Tag Archives: Massachusetts

Good News For Taxpayers And Pro-Life Americans

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On Friday, Townhall posted an article about the legal challenges by Planned Parenthood to the ban on taxpayer money being used to fund abortion.

The article reports:

When President Trump signed the “Big Beautiful Bill” on July 4, 2025, cutting off federal Medicaid reimbursements to large abortion providers under Section 71113, the abortion industry immediately launched a coordinated, multi-front legal assault to force the money to keep flowing. The ACLJ jumped into the fight on Day One – and never looked back.

…Planned Parenthood filed suit in the Massachusetts federal district court within days of the bill’s passage. When the district judge granted two sweeping preliminary injunctions – claiming the defunding violated Planned Parenthood’s First Amendment rights – we filed four amicus briefs fighting back, including urging the First Circuit to issue an emergency stay. The First Circuit granted the stay on September 11, cutting off Planned Parenthood’s funding while the case proceeded – and later issued a unanimous landmark ruling upholding Section 71113 in its entirety and vacating both injunctions. Win.

Maine Family Planning opened a second legal front in Maine federal district court. We filed amicus briefs there at both the district and appellate levels arguing that no court can force Congress to spend money it specifically voted not to spend. The district court denied their injunction entirely, and after the First Circuit’s decisive ruling in the Planned Parenthood case, Maine Family Planning abandoned its appeal altogether and stipulated to dismissal. Win.

Even as those cases were resolved, California organized a coalition of 22 states to file their own lawsuit – California et al. v. HHS – seeking to reimpose Planned Parenthood funding across their jurisdictions. We filed our seventh amicus brief there, and the First Circuit handed California a decisive defeat, granting a stay that allowed Section 71113 to take effect even in the plaintiff states. With no viable legal theory remaining, the coalition has now dismissed its own case, seeing the writing on the wall. Win.

The article concludes:

As monumental as today’s victory is, Section 71113 of the “Big Beautiful Bill” cuts off Planned Parenthood’s Medicaid funding for one year. The abortion lobby will regroup. The only way to make this permanent is through Congress. The ACLJ will be at the forefront of that fight, just as we have been at every stage of this one.

I don’t know if we will ever be able to end legal abortion, but at least we can stop the taxpayers being forced to pay for it.

The Death Of America’s Big Cities

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On Monday, Hot Air posted an article about the financial problems of big cities in America. Most of these big cities are run by Democrats, and most of these problems are avoidable.

The article opens with some information about the Commonwealth of Massachusetts:

The Boston Globe ran a poll last December which found that a full third of respondents were thinking about leaving the state because of the high cost of living.

The Globe/Suffolk survey found that about one-third of Massachusetts voters have seriously considered leaving the state in the past year because of affordability pressures, even as a majority still believe the state is generally moving in the right direction. Inflation, health care costs, housing, taxes, and soaring utility bills topped the list of financial stressors.

Boston.com asked their readers how they felt and and even higher percentage said they were looking to move. Here’s one response they received:

“This state just keeps getting more and more expensive and there’s no end in sight. I realize that inflation and tariff impacts are a nationwide problem, but here in MA, it definitely feels worse. I feel that our elected officials, from my own town’s government up to the Governor herself, aren’t doing anything about it. They all just complain and blame the president, which I see as deflecting. My heating bills are insane, my grocery costs are eye-watering, and my taxes just keep going up year over year … It feels like MA is run by the ultra-wealthy elite, and I’m not in the club so I’m out of here.”

Another person said they planned to move to North Carolina and called staying in Massachusetts “financial suicide.” The numbers back up the anecdotes. The state is shrinking.

The article notes:

Blue-state and blue-city voters pay higher taxes. More than half of city and local government expenditures (and 20 percent of state expenditures) are paid out to employees. These blue states and cities often also pay state and local government workers more than similar jobs pay in red jurisdictions, even after adjusting for the cost of living.

Much of this gap is tied up in pension benefits. Workers generally value higher wages today more than retirement guarantees in the future. But pensions are attractive to politicians who pass future costs to future taxpayers. And it is the job of unions to fight for the largest benefits they can…

Consider Gov. J.B. Pritzker of Illinois. A fearless opponent of Donald Trump, his bravery failed him when Chicago police and firefighter unions sought to raise pensions, often by thousands of dollars. Against the advice of civic and business leaders concerned about, as they put it, “grossly underfunded pensions,” Mr. Pritzker signed legislation that partly undid a 2010 attempt to rein in benefits for new employees.

The new law will cost the city $60 million next year — more than enough money to cover the city’s summer job program — before ballooning to $11 billion over three decades. Because of Illinois’s Constitution, the commitments cannot be reversed.

…Finally, Fareed Zakaria had a good segment on his show in which he made the case that blue cities are out of control. He’s primarily talking about New York City and Los Angeles, but the problems are the same as the ones in Boston and Chicago. High taxes and high cost of living created by ever-expanding city and state budgets that outstrip the rate of inflation and ignore shrinking populations.

Please follow the link to the article and watch the video in the article. Elections have consequences, and a number of American states and cities are going to collapse financially if voters don’t make changes in the leadership of those places.

Enforcing An Already Existing Law

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On Sunday, Fox News posted an article about a state auditor in Massachusetts attempting to do her job.

The article reports:

A Democratic state auditor is taking Massachusetts legislative leaders, including members of her own party, to court after uncovering nearly $12 million in alleged fraud in public assistance programs, seeking to enforce a voter-approved audit law.

“What are they hiding? If there’s nothing to hide, open up the doors, let the sun shine in. Let’s do this audit,” Massachusetts State Auditor Diana DiZoglio said on “Saturday in America.”

DiZoglio, a Democrat and former member of both the Massachusetts House and Senate, is filing a complaint with the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to enforce a 2024 ballot measure that authorized her office to audit the legislature. The measure passed with 72% support.

The legal action follows a report from the Massachusetts State Auditor’s Office identifying nearly $12 million in alleged fraud in fiscal year 2025 alone across several public assistance programs.

