CapeCodToday Blog Chowder

Avoiding The Deadly Sin Of Greed

By Greg O’Brien, Codfish Press

With May Day upon us, word last week that the nation’s economy was rebounding at a 4.8 percent pace seemed to take some of the edge off recent cries of greed that had been accelerated by distress calls of price gouging at the pumps, soaring oil company profits, an executive compensation package that netted out $114,000-a-day for playing corporate cribbage, and a president who doubts drivers are being overcharged for gas. The litany spawned a spate of defenders of the American way, challenging dumb-heads like me for suggesting restraint.

Even my nephew, an investment banker type in New York, weighed in. “No one cries when…others make hundreds of millions and billions off tech investments,” he wrote in an e-mail to me. “Why is running Exxon Mobil Corp. any different? This is the way capital markets work.”

He’s correct, but that’s just the point, a jarring footnote to Gordon Gekko’s address to the covetous Teldar Paper stockholders in the 1987 movie "Wall Street," a bleak commentary on our collective desire for material wealth or gain, ignoring all else. “Greed is right,” the high-flying Gekko preached in dialogue that is now cliché but every bit as relevant.  “Greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all its forms—greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge—has marked the upward surge of mankind.”

Check the altimeter, folks. Many of us today are flying upside down. Present company included. I’m strapped in with the rest of them. Some have more wisely chosen other means of transportation, and are role models to consider, at least in their outlooks. For example, Barry Hynes, former president of the Boston City Council and son of the late Boston Mayor John B. Hynes, has been devoting his life for years to helping disadvantaged children from South Boston to Rwanda, establishing tuition-free schools and programs. “The world tells us to accumulate wealth, as much as we can, but that’s robbing us of great possibilities,” he says in a Boston Irish Reporter profile. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to die with any money in the bank.”

Neither does selfless County Cork-born Fr. Daniel J. Finn, who has pastured St. Mark’s in Dorchester, the church where Rose Kennedy and her father “Honey Fitz” once worshipped. “You have to meet people’s needs before you can preach to them,” he said last year in an interview. Finn tells the story of a spider that lay on the flat of his back with his feet in the air. “What are you doing down there?” a man asked the spider.

“I’m trying to hold up the sky,” the spider responds.

“That’s ridiculous,” the observer replies. “How can you do that?”

“Well, one does what one can,” says the spider.

But to do what one can, one must first open their eyes, cautions naturalist, friend and writing legend John Hay, the author of 16 books on nature and man. “Sometimes I think many of the world’s problems could be solved if people just stepped outside and looked around,” Hay, who lives up the street in Brewster on Dry Hill, notes in David Gessner’s new work, The Prophet of Dry Hill. “…It’s hard for people to get the idea these days.”

Get it or not, one way or another we are all spiders on our backs. The difference is whether we are resting, or holding something up—eyes wide open.

Sudden loss for family of Rep. Jeff Perry

It was with deep sadness that word went out today from the Sandwich Republican Town Committee of the loss of Paige Victoria Perry, the infant daughter of Chris and Tiffany Perry and granddaughter of State Rep. Jeffrey Perry and his wife, Lisa.

The baby passed away early Friday at home and the cause of death remains uncertain, but it appears to be sudden infant death syndrome, according to the email message from the Sandwich committee. 

A trust fund has been established by Paige's parents to honor their daughter and help other families affected by SIDS.  Contributions to the Paige Victoria Perry Fund may be sent to P.O. Box 1435, Sandwich, o2563.  The family also asks for your prayers during this difficult time.

Calling hours will be on Monday from 5-8 p.m. at the Nickerson Bourne Funeral Home on Route 6A in Sandwich. The funeral will be held Tuesday at 11 a.m. at the First Church of Christ, 136 Main St., Sandwich. 

After the funeral, friends and family are invited to the American Legion post on Route 130/Main Street in Sandwich to share time with the Perry family.

GOP Rep candidate Dick Neitz has kick-off party

^{Birthday girl Betty Neitz carried her husand's banner at today's Brewster in Bloom assisted by David Bisbee}

60 friends and supporters at Dick Neitz's fund raiser this week
Runs again in Barnstable First District, lost by less than 1% in '04

Dick Neitz's efforts to unseat the incumbent State Representative in the First Barnstable District (Brewster, Dennis & Yarmouth) was buoyed by more than 60 supporters last Tuesday at a campaign event held at the Oyster Company in Dennis Port.

In brief comments to an enthusiastic crowd which included Barnstable County Sheriff Jim Cummings, State Senate candidate Ric Barros, and several town officials from Brewster, Dennis & Yarmouth, Neitz pledged a positive campaign, and outlined several major philosophical differences between he and his opponent.

