HOW CAN WE ‘SAVE DEMOCRACY’ WHEN THERE’S NO DEMOCRACY TO BEGIN WITH?
BY DAN VALENTI
PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY
(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THE WEEKEND EDITION FEB. 23-5, 2024) — We hear much about politicians talk about how they’re going to “save democracy.”
It’s an interesting supposition premised on an unstated assumption that (a) we already have a democracy and (b) it’s in peril. Of course, if (a) is not true, (b) doesn’t enter the picture. Claims of “saving democracy” only makes sense if (a) describes the objective truth of the American political state and its government.
It does not.
The mayor doing a Fred Flinstone, having “a gay old time,” as the cartoon theme song sings. Looks like the First Annual Winter Fest, held at Clapp Park, was enough to have scared all the snow away. People, too.
And please, you needn’t remind THE PLANET that we have a republic, where representatives vote in our name. We get it: Technically, we are a republic not a democracy. However, we are exploring the notion of “freedom” as it pertains to acceding power within this system, whatever you wish to call it.
Representation? No, we don’t have it. Sadly, all three levels of government–federal, state, and local–are largely populated not by folks who represent the Kapanskis but the special interests. We know it, and they know it. The sheer money that it takes to run for office, and the fact that you end up “owned,” sees to that.
- On the federal level, we have Stumblin’ Mumblin’ Bumblin’ Joe, who has opened the floodgates along the southwest border for millions of unvetted illegals to spread like vermin nationwide. They’re getting free room, board, transportation, smart phones, loaded EBT cards, and more courtesy of taxpayers, with no end in sight.
- In Massachusetts, the governor takes vengeance on cities and towns that do not submit to her unilateral dictates. For example, she just cut off funding to Milton because of the town’s refusal to adopt her orders on local zoning. She also requires cities and towns to put up and pay for illegals, without obtaining local input or consent.
- In Bitchfield, The Suits have just put in place a mayor, city council, and school committee that acts in goose-step with the small cadre that in secret call the shots. You can’t call it a free election.
Are these the actions of a democracy? Like any cheap lawyer, THE PLANET rarely asks a question to which we don’t know the answer.
This was posted on the Facebook page of Pete White. Yeah, the “President” of the city council. He’s a “heartbeat away.” Scary.
Not only do the Kapanskis of country, state, and locality not have representative government, they have a system in place that rivals totalitarianism for its ability to rule by fiat.
It may even be worse than a dictatorship, where, at least, there’s clarity–no pretense of freedom or fair elections.
Mary Jane and Joe K labor within a system that wears the costume of “democracy” but underneath operates from greed and selfishness.
Take a look at the people in high office, Bitchfield style. Go to the city’s official website. Study the pictures.
Watch a portion of a recent council meeting and carefully observe. Do this exercise, and your mind will reel with prose poems on the state of government.
The lamentable condition inspires an aphorism: There is no slavery so absolute where the enslaved must act as if they think they are “free.”
THE PLANET experiences this every time we receive a dime from city hall types and those who are “connected.” They spill, but only on condition that the info can’t be used and they can’t be named for fear of retribution.
THE PLANET concludes with a nod to Patrick Henry: “Give me liberty, or give me shibboleth.”
Have a great weekend, everybody!
—————————————————————
“One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple” — Jack Kerouac, from The Dharma Bums.
“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”
LOVE TO ALL.
Copyright (c) 2023 By Dan Valenti, PLANET VALENTI and EUROPOLIS MANAGEMENT. All rights reserved. The views and opinions expressed in the comment section or in the text other than those of PLANET VALENTI are not necessarily endorsed by the operators of this website. PLANET VALENTI assumes no responsibility for such views and opinions, and it reserves the right to remove or edit any comment, including but not limited to those that violate the website’s Rules of Conduct and its editorial policies. Those who leave comments own all the responsibilities that are or can be attached to those comments, be they rhetorical, semantic, or legal. Such commentators remain solely responsible for what they post and shall be and remain solely accountable for their words. PLANET VALENTI shall not be held responsible for the consequences that may result from any posted comment or outside opinion or commentary as provided in, but not limited to, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act and this website’s terms of service. We serve as a marketplace of ideas, without prejudice and available to all. All users of this site — including readers, commentators, contributors, or anyone else — hereby agree to these conditions by virtue of this notice and their use of/participation in this site. When PLANET VALENTI ends with the words “The Usual Disclaimer,” that phrase shall be understood to refer to the full text of this disclaimer.
