PAX Centurion - January / February 2013

www.bppa.org PAX CENTURION • January/February 2013 • Page 23 By James Barry, BPPA Legislative Agent HEARD ON THE HILL Potomac fever is at an all-time high Latest rumor on BeaconHill… Deval 2016 G overnor Deval Patrick said before the 2012 presidential elec- tion that national voters in the presidential race should take note of polls showing Republican nominee Mitt Romney trailing far behind President BarackObama inMassachusetts, the state where Romney both lives and once served as governor, because it should tell them something. Patrick said, “he’s (Romney) a resident ofMassachusetts. He voted in Massachusetts. He governed inMas- sachusetts. We elected him – and he is trailing 20 to 25 points. What does that tell you?” during his monthly appearance onWTKK-FM. “It tells you that we know him, and, ‘No, thank you.’We’ve seen this movie before, and we’re not going to do it again.” Governor Patrick, we know you too. Thosewords, Governor (I couldn’t not agree more with) will come back to haunt you . Tough comments or tough questions about his recent administrative storms bring tense bristling responses from Deval. Not a very Presidential response either. He simply does not take criticism well, direct or indirect. Sowe beginhis crazydodge of this administration’s responsibility for hiring a highway safety director with a not so good driving record. Not that bad a thing, hey stuff happens. Butwhen reporters askedDeval about it, he was is more than ready to throw someone, anyone under the bus. For a drug lab scandal and disaster that percolated under his ad- ministration’s Secretary of Health and Human Services nose for years without being addressed. Then perhaps the saddest and yet another highly correctable situation is where 38 people died from tainted drugs produced under the not so watchful eyes of the same Secretary of Heath and Human Services, Dr. Judith Bigby. The Governor praised her as she left the administration. Yes, she left, wasn’t fired or even reprimanded. Governor you owe those families of the victims from the tainted compounding labs an apology. All of this is under your watch Governor, just this year. (We are not even talking about the rest of your record ). You can ignore it (which you have). But you’re not getting the AG’s job because of it. Governor, all of this would come out at a Senate confirmation. This will follow you down the Potomac. This year, your administration’s disasters are going to cost the Com- monwealth hundreds of millions of dollars and countless new victims of crime. You can try and do a cabinet shuffle andbe donewith itGovernor. But it’s still there. Be a leader and take responsibility. Fire the folks responsible, don’t make them ap- pear to be leaving after doing a job well done. Investigate the compounding lab to find out who in your admin- istration was responsible for being the state regulators and watchdogs. Call in the USAttorney’s Office. The drug lab for god sake... folks on the streets knew about that. Police, prosecutors and defense lawyers knew about it for years.Your administration sat on it. Governor, your administration is crashing like the Hindenberg. I don’t think you or anyone around you thinks so. When you start to hear the rumors of you running for president I’m thankful for your comments about another governor fromMassachusetts. Because what you said about Romney is true for you too. We’ve seen that movie before and it stank.