The article notes:

DiZoglio emphasized that rooting out fraud is essential to protecting public assistance programs for those who genuinely need them. She shared her own background, saying she was born to a 17-year-old single mother who relied on programs such as WIC before becoming a nurse and getting back on her feet.

“A lot of people rely on these programs,” she said. “But folks who are committing fraud need to be held accountable. We need to root out that waste, fraud and abuse so that these systems are working as they should and people truly in need get these services.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the Massachusetts attorney general’s office for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

However, according to GBH News, the attorney general claims DiZoglio lacks the authority to file the lawsuit.

It is time for every state to have a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) program and to make the necessary cuts.

Migration Within America

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As I stated in another article posted today, one of the reasons for the Democrat party’s wanting to keep illegal aliens here is that they see them as future voters. As Americans are becoming disillusioned with the radical shift of the Democrat party, the party needs a new voting base.

On Tuesday, a website called ResiClub posted an article detailing some of the recent shifts in population within America.

The article reports:

The article includes the following map:

The article concludes:

Looking ahead, Texas and Florida will continue to be among the top destinations for domestic movers. They’re simply moving through a softer window right now, in part because of the migration pull-forward that occurred in 2021–2022 (many of those households likely would have moved in 2023–2025 anyway), and because switching costs remain exceptionally high in the current housing cycle. For example, some homeowners in states like Illinois who might have otherwise sold in 2023-2026 and relocated to Florida are staying put, as taking on a materially higher mortgage rate/monthly payment is simply too difficult to justify right now. That churn will slowly unlock overtime.

People are looking for warmth, but they are also looking for lower taxes and a lower cost of living. Businesses are looking for lower taxes and less regulation. Elections have consequences, and if the blue states continue in the direction they are currently going, they are going to lose significant population.

A Problem We Need To Solve Quickly

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For a number of years, women athletes have been cheated out of college scholarships and medals by men competing in women’s sports. Generally, these have been men claiming to be women, but in Massachusetts that has taken a new turn.

On Saturday, Townhall reported:

The Oliver Ames volleyball team and Somerset Berkley field hockey both won the title in their respective divisions. They faced teams composed entirely of girls.

This is the second consecutive title for Somerset Berkley, as junior Ryan Crook was on the team last year, too.

The Somerset Berkley coach, Jen Crook, has won four such titles and all while a boy played on her team. In 2018 and 2019, Crook’s other son, Lucas, was on the team. Both Ryan and Lucas also hold the school’s all-time scoring record, denying girls access to yet another accomplishment.

Over at Oliver Ames, the volleyball team had two boys playing, Evan Casey and Sean Raymond. The school was undefeated this year.

The problem in Massachusetts is systemic and goes beyond trans activism. The state allows boys to play on any girls’ team without even identifying as a girl or being on medication to restrict testosterone, provided the school doesn’t offer a boys’ team.

The boys on these teams do not identify as girls. They are simply taking advantage of the state law that allows them to play on these teams.

The article concludes:

It’s bad enough when a “trans-identifying” boy usurps a spot on a team and records from girls. It’s even worse when officials let boys onto girls’ teams by abusing Title IX.

If there is not a boys’ team at their school, maybe they should make the effort to start one.

Please Use Common Sense When Protesting

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On September 29th, The New York Post posted an article about an anti-ICE protester in Massachusetts who was so wrapped up in what she was doing, she forgot a really basic item.

The article reports:

An anti-ICE protester in Massachusetts forgot to put her car in park while yelling at agents making an arrest of an illegal alien and her car rolled into a lake and sank, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement source tells Fox News.

It happened in Upton, Massachusetts, a small town in Worcester County, roughly 40 miles west of Boston.

Video and a photo, provided to Fox News by an ICE source, captured the incident.

In the clip, a voice can be heard saying, “Well that sucks. Look at that, Lucy. Her car got lost,” as the woman’s car drifts farther into the water.

Bill Melugin posted the video on X. Here is the link.

When protesting, please remember common sense.

A Hate Group?

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On Tuesday, Hot Air posted an article about the group Moms for Liberty. The group was formed during the COVID-19 pandemic, when schools remained closed and required students to wear face masks late into 2020 and 2021, and when remote learning allowed parents to see what the schools had been teaching their children.

The article reports:

Is Moms for Liberty a “hate group” on the order of the KKK?

The Massachusetts Municipal Police Training Committee thinks so. Not even the infamously anti-sanity NGO, the Southern Poverty Law Center, which never saw a conservative-leaning group it didn’t despise, has gone so far as to label Moms for Liberty a hate group, although they do call them “extremist.”

…When even the SPLC can’t conjure up enough evidence to indict you as a hate group, your worst crime is loving puppies and kittens. After all, PragerU and Focus on the Family make it into the hate group category. 

Yet police officers in Massachusetts are told to be on the lookout for moms who don’t like drag queens fondling their kindergarten children. They may be armed and dangerous. 

…Moms for Liberty’s crimes? Asserting their Constitutionally protected rights. Seriously. And the police training center cites this as proof that they are anti-government, because sitting down, shutting up, and doing what you are told by insane government officials is every citizen’s duty. 

The article concludes:

Now, Moms for Liberty supporters have to worry that every police officer in Massachusetts has been trained to look at them as dangerous extremists. This is not just insulting–it is physically dangerous to them. When police officers are put on heightened alert, bad things can happen to the targets.

In Massachusetts, under Maura Healey’s leadership, the Municipal Police Training Committee isn’t backing down. They have fired a shot across the bow, and the next shot may be literal and aimed at a mom or dad just trying to get their kid a decent education.

The goal is obvious: create a climate of fear that forces opponents of the leftist agenda to remain silent and submit. With the censorship complex under attack by Donald Trump, Blue cities and states are using even more repressive tactics to shut people up.

When my children were in school back in the age of dinosaurs, teachers welcomed parental involvement. Now it is seen as a threat. Parents need to know what their children are learning, and parents need to be involved in their local schools.

I Thought We Just Had “No Kings Day”

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President Trump is not a king. However, some judges seem to feel that since that role is empty, they should take it over.