We have free elections in Pittsfield but the electorate acts like they have to pay to vote
That’s always been true, but the cooperation of the media both together and with the council leadership makes the public highly reluctant to run. Why should they vote in races advertised as “you may look but do not touch”
The final touch, the bow, for a tyranny is 99% turnout with 98% margins. As a people of the late 18th century, Baystaters did not give the tyrants either.
Another point, the corruption of a state reaches its apex, likely, when its patterns of behavior replicates automatically throughout all levels of government. At that point absolute powerlessness becomes absolutely corrupting.
The MSM is responsible for much of the problem, e.g. The Left Winged Parrot/Rutburg on the local level. The 24/7 propaganda on a national level.
What about the others? Compared to WAMC, the Eagle had a light touch.
At least the weasel Chartock is gone.
Inevitable.
The media remain the fourth estate – without them we would be woefully uninformed. Even PLANET VALENTI has a role here, providing an outlet for the uber-right, disaffected minority opposition, people like mad trapper.
Quite so.
Republicans allowed corporations to buy media and then they were allowed to buy radio TV and newspapers by the dozens…..they controll the message and the press was crushed.They are now allowed to brainwash and not make correction.Pure propaganda.
Sorry that truth and reality hurt your delusional conception of yourself so.
Trappers cognitive apparatus is mired in sleepy sand.
If they put your “cognitive apparatus” next to a pea, the pea would seem to be the size of the sun, in comparison.
If we can get Morningside to vote, we may be able to finally vote in change.
They did vote. Bandani and Soncere.
Also – not voting is also a vote. If they don’t vote, they really don’t care. It’s a statement -“do what you want.” That is the thing that frustrates you.
If we had a democracy, then “None of the above” would win every election.
None of the above, beat Nikki Haley in Nevada!!!
That’s true. Nikki Haley had no opponent on that ballot, and lost to “none of the above.”
I’m glad I wasn’t taking a sip from a drink! That’s so GD funny.
Sad but true. None of the above outpolled Haley.
The Uniparty has been funding and stumping for the RINOette.
The MSM is relentlessly pushing her “qualities”/narrative. They did their best in NH to get registered Democrats to vote for her in the Republican primary there. Apparently many were that gulible.
Not sad at all. Newsom calls Haley “a good surrogate for the democrat party.”
It’s good to win
BUT…Trump will pick her as his running mate. He needs a woman and a minority. She covers both bases. (and she has promised to pardon him if she gets to be president) All he has to do is step down part way through his term and let her take over and BAM…his troubles go away.
Liz Cheney has as much of a chance at VP as Nimarata Nikki Randhawa , aka Nikki Haley
Kari Lake or Tulsi Gabbard for conservatives, among women for VP.
81 Million votes my ass!!! (#1Billboard and itunes 6/2023)
https://rumble.com/v2sdpv8-81-million-votes-my-ass-music-video.html
“I can’t afford the groceries, I can’t afford your gas, it’s Bidenflation across the nation, 81 million votes my ass!!!,…………….
You failed at build back better, you deceived the middle class, 81 million votes my ass!!!,…..
Got a laptop full of China, with hookers and whores and crack, Ashley’s diary’s got Creepy Joe in the shower, 81 million votes my ass!!!….
While Kamala tosses word salad, even cringe the democrats, when in the wings is a thing called Hillary, 81 million votes my ass!!!……
2000 mules got busy, stuffing 45’s ballots in the trash, 81 million votes my ass!!!………”
-Kari Lake and The Truth Bombers 6/2023
I tried to talk you into throwing your pride flag in the Pittsfield mayors race. You bring a great ideas forward and you’re not a political hack insider like the rest of them. You could also countersue and close down Luciforo’s drug den. Jonathan Melle for mayor has a good ring to it.
Sarcasm: Would-be Mayor of Pittsfield politics Jon Melle files a counter lawsuit versus Pittsfield’s Pot King “Luciforo” for being a 4-foot-tall piece of poop in the form of a man who will turn 60 – “666-0” – this upcoming Monday.
