Category — Big Dig

Only in Massachusetts could the hacks spend 15 billion dollars to improve traffic through Boston, then consider putting up toll booths to screw it all up.

Among the ideas to collect money from the north and south are instituting tolls on the Leonard Zakim Bridge; in the Charlestown Tunnel at the bottom of the Tobin Bridge; and in the Tip O’Neill Tunnel under downtown Boston.

This Boston Herald editorial agrees:

Let’s stipulate, shall we, that drivers from west of Boston have been getting the shaft when it comes to financing the Big Dig. But are the brilliant policy-makers at the Pike really considering throwing up new tolls to bring north/south drivers into the mix?

If so they might as well have left the decrepit artery intact - and saved us all the trouble. Not to mention the $15 billion.

Because putting toll booths up on the Zakim Bridge or at either end of the I-93 tunnel will surely reverse any progress that the project brought with it. A rather poetic footnote to this entire boondoggle, don’t you think?

Yes, a working group appointed by the Pike board yesterday said it has come up with 37 possible ways to spread the joy of shoring up the agency’s finances, and leveling the playing field for Metrowest drivers.

Among the options are new tolls in and around Boston - including, potentially, new Zakim Bridge and Tip O’Neill tunnel tolls and tolls at the foot of the Tobin Bridge (just in case you had any change left after paying the current $3 inbound toll).

Together We Can … toll the crap out of everyone!

The Big Dig tunnel problems keep piling up:

• Discovery of 670 leaks with 237 of those being in the most serious category
• 2 million gallons of water pumped out monthly when only 36,000 were originally anticipated
• 10% of the steel ceiling girders already have surface rusting

Something tells me there’s a lot more rotten at the Big Dig than the glue used in the ceiling tiles. I’d bet big money there are major structural problems here. But since so many palms have been so well greased, nobody wants to address issues or ask difficult questions.

I’m just awfully glad that I rarely use them.

Anatomy of a political hangover

Listening to the promises made by the candidates, most overstep presidential powers and violate the Constitution. Tax law belongs to the House as does all money bills. Susurrations to the contrary, the President isn’t a King which makes the MSM anointments a futility in progress.

On Clinton–
Rush Limbaugh said last night was the worst night for Hillary since Bill’s second term. Not even close, people, for Communist Hillary, the election of Nixon crushed her ideals. Last night, this Alinsky drone’s pyloric valve seized in the open position, showing her true color.

You will never hear her expound upon her vision for the US. With Clinton, as Yoda said to Luke, “With you, it’s change, always change.” Her idea of change, abolishing the Constitution, doesn’t sound good on the hustings. Afterwards, the loud noise heard off screen was a boomer exploding.

On Edwards–
He wants to make your life better, but not quite the way he made his better. An envious man, he wishes to have more money than the collective you. To accomplish this end, everything will be free on his watch. Wait till you see what that costs. You will be verrucose in short order, waiting in line for universal medical relief. Then again, it would be kinder if he merely sued you. Under current tort laws, at least you keep your dignity.

On Obama–
Same droning sounds as from Silky. Different words used. Obama likes the word hope. We have hope. Hope we can make changes. Change is good for it gives us hope. He has no idea how the real world works. That will never prevent him from lurching into the breech. To give us hope for change, hopefully.

On Huckabee–
Having prodded GOP caucus goers with his RINO horn to get what he wanted, let us see how he dolls up the message for low denomination voters. I do not believe many NH voters place hands on the TV. Anyway, Huckabee is calling the NH primary, the Big Camp Meeting, can I get an AMEN.

On Romney–
Many questions need be asked of the Mitt. Does the U.S. deserve the type of government foisted on MA inmates? Do we need a “Big Dig” in every state? Why is the working population of MA shrinking? Why isn’t the illegal immigration population shrinking?
More to the point, which Mitt is running for office?

On McCain–
He is in the wrong party. That speaks to his good points. There isn’t room for the thought on the dark side.

On Paul–
Collaborating with the Donk moonbat Kucinich, both are investigating the appearance of illegal aliens at Groom Lake aka Area 51, instead of along the border and in meat packing plants. Art Bell is chairman of this primary of two.

