Posted on 04/15/2012 3:14:41 PM PDT by SoConPubbie
BOSTON --When Mitt Romney wanted to balance the Massachusetts budget, the blind, mentally retarded and gun owners were asked to help pay.
The Republican managed to slash spending to eliminate a deficit pegged at $3 billion, but he also proposed or presided over a far-ranging series of fee hikes -- a strategy that allowed him to maintain the no-new-taxes stance he now boasts about as he runs for president.
In all, then-Gov. Romney proposed creating 33 new fees and increasing 57 others -- enough, he said, to pull in an extra $59 million for the cash-strapped state.
Horseback riding instructors, prisoners, those seeking training to combat domestic violence and used car shoppers were asked to dig a little deeper.
Romney and Democratic lawmakers ended up approving hundreds of millions in higher fees and fines, making it more expensive to use an ice skating rink, register a boat, take the bar exam, get a duplicate driver's license, file a court case, install underground storage tanks, sell cigarettes or alcohol, comply with air quality rules and transport hazardous waste.
A survey of states by the National Conference of State Legislatures found Massachusetts led the nation during Romney's first year, raising fees and fines by $501 million. New York was second with $367 million. Nine other states raised fees and fines by more than $100 million.
Romney campaign spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom said some of the fees that kicked in during Romney's first year had been approved before he became governor. He said the fees approved during Romney's first year totaled $260 million.
That doesn't include an additional $140 million in what Romney described as business tax "loophole closings" approved that year, the vast majority recommended by Romney.
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
| And the Un-Masking of Mitt Romney, the left-wing, Progressive Liberal, continues . . . | |
| "If we must have an enemy at the head of Government, let it be one whom we can oppose, and for whom we are not responsible, who will not involve our party in the disgrace of his foolish and bad measures." - Alexander Hamilton |  |
FOX "News"'s #1 Romney-Pimp and Anchor-Wife-in-Training:
“We at FOX know about Romney's failure as a Governor.
And YOU know, we are never gonna talk about it.
And YOU won't find us revealing that
Romney, himself, imposed RomneyCARE AND
gay marriage AND covered up the BIG DIG.
Mitt Romney has the perfect height.
And his feet are the perfect shape.
And his hair is perfect, too.
Willard smells so good, that Brit Hume
and I tingle together.
Romney we will forever be the "frontrunner"
here at FOX/BAIN News
… even when you laugh on the floor knowing
it is obviously not true."
It’s like Jim said. Call this an off election and vote local, vote down the line.
There are over 500 other MF’s in Congress walking in BDMF’s and walking out millionaires. Do something about that.
Romney is going to be the R candidate.
No matter how many articles, no matter how many facts, statistics, or various other one another craptoids ya’ll post, IT WILL BE OBAMA OR ROMNEY FOR POTUS.
And don’t forget, he brags that he kept the cost to Massachusetts taxpayers down by having the federal government pick up 50% of the tab for his compulsory socialist health care plan in Massachusetts. That’s we the national federal taxpayers funding Romney’s local socialized health care complete with tax payer funded abortion in the socialist state of MASSACHUSETTS!!
Romney cannot defeat 0bama.
For all that people keep ranting about RomneyCare and how similar it is to ObamaCare - remember the critical difference.
ObamaCare is flat-out unconstitutional. The federal government has no authority to to mandate health care.
But the state governments are not limited in the same way. ObamaCare is simply illegal. RomneyCare is not.
It remains a bad idea, but it’s not a violation of our fundamental principles the way ObamaCare is.
So Mitt is also a big-time liar.
Your posting history speaks for itself.
You trashed Perry non stop with links to far left wing Soros outfit called the Texas Tribune to what end ?
Your attacked Meg Whitman when she was running against
far radical left wing “ Jerry Brown “ !
And Calif is now lost for every with the
redistricting scams that Meg could have stopped !
Now you appear to be astroturfing to help another radical far left nutter named Barry get elected !
Who side are you on ?
Romney is a disaster but he is not a evil foreign agent who actual hates America and is threatening the US Constitution !
Hey ncalburt,
How come we find you always sticking up for the most left-wing of candidates the GOP puts up?
What you always mean to say is: Vote for Obama.
I am not going to sit here and try and convince you that I hate who we will end up with. But if you think that he is worse than Obama you are a FU’ing idot. I can get away with that because it is now the excepted norm around here.
You are the guy that I have to fire all the time as you are so narrow minded and won’t look at the big picture.
You are a joke.
I'll not capitulate to the GOP-E and their war on the Tea-Party.
I won't vote for either the crypto-Communist Obama or that lying, left-wing, Progressive Liberal Mitt Romney."
Yea, verily.
I drew a line in the sand when I was ELEVEN years old. It has cost me EVERYTHING MATERIAL time and again, but the fools lacked either the GUTS, or the FORESIGHT, to KILL ME.
SO when I DIE I will stand in front of my MAKER and say "I LOVE YOU. I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED YOU".
...and he will nod and say... "YEA VERILY. BUT WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT THAT DAMN TAPEWORM????"
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.