that the Senate puts it's own budget recommendations together with little or no attention to either the Governor's Budget or the final House budget? Hecate says:First of all, the Senate leadership does pay a great deal of attention to the Governor's budget because the budget document serves as the Administration's workplan for funding and implementing all of our

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-1146243319316827912006-04-28T12:53:00.000-04:002006-04-28T13:08:08.953-04:00

Dear Hecate,I hate to disagree with you but the only stink you might smell up there from the House Budget Process is from the fires being set by disappointed "ahdvocates" as Tommy Finneran used to call them, who think all they've got to do is drop off some fact sheets about investing in the future and tell a few sob stories and the legislature is going to roll over. You should have seen the State

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-1146004400706272032006-04-25T18:32:00.000-04:002006-04-25T18:47:28.240-04:00

Dear Hecate:So I got up there early this morning before the Mental Health, Mental Retardation, Disability Caucus began at 10:00. I had my list of co-sponsors, and I even talked to some of them before they went into the caucus. Apparently they got handed the so-called consolidated amendments and the Chairman of Ways and Means "sort of" read off the key points-- which line items were increased,

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-1145831927837462502006-04-23T17:59:00.003-04:002006-04-24T08:33:58.386-04:00

Hecate:Thank you for the updates and advice last week. We are sooooooooooooo organized for the House budget debate. We got at least 10 calls into every single Rep over school break. We've organized rotating teams of 3 people up at the statehouse for all of this week. Our contracted lobbyist is going to help us keep track of the 90 co-sponsors of our amendment and the schedule of caucuses. We have

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-1145496666387200972006-04-19T21:01:00.000-04:002006-04-19T21:31:06.440-04:00

Dear Hecate:I called my Rep like you told me to and asked her to communicate directly with the Speaker and the Chair of Ways and Means to express her personal committment on our amendment to earmark some substance abuse dollars to our community programs. She told me that she, along with other Reps -- maybe as many as 40 or so -- were meeting with the Speaker and Ways and Means tomorrow (Thursday)

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-1145365962458701382006-04-18T08:37:00.000-04:002006-04-18T09:12:42.473-04:00

Hecate:Thanks very much for the relatively jargon -free Insider Budget Briefing Alert. I’m using it to explain to my 7th graders how the guys up at the State House in Boston decide things. Frankly, I’m horrified that the real decisions are made in literally a back room, and the public is not able to even watch and listen. When did this all start? When I interned at the State Senate 12 years ago

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-1145046967531882912006-04-14T16:22:00.000-04:002006-04-17T11:16:45.030-04:00

Dear Hecate :We just got our budget amendment submitted to the House Ways and Means budget in Massachusetts. And, although we called around to all 40 of the cosigners of our original bill, only 32 signed on. Some of the Chairs told us that they never sign on as co-sponsors, and others just never responded. How do we get all of our sponsors to sign on to the amendment. I was told by the clerks

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-1142853327292789762006-03-20T05:42:00.000-05:002006-03-20T06:15:27.303-05:00

Hecate:The Legislature has been "conferencing" a very complex and complicated health "reform" legislation for almost three months now. While my organization has been focused on how we can get fairly reimbursed for our services, we have been working in coalition for almost two years with a number of other providers serving other kinds of clients, consumer advocacy groups who advocate for some of

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-1142201581003282842006-03-12T17:01:00.000-05:002006-03-12T17:13:01.020-05:00

HecateI'm part of a group that's been pushing hard for significant reform in health care. Looks like we won't get it this year. I am so tired of being satisfield about winning incremental change. I am so tired of being told to take a half a loaf and being told I ought to satisfied. I am so tired of watching elected officials I voted for, even worked for, who tried to champion our cause telling

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-1136657770616329542006-01-07T13:06:00.000-05:002006-01-07T13:42:36.633-05:00

Dear Hecate,Check this out from the State House News Service......FINNERAN'S COMING-OUT PARTY AT PARKER HOUSE: State lobbying rules restricted former House Speaker Thomas Finneran's lobbying of his former colleagues for one year after his departure from the Legislature. In his now year-old role as president of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, Finneran has served as a spokesman for the

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-1133728857806448362005-12-04T15:19:00.000-05:002005-12-04T16:07:01.996-05:00

Hecate!Our organization stepped up to the plate and offered a substantive policy solution to one of the most difficult and complicated public policy problems of our day, namely health care. We were brave enough to speak truth to power, namely businesses who do not provide affordable health insurance to their employees. Our bill mandated them to contribute to the cost of the health care of their

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-1133134163337480722005-11-27T18:25:00.000-05:002005-11-27T18:29:23.350-05:00

