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Patrick: The choice is between adorably fuzzy critters or poor people

By adamg on Mon, 07/13/2009 - 8:11pm

The Dorchester Reporter reports that Gov. Patrick says that if the legislature overrides his veto of some funding for the Franklin Park and Stoneham zoos, he might have to cut money from a program that subsidizes health insurance for legal immigrants.

Free tagging: 
health care
Deval Patrick
Franklin Park Zoo


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Comments

By ShadyMilkMan on Mon, 07/13/2009 - 8:19pm.

Im amazed at how specific some of these threats are.

I hope Deval Patrick knows what he is doing here. I mean seriously many people will be pissed off to hear 30,000 immigrants of any kind are getting health insurance for free. He just handed the republicans a weapon in the general and could have just caused a major rift towards immigrants in Massachusetts. Immigrants Health Insurance = Dead Animals... Does he want to make that connection?

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By Pete Nice on Mon, 07/13/2009 - 8:27pm.

I would think a prerequisite for being a legal immigrant would be to have health insurance!

Im sure there is more to the story here as usual....

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By SwirlyGrrl on Mon, 07/13/2009 - 8:38pm.

Just as most of us who don't work in unionized public sector jobs get tossed out of work now and then, so do immigrants, so does everybody else.

In the messed up US system where insurance is based on having a job, how do you get insurance if you don't have a job yet?

Of course, this will likely backfire - do legal immigrants get a special program that citizens are not getting? That isn't going to be politically palatable if it is true (or are legal immigrants simply the bulk of the clientele?).

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By ShadyMilkMan on Mon, 07/13/2009 - 8:43pm.

BOOM and were off!

I have a feeling your being more diplomatic then many others will be. Just wait for the Herald and Drudge Report to get on this.

Deval Patrick. Can he really be this stupid?

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By neilv on Mon, 07/13/2009 - 9:51pm.

With the fate of health insurance for 30,000 legal immigrants hanging on the choices legislative leaders will make in the coming days, House Speaker Robert DeLeo said Gov. Deval Patrick made a "good and compelling case" for maintaining the coverage.

-- State House News Service, "Deleo: Patrick made `compelling' case for immigrant care," BostonHerald.com

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By adamg on Mon, 07/13/2009 - 9:55pm.

Michele "Ann Coulter is my co-pilot" McPhee wrote today that she'd rather the state keep the animals alive than welfare recipients.

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By Pete Nice on Mon, 07/13/2009 - 9:41pm.

well thats what I was talking about. I dont know what an "alien with special status" is though. I would assume that the US wouldn't let you become a citizen unless you had some proof that some company or school or yourself paid for your health insurance. That was my point.

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By johnmcboston on Tue, 07/14/2009 - 9:04am.

Indeed, I'm amazed he has can rattle off some other line item right off the top of his head. Really? Of all the other items int he budget he would trim this one and only this one program to keep the Zoo running?? Or better yet, he couldn't pick a line item that more people would care about?

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By anon on Tue, 07/14/2009 - 9:01am.

Patrick's cluelessness is almost awe-inspiring at this point (and I voted for the guy!) Anyone else get the impression that even Alex Rodriguez could run for governor and give Deval a run for his money?

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By david_yamada on Tue, 07/14/2009 - 9:20am.

So this is what political rhetoric is coming down to in this state: Threatening to kill zoo animals if budget cuts aren't restored, versus threatening to yank health coverage for thousands of people who are here legally.

Great, just freakin' great. Makes a mockery of the idea of "Commonwealth," doesn't it?

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