Romney charged a fee for being blind (from the McCain opposition 2008 file)

[The Straight Story]

http://www.scribd.com/doc/78582788/McCain-2008-Oppo-File

Romney Charged Fee For Being Blind.
“It now costs to be blind in Massachusetts. The state’s approximately35,000 blind and legally blind residents must now pay $10 annually for a certificate of blindness and $15 everyfour years for a blind identification card. Without the formerly free documents, blind people cannot take advantageof tax abatements, affordable housing programs, health care services, transportation discounts and otherbenefits. … The fees originated in February, in Gov. Mitt Romney’s budget proposal for fiscal 2004.”
(Shaun Sutner,“Advocates Fight Fees For The Blind,”
Telegram & Gazette
, 8/5/03)

Romney Also Proposed Imposing A Fee On The Mentally Retarded.
“The committee will also accept most ofthe fee recommendations made by Romney, Rogers said, but would not endorse … a new fee for some mentallyretarded citizens…”
(Jennifer Peter, “House Leaders Agree With Romney’s Plan To Eliminate Urban Park Agency,”
The Associated Press
, 4/16/03)

In 2003, Romney Vetoed Annual Registration Fee For Sexual Offenders And Up To $750,000 To Cut DownOn Backlog Of Sex Offenders Not Classified By State

Romney Vetoed New $75 Annual Fee For Sex Offender Registration – His Veto Was Overturned By TheHouse.
“Beacon Hill lawmakers overturned Gov. Mitt Romney’s veto of $23 million in additional state aid to citiesand towns … House lawmakers also overturned Romney’s veto of a new $75 annual fee for sex offenders whenthey renew their listing on the state’s sex offender registry. … Romney vetoed the fee, saying it would discouragesex offenders from renewing their registration.”
(Steve LeBlanc, “Legislature Restores State Aid To Local Communities, SexOffender Fee,”
The Associated Press
, 7/8/03)

Romney Also Vetoed Up To $750,000 In Funding Aimed At Cutting Down Backlog Of Sex Offenders NotYet Classified By State – Veto Overturned By House.
“Another section of the budget, also vetoed by Romney,would use up to $750,000 collected from the new [sex offender] fees to cut down on the current backlog of sexoffenders yet to be classified by the state. The House overturned that veto too.”
(Steve LeBlanc, “Legislature RestoresState Aid To Local Communities, Sex Offender Fee,”
The Associated Press
, 7/8/03)

Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey (R) Disagreed With Romney Vetoes On Sex Offender Registration Fee AndClassification Backlog Funds.
“[Healey] said she disagreed with Romney’s decision in 2003 to veto a $75 feethat would have been imposed on convicted sex offenders. She also said she disagreed with another veto tospend $750,000 collected from the fees to reduce a backlog of sex offenders waiting at the time to be classifiedby the state. The Legislature overrode those vetoes. … ‘No, I did not,’ Healey said when asked if she supportedRomney’s vetoes.”
(Glen Johnson, “Healey Signs Sex Crimes Statute Extension Into Law,”
The Associated Press
, 9/21/06)

More at link
http://www.scribd.com/doc/78582788/McCain-2008-Oppo-File

[The Straight Story]

1. On Romney not being involved in Bain after 1999

Romney Spokesman Claimed He Had “No Knowledge” Of Bain-DDi Dealings.
“Romney spokeswomanShawn Feddeman claimed the governor had ‘no knowledge’ of the deal, and noted Romney left Bain in 1999.”
(Elisabeth Beardsley, “Treasurer Asks For Review Of Pension Fund Losses,”
Boston Herald
, 8/20/03)



Romney Signed SEC Documents For DDi Sale And Retained Interest In Three Bain Funds Involved InDDi Transaction.
“Romney had gone to Salt Lake City in early 1999 to run the Winter Olympics. But hesigned the SEC’s necessary documents for Bain when his company - and he as an individual shareholder -sold their stakes in DDi in the fall of 2000 and in the winter and spring of 2001. SEC records indicate that
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Romney remained well into 2001 as a general partner in three of the four Bain funds that are involved in theDDi transactions.”
(Frank Phillips, “Romney Investment Surfaces In Probe,”
The Boston Globe
, 8/19/03)