More sarcasm: If I won, then the would-be city-owned Berkshire Roots marijuana business would be renamed Berkshire Poops because Nuciforo and his pot business both STINK!
That plant on Dalton Ave stinks for sure.
Marchetti looks like he is going to be another spendaholic mayor. Has city council president White challenged any of this? Does he even know what his job is as city council President? Is it really bad news that the mayor and city council president seem to be really good friends? One is suppose to be a check and balance on the other not a co conspirator.
And who is this Gold-Klang Group? Who is Jeff Goldklang? Do they own the Pittsfield Suns and what power do they have over decisions being made to rebuild Waconah Park? What else do they own?
How would a rebuilt park bring any money to Pittsfield?
It doesn’t. The influencers don’t even want it.
If the steel beams beneath the grandstand are so bad why haven’t seen pictures of the nothing but rust under structure?
Right it’s probably just the footings
Pittsfield needs to part ways with him , unless he upgrades our team. If we’re stupid enough to invest 27 million on Wahconah Park we need a full baseball schedule.
A truly citizen’s representative government has to start with trust of the citizenry towards their government and the running of the government. Currently there is no trust that the government is working for the people. When you have a demented president using executive orders to bypass the legislature, when the IRS adds 87,000 armed thieves (oops collectors), when people of color are allowed to take over a city, break store windows and not be prosecuted, small “special groups” who represent .0005% of the population get to ram their thoughts/ideas down the throats of the 99%, when the voting system is completely corrupt,etc… How can anyone have trust and how can you have democracy??
Locally how can you say the city is following the example of the 4 freedoms when the citizens are afraid to voice opposition in fear they will become JM?
No right now in America the mob is running everything
A great deal of destruction and riots was by whites too. Seattle, Kenosha two examples. Don’t accept the phantoms of color.
Antifa/White Trash, with backing/financing from the left, and protected by Leftist Soros funded DAs.
Anitfa and BLM ….quite the team.
Very good statement SK. Well stated! The first role of a President is to write Executive Orders to undo nasty EO’s of his predecessors, only to have the next A Hole come back and reissue them.
“Locally how can you say the city is following the example of the 4 freedoms when the citizens are afraid to voice opposition in fear they will become JM?”
Fear. One must be willing to accept that public opinion is irrelevant to maintain the courage to be principled. Often times, the public is generally behind you, and the law of regression to the mediocre indicates it ought not be in front.
Your words about dealing with the pain of reprisal reminds me of Peter O’Toole in Lawrence of Arabia extinguishing a match with cold fingers. “Of course it hurts, the trick is not to care that it hurts.” For me, during those amusing situations such as the Clerk broadcasting to the public the smear which blasted down my dream of a sculpture for Tyler street for the Reverend, it was “sometimes you eat your lunch, and sometimes your lunch eats you.” They are an exceptionally creative lot in spite of themselves.
The trick to survival is humor and watching a great deal of TV.
Sleepy Don Trump can’t speak at all at this point in his elderly life
I was talking with a family member who could not understand how I or others could vote for Trump. I asked her why she would vote for China Joe Xiden? Especially with the mess our entire country is in, and it’s all been perpetrated by China Joe (Bathhouse Barry).
Immediately she went to the MSNBC talking point of “saving our democracy.” I asked her how Trump would “destroy democracy.”
Again, she regurgitated MSNBC talking points. She feared Trump would become a dictator, start WWIII, arrest his political rivals, suppress free speech, institute book bans MAGA didn’t like, etc. You know, the usual.
*It was at this point when I reminded her of Xiden’s plans to hire a federal “disinformation czar,” (Nina Jankowicz) to monitor our “free speech.”
*Xiden has wars raging in Ukraine and in the Middle East. Under Trump there were ZERO WARS.
*The “book ban” concerned the book “Gender Queer.” When I explained to her that the book depicts two teenage boys in a “69 position” orally pleasuring each other, she was shocked and when she looked it up and confirmed, she stated “that book has no business with kids.” EXACTLY! It does not. In our days, it was sold behind the sales register or in the adult section of the bookstore.