On Thompson–
Not running hard while running, this makes one wonder, Wassup! If he keeps dissing the lame stream media, he may become the front-runner rather quickly. More of a Washingtonian politician (person, not place) he says it is about duty, not desire. We’ll see if this reaches fruition.

On the usual perennial weeds–
After signing up for campaign matching funds, they cash the check; spend a minimal amount on electioneering and pocket the rest. This is a common trope for most politicians, usually seen as groveling for power and re-election, and by the older politicians, sex in strange places with alien DNA types. Their attendance is for obfuscating purposes only, this heterophony helps shield the front-runners from real questions.

In the quest to hold somebody (anybody) accountable for the death of Milena Del Valle, the state indicted the adhesive manufacturer on one count of involuntary manslaughter:

Prosecutors claim Powers Fasteners knew the Fast Set epoxy it marketed and sold for the Big Dig project was unsuitable for the weight it would have to hold, but never told project managers.

But following that line of reasoning, isn’t it ultimately the project’s managers and engineers responsibility to ensure that materials meet design specifications? However, I suspect that Bechtel and other politically connected firms aren’t close to being indicted. It looks like Powers Fasteners has been chosen as the scapegoat while everyone else walks.

The above quote from Deval Patrick along with this front page from the Boston Herald tells you everything you need to know before pulling the lever on Tuesday.

If you still don’t get it, Howie Carr spells it out for you:

Mike Dukakis was a good governor. And if you don’t believe me, just ask Deval Patrick. Here’s the exchange from the final televised debate Wednesday night.

Kerry Healey: “I’d like to ask you, do you think Dukakis was a good governor, and why?”

Deval: “I think that Mike Dukakis was a good governor in many ways, and we had challenges then.”

We sure did, Deval, and the biggest challenge of all, at least to us taxpayers, was named M. Stanley Dukakis.

Sure, Deval’s lead in the polls is most likely insurmountable, and tossing a bouquet to the henpecked wimp Mike Dukakis isn’t nearly as boneheaded as Liveshot Kerry’s “stuck in Iraq” crack.

Still, you can’t say now you haven’t been warned.

[snip]

For those with short memories, let’s consider some of the accomplishments of Mike Dukakis:

• Phony Social Security numbers issued by the state to illegal aliens so that they could go onto welfare immediately upon arrival in Massachusetts.
• Forty-four murderers had their sentences commuted by the Duke in his first four years.
• Weekend furloughs for first-degree murderers so they can rape and be inducted into the mafia.
• Hiring of gangsters and their relatives at the Mass. Convention Center Authority after Dukakis turned over control of the board to Whitey Bulger’s brother Billy (now a confidant of Deval Patrick).
• Increased Turnpike tolls at Allston and Weston from 25 cents to 50 cents, and then held a press conference announcing “a 20 percent increase.”
• Left-wing judges such as Robert Bonin, Margaret Burnham, Maria Lopez and Suzanne “Let ’em Go” DelVecchio, not to mention Bulger cronies too numerous to mention.
• A proposal for a sales tax on four services, which went down in flames after a state rep who is now the state inspector general began publicly reading a list of all of the hundreds of affected industries.
• Medicaid-funded sex-change operations for New Hampshire residents, followed by taxpayer-funded post-op therapy in Montreal
• DOR tax audits on political opponents.
• Lt. Gov. John Kerry; House committee chairman John McNeil, a convicted child pornographer; crooked Dukakis education adviser Gerry Indelicato; Big Dig creator Freddy Salvucci and Massport hack Dave Davis
• A temporary surcharge on the state income tax, now 17 years old and still in effect.
• Annual banquets at the prisons for members of the Lifers Club, i.e., murderers.
• Blaming all of the state’s problems on talk radio (sounds like a Globe editorial endorsing Deval).

I’m out of space, but there was more, so much more in those 12 rotten years. Mike Dukakis was special, as Deval put it so well, in many ways.

As I said yesterday, PLEASE don’t waste your vote on Mihos!!! He has no chance of winning and anyone who votes for him is effectively voting for four (possibly many more) years of Mike Dukakis Deval Patrick.

Update: Be sure to also read Virginia Buckingham’s column to see what Deval Patrick will owe the unions for their support.

