Blogster's Miscellany: Insulted Mitt, Hurt Newspapers, Vanished Jobs & More...

TRUMP STICKS IT TO ROMNEY: Mitt Romney, former Massachusetts governor and current U.S. senator from Utah, was the only one of 53 Senate Republicans not invited by President Trump to join a congressional task force that will be studying the pros and cons of re-opening different parts of the country amidst the ongoing pandemic.  Will one of Romney's colleagues in the Republican caucus ever speak up against Trump's shabby treatment of him?  I'm thinking of you, Lamar Alexander. You're not running for re-election and have nothing to lose. A man of decency and integrity is being mistreated by a bully. Come on.

BIG NEWSPAPERS RETRENCHING: Newspapers have been shrinking or disappearing altogether for 20 years because of the shift of paid advertising to the Internet.  Despite the wonders and obvious benefits of the worldwide web, this trend has been nothing but bad for communities long dependent on their newspapers for local information and for keeping local governments open and honest. Now, the sudden  pandemic depression is making things even worse for this industry.  This week, two venerable Massachusetts dailies announced significant cutbacks. The Lawrence-based Eagle-Tribune will no longer publish print editions on Tuesdays and Saturdays, starting this week. And the owner of the Springfield Republican/MassLive informed employees that furloughs and pay cuts are coming.

HARD-TO-FATHOM JOB LOSSES: More than half a million citizens of Massachusetts have filed for unemployment benefits since the coronavirus pandemic began impacting the state.  This past week saw another big jump in claims, with 102,828 more filing for benefits.

CASINOS SUPPORTING WORKERS: The state's slots parlor and its two casinos were ordered closed on March 15 because of the pandemic.  That order will remain in effect at least until May 4.  Meantime, the Encore Boston Harbor casino in Everett is committed to paying employees through the middle of May and Springfield's MGM casino gave employees two weeks of furlough pay and is keeping up their health insurance coverage through June.

EX-TREASURER IN JAM WITH ETHICS COMMISSION: Former Peabody City Treasurer Jean Carnevale has admitted using her position to help set up sales of three tax-delinquent properties to family members and associates.  For that civil offense, she has paid a $50,000 penalty to the Massachusetts Ethics Commission.  Carnevale, who served as treasurer from 2012 to 2017, is a daughter of the late Peter Torigian, the longest serving mayor (1979-2002) in Peabody history.  The unfortunate details of her case may be found in the Ethics Commission section of the state website, www.mass.gov; in that section, click on "News" and up will come a press release headlined, "Former Peabody City Treasurer Jeanne Carnevale Pays $50,000 Civil Penalty for Violating the Conflict of Interest Law."

HYDE PARK EQUALS LONGEVITY: Former Boston City Councilor Rob Consalvo is a strong contender in the burgeoning race to succeed retiring state representative Angelo Scaccia, the longest serving member of the lower branch of the legislature and thus entitled to be called Dean of the House.  Scaccia's district, the 14th Suffolk, consists mainly of the Hyde Park section of Boston.  Consalvo represented Hyde Park on the Council from 2002 to 2014 and is currently employed as an aide to Boston School Superintendent Brenda Cassellius  Also in the race (so far) is Gretchen Van Ness, who ran unsuccessfully against Scaccia in 2018.  If the past is a reliable guide, whoever wins the 14th Suffolk race is likely to hold the job a long time.  Scaccia has been in the House for 46 years, with only a two-year interruption (1979-80).  The man Scaccia succeeded, way back in 1973, Michael Paul Feeney, was in the House for 41 years.  And don't forget that other remarkably successful politician from Hyde Park, the late Tom Menino, who was elected to five consecutive  four-year terms as mayor of Boston, making him the longest-serving Boston mayor in history.

AIRLINE MUST HOLD THE FORT IN CENTRAL MA: This past Thursday, the U.S Department of Transportation denied a request by JetBlue to suspend service to and from the Worcester Regional Airport during the pandemic.  The denial was based on the airline having accepted financial assistance under the federal Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which gave the department the leverage to compel JetBlue to keep serving the region.  After Boston, Worcester is the largest city in New England, followed by Providence, RI; Springfield, MA; and Bridgeport, CT.

HOARDERS BEWARE: Rep. Alan Silvia, D-Fall River, has a newly filed bill aimed at discouraging hoarding during the pandemic.  An Act Relative to Anti-Hoarding and Return of Bulk-Purchased Items During the COVID-19 Outbreak states that "No person or retail food store shall accept the bulk return of any groceries and other household goods purchased by a consumer during, and for 30 days following, a declared state of emergency resulting from a pandemic or other public health emergency."  In a press release, Silvia said, "While we see people come together in a profound spirit of generosity and community spirit during this time of crisis, shortages of certain products have still been reported...this bill would discourage those who may try to make money off a vulnerable population's need for basic necessities by hoarding and/or selling them at exorbitant prices."  Before being elected to the legislature in 2012, Silvia had a 21-year career as an officer and detective on the Fall River police force.  The bill has three co-sponsors: Rep. RoseLee Vincent, D-Revere; Rep. Peter Capano, D-Lynn; and Rep. Paul A. Schmid, III, D-Westport.

OUR $60-BILLION HEALTH CARE TAB: The day of Wednesday, March 11, seems like the distant past because of the enormous changes that have taken place in our lives since then on account of COVID-19, but it is worth revisiting that date if only because of what the legislature's Joint Committee on Health Care Financing heard then from the state's Health Policy Commission.  As reported by the State House News Service in an articled headlined, "Fewer Hospital Stays Not Leading to Overall Cost Savings," total health care spending in Massachusetts increased in 2018 at a rate of 3.1 percent to a total sum of $60.9 billion.  Health Policy Commission Research Director David Auerbach noted that, between 2013 and 2018, spending on inpatient hospital care grew at a rate of 11 percent even though the number of hospital stays declined by 14 percent during that period.  "We have not reaped the savings from moving people out of the hospital or (from) fewer hospital stays," he said.