The next time a left-leaning whack-job tells you he/she is not voting for Trump because they are “saving our democracy,” ask them what exactly is being threatened?
The only thing being threatened is the democRATS and RINOS position of power. Oh, and the fact that if Trump does win, they created the blueprint for arrest and prosecuting political rivals.
If Trump does win, Bathhouse Barry, Mittens Romney, the Ayatollah John Kerry, and many others, better lawyer up. I’ll get my popcorn ready.
Sadly, the young people aren’t even thinking for themselves. They are just regurgitating what they hear on the far left news channels which is the majority in this country.
Unfortunately, she is not young. She just reads and watches left-leaning news.
Does it shock you?
This was another of Bathhouse Barry’s doings in 2013. She fell prey to it.
https://foreignpolicy.com/2013/07/14/u-s-repeals-propaganda-ban-spreads-government-made-news-to-americans/
I say it’s fortunate that she is not young. May the young learn from their elders and not repeat their mistakes.
The young people are smart. They get their news not from FOX, MSNBC, CBS, NPR or PBS, but from multiple streaming outlets. That gives them the ability to contrast and compare, and come to their own conclusions. I trust their judgments.
They can’t even tell which bathroom to use.
“The young people are smart”
I hope so!
Many people and especially the young have been incentivized to do less and less for themselves, accepting that government will step in and fill the void.
Gen X and Gen Zers do just fine, thank youse.
Trumps daughter Ivanka got 17 trademark patents from Chinner
Well said Marcus!
Many people I know don’t like either at all, but are also convinced we are well on our way to nuclear annihilation. MA: that which you fear is often not the thing to worry about.
Simple for me, I want my border secure. We should know who is coming in our Country. Immigration is needed, just not at this pace. Vote for America why you still can.
Moscow Mitch said the Republican border bill is the best bill Republicans could ever write….and now the stupids won’t bring it to the floor
Every they accuse Trump of they do not Trump.
Well said.
“She feared Trump would become a dictator, start WWIII, arrest his political rivals, suppress free speech, institute book bans MAGA didn’t like, etc. You know, the usual.”
She is correct. She is correct because it’s the truth. Markus and his opposition cohort are in the minority, they are the minority opposition because their stands and beliefs are concocted by Bannon and Trump for the sake of attaining power rather than seeking the truth. The danger here is that they are implementing Putin’s handiwork. Trump supports Putin’s views because he wants to get a share of Putin’s enormous wealth. Trump doesn’t care about us – all he cares about is building his power and increasing his personal fortune.
I see you’re regurgitating MSNBC talking points yourself Dirty Barry (aka-Mr Worldwide and now Natter Whack).
DB explain to me and the other MAGA members on here, how Trump is going to do to his political rivals, EXACTLY what they are CURRENTLY doing to Trump now?
Not enough sugary goodness to get you thinking clearly during a parking lot shift, so you post that as a reply?
You should contact the cultural competency coach DB. She might still have a few pieces of African candy we all paid for with our tax money.
You guys call it ARPA money Dirty Barry, for clarification.
Bua ha ha, Markus. We don’t need any msnbc trivia to point out to us what is patiently obvious from watching BBC and semafor. What they are doing to djt now is because he comitted crimes, as seen in any international news source.
Well, if we don’t have a democracy, we might as well have a autocracy.
We currently have an installed un-elected Junta, under the guise of Traitor Joe the puppet.
You support such a system of tyranny.
You just can’t make this stuff up. Trapper actually believes we have an installed un-elected Junta.
Installed, just like a toilet. The last two elections were the most corrupted in United States history.
The appointed figurehead is an incompetent senile embarrassment, and surely is not who/what is running America
Meanwhile here in Taxachusetts…
https://www.breitbart.com/immigration/2024/02/21/massachusetts-spending-64-a-day-to-feed-each-migrant-on-track-to-spend-1-billion-by-2025/
Whites there as President to confirm fluffy’s agenda. Who ordered salt to be put down?how much did that cost the city? I didn’t even shovel my driveway and the snow is gone. Someone needs to be held accountable.
My neighbor took it into his own hands today(snowball) with a perfect bullseye at the plow truck
Excellent questions. Let’s see if anyone in power cares to respond.