On Monday, PJ Media reported:

It’s almost impossible to overstate the sheer audacity of what’s just happened in Massachusetts. In a move that defies both logic and the very foundation of our constitutional order, an Obama-appointed judge has swooped in to protect Planned Parenthood from the will of the American people as expressed through their elected representatives.

Judge Indira Talwani, sitting on the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, decided that Congress—yes, Congress—doesn’t actually get to decide how taxpayer money is spent, at least not when it comes to the Left’s sacred cow.

Let’s be clear: This wasn’t a rogue executive order or some bureaucratic sleight of hand. Congress passed a law. The people’s representatives, accountable to voters, made a decision to defund Planned Parenthood as part of the One Big, Beautiful Bill. That’s how our system is supposed to work. If you don’t like it, you organize, you vote, you persuade your fellow citizens and change the law. That’s democracy. But apparently, that’s not good enough for the activist bench.

Instead, Judge Talwani issued a temporary restraining order, telling the executive branch not to enforce the law. Not because the law was found unconstitutional or even legally questionable—no, the judge didn’t bother to offer any real legal reasoning at all.

The ruling simply halted the will of Congress in its tracks, leaving Americans and even seasoned legal professionals scratching their heads. How does a judge order the executive branch to ignore a duly-enacted statute without first declaring that statute invalid? On what grounds?

This isn’t just a technicality. It’s a direct assault on the separation of powers and the legitimacy of our system. If judges can simply override Congress whenever they don’t like the outcome, what’s the point of elections? Why bother sending representatives to Washington if their decisions can be nullified on a whim by an unelected judge with a political axe to grind?

Planned Parenthood is a very lucrative enterprise. They totally understand how to use their money politically. Remember when it was proven that Planned Parenthood sells aborted baby body parts and the only person who got in trouble with the law was the person who exposed that fact? This case will probably get to the Supreme Court at some point, but until then, Planned Parenthood will continue making millions of dollars by killing babies.

The Center Of Fraud

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On Saturday, Legal Insurrection posted an article about the location of a large part of the fraud found in unemployment claims.

The article reports:

On Thursday, the Department of Government Efficiency revealed that three deep-blue states—California, New York, and Massachusetts—were responsible for $305 million, or 80%, of the $382 million in fraudulent unemployment payments issued since 2020.

DOGE also reported that 68% of unemployment benefits paid to parolees flagged by Customs and Border Protection as being on the terrorist watchlist or having criminal records were issued in California.

The DOGE team found that $59 million in unemployment benefits was paid to 24,500 people listed as over 115 years old. Another $254 million went to 28,000 people between the ages of 1 and 5, while $69 million was distributed to 9,700 people with birthdates more than 15 years in the future.

It is interesting that California, New York, and Massachusetts were responsible for 80 percent of the fraud. Slightly less than one-third of Americans live in California, Texas, Florida or New York. Having a large population makes it more difficult to track every case and makes fraud easier.

The article also notes:

DOGE also reported this week that since 2023, the U.S. Border Patrol (under the Biden administration) has paroled over 6,300 individuals flagged on the FBI’s terrorist watchlist or with criminal records into the country with “minimal screening.” Though their paroles have now been revoked, all received Social Security numbers and could access federal benefits. Among them:

    • 905 received Medicaid, including 4 on the terrorist watchlist ($276K paid out)
    • 41 collected Unemployment Insurance ($42K total)
    • 22 received federal student loans ($280K)
    • 409 got tax refunds in 2024 ($751K)
    • An undisclosed number received SNAP (food stamps)

I believe in helping people, but I also believe that charity begins at home and ideally does not involve the government. If I want to help my neighbor, good for me. However, for the government to take what I have earned and give it to someone who didn’t earn it is not a viable business plan for a nation. As Margaret Thatcher once stated, “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money.”

When Did Americans Become Second-Class Citizens In America?

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On Saturday, Red State posted an article about some changes to the plan for transporting children to school in Stoughton, Massachusetts.

The article reports:

Another day, and another example of taxpayers getting hosed while illegal immigrants get free handouts. This time, it’s the Boston-area suburb of Stoughton, Massachusetts, where parents of 150 schoolchildren have been informed at the last moment that their kids won’t be able to ride the bus to school. The school district has cited “a lack of funding and a shortage of buses.” But is that really it?

The article quotes The Boston Herald:

The 150 students at Stoughton Public Schools will have to find a new way to get to school ahead of the academic year’s September 4 start date, the Boston Herald first reported. The news comes at the same time that the state has started paying for buses for the migrant students of the more than 200 migrant families that recently moved into their community. 

“Unfortunately, for the upcoming 2024-2025 school year, 150 secondary students who signed up to ride a bus were not able to be placed on a bus,” a letter sent to parents from Superintendent of Schools Joseph Baeta read. “Those families not receiving bus transportation were notified this week. Those receiving bus transportation will receive their bus postcards the week of August 19.”

…There is no requirement in the state of Massachusetts to provide transportation for students in grades 7-12, but the district is required to provide busing to students living in hotels and shelters, the letter said. However, according to the superintendent, the arrival of migrant families in Stoughton is not the reason for the shortage of buses.

“We are utilizing funding the state provides to the district to bus the students living in hotels/shelters,” the letter said. “The funding for these two buses does not come from our operational budget. It is inaccurate to suggest that these children receiving busing is the reason yours did not. If we were not receiving the funding from the state for the students living in hotels/shelters, we would not be able to have these two additional buses.”

The article concludes:

This, folks, is why we have school board elections – and elections in general. The Biden/Harris administration hasn’t just been bad on this issue of illegal immigration, they haven’t shown up at all. Their policy has been a non-policy, except when it comes to processing illegal aliens into the country even faster.

As for the taxpayers in Stoughton, Massachusetts, there is an old military acronym that applies: BOHICA.

School Board Elections matter and Presidential elections matter.

Politics Makes Strange Bedfellows. Or Does It?

