Americans are stupid, so very stupid... at least in MA
I know I'll catch some flack for this but I am fed up with this country and with my adopted state of MA. I know MA is a blue state nationally so nobody cares about the local politics, but what is happening here is depressing.
This state has been losing jobs at an alarming rate. Young people don't move here. MA is the 3rd most expensive state in the US in terms of cost of living and the GOP is doing everything it can to get rid of all income taxes. Healy wants to add more tests in the public schools. We already use up a month and a half for testing each year. Cities don't have money to pay for public services. We have health care reform, but no money to pay for it and Healy wants to cut income taxes and eventually get rid of them. We are rapidly becoming a red state with a nice city on the ocean. We are becoming Texas on the cape.
Along comes Deval Patrick, not perfect, but a decent and a good man. He believes in taxing the rich and wants to rebuild the infrastructure of the bay state. I gave the Dems no chance up front early this year. But after winning the Dem primary, Patrick running on an issues based campaign, came out with a double digit lead that at one point was 55% to I believe 30% for Healy. I couldn't believe it. Could MA actually get a real leader in the statehouse that cared about working people? He even likes teachers. Maybe this state did want young people like me to stay. I was excited. Maybe I was being stupid....
Then Healy went Willie Hornton on Patrick accusing him of helping convicted rapists and cop killers get out of jail time. Her ads are disgusting fear mongering, knives that are cutting into Patrick's lead. I thought no biggie, she's getting desparate. Then the Boston Herald prints an article yesterday all about Patrick's sister getting raped by her husband in 1993!! 13 Fucking years ago. The article has nothing to do with the election and it's only connection to Patrick is the word rape.
Patrick's lead is down to 8% in a recent poll. I find no where else to place blame other than in the voters. This isn't new. If people can fall for it in MA they can fall for it anywhere. Equally depressing for me as a teacher is that the idiocy of the voters is a direct reflection of the shitty education they all received in the public schools. While not the schools' fault, we're underfunded daycare centers, I'm still on the front line seeing our future voters each day knowiing full well they'll fall for the same tricks again and again. Is there any hope left? I know there is optimism nationally this year and I to am excited but what is happening here is nothing short of a tragedy if Patrick loses lets this be a stern warning for the Dems for '08. Beware, US voters will fall for anything. The ghosts of '88 linger. Willie Horton is in the air.