The other night I was traversing partridge rd and Dalton Avenue and I could smell the cannibis from both locations.
They plowed snow that was melted by noon.
This is the second time in a week that plows were out plowing bare roads. Scary to think what other waste goes on in departments we cannot even see.
But there is zero oversight and there has not been for quite some time. You have a mayor who says he cannot find any place to trim the budget before he even looks at it. And a city council president who is best chums with the mayor and would not want to offend him by pointing out waste or incompetence. Council president has no idea what his job description is.
The charter should contain a clause that there is a MANDATORY forensic audit every ten years no matter what.
Love it – Eat My Budget.
Best nom de guerre to date.
The Charter should mandate a FRESH auditor everyy 5 years. That is virtually mandated by the Division of Local Services (Mass Treasury)
Let’s start with best practices. The forensic audit is for tearing down a rotted barn.
From Massachusetts Division of Local Services
“Solicit competitive bids for independent audit services every five to eight years to mitigate the risk of complacency and get a fresh look at the community’s financial procedures.” https://www.mass.gov/info-details/highly-recommended-municipal-auditshttps://www.mass.gov/info-details/highly-recommended-municipal-audits
Healey should be recalled for spending billions on illegal migrants and displacing tax paying citizens from community centers being used to house them!
BTW, there is also an article on MassFiscal.org about Healey’s proposal, now before the legislature, to allow cities & towns to impose an additional 5% excise tax on vehicles, as well as increasing the lodging tax by 1% and meals tax by 30%. “The Governor is simply passing the buck on to cities & towns so she can continue her spending spree without fault.” – Mass Fiscal.
And I’m sure local lackey TFB will support these additional taxes! Someone conservative please challenge her for her seat!
Antisemitism up 400 percent.
that is what happens when thousands of innocent children are blown into pieces and their corpses left to rot under the rubble. Some people frown on that. (some don’t)
That’s ridiculous.
The true cost of our housing recent migrants is much higher although this is probably part of the jobs security plan at the federal and local level.
The two “wars” that will never be won because they employ too many people are the more on drugs and the war to reduce the number of people crossing our Southern border.
And I say this again we now have two generations wasted, literally wasted from its meaning of getting high to its meaning of not being used, so we need this coming generation of anchor babies if only from a national security standpoint.
Don’t take my word for it though. Go check out some of the DoD press releases about fentanyl being a weapon of mass destruction and chemical warfare that’s wiping out our military age citizens.
We have been quickly devolving into the People’s Republic of Prevarication and Corruption. Trust has been lost in the perception of our legislators, both local and nationally, since so many are now operating void of any moral compass or righteous principles, serving their own bank accounts rather than the needs of the people. Unless there occurs a major reversal in our current moral state of affairs, where morally righteous leaders of integrity become the majority rule, the division in our nation will continue to grow much deeper and wider to the detriment of us all. One can only wonder, without these needed changes, just how much longer we can truly survive as a nation.
The song Desperado says it perfectly, “Freedom, ah freedom, that’s just some people talking, we’re prisoners walking through this world all alone”, but I do think that we are still the most free country in the world so far, but that will change very quickly if the far left continues to take away more and more of our freedoms and the young people buy into what they are selling which is a lot of lies about their intentions for this country.
“we are still the most free country”
The challenge isn’t freedom – it’s liberty. Liberty constructs a collective idea of freedom. The collective group pursues self governance.
In Pittsfield, you are free to leave, buy, shop, plant grass etc… But you are not free to run for office, petition changes, form referenda except for the powers granted by Commonwealth Constitution. Therefore, as a people, Pittsfielders lack the liberty to say that they are a self-governed people. Without Liberty, why care about freedom?
Second, maybe there is too much freedom today. Such as the freedom to plop a pot shop in the middle of Allendale Shopping center.
Never too much freedom.
Even in your mind, there can be too much freedom.
Off topic- ish, but yesterday somebody on this board asked another person when was the last time you saw a slave?
The last time I saw slaves in Pittsfield was the two days before Thanksgiving when the Christian Center accepted slave labor to prepare their Thanksgiving meals.
Still cannot decide if this is the most Christian thing ever or the least Christian thing ever.