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As someone who lived in Massachusetts for 35 years (and Rhode Island for 10), I would like to comment on the addition of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., to the Trump team. At first glance, it’s an odd combination, but a closer look reveals that it’s a natural fit. If nothing else, both men have been mocked, maligned, and shoved aside by the media and the deep state. This may be their chance to have the last laugh.

Let me say something about the Kennedy family. There have been a few bad apples (as is the case in most families), but the majority of them have spent much of their time trying to help those less fortunate. After his bout with drugs, Patrick Kennedy started a foundation to oppose the legalization of marijuana (something he regarded as a gateway drug). One of the Kennedys started a program in Massachusetts to provide heating oil for low-income families. Some Kennedys are involved in politics, but many of the family members have been working under the radar to help people who are less fortunate. There are some womanizing issues, but in today’s political world, that’s not even noteworthy.

So what does Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., bring to the party? John Kennedy and Robert Kennedy Senior were old-school Democrats. They represented the working people. John Kennedy lowered taxes significantly. He also supported civil rights–not quotas. Robert Kennedy went after the mob and the corruption in the labor unions. Neither John or Robert Kennedy would be welcomed in today’s Democrat party. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., was obviously not welcomed. There are a lot of people today who have been life-long Democrats who do not recognize today’s Democrat party. Because Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., has joined President Trump, these people have a place to go. It is also an unabashed call to unify the country under our basic Constitutional principles.

The Democrats could have had a real primary election. A primary election between President Biden, Vice-President Harris, and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., would have allowed to voters to choose the Democrat candidate. Instead, the party chose to hide President Biden’s infirmity from the public (with the help of the Vice-President, the Cabinet, and the news media) and at the last moment install a candidate no one voted for. No wonder Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., chose to support President Trump–his own party treated him very badly.

President Trump and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., are not in agreement about everything, but they are willing to work together on the things they do agree on. That’s an example we all should follow.

 

The Only Green In Green Energy Is Taxpayers’ Money

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On Friday, Just the News posted article about the government’s effort to help the wavering wind industry by recusing wind energy companies from liability when they damage the environment. Would the same waiver be given to any struggling energy industry that involved fossil fuel?

The article reports:

The offshore wind industry has been struggling financially for much of the past year, with companies’ stocks falling in part over uncertainty in the outcome of the U.S. presidential election. Inflation, supply chains and interest rates have also been blamed for the industry’s troubles.

Despite the financial uncertainty of the offshore wind industry, the Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management (BOEM) is issuing waivers for financial assurances on offshore wind projects, saying they present an unnecessary burden for the industry. The financial assurance requirement protects the public from decommissioning liabilities. If companies can’t afford to remove the wind towers they’re building after their useful life, the public has an assurance that those liabilities will be covered. 

Covered by U.S. taxpayers. What government insanity is this?

The article notes:

In the wake of the Vineyard Wind blade incident, Meghan Lapp, fisheries liaison and general manager at Seafreeze, Ltd., a fishing company based in Rhode Island, spoke at a hearing on offshore wind, organized by Reps. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., and Scott Perry, R-Pa. 

“The truth is that BOEM habitually grants waivers or departure requests for these financial assurances. In fact, every project constructed or under construction in federal waters off New England have received these waivers: Vineyard wind, South Fork Wind farm. Revolution Wind and New England Wind off Massachusetts have also received a waiver,” Lapp testified. 

Lapp was a plaintiff in the recent Supreme Court case that overturned the so-called “Chevron deference.” 

These waivers, Lapp pointed out, stand in stark contrast to the way BOEM treats oil and gas projects. Offshore oil and gas drilling is a much older industry, she said, and so many of the risks are known. But that’s not the case with offshore wind. 

Lapp pointed to the impacts of the Vineyard Wind blade disaster and how it shut down beaches and impacted economies that depend on summer tourism. Despite BOEM claiming that offshore wind technology is proven, she said, the potential for blades to break off and cause such extensive environmental damages was unforeseen.

The crisis, she said, “underscores this lack of foresight and BOEM’s political push for offshore wind, regardless of cost to American taxpayers. If a decommissioning bond is a financial hardship for developers, what of the cost of cleanup liability and damages to local economies, businesses and citizens?”

If a corporation cannot be held liable for the damages it does to the environment and to other industries, why should they be allowed to do business?

Too Little Too Late

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On Wednesday, The Daily Caller posted an article about what is happening in Massachusetts with the influx of illegal immigrants.

The article reports:

A New England state that has long been regarded as a “sanctuary” for illegal immigrants is now dramatically scaling back its emergency migrant shelter services and offering plane rides for them to leave, according to a Tuesday announcement.

Democratic Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey announced that the state will limit stays at overflow shelters to just five days for migrants beginning next month, and that it will offer to cover plane tickets and other travel expenses for migrants who wish to leave, according to Boston 25 News. The announcement comes as Massachusetts has been rocked with waves of illegal immigrants in need of housing and other services.

…The state will instead give priority shelter to Massachusetts families with a newborn baby, a veteran, or someone with a significant medical issue, Boston 25 News reported. The changes are due to become effective on August 1st.

The article concludes:

Healey deployed several top state officials to border communities in June to warn illegal immigrants not to make Massachusetts their destination of choice because the state’s emergency system is overwhelmed.

The Center for Immigration Studies identifies Massachusetts as a “sanctuary” state, citing a 2017 court decision that limits law enforcement’s ability to hold criminal illegal aliens solely based on a detainer request from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Healey has also spoken in defense of sanctuary cities. In 2017, she issued a formal statement as state attorney general condemning then-President Donald Trump’s effort to withhold federal funding from sanctuary cities.

The problem is not in Massachusetts–the problem is the open border. Close the border. Send illegals home and reform the immigration process so that people who are willing to work can come here easily in small enough numbers to assimilate into our culture.

Before We Continue With Offshore Wind Farms…

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On Friday, The Maine Wire posted an article about an environmental disaster currently happening off of the New England coast. It’s summertime when New Englanders head for the beaches of Maine, the Cape (Cod), or the islands of Nantucket or Martha’s Vineyard to cool off and enjoy the water. This year, that isn’t going to work well.