Romney Listed On SEC Records As Bain Capital “General Partner” In 2000-01 When DDi Sales WentThrough.
“Records filed at the SEC show Romney signed insider trading forms on behalf of Bain’s venturecapital funds, as general partner, when the funds sold the DDi holdings in 2000 and 2001. Romney’s financialdisclosure forms for 2002 filed with the State Ethics Commission show that he held the position of ‘executive’at Bain Capital Inc. and made a salary of more than $100,000.”
(Frank Phillips, “Bain Capital Deal Sparks Concerns,”
The Boston Globe
, 8/20/03)

Romney Claimed To Have No Idea How Much Profit He Made From Selling DDi Stock.
“Governor MittRomney yesterday continued to distance himself from a controversial stock sale, saying he took no responsibilityfor any role that his former company, Bain Capital, had in touting the stock’s value and that he has no idea whatprofit he made when he sold it. ‘I left Bain long before the events,’ Romney said in his first, but brief, publiccomments about DDi Corp. …”
(Frank Phillips, “Romney Says Profit Unknown In DDi Sale,”
The Boston Globe
, 8/21/03)



Report: Romney Personally Sold More Than $4 Million In DDi Stock In 2001.
“Romney, according to theSecurities and Exchange Commission’s records, sold 182,436 shares of DDi stock in May 2001 for $4.1million. His profit is unclear.”
(Frank Phillips, “Romney Investment Surfaces In Probe,”
The Boston Globe
, 8/19/03)



Romney Refused To Release Tax Forms Or Profit Records.
“Citing privacy reasons, Romney aides saidthe governor would not review his 2001 income tax to find out his profit on DDi. He also declined to releasecopies of his tax forms.”
(Frank Phillips, “Romney Says Profit Unknown In DDi Sale,”
The Boston Globe
, 8/21/03)

[alp227]

17. Links to stories via Wayback Machine:

Romney Investment Surfaces In Probe: http://web.archive.org/web/20030911120856/http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/231/metro/Romney_investment_surfaces_in_probe+.shtml

Bain capital deal sparks concerns: http://web.archive.org/web/20030920080546/http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/232/metro/Bain_Capital_deal_sparks_concerns+.shtml

Romney Says Profit Unknown In DDi Sale: http://web.archive.org/web/20030824054502/http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2003/08/21/romney_says_profit_unknown_in_ddi_sale/

[panader0]

2. Wait--he imposed a fee for being blind

and vetoed a fee for being a sex offender?
Besides Bain, et al, Rmoney would have a rough go running on his record as Gov.

[bluesbassman]

3. I notice he doesn't talk about it too much.

Can't imagine why not.

[The Straight Story]

9. Maybe it is time some media folks asked him about it (nt)

[CTyankee]

4. blind people just want "free stuff."

[SunSeeker]

5. Unfuckingbelievable.

I hope this info gets into an Obama ad. Of course, these is SO much that can be put in an attack ad against Romney.

[Tx4obama]

6. Kick!

[a2liberal]

7. K&R

I don't agree with the article's implication that the veto of the sex offender registration fee was a had thing, but pushing fees for blind/disabled IDs is definitely a bad thing.

[Ichingcarpenter]

8. K&R n/t

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

10. No fee if you were retroactively blind.

[CTyankee]

11. this will not go over well with the voting public...

a fee is a tax and he raised taxes on blind people. Good one, Mitt!

[The Straight Story]

15. Problem is, no one is covering it

Yet. Hopefully it (and all of the rest of the information in the file) will be put out by regular and social media.

[CTyankee]

16. So much to get out, so little time...sigh...

With the boatload of stuff on Mitt just waiting to be highlighted, there just may not be enough time between now and the election to cover it all!

[Tennessee Gal]

12. And he wanted a fee on the mentally handicapped?

He is unbelievably hard hearted and disgusting.

He is a vile human being.

[cbdo2007]

13. wow, look at all those taxes he raised....oops, I mean fees. Or are they penalties??

for health problems no less!! This is pretty twisted stuff!!

[The Straight Story]

14. "Romney raised fees by roughly $500 million in his first year alone"

"Romney raised fees by roughly $500 million in his first year alone, a figure that was highest in the nation"

From the opp file.