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Stand with MArtha in MA

Guess which candidate is a lying, cheating scumbag. Scott Brown is a male Sarah Palin. If he wins Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat it will be a total embarrassment to the State of Massachusetts and to the legacy of the Kennedy family.

The right wing smear masters are spending over a million dollars on attack ads against Martha Coakley here in Massachusetts. We are not use to all the ads and phone calls we are getting recently. We are the most progressive state in the union, everyone knows we are a blue state. But the ‘tea partiers’ are poring money into the state, because they know that just one vote can stop health care reform, as well as other needed changes that we have been fighting so hard for since the 2008 presidential election. They have even set up a website called “Red Invades Blue.”

Not only are they trying to steal Ted’s legacy, they are trying to block progress. Massachusetts has always been the leader for progressive change in the US, this dates back to the colonial days and yes, the Boston Tea Party. The conservatives calling them selves ‘Tea Party Patriots’ is a joke. Here in Massachusetts, we started the American Revolution. We are the birth place of education, we already have universal health care, we were first in marriage equality. We know what needs to be done to move this country forward. And after more than 200 years, we still prefer coffee over tea.

As Massachusetts’ first woman senator, Martha Coakley will fight to advance Senator Ted Kennedy’s legacy. If you are a Massachusetts registered voter, please vote for Martha on January 19th. The stakes are extremely high. Your vote is needed to keep the entire country moving forward!

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Dennis the Mennis

This past weekend, 39 House Democrats voted against the health care reform bill. It’s not surprising that 31 of the 39 defectors came from districts carried by John McCain in the presidential election. Here is an interactive graphic table from the New York Times that shows some interesting numbers: House Democrats Who Voted Against the Health Care Bill.

One democrat who voted against the bill is worth mentioning. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio voted no, because the health care reform bill did not go far enough. He stated on his blog, “America will someday come to recognize the broad social and economic benefits of a not-for-profit, single-payer health care system, which is good for the American people and good for America’s businesses, with of course the notable exceptions being insurance and pharmaceuticals.” Kucinich’s full explanation of why he voted against the bill is worth reading: Dennis Kucinich Explains Why He Voted No On Affordable Health Care for America Act.

This guy caught my attention during the presidential campaigns. Before the Presidential Primaries, I took one of those on-line political quizzes to see which presidential nominee matched my own political opinions. Although I supported Clinton at the time, my opinions lined up almost exactly with Dennis Kucinich. I also agree with Dennis regarding health care reform. In fact, the main reason I supported Hillary over Obama in the primaries is because Hillary had a better health care plan.

So, why didn’t I support Kucinich? I did not support him, because I didn’t think he had a chance of winning. Maybe not a good reason, but the game of politics is not an easy one to play. While I understand that Kucinich voted no on principle, it’s a darn good thing that his no vote did not cause this bill to fail.

One thing I’ve learned from having children with special needs is that sometimes you have to ‘play the game’, even if the game is stupid and unfair, and sometimes you have to compromise. This bill is not the answer to our health care problems, it is only a step in the right direction. Unfortunately, there is no way Kucinich’s own bill would ever pass into law at this time in history. But something has to change and some change is better than nothing. This bill includes a public option which is a key component to a better future for American health care.

Here is a list of the House Democrats who voted against the bill:

John Adler (NJ)
Jason Altmire (PA)
Brian Baird (WA)
John Barrow (GA)
John Boccieri (OH)
Dan Boren (OK)
Rick Boucher (VA)
Allen Boyd (FL)
Bobby Bright (AL)
Ben Chandler (KT)
Travis Childers (MS)
Artur Davis (AL)
Lincoln Davis (TN)
Chet Edwards (TX)
Bart Gordon (TN)
Parker Griffith (AL)
Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (SD)
Tim Holden (PA)
Larry Kissell (NC)
Suzanne Kosmas (FL)
Frank Kratovil (MD)
Dennis Kucinich (OH)
Jim Marshall (GA)
Betsy Markey (CO)
Eric Massa (NY)
Jim Matheson(UT)
Mike McIntyre (NC)
Michael McMahon (NY)
Charlie Melancon (LA)
Walt Minnick (ID)
Scott Murphy (NY)
Glenn Nye (VA)
Collin Peterson (MN)
Mike Ross (AR)
Heath Shuler (NC)
Ike Skelton (MO)
John Tanner (TN)
Gene Taylor (MS)
Harry Teague (NM)

On to the Senate!

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“Celebrating Families: Many Voices, Many Choices”

2005 State House Recognition Ceremony
The Great Hall
The State House
Boston, Massachusetts

Department of Mental Retardation Executive Office of Health & Human Services Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Department of Mental Retardation Executive Office of Health & Human Services Commonwealth of Massachusetts
In Recognition of  the extraordinary things you do to help make the Commonwealth a better place to live and work
In Recognition of the extraordinary things you do to help make the Commonwealth a better place to live and work
In Recognition of  the extraordinary things you do to help make the Commonwealth a better place to live and work
In Recognition of the extraordinary things you do to help make the Commonwealth a better place to live and work
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