The article reports:

An offshore wind turbine project operated by Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners broke apart this week, scattering debris throughout Massachusetts’ coastal waters, with much of the flotsam washing up on Nantucket beaches.

Since the turbine experienced a catastrophic malfunction — for reasons that are not yet clear — social media has been inundated with pictures and videos of beachgoers and government employees picking up trash bags and dumpsters full of debris.

The turbine in question is owned by Vineyard Wind US, a joint project of Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners of Denmark and Avangrid, the parent company of Central Maine Power (CMP). The turbine itself was manufactured by GE Vernova, which has experienced similar failures in the past with their offshore wind projects.

The article includes the following Tweet:

The article concludes:

The recent incident has led Leeman to renew NEFSA’s calls for New England governments to slow down the push for industrial-scale offshore wind development due to their possibly disastrous consequences and potential to harm commercial fisheries.

Offshore wind turbines have long concerned fishermen and lobstermen, and not only for their effect on the environment and commercially important fish populations.

The turbines are potentially dangerous for fishermen sailing in low-visibility conditions, and the chemicals they release into the ocean can contaminate their catches, significantly devaluing their products.

Most recently, Vineyard Wind has claimed that the blade of the damaged turbine is sitting on the ocean floor, and company has promised to recover it “in due course,” without indicating a timeline for that recovery. It’s unclear whether environmental remediation plans were put in place at the time the Commonwealth of Massachusetts created legal and financial incentives for the company to install the turbine.

We have seen the dead whales washing up on the shore. The article also notes a recent U.K. study that discovered that oysters and mussels were contaminated by hazardous fiberglass particles that can cause harm to humans. It truly is time to re-evaluate offshore wind farms and the rest of so-called ‘green’ energy.

 

 

 

Follow The Money

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In recent years, there have been multiple efforts to turn North Carolina into a ‘purple’ state. In 2011, the Republicans took control of the North Carolina legislature. That has been a good thing for the state–we are now ranked by Forbes as Number 5 in their list of the best states to start a business in America. We had a Republican Governor from 2013 to 2016. Other than that, North Carolina has been a Democrat state. Obviously, the Democrats would like to take the state back.

In the June/July issue, The Carolina Journal posted an article about the money coming into North Carolina to fund the 2024 election campaigns. It is very obvious that the Democrats are attempting to make serious inroads in the state.

The article reports:

The balance of fundraising from in-state versus out-of-state donors starkly differs between the two parties. North Carolina State Board of Elections reports indicate that about 40% of the NC Democratic Party’s funds are coming from out-of-state sources. In 2014, only 2% of their funding was from outside North Carolina, rising to well over a third of total contributions to the NC Democratic Party so far in 2024.

A snapshot of fundraising data for the North Carolina Republican Party shows a very different picture, with Republicans sporting a higher percentage of in-state funds since 2014. Support for the NCGOP from within North Carolina has increased to 94%, while out-of-state contributions have not exceeded 12% of all state party funds raised at any point in the last 15 years.

The following chart is included in the article:

The fact that North Carolina has remained a red state is interesting when you consider all of the people from Democrat states who have moved here in recent years.

According to USAFact.org.:

North Carolina’s population grew 11.7% from the 9.6 million people who lived there in 2010. For comparison, the population in the US grew 7.7% during that period.

Many of the people who have come to North Carolina in recent years have come from Democrat states (my husband and I moved here from Massachusetts). It is interesting (and helpful) that many of them chose to leave the tax-and-spend mentality behind.

Here We Go Again

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Remember the housing bubble that collapsed in 2007? There were a lot of reasons for that collapse–Congress was not innocent, the government encouraging sub-prime mortgages, putting quotas on mortgage companies telling them who they could loan money to (regardless of income qualifications), etc. Well, the government is in the process of laying the groundwork for a similar crisis.

On Friday, Hot Air posted an article by Stephen Moore about some current government actions that will have results similar to the housing bubble collapse of 2007.

The article reports:

Here we go again. The latest scheme by the Biden administration is to encourage families to borrow more money by using the equity in their home as collateral. Home equity loans are often very risky. If prices fall, home equity can become negative. There is nearly $18 trillion in home equity, and it’s one of the largest sources of savings and ownership for American families.

Now the Biden administration wants to encourage Americans to borrow even more at a time when credit card and auto debts are at an all-time high. If homes fall in value, families could slip underwater and default — just like during the subprime crisis.

As The Wall Street Journal points out, the other “likely losers” from this scam “would be taxpayers.” The evidence is indisputable from 2008 that the mortgages that ended in default were low-down-payment and low-equity loans.

Why in the world would President Joe Biden want to go down this dangerous road again?

In 2009, I shared the following information (here and here):

The bank is East Bridgewater Savings Bank which has no delinquent loans or foreclosures on its books.  The bank didn’t even need to set aside in money in 2008 for anticipated loan losses.   From late 2003 through mid-2008, East Bridgewater Savings made an average of 28 cents in loans for every dollar in deposit — a sharp contrast to the 90 percent average loan-to-deposit ratio among similar banks.

The FDIC recently criticized this bank for not lending enough, slapping it with a “needs to improve” rating under the Community Reinvestment Act, the Boston Business Journal reported.

According to the article:

“East Bridgewater Savings ended 2008 with $135 million in assets, deposits of $84 million, $87,000 in profit, and a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of 31.6 percent — more than three times higher than many community banks in Massachusetts, the Journal reported.”

It seems to me that this sort of behavior on the part of the bank should be praised–not criticized.  It used to be good business to lend money only to people who were likely to pay it back!

The average consumer has more common sense that the economic ‘experts’ in the government!

How Is This Helpful To Americans?

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On Friday, The Gateway Pundit posted an article that illustrates the problem with treating people who are here illegally as if they are above the law. We need to remember that one of our founding principles as a nation was ‘equal justice under the law.’

The article reports:

ICE Boston said the Middlesex County Superior Court did NOT honor their detainer request and released into the community – without notice – a highly dangerous 53-year-old Brazilian illegal alien indicted on 10 counts of aggravated child rape in Massachusetts.