You will notice that no other religious organization in the county requests, requires, or accepts slave labor from the sheriff’s department in order to produce holiday meals.
As prisoners in Massachusetts are property of the state and we have a Constitutional right to separation of church and state, hello The Establishment clause, what the hell is going on here??
Using that prison-based slave labor is never a good look, and using it to preserve the majority of religion in our melting pot country…. awkward, to say the least.
My guess is that any inmates involved volunteered
Working the Christian Center would be preferable to being in the crowbar hotel. Better food too.
My guess is that they were incentivized to “volunteer” by being offered a small reduction in their sentence. At BCHC the reduction can be rescinded for any infraction of BCHC rules, perceived or real. So for the prisoner, it’s a gamble.
Another way prisoners are incentivized to “volunteer” their bodies for labor is they are told if they do not they will lose privileges and good time they have built up. I do not have first-hand knowledge that this second scenario happens at BCHC, but as it is SOP in American incarceration it’s definitely a possibility.
I rarely fault you, but here I think you are incorrect. A prisoner is already lost to freedom/liberty/time as a person. That is the purpose of jail time. You account for a crime by sacrifice of your time and liberties. A slave is a person who is effectively property either by choice (indentured sometimes) or by force (mostly). A prisoner is a subject of law.
Are you on drugs?
They do volunteer for it. And they do a great job with it as well.
Have you just found out that corporations have always run America?I’m surprised you fid not know that Trump gave them a 2 trillion dollar tax cut and went to his resort and said to his wealthy friends that he just made them a ton of money..That’s why the powerful deep state continues to support the raper ex prez.This bumbling fool of fraud is paying back the money he stole with scam evaluations from banks.Now the moron is selling sneakers to you fellas to help pay for his criminal acts.Tucker Carlson is also a Trump Putin lucky as he weirdly gazed into Putins eyes tell us that his groceries were 106 bucks but failed to say they were 50% of a average 200 Russian paycheck….Haley is getting 2 times the donations as Trump have fallen by half.He made fun of her military husband serving elsewhere because he sees them as fools.Trump is a scum human being.
Marchetti said he will give us a projected 5 year spending plan so we can get a handle on taxes…he said he needed 90 days
Isn’t that the Capital 5 Year Plan?
The Pittsfield city government has hit a all time low know they are charging 5cents for every pice of paper they use for you. I had to get A document from the city, stating what they charged me for taxes and the clerk said I’ll have to charge you five cents for every paper that we use. They’re always looking for ways to charge the taxpayer.
Bring your own paper.
Because Persip was complaining about toilet paper use!
Because he’s full of $#!t!!!
Ever try to ask for a copy of something at city hall? they charge an arm and a leg for copies because they want to discourage people from trying to get too much information out of city hall records. This is true.
They’re nickel and diming da taxpayers!
February 23, 2024
Hello blogger Dan Valenti,
One of your well-informed posters on your blog wrote: “Locally how can you say the city is following the example of the 4 freedoms when the citizens are afraid to voice opposition in fear they will become JM?”
My reply is that Pittsfield politics’ other name is RETRIBUTION. The career politicians only do DISSERVICES to the common people, while they serve their political, financial and corporate backers. The multi-billion-dollar per fiscal year record breaking Massachusetts State Lottery is a perfect illustration of the government scamming the common people to enrich the financial, corporate and ruling elites at the public trough.
My dad, Bob, once was a political and community activist in Pittsfield (Massachusetts) many years ago now. When I was a young man back then, my dad’s political enemies abused me as a means to hurt my dad, especially “Luciforo”. I – Jon Melle – know that if I ever returned to my native hometown of Pittsfield, they would find ways to hurt me there all over again. But I am not the one who is suing the city, unlike the aforementioned Nuciforo (aka “Pittsfield’s Pot King”).
Predictable Pittsfield politics should not be always raise its municipal fiscal year operating budget by between 5 percent to 10 percent every year since the early-1980’s. There is no real middle-class tax base in Pittsfield anymore. The city is basically robbing the Senior Citizens of their monthly Social Security checks, among other low- to moderate-income local taxpaying households.
I wish I could change and reform things for the better in the government, but it would end up being me getting abused and hurt again (and again and again….) in an act of futility.