Hecate:I am a local elected official responding to your last comment excusing rank and file legislators who don't read long complex and complicated legislation being pushed through by the "leadership" in the closing hours of a long session because they (the rank and file legislator)don't have the time or the technical expertise to interpert all the information distributed via fact sheets and

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-1132506343752689902005-11-20T11:47:00.000-05:002005-11-20T12:08:18.446-05:00

Hecate:Last week our legislature passed a "first in the nation" comprehensive health reform legislation that really really screws our little agency that serves low income uninsured people. We did everything you told us to do..........we developed short easy to understand fact sheets and background papers that we used to brief our legislative delegation, the staffs of both Ways and Means committee

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-1131320034867911322005-11-06T17:53:00.000-05:002005-11-06T18:33:54.896-05:00

Dear Hecate,What's going on with all of this talk about health care "reform"? It seems as though every state in the union is responding to their own health care "crisis" and deciding they have to "do something". Some states are cutting their health care programs and others are expanding their health care programs and still others are creating blue ribbon commissions to study their health care

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-1130756895466187942005-10-31T05:45:00.000-05:002005-10-31T06:11:47.640-05:00

Dear Hecate,How many times during a political career can a Legislative Leader take the bold step of creating really good public policy that finally redistributes government resources and services more fairly and pisses off powerful provider and interest groups at the same time?Hecate's AnswerThat's why they're called leaders, and she can do it as many times as she can hold on to her own seat in

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-1129544409768025192005-10-17T05:40:00.000-04:002005-10-17T06:20:09.773-04:00

Dear HecateI run a legal services program that tries to help very poor people who are getting ripped off by their landlords who threaten them with eviction if they complain about the lack of heat, by their employers who threaten them with termination if they complain about not getting overtime pay, and by hostile state welfare workers who threaten to take away their cash assistance, food stamps

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-1128977790590292232005-10-10T16:16:00.000-04:002005-10-14T07:26:17.246-04:00

Dear HecateThanks to the help and support of many experienced advocates for low income people who know their way around our State Capital, our little non profit program for disabled homeless persons was able to win an "earmark" in the homeless shelter line item that directs not less than $120,000 to a demonstration project to provide special services including adaptive equipment and furnishings

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-1128334216368904002005-10-03T05:36:00.000-04:002005-10-03T06:10:16.376-04:00

Dear HecateWe live up the street from a constuction company that just got expanded. Now big diesel trucks carrying other equipment roar out of there every morning just as the middle school kids are leaving for school and come home every afternoon when the little kids are getting home from school. We talked to the new owner who shrugged and said he would talk to his drivers about slowing down, but

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-1127730672002159652005-09-26T06:09:00.000-04:002005-09-26T06:31:12.006-04:00

QuestionHow come Governor Romney gets a day of good press for a "bull horn" moment, no matter how insignificant the issue, no matter how goofy the opinion. Rarely do the reporters include any comments from affected constituents, even more rarely is there any next day follow up to expose the goofiness. Hecate's AnswerWhile all Governors and other heads of Government are often wrong, they cannot

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-1127728972722394652005-09-26T05:30:00.000-04:002005-09-26T06:02:52.733-04:00

Question:All the professional lobbyists and former legislators we talk to tell us that we should not consider it insulting when we are told we can't meet with the individual legislators in our delegation, and are referred to staff. And while we have built a wonderful relationship with some staff people, others need some active listening training to put it kindly, and at least one staff person

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-1126962199153051892005-09-17T08:05:00.000-04:002005-09-17T09:04:50.773-04:00

Question:At least the President is acknowledging that the Federal Government must invest billions of dollars to help the low income survivors of Katrina "get themselves back on their feet", and he seems willing to find the money to pay for their health care and create an array of innovative housing and jobs programs. Meanwhile our Governor is getting lots of national press by continuing to

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-1126471020877278542005-09-11T16:26:00.000-04:002005-09-11T16:45:45.266-04:00

All of us who advocate for the poor, the elderly and the disabled in Massachusetts are struggling to manage our ongoing anger towards the Romney administration for their unwillingness to help the poor and homeless “get back on their feet” in Massachusetts at the very same moment our agencies and organizations stand beside him contributing our private and personal resources to welcome the poor,

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-1124836298644484892005-08-23T18:29:00.000-04:002005-08-24T08:30:10.776-04:00

QuestionI work for an appointed state official charged with drafting regulations for providers who deliver a very controversial health service. Activists from both sides of the controversy are bombarding our office with meeting requests that border on threats, with pages and pages of petitions and handwritten "testimony", and yesterday we had 10 folks staging a three hour vigil outside on the

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-1124539951335697542005-08-20T07:48:00.000-04:002005-08-20T08:12:31.340-04:00