“This Brazilian national has been charged with some horrific and disturbing crimes,” said ICE Boston Field Office Director Todd M. Lyons. “This is certainly not the type of person that we want interacting freely with the children of our neighborhoods. ERO Boston will continue to work tirelessly to arrest and remove noncitizen child sex predators from our New England communities.”

The article provides some background on the illegal alien:

“The Brazilian national was admitted to the United States in Miami, Florida, on Sept. 6, 2001, as a nonimmigrant with authorization to remain in the United States until March 5, 2002. He failed to leave the United States by that date.”- ICE said in a statement.

He was deported in 2008 and illegally reentered the US at an unknown date.

“On Feb. 12, 2008, a Department of Justice (DOJ) immigration judge in Boston granted the Brazilian national voluntary departure from the United States to Brazil. The DOJ immigration judge gave him until June 11, 2008, to depart the country,” ICE said.

“He voluntarily departed the United States June 6, 2008. However, he unlawfully reentered the United States on an unknown date and at an unknown location without being inspected, admitted or paroled by a U.S. immigration official,” ICE said.

The illegal was arrested again in Everett, Massachusetts on December 20, 2021 for the charges of indecent assault and battery on a child and rape of a child.

However, the Middlesex County Superior court released him into the community.

“The Middlesex County Superior Court failed to honor ERO’s request and released the Brazilian noncitizen from custody Nov. 23, 2022.” ICE said.

An elite ICE unit tracked down the child rapist and took him into custody on March 28.

Not only does the illegal alien belong in jail until he is deported, but the person who released him should be arrested.

Misplaced Priorities

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On Monday, The U.K. Daily Mail posted an article about plans to turn the  the former Chelsea Soldiers’ Home facility into a migrant shelter. The building has been vacant and scheduled for demolition, but the state now plans to re-open it beginning May 1.

The article reports:

Democrat Governor Maura Healey revealed the government will turn the former Chelsea Soldiers’ Home facility, which is vacant and scheduled for demolition, into a safety-net site in April.

It will be able to accommodate 100 families who are eligible for the state’s Emergency Assistance family shelter system, which has been operating at capacity for months. 

Residents of the Bay State, however, are furious that the former veteran housing facility is being turned into migrant shelter when on a single night in 2023 there were 545 veterans experiencing homelessness in Massachusetts, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Local Dick McGrath said on Facebook: ‘Is it me, or is there something wrong with putting migrants in the Chelsea Soldiers Home instead of homeless veterans?’

The article also notes:

Mike Junior said: ‘They were supposed to tear that building down but let’s put migrants in there, not our own soldiers, not our own people, not the ones who FOUGHT for OUR FREEDOM.’

Blake Habyan said on Twitter: ‘Illegals are being prioritized over American citizens. Who will they take away from next?’

Secretary of Veterans Services Dr. Jon Santiago insisted transforming the site will not affect services for veterans. 

Massachusetts has proven that we can take care of veterans and families experiencing homelessness in our state,’ said Santiago.

‘While EOVS formerly operated the building slated for demolition, this project operates independently and will not impact the daily routines or services at the Massachusetts Veterans Home at Chelsea.’

Wait a minute. How can transforming the site not impact services for veterans? If there are more than 500 homeless veterans in Massachusetts on one night, why isn’t the building being put to use for them? It will impact the daily routines or services at the Massachusetts Veterans Home at Chelsea because the migrants are not vetted in any way and there will be safety concerns.

Where Do I Go To Become An Illegal Alien

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Are Americans becoming second-class citizens in their own country? On Monday, Howie Carr, a Boston talk show host, posted a list of all of the freebies currently being given to illegal aliens in Massachusetts. The list is extensive, but I will post some of the highlights.

Some highlights:

GENERAL WELFARE COSTS FOR ILLEGAL ALIENS:

Free hotel rooms at $150+ a day.

Three meals a day at $64 per person per diem.

Free on-site medical & dental services (including condoms).

Special diet for Ramadan.

Free same-day dry cleaning w/free pick up & delivery.

Free housekeeping twice a week.

Free cell phones, chargers/charging ports.

Free tablets, IPads.

Free clothing, new & used.

Everyone got new free winter coat, gloves and shoes.

Free toiletries (tooth paste, deodorant, special “ethnic” shampoos, skin cream, aspirin, tooth brushes, feminine products).

“FOR THE CHILDREN”:

Free diapers, wipes, diaper pails, cribs, bassinets, playpens, baby bottles, baby formulas, free car seats, free new mother bags, playrooms for young illegals w/free toys & books which must be replaced often because of destruction.

SUNDRY FREE STUFF & SERVICES:

Free tax preparation at $350 per family. Even though next to none work, all will get big returns via “child tax credit.”

Free work-permit attorney.

Free asylum attorney.

Free MassHealth (Medicaid) coverage.

Free vaccination clinics.

Free WIC (Women, infants, children) cards, $400-800 a month on top of 3 free meals a day.

Free DTA (Dept. of Transitional Assistance) welfare checks… “family” of 4 pockets $2880 a month.

Free Uber/Lyft to schools, grocery stores, doctors’ appts., hospital, job interviews, entertainment.

Free public transportation, but nobody takes a bus when they can get a free Uber.

Free transportation to church, via either Uber or church provided.

Holiday parties.

Movie nights in hotel.

IF THE ILLEGALS EVER DECIDE TO LEAVE ON MOVING DAY THEY GET:

$30,000 in “rental assistance” over 2 years from state’s HomeBase program.

Free UHaul & boxes.

Free luggage on moving day.

Free new beds for all “family” that moved into new flophouse. Delivered free of charge.

Free furniture up to 10 items (couch, tables, end tables, rugs, etc.).

A free move-in package (plates, towels, cutlery, etc.) Up to $900. Delivered free.

Illegals get free tax preparation so that they can get child tax credit refunds from the government when they are here illegally in addition to an instant home starter kit. This is insane. What do our veterans and their families get?

Paying The Price For The Bad Policies Of Washington, D.C.

