House docket room 428 – “has been closed.” 3 employees out of their jobs since Monday, October 26, 2009.

“Budget cuts” or… sneaky effort to circumvent open meeting laws?  Details as they become available.  Also check out Fix Beacon Hill for more info.

Norman Podhoretz shares his thoughts on this issue in today’s Wall Street Journal. Excerpts follow:

As a Jew who moved from left to right more than four decades ago, I have been hoping for many years that my fellow Jews would come to see that in contrast to what was the case in the past, our true friends are now located not among liberals, but among conservatives.

What I am saying is that if anything bears eloquent testimony to the infinitely precious virtues of the traditional American system, it is the Jewish experience in this country. Surely, then, we Jews ought to be joining with its defenders against those who are blind or indifferent or antagonistic to the philosophical principles, the moral values, and the socioeconomic institutions on whose health and vitality the traditional American system depends.

Mr. Podhoretz’ larger observations hold true across the political spectrum: how does liberalism benefit the average individual? We maintain it does not.

The occasion of Senator Edward M. Kennedy’s passing is notable on several levels. He was a dysfunctional man born into a dysfunctional family. His personal and professional conduct were not infrequently boorish and uncivilized, the stuff of ancient Roman legend. Perpetually and repeatedly lauded by “women’s groups” as woman’s best friend, the reality is that he often treated the “fairer sex” as little more than an object – something to be scraped off the bottom of one’s shoe. His political ideology, similarly dysfunctional, has served to further emasculate the American body politic and its ethos of personal responsibility and self-reliance. Nothwistanding these and other unsavory facts, it would be inappropriate to ignore the Senator’s virtues. By virtually all accounts, he was a devoted surrogate father to the children of both of his slain brothers, a daunting task under the best of circumstances. Additionally, it is generally acknowledged that he was attentive and compassionate in his support of the families of America’s war dead. There is however, one area of his public career that he executed flawlessly and that involves the matter of constituent service, for which the Senator was without peer. Consider the remarks of Kennedy’s fellow Bay State Senator:

“Teddy took this very seriously, even though he had so much fun and made people feel that he didn’t always take it that seriously,” Kerry says. “He set a real example for phone calls and contacts and follow-ups and that’s what you need to do.” John F. Kerry

Widely acknowledged for his fanatical devotion to the unglamorous work of returning phone calls from those needing a hand, the awkward question now arises: Who will Bay Staters turn to now? It is an open secret that John F. Kerry is Kennedy’s polar opposite in matters relating to nitty gritty outreach. Consider the following observations of former Boston Globe columnist Eileen McNamara:

If Charlie Murphy needs help in Washington, the state representative from Burlington calls congressman John Tierney. Lexington Representative Jay Kaufman calls congressman Edward J. Markey. Cambridge City Councilor Ken Reeves takes his troubles straight to the office of Massachusetts’ senior senator, Edward M. Kennedy.

The man none of them call on Capitol Hill is Senator John F. Kerry, the state’s Democratic presidential hopeful. “Why bother? You’d be lucky to have anyone on his staff call you back,” says Murphy, who traveled with a group of Massachusetts elected officials to New Hampshire yesterday to campaign for Howard Dean. Eileen McNamara – Kerry’s style a turn off.

The dirty little secret (now out in the open in the wake of Kennedy’s passing): Massachusetts has had only one functioning, engaged Senator for the past 25 years and it has not been John Kerry. Where Kennedy was a workhorse, Kerry has been little more than a show horse, a man whose reach routinely exceeds his grasp, whose idea of outreach is flinging himself in front of the nearest television camera. Perhaps he will change; stranger things have happened. But he has a long way to go to change the slacker’s reputation he has so painstakingly earned. Unless and until this transformation occurs, Massachusetts no longer has a senior senator, despite assertions to the contrary.

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A tip of the hat to my Twitter compadre Staunch Conserv for alerting me to this publication detailing the failures of American public “schools”.  The blame for this sordid state of affairs rests squarely on the shoulders of American liberals, those self-anointed bastions of integrity, compassion, and social justice. It’s easy to be “compassionate” when it doesn’t cost you anything, like perhaps incurring the wrath of teachers unions, of which the modern day Democrat Party has become a wholly-owned subsidiary. Which brings us to the shameful tale of Washington D.C.’s Opportunity Scholarship program. The Wall Street Journal has done an excellent job of chronicling the key issues surrounding this situation. I link to the most recent pieces here and here. Today, the battle shifted directly to Washington, D.C. where school choice activists rallied for their cause. Predictably, the Know-Nothing crowd, took the shallow way out and effectively ended the program for future enrollees whilst preserving it for current enrollees. The cynical view is that the public will forget about the issue entirely and that the poor people will fade into obscurity. We here at Patriot Games will do our best to see that this issue does NOT fade away.

I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Ruffini in Washington, D.C. a couple of weeks ago. My takeaway from the event: I need to use my blog as a catalyst for activism and news breaking versus plain old punditry. This article merits attention.

With virtually the entire Western World gushing over President-elect Obama’s most recent cabinet appointments, it’s time for a more sober assessment. Do the appointments of Clinton, Jones, Gates (reappointment), Napolitano and Rice (Susan), indicate that Obama indeed intends to govern from the center? (whatever that means). That remains to be seen, but tonight’s radio show will feature Marathon Pundit’s own John Ruberry, for a second appearance to dish on all or at least many things Chicago. At 8:30 PM EST we will be joined by fellow Blog Talk Radio host Just A Grunt for reports on the just-concluded Georgia US Senate Race. And for another take on Illinois politics, visit Illinois Review. They will will be appearing on my show Tuesday, December 16, 2008.

Topics covered tonight: Rezko,George Ryan,Blagoevitch,Illinois Senate Pick,Saxby Chambliss, Palin.

Debunking myths is the fun part (one of them anyway) about blogging. With this thought in mind, a former George Deukmajian aide explains why Bradley DID NOT lose because of race. A former Tom Bradley aide concurs.

Tip of the hat to Time Magazine “Swampland” contributor Karen Tumulty.

Last night’s interview with Dr. Rice was superb. She is an unabashed advocate of American greatness and values. If John McCain wants to inspire the conservative base of his party and of America, he would do well to give Dr. Rice a front and center spot in his campaign. Dr. Rice, for those who don’t know, is chair of the National Black Republican Association. For those of you who missed her appearance, the show is available for download by clicking here. Special thanks to my co-host, Chad Everson of Grizzly Groundswell fame. For those of you looking for some more, Dr. Rice has consented to make another appearance on the program in mid-August. Stay tuned.

Felkner heads the Ocean State Policy Research Institute, Rhode Island’s sole free-market think tank. He credits the Rhode Island budget deficit with providing the impetus to implement reforms conducive to fiscal and social responsibility. Among his notable and quotable observations: “You can’t combine open borders with a welfare state.”  Chat room participation was vigorous and spirited and as always, encouraged. To hear the complete interview: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/patriotgames

Former UN Ambassador John Bolton will join BottomLineRadio host BostonPatriot on Tuesday, July 8, FROM 11:30 AM Eastern TO 11:50 AM Eastern. BottomLineRadio airs in Boston,Massachusetts on the BlogTalkRadio network. Callers are welcome on a limited basis: 646-200-3682