Jon Melle
Get over yourself and get a life!
February 23, 2024
Re: Open letter to U.S. President Joe Biden
Dear Honorable Joe Biden:
Did you, Mr. Biden, know that on 02/20/2024, the VA travel office changed its rule – 38 CFR Part 70. CFR 70.30 – to stop paying Veterans travel payments for Community Care authorized appointments to non-medical facilities? After all of the good work your administration has done for Veterans, why would your administration allow such a small cut in VA benefits that amount to a little amount of money?
I am a 100 percent totally and permanently disabled Veteran who served honorably. I am advocating for all Veterans. Gas and travel is expensive for low- to moderate-income Veterans who rely on VA travel payments. Most Veterans are not highly paid VA bureaucrats in the Swamp where trillions of federal dollars are spent with ease. Money matters to us common Veterans, Mr. President.
I request that your administration please write me a written response in the U.S. mail to explain this matter to me. Why?
Thank you for your time.
Best regards,
Jonathan A. Melle
You VOTED for this clown who has taken from the vets & given to the migrants. You are part of the problem!
Well, they did it again. Springside and Durant park were robbed of there metal last night. Don’t think that was in the budget. Time to suspend all park improvements until, they can secure and protect all City parks. No point investing in the Parks if there going to get trashed.
Deming and Belanger next weekend.
B and E, yes, larceny, yes. For robbery, you need a human victim, and force, or threat of force. Just saying. And for the record, even if the cops catch someone doing an armed robbery red handed, good luck getting a stiff sentence in this wacky state.
Agree, but they just have to catch them before the destruction, saving money there. Plus fine the perpetrators. Money well spent. Some people will not have the money for the fine, but you be surprised that some of these dirtbags have money.
Bitchfield’s Police Log for last evening lists an arrest for an Armed Robbery at the Beacon Theatre around 8 p.m… Glad the police caught him. Wonder how long if ever the Berkshire Beagle will cover this story? Not much left for entertainment on a Friday night in this “One Pittsfield” city, now we have to worry not only safely walking to the movies, but you also have to worry once you get inside.
Nothing to see here, folks.
One of the agenda items for this upcoming CC meeting is a request from Bike Lane Morales for approximately $43,000 to pay an invoice from last March. The reasoning for this is the “invoice was misplaced”. This “misplacement of invoices” seems to happen quite often from the Pubiic Works department. Who is “misplacing it”? Is it Morales or Kerwood? In the past Councilors Kalinowsky and I believe Kronick tried endlessly to find the answer to these misplacements. Why is it allowed to continue, how many more “misplacements” are there? Mayor Maypo is well aware of this constant mismanagement, although he overlooked it during his long reign as President. Since the Mayor has two assistants, maybe one of them needs to be loaned out to the department that is causing the “misplacements “to clear up their mess and also why is our well-paid auditor not finding these “missing” invoices? Or is this their way of getting extra monies not budgeted? Someone needs to once again get off their lazy butt and get an honest answer to these misplacements.
Deanna is a paid consultant wherever she is till mid1924.
So Congress is funding Israel to wipe Hams and also innocent civilians, children included. Yet we are not giving ZSky as much? Why don’t you just tell Putin to keep the offensive up? He knows the opposition is running outdo finding- ammo and U S cash. These are the ATROCITIES !,,,
Hamas declared war on Israel. They sent in an army of death squads into Israel to rape and murder children in front of their parents. Then, mercifully, they murdered the parents.
So, Israel is at war with Hamas. The purpose of war is to win. Israel has no interest in losing.
We had to do the same in Japan (Peking), and Germany (Berlin)
I meant Dresden. Germans sited military production in tunnels beneath apartments in Dresden. To win, we had to destroy them. The Nazi act of bombing civilians in London as psychological terror justified the taking of civilian lives for military strategic sites.
So you’re a friendly type fire guy?
So snipers picking off innocent civilians is ok because that’s WAR? Charles….WAR? What’s it good for. Absolutely Nothing. We, yes we,the US should have been aware where Hmass was at all times. Vidently Israel had no idea.
When you are attacked by an enemy that has no moral compass, prepare for a dirty fight.