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On Saturday, Howie Carr posted an opinion piece at the Boston Herald about the impact of the open borders policy of the Biden administration. He shares the information provided to him from a friend and also from someone who is dealing directly with the results of the open southern border.

The article reports:

The other day, a former radio coworker of mine sent me this photo from the Holiday Inn in Marlboro with its vaguely ominous sign:

“Hotel Closed to Public.”

I tweeted out the photo with a brief explanation of what had happened. I was surprised when the photo got far more clicks than anything I’ve ever posted.

The next day, the “hotel” removed the sign and replaced it with something smaller and slightly less obvious.

“Hotel Is Currently Closed.”

The article then goes on to share the firsthand experiences of someone working in a hotel impacted by illegal immigration:

What follows is an account from someone who works in a different one of these “converted” hotels which are decimating the entire communities around them.

This report has been lightly edited to protect the source from retribution by the woke comrades:

There are 200-plus families, he begins, and more than 500 people currently living at the (facility).

It’s not only a roof over their heads and three squares a day, but “free” diapers, wipes, toiletries, free tablets and phones, free English lessons, state case workers making sure all entitlements are taken, free Uber and Lyft rides, free bus passes from (redacted).

All with no end in sight.

All are going to the (redacted) immigration office in Ubers… round trip is more than $130 per trip.

All get DTA (Department of Transitional Assistance, i.e., welfare) benefits, EBT cards. They have more expendable cash than I do.

If DCF (Department of Children & Families) says they need a crib, stroller, toys, etc., management is required order them. Everything is new and arrives the next day from Amazon.

They all have MassHealth, free legal services, free tax-filing services.

Most now have Social Security cards and many are getting work permits, as many have been in the “shelter” for months.

They are learning they can make more on DTA than from working.

The biggest cost that you can’t put a price tag on is the burden on the schools and public-safety budgets.

We daily have local police or fire at the hotel. Police have had to help with fights, guns, drugs, overdoses….

Please follow the link to the article to see what a disaster this has been for the people living in Massachusetts and other places where illegal immigrants are being welcomed.

The article concludes:

Import the Third World, become the Third World.

Elections have consequences. Catastrophic elections have catastrophic consequences.

The Important Story

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The list of Epstein Island visitors is important. I suspect there is also video evidence to back up the claims made by the trafficking victims, but as long as Ghislaine Maxwell is safely ensconced in her Florida Country Club prison, those videos will never see the light of day. However, there is a more important story that is being overshadowed by the focus of Epstein’s list of frequent guests and visitors.

On Wednesday, The U.K. Daily Mail reported the following:

  • Investigators believe a network of high-end brothels operating in the Boston and D.C. areas was a honey trap to ensnare politicians and government officials 
  • But whether the plot was intended to aid Russia, China, South Korea – or even Israel – remains to be determined 
  • Clients, believed to include members of Congress, military officers, and national security contractors, have not yet been unmasked and charged 

How many of our high-level ‘public servants’ were being controlled by people who intend to do us harm?

The article reports:

The brothels were raided in November and prosecutors said they were looking to charge 28 people in Massachusetts alone.

…Han Lee, the alleged mastermind, Junmyung Lee, 30, and James Lee, 68 – all South Korean-born U.S. nationals – were charged in November with running the sex ring. The three Lees are not related.

Han and Junmyung both live in the Boston area so the locations of four of the brothels there made sense. James lives in Torrance, a suburb of Los Angeles.

Members of Congress, military officers, and national security contractors who ‘possessed security clearances’ were among the steady customers at the ‘high-end brothels’ run by the ring, prosecutors say. 

The ring’s clients, who paid rates of up to $600 an hour, included corporate executives, professors, lawyers, and scientists.

…The probe into ‘their involvement in prostitution is active and ongoing,’ Department of Homeland Security Special Agent Zachary Mitlitsky said in a court affidavit.

A spokeswoman for the US Attorney’s Office in Boston, which is prosecuting the case, cited the same reason in declining to comment on questions about the prostitution ring, including whether the suspects had ties to foreign intelligence.

Experts interviewed by DailyMail.com suspect the brothel scheme was a honeypot. 

The twin locations where ring operators selected to set up shop is the first clue, a number of them said.

As the country’s political headquarters, Washington presents a target-rich environment for spies.

In the affidavit, investigators identified six ‘target locations’ where the brothels were based, four in the Boston area (‘Target Locations 4-7’) and two in Virginia (‘Target locations 8 and 9). 

The names on this list of clients are the ones we want to see because of the national security implications.

 

Policies Have Consequences

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Recently, The Epoch Times posted an article about the village of Ilion, New York. For two centuries, Ilion has been the home of a Remington Arms Co. manufacturing plant.

The article reports:

In the village of Ilion, New York, 80 miles west of the state capital in Albany, residents are mourning the departure of gunmaker Remington Arms Co. after two centuries of continuous operation.

Without fanfare, the company announced last month that the manufacturing plant would be closing its doors on March 4, 2024.

“I feel like a family member has died,” Ilion Mayor John Stephens told The Epoch Times. “My dad raised four kids on a paycheck from there for 37 years. He walked to work and carried his lunch every day.”

Mr. Stephens said no one expected the announcement a week after Thanksgiving that the plant was set to close.

On Nov. 30, at 3:26 p.m., the company notified village officials of the decision by email. The message noted that “all separations” with the village would be completed by March 18, 2024.

Likewise, the company notified its 270 employees that they would soon be out of a job.

The article notes:

Publicly, the company attributed the plant closure in part to a hostile political climate in Albany regarding firearms production.

“I am writing to inform you that RemArms LLC has decided to close its entire operation at 14 Hoefler Avenue, NY 13357,” Remington Arms said in a letter to employees. “The company expects that operations at the Ilion facility will conclude on or about March 4, 2024.”

The Georgia-based company said it would continue to make firearms at its facility in Huntsville, Alabama, which opened in 2014, a year after New York’s passage of the Safe Act, which created stricter gun laws.

