Letters to the Editor

Supports Martha Coakley for Governor

Dear Editor,

I’m writing to openly endorse Mass Attorney General Martha Coakley for state governor, because she has the vision, ability, and determination to build a better, more fair future for all who live and work in Massachusetts.  Endorsed by Senator Elizabeth Warren, Coakley will, as a progressive Democratic governor, insure that Massachusetts remains number one in education, business competitiveness, veteran services and clean energy.

Martha is a national leader in addressing the economic crisis.  Along with the attorney generals from California and New York, Martha Coakley took on the banks during the housing crisis that still impacts many Mass families.  She held Wall Street accountable, bringing actions against Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch, recovering more than $700 million for Mass homeowners and taxpayers, and helping more than 30,000 families stay in their homes.

Martha Coakley supports access to reproductive health care for all women, fighting, in 1998, to pass the state’s “buffer zone” bill after two women were murdered at a Brookline women’s health clinic.  When the Supreme Court ruled against the law on 06-26-14, Coakley, along with Governor Patrick, Senator Chandler, Senate President Murray, and House Speaker DeLeo worked hard to pass the “Safe Access” law on 07-30-14 here in Massachusetts.

  Based on her ability to do battle on causes that matter to working families; I know that Atty. General Coakley will be “a voice for fairness for those who need it most.”  In addition, be it issues of jobs and the economy, housing, education, transportation and infrastructure, health care, civil rights, energy and the environment, or public safety and gun safety; Martha Coakley has the ability to bring people together to drive solutions to our state’s biggest challenges.

We can’t afford to go back to failed policies that led us to the economic crisis and left Massachusetts 47th in the nation in job growth.  Atty. General Martha Coakley has my vote for Mass Governor on Election Day, November 4th, as she’ll keep Massachusetts moving forward.  For more information about Coakley’s positions on key issues go to http://www.marthacoakley.com/issues.  To officially volunteer on the campaign go to www.marthacoakley.com

To volunteer to make calls and/or canvass for Martha Coakley here in Winthrop contact Donna Segreti Reilly at [email protected] or 617-240-1510.

Donna Segreti Reilly

Automatic annual gas tax increase

Dear Editor:

The state legislature recently increased the Massachusetts gas tax. This tax has already been approved and enacted. However what most people do not know is that in addition to this increase the legislature also saddled the people of MA with a continuous gasoline tax increase every year! This behavior by our legislators and the impact of such a tax is troubling for many reasons.

This tax is written to increase with the cost of living every year and to never go down.

This tax is automatic and relives our legislatures from requesting a tax increase from taxpayers and simultaneously explaining why there is a need to increase taxes

This type of tax suggests a “taxation without representation” policy by lawmakers.

A gas tax ripples through every part of the economy. This makes everything more expensive and assures yet more increases in the gas tax.

This is a tax that hurts the working citizen the most as in order to support their families they need to drive to work.

The state budget, $36.5 billion, has increased by over 25% since 2009, and it increased by $1.5 billion this year alone. The question is, “what is our ever increasing state budget being used for.”

This tax is highly regressive. Sadly all of the legislatures in the 19th Suffolk District voted to burden MA citizens by this highly regressive tax.

Massachusetts is already #2 in the nation on highway spending. We spend $675,000 per mile!* (The national average is $162,000.)

I am fighting to repeal this tax and reduce the burden on the residents of Winthrop and Revere. A citizens’ group called Tank the Gas Tax successfully fought to get a question on the November ballot to override this tax. Please get out and defeat this tax and vote to return trust to government on November 4. Vote YES on question #1.

Paul Caruccio

State Representative Candidate

19th Suffolk; Winthrop & Revere