An Idea to Completely Restructure Taxation in MA

By: William Gunn – March 2013 I submitted a letter similar to the following to a Massachusetts State Legislator asking him to draft legislation that would eliminate the DOR and all income, sales and other taxes in the state to be replaced with a surcharge to every community based on property values. This would allow […]

Noose Tightens on Lantigua Admin

Feds Serve More Subpoenas in Corruption Probe By: Tom Duggan – March, 2012 Since the days of Willie Lantigua’s first campaign for state representative, The Valley Patriot has reported extensively on his failure to report campaign contributions, failure to declare campaign expenses and accepting illegal contributions such as cash, dollar amounts over the legal contribution […]

Hero in Our Midst: Colonel Kris Mineau, USAF (Ret.) – Valley Patriot of the Month

Helen Mooradkanian –  March, 2012 Colonel Kris Mineau, USAF (Ret.), of North Reading, flew 100 combat missions into North Vietnam in 1966 as fighter pilot in the supersonic F-4C Phantom II. Capable of speed Mach 2.23, more than twice the speed of sound, the Phantom was key to downing the Soviet MiG-21s used by the […]

Loving Life, Serving the Community Methuen City Councilor Jamie Atkinson

Loving Life, Serving the Community  Methuen City Councilor Jamie Atkinson

  By: Eva Montabello   When telling a story about “strength of spirit”, Methuen City Councilor Jamie Atkinson wholeheartedly embodies the statement. A lifetime of health hardships hasn’t stopped him from continuing to cross items off of his “bucket list”. From his recent election win to a Methuen City Council seat with a focus on […]

Lifting the Veil on Welfare Fraud

Lifting the Veil on Welfare Fraud

  By: Christine Morabito, Greater Boston Tea Party – February, 2012 If there is one thing Massachusetts excels at it is rewarding bad behavior. Exhibit A: the lack of oversight applied to entitlement programs. Take EBT cards. While in many cases these cards are used for their intended purpose, the system is a magnet for waste, fraud and abuse. One […]

Breaking the Silence

  By: Debbie Papalia – February, 2012 At this year’s March for Life in Washington, DC, Steven Tyler, the famed frontman of Aerosmith and the “American Idol” judge was mentioned in a post-abortion testimony on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court building during the “Silent No More” Awareness Rally; Julia Holcomb testified how she […]

Women and Children First

Women and Children First

  By: Paul Murano – February, 2012 The capsizing of the Costa Concordia in Santa Marinella, Italy where the captain apparently abandoned ship with passengers still on board recalls the old saying, Women and Children First. It was a saying that captured a cultural assumption that seems to be lost today. Not too long ago […]

The Sad, Surprising Tale of Chuck Turner

The Sad, Surprising Tale of Chuck Turner

  By: Jeff Katz – February, 2012 It is a very rare occasion when I am surprised by a politician’s action. At this point in my life, I’d like to think I’ve seen it all. Growing up in Philadelphia, where we routinely had 75% or higher voter turnout from cemeteries, I learned that death did […]

Why Isn’t the Unemployment Rate Zero?

Why Isn’t the Unemployment Rate Zero?

… or, there goes the government screwing things up again! Thinking Outside the Box: by Charles Ormsby We are so used to hearing about the rate of unemployment that we have come to think that a significant percentage of the workforce (those who are able and desiring to work) being unemployed is normal. But it […]