He also encouraged voters to view his website  electNeitz.com. He is running for State Representative in  the First Barnstable District (Brewster, Dennis, and Precincts 1, 2, 4, and 7 of Yarmouth). He lost the last election for this same post two years ago by less than 1%.

The evening closed with a surprise birthday tribute to Neitz's wife, Betty, and a special cake depicting remembrances of her life.

BIO: Mr. Neitz (on right with his wife Betty who is sometimes called Dick's "Secret Weapon"), age 58, is a 43 year resident of the Cape, the owner of Neitz Real Estate in South Yarmouth, and has been active in a variety of regional public policy issues and community organizations. He is the President of the non-profit Cape & Islands Community Development, Inc. which is the parent corporation of the EntreCenter of Cape Cod and Coastal Community Capital providing technical assistance and business loans to start-up and expanding businesses. He is also the Vice Chairman of the Board of Hospice & Palliative Care of Cape Cod, active in the Dennis, Yarmouth & Cape Cod Chambers of Commerce, past President of the Cape Cod & Islands Association of Realtors, past Chairman of Barnstable County's Cape Cod Economic Development Council, a member of the Yarmouth & Brewster Historical Societies and the Kelley Foundation. He has also served the last four Governors of Massachusetts in appointed business and economic positions at the state level. Neitz campaign headquarters is now open in South Yarmouth, and the candidate can be reached at 508-394-3000. 

Senators Kennedy & Stevens on "State Rights"

Why not let the governor of Alaska decide on ANWR?

By Jack Coleman

Ted Kennedy's new-found faith in states' rights leads to some interesting possibilities for resolving thorny issues not otherwise receptive to resolution.

Drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska comes to mind as just such a possibility.

Seeing how Kennedy and his Alaskan allies in Congress want to give veto power over an offshore wind project in Massachusetts to the governor of the Bay State, why not let the governor of Alaska decide whether to drill for oil in ANWR - instead of that decision hinging, for example, on the whims of politicians in distant New England?

Seeing how $5 a gallon gasoline suddenly doesn't seem far-fetched, the residents of Alaska may embrace such a suggestion from Kennedy, as might with many other people nationwide who are losing a rising portion of their hard-earned wages to higher fuel costs.

That Kennedy will ever suggest such a thing is highly unlikely, incidentally, because what he is attempting has nothing to do with states' rights' - at least not when it comes to Kennedy.

If you have any doubts about that, try a Google search of recent Cape Wind stories and noticed how infrequently, if ever, Kennedy invokes the words "states' rights." I read through a dozen stories, editorials and op-eds before writing this and I couldn't find a single example.

The closest you'll get is something along these lines, as expressed by Kennedy aide Melissa Wagonner in an April 25 Boston Globe story - Kennedy believes in "the need for the state to have a voice in the process."

A stalwart conservative like Senator Ted Stevens, however, demonstrates no such trepidation - just the opposite. Stevens is almost guaranteed to invoke "states' rights," in those words, every time he talks to a reporter.

In that same Globe story, an aide to Stevens said the Alaskan senator "sees it as a states' rights issue. He believes the people of a particular state should be able to determine their destiny."

Stevens had this to say in an April 27 story in the Globe - "I just believe it's a state's right - if that were in Puget Sound, don't you think people in Washington would want to say something about it? If it's off our coast, we'd want to know." ("... want to know"? As if Cape Wind's been a well-kept secret).

A front-page story in today's Globe ("Kennedy caught in crosswind: Cape project move draws ire"), includes this quote from Stevens - "A state should have something to say about the siting of energy projects off its shore."

Why Kennedy's aversion to invoking two words that seem near and dear to Stevens' heart? I can't help wonder if Kennedy steers clear of the phrase because he is all too cognizant of their unfortunate historical resonance, as described further here.

(photo credit, themoderatevoice.com)  Read Jack's blog here.

Andrew Card's address was key to convention.

Former President Bush Chief of Staff and state representative from Holbrooke, Andrew Card, keynote speaker for the 2006 Massachusetts Republican  Party Convention  brought focus to the future of our nation by visiting the past.

Weaving a common thread of the oath of office for federal positions from the President , military and those in positions of trust he explained in short reflective sentences the meaning of the oath found in Article 2 of our Constitution.

Over 2500 convention attendees drew quiet as Card asked those in the Paul Tsongas Arena, who were naturalized citizens to raise their hands and after a dozen or so responded, the convention delegates rose to their feet in immediate response and applause. Card noted that the oath required of new citizens is the longest oath and, he pointed out, requires the applicant to affirm unequivocally their understanding of the obligations of the oath. More applause....

His one hour speech filled with compassion, emotion, understanding , sensitive to the republican ideals of Lincoln, some noted, was a precursor to a  run for national office from Massachusetts. Stay tuned. Card has more to give our state and nation! 