QuestionLots of things going on in my state legislature, even in August, with auto insurace reform, health reform, and a jobs program on the schedule for the fall. Now the Speaker and the Senate President -- two nice Italian boys from the North End-- have gone on a toot to Israel of all places. In the middle of the removals in the Gaza Strip of all times. I don't understand what these junkets

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-1124276412846169192005-08-17T06:21:00.000-04:002005-08-17T07:00:12.856-04:00

QuestionI think the worst part of my government relations job is dealing with an individual bureaucrat on a power trip. And I am referring to a lady with incredible power over all of us providers because she is the one who has final approval over awarding contracts!! Some of my "colleagues" have tried everything to get on her good side, turning field inspections into fancy banquets with board

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-1124097591969634142005-08-15T05:16:00.000-04:002005-08-15T05:20:55.690-04:00

QuestionOur non-profit organization advocates for affordable housing in a medium sized city in Southern New England. We are in the middle of a lot of development. Our Executive Director issues regular hard hitting press releases documenting the usual array of insider dealing between developers and city officials that just get “categorically denied” in a days worth of press if we’re lucky. We

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-1123506889185348482005-08-08T09:10:00.000-04:002005-08-08T09:14:49.193-04:00

Q: I am really appalled at your cynical, patronizing and unkind “advice” to a professional lobbyist in the previous BLOG. The Lobbyist characterized us as "ideological" because we were unwilling to set aside their vision of setting up a statewide program for a pilot in four communities that “happened” to be in the districts of four legislative leaders. In our view this was NOT one of those

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-1123020201296749682005-08-02T17:44:00.000-04:002005-08-02T18:08:44.896-04:00

Q. I am soooooooooooo sick of working with single issue ideologues, who tell me to reject an offer to set up a one year pilot project is "unacceptable". I'm ready to punch them out.A. Calm down, and be patient. All you want to do is win some positive policy change. Ideologues sometimes need help with the fundimental conflict between their subjective expectations and cruel reality of the policy

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-1122249080782433902005-07-24T19:42:00.000-04:002005-07-29T22:49:44.006-04:00

A. I appreciated your comments about being “patient” with our new supposed-to-be liberal Speaker, (July 15,2005), but our organization has been working our butts off to get 100 House members committed to vote yes on legislation permitting a limited number of undocumented young people to pay in state tuition rates at our local state colleges and university. We know we need 109 to override the

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-1122035552253990392005-07-22T08:29:00.000-04:002005-07-29T22:50:31.743-04:00

Q. It isn’t only Governors who wait until there is a crisis to finally move on fixing a problem, Legislators do too!! (Hecate July 19, 2005) I’m a business man, and I make the “policy decisions” here every day that determine what hours people work, how much they pay for their health care, how many sick days they have etc etc. My people are paid to spot potential problems and give me some possible

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-1121814831614012692005-07-19T18:37:00.000-04:002005-07-19T19:13:51.620-04:00

Q. Why is it that politicians (especially Governors) only respond to crisis? We've been collecting data and suggesting specific solutions to the problems in foster care for years especially about the lack of training and support for foster parents, and the only time our Governor pays attention is right after a scandal that involves a poorly trained, poorly supported and poorly supervised foster

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-1121423953951269172005-07-15T06:11:00.000-04:002005-07-15T06:39:13.956-04:00

Q. In Massachusetts we finally have a new Speaker, with a history of being supportive of more and better services for the poor the elderly and the disabled. (A nice change) He has also promised an open process where every question, no matter how controversial will have a full and fair debate. (That's even nicer.) However, the House Budget did not increase many of our programs and did not include

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-1120996558356756462005-07-10T07:55:00.000-04:002005-07-16T18:15:20.860-04:00

Q. I’m a member of a state association of parents of profoundly disabled children. We’re building a local coalition of people to support our bill to create a parent support network linked to the local Departments of Public Health. I’m supposed to reach out to the local chapter of social workers, the teachers union, the nurses association, the medical society, the local hospital and health center

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-1120996492521271632005-06-25T07:54:00.000-04:002005-07-16T18:16:45.473-04:00

Q I’m a volunteer board member of a nonprofit agency, and the state has run out of money to fund our rape crisis center. We are trying to figure out if we can get involved in a campaign to convince the Governor to find the money elsewhere or submit a supplemental budget to the Legislature. Our lawyer warned us that if we, as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, got involved in any lobbying we could

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11429859.post-1120996392830361062005-06-10T07:52:00.000-04:002005-07-16T18:17:03.540-04:00

Q. Every time I call my State Representative, he’s always tied up in a meeting or in session, and I end up talking to a staff person. She is always nice and polite, and has been very helpful to me in the past, but damn it, I’d rather talk directly to my Rep than spend 10 minutes dictating a long message about my problem to somebody I barely know.A. First of all you wouldn’t get 10 minutes of your

Hecatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099369408307197179noreply@blogger.com