I hate Massachusetts

There were two stories in today's Boston Globe that have caused me to seriously doubt whether I want to remain in this state. The Bay State is now so overextended with liabilities and prolific in spending promises that it is resorting to new methods of direct and indirect taxation.

Proof positive that "elections matter" is that, after decades of Republicans in the governor's office, we now have the perfectly awful Deval Patrick who has decided to bring in the easy cash of casinos:

Governor Deval Patrick plans to propose as early as tomorrow that the state sell licenses for three full-scale resort casinos in Massachusetts, citing their potential to spur economic growth, create jobs, and generate new government revenue, according to State House officials who have been briefed on his plan.

Hey, why stop at casinos? Why not bring in some whorehouses which will also "create jobs" and "generate new government revenue." Aside from the social issues and crime that a casino invites, there's the new image of Massachusetts. Old and busted: Plymouth Rock, USS Constitution and Tanglewood. New and hot: slot machines and the "hard eight."

Second point: as I may have mentioned, I commute a hundred miles a day (50+50) to Connecticut because I can't find a decent job in Massachusetts. However, I pay income taxes to both states and property taxes in Massachusetts. Clearly, I must be punished: "Major hike in gas tax, fees urged"

A special state commission looking for ways to keep the state's roads and rail systems from falling into disrepair will recommend that the state raise the gasoline tax by 11.5 cents a gallon next year and impose a "user fee" of 5 cents a mile to drive on major state highways, according to an outline of the panel's recommendations.

In true "Big Brother" fashion, the user fee would be assessed by forcing motorists to use a GPS system to track mileage, and the tax would be imposed at gas stations. But the tax would be used to "fix the highways," which is a fancy way of Beacon Hill saying that "we spent everything on the Big Dig."

I think this guy might have the right idea: lower taxes and I'd be closer to Loudon for the NHIS races. I've been in Western Massachusetts for sixteen years, but now that the Democrats control every level of government, there are no checks against socialist legislation, the subversion of democracy, and unfettered taxation. It might be time to "vote with my feet."