The anti-gun political climate in Democrat-controlled Massachusetts prompted competitor Smith & Wesson to move from its longtime base in Springfield to Maryville, Tennessee. The company announced the opening of its new headquarters there in October.

The article notes that the town has been losing population in recent years:

Until recently, Remington Arms employed about 1,500 workers, whose wages helped support the local retail economy, said village public historian Mike Disotelle.

“At noontime, when the employees would go to lunch, there would be a flood of factory employees going to local businesses,” he said.

Mr. Disotelle said Remington Arms was one of the village’s largest employers and a centerpiece of the downtown economy. This remained true even as the village continued to lose residents over the course of several decades, he said.

In 1960, the village had 10,000 residents. Today, that number is down to about 7,700 and could drop below 6,500 by 2030 due to the slow economy, high taxes, and limited housing availability, Mr. Disotelle said.

The northeast is losing its luster because of high taxes, limited housing, and the high cost of living. There is an exodus from blue states to red states. We just need to remind people not to bring their blue politics into red states.

Do As I Say, Not As I Do

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On Tuesday, The Daily Caller noted that Harvard President Claudine Gay will remain at her job after accusations of plagiarism. This action does not seem to be consistent with the University’s Code of Honor.

The article reports:

The Harvard Corporation, which is one of Harvard’s governing bodies, announced Tuesday that they would remain supportive of Gay after a contentious Congressional hearing and accusations  of plagiarism, although the Corporation admitted that a review of her work found “a few instances of inadequate citation.” Harvard University has disciplined students for similar violations of its honor code, which prohibits turning in work that is “not their own,” The Harvard Crimson reported. 

I like the term “inadequate citation.” That term is further proof that he who controls the vocabulary controls the issue.

The article notes:

The Honor Council heard 138 cases of “academic integrity cases” during the 2020-2021 school year and 99 of those resulted in an “academic dishonesty violation,” in which 27 students were forced to withdraw from the school, according to the Crimson. There were 47 reported violations regarding plagiarism during the academic year.

“Students who, for whatever reason, submit work either not their own or without clear attribution to its sources will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including requirement to withdraw from the College,” Harvard’s plagiarism policy reads.

An approximate average of 18 students per year were forced to withdraw from Harvard between the 2015-2016 academic year and the 2020-21 academic year, according to the Crimson.

The article concludes:

Along with Gay, University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill and Massachusetts Institute of Technology President Sally Kornbluth faced calls for removal after refusing to say whether calls for genocide against Jews violated the schools’ codes of conduct. Gay and Magill both backtracked their comments, and the latter resigned on Dec. 9.

Harvard and Gay did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

When Teachers Fight Back

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On Sunday, The Gateway Pundit posted an article about a former teacher at a  middle school in Ludlow, Massachusetts, who was fired for informing a female student’s father that the school was secretly referring to his daughter as a boy.

The article reports:

A teacher fired over her concern for a student’s welfare is not going down without a fight.

Bonnie Manchester, whom MassResistance reported is a Christian, was sacked from a middle school in Ludlow, Massachusetts, back in 2021 after informing a female student’s father that the school was secretly referring to his daughter as a boy.

Two years on, Manchester is filing a $10 million lawsuit against Ludlow, its school board, current and former school district superintendents, and several former school employees.

One of the defendants, the school’s former librarian, is a woman who identifies as a man. She allegedly pushed books on children containing sexually explicit content, “either in the form of illustrations, explicit descriptions of sexual activity, or both.”

“Some promoted a gay lifestyle, others trans,” the lawsuit states. “All advanced a view wherein gender confusion, sexual experimentation, promiscuity, or all three were considered normal.”

It used to be that teachers were concerned about the moral character of students. Now it seems that many teachers are undermining the moral values that most children are being taught at home.

The article concludes:

When Manchester decided to inform the girl’s father of his daughter’s secret “gender transition,” the school launched an investigation into her behavior on the grounds that she had shared “confidential information.”

She was placed on administrative leave for several months as the investigation was carried out before eventually being fired after a decades-long career at the school. Her conduct, she was told, was “unbecoming a teacher.”

The school claimed Manchester had violated “a purely fictitious School policy of confidentiality that simply did not exist,” the lawsuit states, accusing the defendants of engaging in “invidious and egregious viewpoint discrimination violative of the First Amendment.”

The suit was filed on Nov. 11 in a Massachusetts federal court.

MassResistance reported that the parents of the female student also filed a federal lawsuit against the school district in April 2022. That lawsuit was dismissed but is on appeal, according to the outlet.

This case is taking place in Massachusetts, so it is in no way a sure thing that the teacher will win the lawsuit, but hopefully she will start a pattern of teachers being willing to tell parents what is going on with their children.

This Really Isn’t A Surprise

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Yesterday MSN posted the following headline:

New York abandons electric snow plows

The article explains the reasons why:

This winter, New York won’t be using electric snow plows. Failure of vehicle tests has caused the local snow removal company to revert to diesel-powered vehicles.

The New York Department of Sanitation had three years ago, requested several Mack electric trucks. Primarily intended to clean streets and remove garbage, one of these trucks had been fitted with a snow plow as part of an experiment. This decision was unsurprising since in the “Big Apple”, it’s standard practice to fit garbage trucks with plows.

The experiment was not successful. The plow, dragging across the road and the snow buildup in front of it, created substantial resistance. Moreover, the plow required almost constant movement, eliminating the option for loading pauses. Consequently, the electric vehicle’s power supply was insufficient for the demands of a New York winter, known for its heavy snowfall, as reported by the website.

…The report further detailed that after nearly two hours, the electric plow had to discontinue the route for recharging. While the truck was efficient for garbage collection, its performance significantly dipped when facing snow removal tasks.

I have a problem with one of the statements above. A New York winter does not have really heavy snowfall. The average yearly New York City snowfall is 40 inches (source here). The average yearly snowfall for Boston is 52.7 inches (source here). The average yearly snowfall for Concord, New Hampshire is 67.7 inches and for Mount Washington, New Hampshire 281.8 inches (source here). If electric snow plows are too wimpy for New York City, imagine how useless they would be in New England.