I never heard of misplacing a $43,000 bill. It is implausible such a bill is ‘misplaced.’ Did it come from an asphalt vendor and wound up with the dog catcher’s mailbox? That I would believe since there is no dog catcher.
Karen K. was focused on these smallish errors which seemed believable to me.
I would gasp at this. It reminds me of ARPA erroneously reporting twice a major capital project expense on the same report to the Feds. How?!
Yeah. “Misplaced” in someone’s pocket? It is sooooooo Bitchfield.
bitchy glitchy bitchy.
Warren (Kenny) called it good swindling.
The invoice was from a reputable tree business that worked cleaning up brush after a snowstorm last March. Kind of difficult to miss an invoice like that! Pathetic business practices.
This incident point to how rife incompetence reigns in city hall leadership. Not the worker bees, mind you, but the alleged “leaders.” If it’s not incompetence, there is only one other reasonable explanation: Corruption.
Does corruption generally accompany competence? Rarely.
I mean always! Competent people have by definition professional standards and ethics that are incompatible with corruption.
Corrupt people can be counted on to maintain great distance from competent ones.
How does such business let $43000 sit 12 months? Doesn’t that make you stop?
I hear the mayor is proud to be as queer as a $43,000 bill.
Your state government at work, busy providing catered delivered meals to illegals…….
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/02/illegal-immigrants-massachusetts-dine-home-style-italian-caterer/
At this rate, Healey is on track to be the state’s worst Guv yet!
Electric vehicles are no match for cold New England weather – the batteries discharge their energy faster in cold weather! Not practical! What a boondoggle to invest in.
https://www.iberkshires.com/story/74520/Governor-Announces-50-M-Investment-in-Electric-Vehicle-Charging-Infrastructure.html
Forget the cold. At this time financially the State cannot afford frivolous spending. Nuff said.
Bitchfield does not protest.
Statism, n,
-The belief that people who can’t fix potholes can fix or run a city.
We could save millions by switching to single ply toilet paper.
How can you say we are not a democracy? US citizens paid attention to the political canidates in the media and then in 2016 Trump beat Hillary and was president for 4 years. US citizens spoke once again in 2020, voting Trump out and Biden in. They are paying attention to the media again now and will decide between Biden and Trump. It doesn’t get much closer to a democracy than that, with the citizens deciding by vote who there leader will be.
The demorats stole the last election, perhaps not in a legal sense, but certainlly in a practical one. FJB. Anbody but Biden.
And they will legally take the 2024 election as well, with room to spare.
Did US citizens vote Trump out? Voting by mail is tainted. We will never have a true election if we continue down this path. Yes, certain individuals need and should vote by mail, most Americans should vote in person with a valid id.
What is going on with Crane Stationary?
https://www.iberkshires.com/story/74454/Crane-Stationery-Future-Uncertain-With-Reports-of-Layoffs.html
https://news.google.com/search?q=crain%20stationary%20layoffs&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US%3Aen
Becoming a zombie company.
Special interests have their media promotional teams working overtime pushing hard for a new stadium.. Another set of fireworks at the common reminding peeps that Waconah Park would be having lots of fireworks so everybody needs to get on board or the kids will not have any fireworks. So sad. So very sad for kids if the taxpayers don’t have another $40 million for a fireworks stadium. If you are a negative Nancy and are too cheap to pay even higher taxes you are a meany and probably do not like children.
All these fireworks because of one simple reason: Maypo loves fireworks. What could be more selfish or self-indulgent?
If – more like “WHEN” – Mayor Peter Marchetti excessively raises municipal taxes and increases city spending, I request that someone file a citizen petition to the City Council that he voluntarily forgo his city public pay plus perks to lead by example in paying for Pittsfield politics’ special interests’ greed.
City Council raises the taxes. They have the power to cut directly at budget season. They never do.
Almost two thirty and my streets have not been plowed yet. There is no snow so it could have gone quickly and the contractors could have gotten triple time. Do better Marchetti!
Yes. But think about? No better than Wahconah Ark for the (works) you have plenty of water to put out the sparks.
Fix the existing grandstand. For those pushing for the 30 mil redo, I believe the state is questioning destruction of the “national historic site.”
That’s the tactic. Cheese Face: “Buy this stadium or I shall shoot this puppy.”