Tag Archives: deval patrick

Governors Getting Connected

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State News Magazine recently identified the "most connected" governors in the United States. According to the magazine, only five governors in the country use four out of the five major social networking sites.

According to the article, none of them use Myspace, but all use Facebook, flickr, Twitter and YouTube. They are: 

  • Mike Beebe (Arkansas)
  • Arnold Schwarzenegger (California)
  • Deval Patrick (Massachusetts)
  • Rick Perry (Texas)
  • Jim Doyle (Wisconsin)

Well folks, I believe I have a sixth four-out-of-fiver for you who wasn’t listed in the article — Mitch Daniels. Looks like our governor has official accounts on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Myspace.

Other governors identified who use three of the five social tools are Bob Riley (Alabama); Bill Ritter (Colorado); Steve Beshear (Kentucky); Martin O’Malley (Maryland); Jennifer Granholm (Michigan); Haley Barbour (Mississippi); Jon Corzine (New Jersey); Bev Perdue (North Carolina); and Christine Gregoire (Washington).

Regarding the reasons for getting involved in social media, Florida Sen. Dave Aronberg says it’s an easy decision:

It’s a no brainer for a politician to use the new media. You’re not going to be misquoted if you are the one sending out your own communication. It’s also a great way to engage the voters in a two-way conversation.

Massachusetts Still Not Getting It

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Hate to pick on the state that saw many great years with our own Larry Legend, but…

The Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council is taking Massachusetts to task for some questionable tax-related decisions as of late. Here’s the skinny:

According to a recent story in the Boston Herald, Governor Deval Patrick wants to do the following:

  • Extend the state’s 5 percent sales tax to alcohol sales in package stores. Bars and restaurants already pay the tax.
  • Extend the 5 percent sales tax to candy sales.
  • Extend the 5 percent sales tax to soda sales.
  • Impose $75 million in new motor vehicles taxes.
  • Increase the meal and hotel taxes by one percentage point.

What will these tax hikes actually accomplish? Consumers will face higher prices, and businesses will face higher costs and lost business. So, in the end, it will be bad news for an economy that’s already badly beaten and bruised.

For good measure, keep in mind that Massachusetts is not exactly sitting pretty in terms of its competitive position with other states.