Above: Rep. Dykema at the Southborough Senior Center for the innagural meeting of a new veterans group (contributed photo)
Representative Carolyn Dykema was at the Southborough Senior Center last week to launch the Metrowest Veterans Consortium. Here’s a press release with more details:
“I am glad to join with Veteran Service Officers and leaders of organizations that serve Veterans to collaborate on a regional basis to share great ideas from the town level and to share information about the benefits available here in Massachusetts that are among the best, if not the best, in the nation.” said Rep. Dykema. “This idea came from a small meeting with local Veterans and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to bring together these stakeholders to ensure that Veterans have the ability to access the services they have earned.”
The aim of this consortium is to provide local veterans’ advocates with up-to-date information about veterans’ services, encourage dissemination of this information in the 19 member communities, and allow local veterans to bring issues of concern to the attention of legislators.
At this inaugural meeting of the Consortium, members were joined by the Coleman Nee, Secretary of Veterans Affairs in Massachusetts and several members of his staff who gave a brief presentation on their initiatives to strengthen operations and service delivery to veterans and their families.
To find out more about the MetroWest Veterans Consortium, please call 617-722-2210.
I wonder where Ms Dykema is on this:
http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/x101302067/Westborough-Southborough-Shrewsbury-target-unfunded-mandates
Funny, not sure where she stands on EBT card reform either.
Stay tuned. Though I can tell you just want to score points off-topic, not to get an answer…
The big question is will she push for needed change at the State House. The answer is no since she belongs to the long time party in power. That is the only point I wish to make. I do not care what little things she does for Southborough. The problem is one party rule for too long.
When a veteran comes back from war, he/she deserves the best services/benefits from our government statewide, and locally. They’re real heroes, and deserve nothing but the best when it comes to government serving them. I applaud the Rep. for going in this direction.
Frank,
If you’re unsure where she stands, the best way to find out is calling her office at (617) 722-2210 or by emailing her aide at leah.robins@mahouse.gov. It’s not hard to get in contact with her, and Rep. Dykema does listen to both sides of the aisle.
Questions like this aren’t going to be answered on a thread on MySouthborough.
I dislike getting off topic, but I want to remind you that:
– She voted against Casino gambling / http://www.thedailywestborough.com/news/state-rep-dykema-votes-no-casino-gambling
– She repeatedly warned us about the hiring practices within the probationary department / http://www.wickedlocal.com/amesbury/x151221170/Legislators-urge-bold-changes-in-Probation-Department-hiring#axzz1t4Eo6Y7v
Is she not pushing for “needed change”?
Michael
The article you cite is clearly an after the fact condemnation of wrong doing. Kind of like be Capt Renaults “I’m shocked to find there is gambling going on here”.
I have no reason to doubt Ms. Dykema’s personal integrity but if you want to convince us that she is pushing for needed change then give us an example of something where she bucked the leadership on some matter touching on govt ethics BEFORE it became a headline in the Globe.
Ms. Dykema is a Democrat. The Democrats have a strangle hold on power at the state level for better and worse. Power corrupts and as a minor member of the ruling clique she bears some measure of responsibility for the transgressions of that clique. “You are known by the company you keep”. Or perhaps “If you lie down with dogs you will get up with fleas.”
Of course the Republicans are their own worse enemies and cant seem to understand that Massachusetts is not Alabama or Texas. It would be very healthy to have an actual two party system in this state. And while we are at it I wonder why Mr. Lamb has not ventured on to these pages to explain how he would vote differently than Ms. Dykema. Ms Dykema has explained herself here, perhaps she is a more effective campaigner than Mr. Lamb. That is kind of disappointing.
I don’t care about her photo ops and PR stuff either. I care about living on a fixed income, our safety, and that of my grandchildre. Rep. Dykema is on the wrong side of all of it, the votes she makes to raise taxes in a recession, the wasteful spending, no support for EBT reform with all that fraud in the system. It’s sickening. Just silence on what really matters. The safety on our streets is an issue too, and illegals are getting drivers licenses and they shouldn’t either.
Rep. Dykema is doing squat on Beacon Hill to help this economy and those of us who follow the rules. She’ll protect illegal aliens and let them have driver’s licenses. The pension system is a mess. She hasn’t done anything about that. Look at the scandals on Beacon Hill. There are crooks there and crooks on the street. Enough is enough.
The veterans know that Rep. Dykema is on their side, even if a partisan of her opponent like you doesn’t. They know that she constantly serves their needs.
It’s not just the vets either. Ask around the next time you’re in the district.
EBT reform? That is before the House right now.
You’re simply wrong about Rep. Dykema’s views on immigration. I hear a lot of worries about crime and driving safety. Both are at 40-year lows – but fear fomented by journalism that leads with what bleeds won’t tell you that.
She’s been involved in pension reform – as has the entire legislature.
Last and most important, the economy. For many Tea Party leaning conservatives, the only thing that can help the economy is tax cuts, especially if they’re pitched to the wealthy, the so-called job creators. This did not work at all in the previous administration, yet these conservatives want to restore the exact same policies to Washington. American corporations have plenty of profit. They would invest in capacity and thus in jobs if there were more people to buy their products. Because of unemployment, demand is suppressed.