Orleans Republican delegates thoroughly enjoyed the convention especially it's location in Lowell which has rediscovered it's past by exposing the miles of former textile mill canals, factory sites and cobblestone streets to the delight of tourists and coventioneers! Local radio personality Gary Francis, playing a hop sock gig live at the local ice cream parlor, interviewed ORTC members and played some very special requests from the golden oldie era. Great convention, super location and wonderful welcome by Lowell natives!

ORTC's next meeting, May 9, 5PM,  will feature a debate between Ric Barros and Doug Bennett and will be held in the American Legion Hall across from the Orleans Town Hall which is under construction.

Revere welcomes a Wampanoag Casino

Revere official moves to change bylaws to allow Class III Casino
A welcome mat in Revere for  Cape Cod's Indian tribe

A story in today's Gambling Magazine describes a Revere City Councilor's move in that north of Boston town to grease the skids for Mashpee's Wampanoags to have a future casino in that North Shore oceanfront city,

In anticipation of the Mashpee Wampanoags gaining full federal recognition, (City Councilor George) Rotondo presented a request at Monday's City Council meeting to amend Revere's land-use ordinance to allow construction of a Class III casino gaming and entertainment complex in the city. He hopes this could facilitate the development of a casino at one of the local racetracks, Suffolk Downs (top) or Wonderland (bottom).

The story also mentions what is currently allowed in the state;

Under current state law, the tribe would be allowed to seek land to establish a bingo-style casino, because bingo is legal in Massachusetts. Special state approval would be needed to build a full-scale Class III casino, like Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. 

The story goes on to remind readers that although the tribe won preliminary Federal recognition last month, it must now wait another year to allow comments before final approval by the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Washington DC;

If the federal recognition stands, the tribe would gain sovereignty and the state would be required to negotiate a compact with the tribe involving gambling rights.  Under current state law, the tribe would be allowed to seek land to establish a bingo-style casino, because bingo is legal in Massachusetts. Special state approval would be needed to build a full-scale Class III casino, like Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. 

Read the story in Gambling Magazine here, or  the Globe story here, and comment below.
Read the recent stories about the Wampanoags, the casino and gambling here.

More insurers depart both US coasts

We are still (and will always) pay for Katrina
"There is a potential market failure here"

The Washington Post reports today that more insurers are giving up offering property  insurance coverage on both US coasts one month before the start of the next hurricane season:

Alarmed at the sharply rising cost of hurricanes and other disasters, home insurers are pulling back from some U.S. coastal markets, warning of gathering financial storm clouds over how the United States pays for the damage of catastrophe.

The development is yet another legacy of Hurricane Katrina, whose mounting toll of destruction along the Gulf Coast has crystallized a growing industry debate about the combined effect of climate trends and population growth in coastal areas. Some believe the two are creating a risk of losses so large that insurers could be pushed to the breaking point, leaving the government and taxpayers holding the tab for the next disaster.

Since Aug. 29 -- when the hurricane made landfall along the Gulf Coast -- Allstate Corp., the industry's second-largest company, has ceased writing homeowners policies in Louisiana, Florida and coastal parts of Texas and New York state. The firm has stopped underwriting earthquake coverage in California and elsewhere. Other firms have pulled back from the Gulf Coast to Cape Cod, notifying Florida of plans to cancel 500,000 policies.

The complete story here goes on to quotes Robert E. Litan, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution who is working with state regulators in California, Florida, Illinois and New York on a plan to reshape catastrophe insurance saying,  "There is a potential market failure here, if not already an actual market failure at work.  If we have another hurricane season this year like we had last, I wouldn't be surprised if you see a stampede of insurers trying to get out." 

How Kennedy stopped the wind

A nod and a wink at a Senator's wife's funeral killed Cape Wind
April Fool's Day suggestion by a conservative old lion

The Boston Globe today reveals the specific whisper on the way to a graveyard which lead to a deal between the Senate's #1 Artic Oil promoter and Massachusett's #1 environmentalist.

The story states that it all happened at a funeral on April Fool's Day,

As Kennedy filed out of Memorial Baptist Church in Arlington, Va., another colleague of nearly four decades, Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska, approached him and offered a favor.

Stevens, an irascible conservative Republican, told Kennedy, the stalwart liberal Massachusetts Democrat, that he'd figured out a way to block the wind farm proposed for the waters off Cape Cod: Stevens would insert a provision in a sure-to-pass bill funding the Coast Guard that would give the state's governor the ability to veto the project.

''That sounds fine," Kennedy recalled replying, in what he said was a five-second conversation.

 The Globe goes on to state that Kennedy reminded Stevens of the plan a few days later.