The Boston Herald reports that some Democrat’s have got their panties all in a bunch over Mitt Romney being out of state and Kerry Healey campaigning while acting governor. They complain that this leaves nobody in charge.

But Democrats say Romney’s travels and Healey’s own campaigning have left the state essentially without a leader, leaving crucial executive business undone.

“When you have Romney flying around the country and Healey on the campaign trail, who’s in charge?” asked state Democratic Party spokeswoman Cyndi Roy, pointing to the incomplete Big Dig probe, impending budget gap and reports of wasteful management at MassPort.

Funny, I don’t remember seeing any of them complain in 2004 when John Kerry missed 92% of his votes in the Senate.

I didn’t see all of the debate last night but I did hear most of it on the radio as well as saw some video clips on the news. My overall impression is that the format sucked. A one minute response time for one candidate followed by only 30 seconds for rebuttal for the other 3 candidates was not enough time to dig into the issues and get past all the fluffy campaign slogans and usual sound bites. It was especially annoying when one candidate talked (or yelled) repeatedly during another candidate’s turn.

That of course brings me to Christy Mihos. I’ve listened to Christy Mihos many times on the Howie Carr show over the last few years and respected his take on the Big Dig and thought he got the shaft from Jane Swift. But after last nights debate I have lost all respect for him. He came across like Howard Dean on steroids. It is clear to me now that he is in this race to settle a score with the Mass GOP. He has no chance of winning but if his goal is to take out Healey, he might just be successful. That of course would be bad news for the rest of us. If he truly cared about this state, he would get out of this race and work to prevent a return to the Dukakis years. Instead he focused all of his energy on Healey and practically ignored Patrick.

Kerry Healey did as well as could be expected in these circumstances. She was composed, kept her cool and for the most part stayed on message. She is going to have to be more forceful though in future debates.

Deval Patrick was able to sit back and watch. He threw out things that sound great on paper like lowering property taxes but failed to say how he would accomplish that. It is extremely naive to assume that cities and towns would lower their property tax rates just because the state decided to send more money their way. It’s much more likely that the cities and towns would spend all of the money from both sources. After all, how often does a government voluntarily return money to the people? They always find a way to spend that money. Of all people, Deval Patrick should know that since he won’t commit to lowering the income tax to the voter approved rate of 5%.

As for Grace Ross, who really cares how she did?

The remaining debates should between the two candidates who actually have a chance of winning this race so that the voters can get a clear airing of the candidate’s views and make their choice. Heck, even the Boston Globe agrees with me on that point.

Last night’s gubernatorial debate succeeded in an odd contortion: It demonstrated both the value of including all the candidates on the ballot in at least one televised forum and also the argument for narrowing the field. Voters will definitely be best served if the next debate is for contenders only.

***

Although lively, this was a warm-up for a debate between the contenders. Mihos might qualify some day. But last night, only Healey and Patrick met that standard.

Maybe we could drive him through the big dig tunnel system….

Massachusetts Turnpike Authority Chairman Matt Amorello has finally seen the writing on the wall and resigned.

Facing mounting pressure to step down, embattled Mass Pike chairman Matt Amorello resigned this morning under an agreement that allows him to retain his $223,000 salary for another six months.

After a marathon negotiation session following yesterday’s Supreme Judicial Court ruling that Gov. Mitt Romney could proceed with a hearing to remove him, Amorello submitted his resignation to the governor at about 7:30 this morning.

The resignation, effective Aug. 15, allows Amorello to remain as a board member on the Turnpike Authority and keep his full chairman’s salary until Feb. 15, 2007.

Romney applauded the move this morning, saying it will save toll payers and the Authority hefty legal costs associated with the hearing and possible appeals process.

“I think this is good news for the Commonwealth, the right step that Matt Amorello has taken,” Romney said in a brief appearance outside his office this morning.

Romney plans to initiate a nationwide search for Amorello’s replacement, saying he wants someone with expertise in transportation projects, and who is outside of the political realm.

Details of the resignation agreement can be found here. Of course, Amorello remained true to form right to the bitter end displaying just how incompetent he is as Howie Carr explains:

Fat Matt Amorello was a complete boob to the bitter end.

Two weeks ago today, he had a deal on the table that would have paid him through the end of the 2007 fiscal year - $223,000.