Massachusetts is a bright spot in the American economy. We lead the nation in so many economic and government categories it’s not an accident. Yes, unemployment is too high here, but it’s much worse in most Republican states.
We in Massachusetts are doing it right. Carolyn Dykema is doing it right. Her thoughtfulness and integrity are unquestionable.
I simply do not know where you get your information from.
http://www.bls.gov/web/laus/laumstrk.htm
In the top ten, MN is clearly a Democrat state and VT is more socialist (if IBM were to leave, it would be a third world nation).
Yes, you can put me down for less taxes, fewer regulations, and no “investments” in green technology by the government. With these burdens removed or reduced, the economy grows, there will be more jobs and tax revenue will grow.
A broken link refutes what, exactly?
Teapublican economics has been tried and it failed. Deregulation of financial markets led to disaster.
Yes, the US is doing really well under the Democrats.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/47202822
Time to blame Bush again. Barney Frank had nothing to do with the melt down (this is sarcasm).
When is the US Senate candidate showing up to Southbourough? She can explain all she did to make sure our TARP dollars were well spent…………not.
Kelly
Deregulation did not cause the disaster, it was the private profits, public risk, too big to fail culture that caused the disaster. That culture in turn is enabled by the unholy “Government Saks” relationship between Wall Street and Washington.
If there were no bail outs, and an assurance of personal and corporate ruin for Wall Street execs that made bad bets the whole system would look very different.
I don’t think Democrats can represent them selves as any more sanctimonious than the Republicans on this front. Wall Street contributes (bribes) heavily to both parties to make sure they are protected regardless of who is in power.
How many bankers has Eric Holder indited for the financial melt down? No more than the Republican that preceded him I suspect.
Kelly,
Give me some examples of commudemocrat economic successes .
It’s rather disappointing seeing a forum thread that was originally about veterans getting held hostage by partisan bickering.
Since when did socialism, deregulation, and EBT reform become a MUCH more important issue than talking about the benefits of the MetroWest Veterans Consortium?
I’m pretty glad that veterans will be having easier access to services, and benefits, plus some added attention from legislators.
Let’s focus on how we can better support our veterans who are coming home from a disastrous war. That’s what this topic was originally about, right?
“Since when did socialism, deregulation, and EBT reform become a MUCH more important issue than talking about the benefits of the MetroWest Veterans Consortium?”
Since it started ruining the country. I am not going to be blinded by some good political deed or photo op to cloud what is really going on: The Democrats and ruling elite have put this country on the road to ruin. I am sure there are more then a few veterans who feel the same way. Read this article and tell me your stomach does not turn. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304723304577368280604524916.html#articleTabs%3Darticle
Actually, Mr. Bakshi, the entire original post was a press release from Ms. Dykema’s office, so I’d say that the rest of the commentary in the thread was fair game, both pro and con.
As a veteran myself, I will always appreciate and value any effort made (like Ms. Dykema’s) on behalf of all those who risk so much to serve us all. On the other hand, I will always value even more the freedom that we all have to speak our minds without restraint and, yes, even “bicker” among ourselves if we like.
Of course I wish that political discourse in our time was more civil and productive, and I agree with you that blind partisans are an insidious reality today. But I also agree with Mr. Hamilton that there is plenty of blame to share on both sides for that failing. Those who speak in such vehement absolutes are delusional (and there is a good example of that from both sides in this very thread).
Paul,
You raise an excellent point! Free speech is something which should never be censored, and I am sorry if I advocated for that on this forum by saying we needed to stick to the subject of the post. It was my mistake, and I admit it.
And Paul, you probably may not remember me, but we met in May of 2010 as you were campaigning for Planning Board at Trottier school. We actually discussed West Point since you were wearing a West Point hat.
It’s good to see you posting on this blog, and I want to thank you again for serving our country! I wish you all the best!
———
Frank,
My stomach doesn’t turn. It was a well written story, but I simply don’t believe what she’s writing. Things are not as bleak as she presents.
Just like the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal is skewed towards a particular political interest, and in this manner I will consider it to be an extension of Fox News. The journalist which you cited is Kimberley Strassel, who is well known for defending Texas Representative Joe Barton over his apology to Tony Hayward of BP, and for calling the US justice department investigation into BP a shakedown after the Gulf Oil Spill.
This same Representative, whom she defended was threatened, was then castigated by members of his OWN party over the apology, yet Kimberley went on to defend it, saying that leaders WITHIN the Republican party have lost their principles. Republicans and Democrats were both united over the BP investigation. It was a bipartisan effort.
CITED: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,595023,00.html
In any case, both parties, and the news media at large are very guilty of manipulating what should be newsworthy, and what shouldn’t, and I do wish things weren’t so insidious as they are today.
Who the heck cares about Planned Parenthood funding? Rebuilding our national infrastructure should be more important, but yet, arguments over Planned Parenthood funding are HOT enough to shut down a government.
Best,
Michael
Excellent post Mr. Bakshi.