But this was not the first time the Massachusetts Senator had used his mastery of US Senate rules and favor-tradiung to try to protect the view from his Hyannisport  Compound;

The bill Kennedy teamed up with Stevens on was the culmination of an extensive -- though mostly behind-the-scenes -- campaign by Kennedy to block the 130-turbine project that would tower over the water just a few miles from his home in Hyannis Port. At least twice previously in recent years, he has worked quietly with Republican senators to delay or halt the project through other avenues.

Environmentalists across the country, as well as many other leading Senators on both sides of the aisle, strongly criticize the so-called Steven Amendment which was tacked onto the completed $12 billion dollare Coast Guard Reauthorization Bill after it had been accepted by both houses of congress.

"Dark side of his bipartisan organizing power"

Seth Kaplan, a senior attorney at the Boston-based Conservation Law Foundation, told The Globe, ''It's the dark side of his bipartisan organizing power. We have to be building wind power turbines. It is tragic for a master of the Senate like Ted Kennedy to be standing in the way of this most important of movements."

cribing other US Senators opposed to this stealth amendment, John McCain, Peter Demenici, etc., the story reminds readers of the other times Senator Kennedy has used his decades of power in Washington to stop the same project;

In 2003, he worked with Senator Lamar Alexander, a Tennessee Republican, to try to amend an energy bill with a provision that would have given any governor veto power over offshore wind farms... In 2004, Kennedy supported an effort by John W. Warner, Republican of Virginia and chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, that would have indefinitely delayed the Cape Wind project by suspending all applications for offshore wind farms until Congress produced a set of guidelines for such projects.

The complete story in today's Globe is here. 

Bennett reports from the GOP Convention in Lowell

Kerry Healey, rest of slate nominated in Lowell
"Who do you trust on taxes?"

This report is being  filed from my laptop in the Paul Tsongas Arena in Lowell where your state Republican delegates meeting in convention have decided which candidates the GOP will endorse for office in the election in November.

Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey in accepting her party's nomination for governor came out swinging warning voters of the consequences of electing a Democrat to the corner office asking the assembled delegates "Who do you trust on taxes?"

In addition to Healey, the state GOP nominated Reed Hillman for lieutenant governor, Larry Frisoli for attorney general, Ron Davy for treasurer, Earle Stroll for auditor, and two candidates for U.S. Senate, Ken Chase and Kevin Scott. 

My Fellow Cape & Islanders:

Today marks Day# 170 in my campaign to become the next Senator from the Cape & Islands.  There are only 144 days to go to the September 19th Republican Primary and 193 days to go to the November 7th General Election.  It's an honor to be one of Nantucket's delegates to the Massachusetts Republican Convention in Lowell.  Throughout the weekend I will be contacting all of you with updates on what activities and events taking place.

Your Public Servant,

Doug Bennett, Selectman and County Commissioner

P.S. The Cape Codder did a swell story on me last week which youy can access here. 

Truro Community Center axed (again), Ptown's Bergman bows out, Art for Africa

Outer Cape news of the week
April 27, 2006

Cape artists give to help Cape children, in South Africa
PROVINCETOWN - When Karin Anderson White visited KwaMpisi, a tiny poverty-stricken village in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, last September, she saw things that most Americans could never imagine... John Clayton’s oil on board “Sunny Lane" (on right), will be up for grabs at a benefit auction that will help fund a preschool in KwaMpisi...

Community center voted down again
TRURO — One year after voting down a proposed community center that came in higher than the original cost estimate, voters again rejected the plan at Tuesday’s Town Meeting.  The vote capped off one night of emotional speeches and one year of planning, wrangling and budgeting ...

Bergman takes a bow
PROVINCETOWN — The chances of the Proposition 2 1/2 override passing at Tuesday’s election may have improved this week. Town Manager Keith Bergman, whose popularity with residents has waned noticeably in the last several months, announced on Monday that he does not intend to request an extension of his employment contract next May...

Ice show features Cape tip talent
TRURO — Sixteen-year-old Jennifer Milewski is among eight Cape figure skaters who will be performing solo  at Charles Moore Arena in Orleans this weekend as a prelude to the main event — a performance by Olympic Bronze Medalist Jozef Sabovcik ... 

Advocate Archives
April 28, 1932
NEW STANDPIPE TO BE CAMOUFLAGED
Work has been started on the painting of the new standpipe situated behind Town Hall...

April 28, 1962
OPPOSITION RAISED TO POSSIBILITY OF CAROUSEL ON COMMERCIAL STREET
More than 50 opponents, reinforced with a petition signed by more than 65 voters, registered their opposition Monday night to work under way on the premises at 234 Commercial Street, adjacent to the Universalist Church, which the petitioners said “appears to be a carousel”...

Read the rest of these Banner stories here, and comment below.