Here it is, exactly 14 days later. The bloated fool spent upwards of $1 million on white-shoed lawyers, and he ends up with a deal by which he leaves the payroll on Feb. 15, 4 1/2 months earlier than under the first deal.

So Fat Matt is out $85,000 - and it cost him a million bucks to lose the money, and his job.

Of course, that million was just our money. What did Fat Matt care? It’s only the tollpayers’ dough.

If there were any justice in the world, a way would be found to put a lien on his little house in Wenham to get back at least a portion of the public money that he has squandered on his shameless mouthpieces here in the final days.

It’s outrageous that the Turnpike Authority is set up in such a way that makes it nearly impossible to have any accountability. Once Gov. Romney regains control of the Board, he should resubmit his plan to the Legislature to have the Authority merged into the State Highway Department.

If the Legislature refuses, Romney should make a public battle of it while the Big Dig collapse is still fresh in our minds. Romney should remind the voters of Massachusetts of every step the Legislature took to protect Amorello and the Turnpike Authority over the years.

Lt. Governor Healey should simultaneously make the same points in her campaign for Governor while she reminds voters what life would be like if the Democrats controlled all 3 branches of state government.

Here is your Big Debacle update:

The number of tunnel problems is multiplying:

Romney said that visual inspections of all bolt-and-epoxy fasteners were 80 to 90 percent complete and that 136 new problems of “potential concern” have been discovered in the connector tunnel, in addition to the more than 220 loose bolt fixtures that had already been disclosed. He said the new problems might include misisng [the Globe’s typo, not mine] bolts or connector rods.

Even figuring out what to fix is costly:

Add in other state and federal agencies and law enforcement efforts, Levy said, and the price for various investigations alone could top $50 million.

We all know who is going to bear the brunt of these costs. The legislature now has a ready made excuse why it cannot cut taxes as promised even with record tax revenues.

I shouldn’t be surprised, but tragedy seems to bring out the worst in Globe liberal bias. They aren’t interested in “scapegoats”, and the “onus is now on the governor to get beyond criticism and deliver solid results.” The Globe isn’t interested in blaming anyone because much of the responsibility rests with Democrats in the legislature. Rest assured they’d be less magnanimous if Governor Romney actually controlled the Turnpike Authority, and they wouldn’t point out those fasteners were put in before he was governor either.

It was also nice to see them take swipes at Romney for his long-term “sniping” with Amorello and his presidential travel schedule. I am certain it just slipped their minds, but they fail to mention how Romney was right when he wanted to fire Amorello and take over the Turnpike Authority.

Just how big a mess is the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority? The legislature needed to pass a law so the Governor could get access to Big Dig records and control of the accident investigation. Clearly Matt Amorello’s incompetent operation of the Authority with virtually no oversight or accountability is a huge part of the problem here. And wouldn’t putting all Authority operations under the Governor’s control be a good start toward fixing this problem?

Massachusetts lawmakers slunk out of yesterday’s constitutional convention without taking up the amendment defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Why? First, the Big Dig debacle provides them some top cover. It’ll keep other issues on page 2 or below the fold. 2^nd, many state lawmakers do not have the courage of their convictions, and they aren’t shy about telling the voters either:

State Rep. Thomas Sannicandro (D-Ashland), who supports same-sex marriage, said he voted for the delay so fellow lawmakers could vote without the pressure of having to face voters soon thereafter.

They will absolutely vote their conscience because there’s no campaign issue or no election in front of them,” he said.

But isn’t that how a Democracy is supposed to work? Our representatives vote their “conscience”, and the people decide if they are being fairly represented at the polls. Not that anyone on Beacon Hill is familiar with the word, but it’s called accountability.

Democracy simply doesn’t function without accountability. This initiative received over 170,000 signatures. The least our representatives could do is stand and be counted, but they’d rather pander than give the people a chance to vote their conscience.

Rep. Sannicandro provides us with another quote demonstrating just how much contempt our politicians have for us:

“If we do leave it to the people, it is a discrimination vote,”

If? With no accountability, pols like Sannicandro feel perfectly free to sneer at the voters. He can’t let the dumb masses have a “discrimination vote”. And then we have the ever faithful Boston Globe doing its level best to give the legislature a fig leaf. They’d like the amendment killed (surprise, surprise), but they understand that Democrats want to get reelected in the fall, so they can handle a “delay”.

Ultimately, these failings are our responsibility. Our politicians sneer at us because they know most of us don’t vote or pay attention. We need to change that. Here is how your representative voted. Please call and let them know you want politicians who take stands on the tough issues. Better yet, cast a ballot in November. Things won’t change until we throw a few of these people to the curb.

This picture is from Governor Mitt Romney’s press conference yesterday where he repeated his demands for Massachusetts Turnpike Authority Chairman Matt Amorello’s resignation. Romney has been calling for that resignation for over 2 years but Amorello has refused.

I don’t think I have ever seen a hair out of place in any photo of Romney and from the looks of this picture, I’d say Amorello should start looking for some property in a country without an extradition treaty.

Here is Romney’s statement:

STATEMENT OF GOVERNOR ROMNEY

ON TURNPIKE CEILING COLLAPSE

“This is a sad day. I want to express my sympathies to the family of the woman passenger who was killed while driving through the I-90 Connector tunnel last night.

Her name was Milena Delvalle from Jamaica Plain and she was 38 years old. Today, we pray for her and those who loved her. No words that we could offer here can ease the unimaginable shock and heartache over losing someone under such sudden and tragic circumstances.

What happened last night is unacceptable. Long ago, I lost confidence in the leadership of the Turnpike Authority. There should no longer be any doubt that it is time for a change.

Through his failures, Matt Amorello has undermined public confidence in the safety of the Big Dig tunnels and failed to conform to the standards by which public business should be conducted.

He is secretive, he resists oversight by his own board, and he refuses to share information with parties that are entitled to receive it. This is contrary to the interests of taxpayers, of bondholders, of tollpayers and of motorists who have to be confident in the integrity of the tunnel system.

Today, I have instructed my legal counsel to begin proceedings to remove Matt Amorello as chairman and chief executive officer of the Turnpike Authority. Under the law, he is entitled to a hearing prior to this action becoming effective. We will have information for you later this week on the time and place of that hearing.

While I take this action in the immediate aftermath of last night’s tragedy, I do not take it solely because of it. There has been a continuing and ongoing pattern of mismanagement and I am following the course set out in the law to bring in new leadership that can restore the public’s confidence.

People should not have to drive through the Turnpike tunnels with their fingers crossed. Neither I nor anyone else could be, or should be, satisfied with yet another assurance from the current leadership that everything is going to be OK.

Romney has also been trying to merge the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority with the State Highway Department since he took office but the overwhelmingly Democratic legislature has refused to go along.

Independent agencies like the MTA and Port Authority should immediately be brought under the control of the executive branch so that there is accountability going forward. The citizens and taxpayers of Massachusetts should vote against any politician who continues to support these unaccountable agencies.

Massachusetts Turnpike Authority Chairman Matthew Amorello:

“Any responsible party will be held accountable for what happened,”

Note to Mr. Amorello: If the above statement is true, the first step in this accountability would be for you to resign in disgrace.

The last step would be for you and whole lot of other people to be sent to a federal prison.

Visit Bruce at Mass Backwards (just keep scrolling) for more coverage of this tragedy. Bruce is a former employee of Bechtel that wrote this series of posts last year about the Big Dig.

• The Big Pig Swig Frig Dig
• The Inside Dirt - Vol. 1
• Inside Dirt - Vol. 2
• Inside Dirt - Vol. 3

Aaron Margolis at Hub Politics has some thoughts as well.

A woman tragically died in a Big Dig tunnel last night when a 3 ton section of the roof fell on her vehicle. I wish this were a freak accident, but the Big Dig was mismanaged on such a large scale that it’s probably only the tip of the iceberg. And does anyone really believe the people in charge of this debacle when they say the “slurry walls” are safe?

MA Turnpike Authority Chairman Matt Amorello says there’ll be accountability, but don’t hold your breath. There are so many politicians neck deep in this thing that nobody will touch it with a 10 foot pole. Sadly, it’ll take a larger tragedy before anyone is willing to conduct an honest assessment of the Big Dig’s overall safety.