FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JILL STEIN FOR SECRETARY
Stein decries "hidden tax" of influence peddling.
Calls for reform of lobbying.

The people of Massachusetts are paying billions of dollars each year in "hidden taxes" due to favors done for business lobbyists on Beacon Hill, according to Jill Stein, Green-Rainbow candidate for Secretary of State.

"Getting this runaway influence-peddling under control should be our tax relief priority," Stein added.

Stein explained that "The Massachusetts Legislature has become an accomplice in pumping money out of taxpayers' wallets and into the pockets of Big Dig contractors, real estate developers, pharmaceutical companies, and electric utilities. As a result, Massachusetts residents are paying a crushing hidden tax bill every year that can be traced to favors for well-connected lobbyists. It's hurting us as taxpayers and consumers. We need relief."

Stein cited the Big Dig project as an example in which cozy relationships between business lobbyists and government officials
imposed huge debts on taxpayers.

"With friends in high places, Big Dig contractors could be confident that cost overruns would be approved, and investigations could be sidetracked The cost of the Big Dig project went from $2.6 billion to $14.6 billion. And the state's cost recovery efforts have been timid and completely inadequate. Over $2 billion in Big Dig related debt has been put on the back of the MBTA. And T-riders are paying for it through fare increases. Another $2 billion in debt was handed to the Turnpike authority, and now we hear talk of a gas tax hike to bail them out. These hidden costs are part of the price we pay when lobbying rules the day."

Stein held up an electric bill saying "This looks like an electric bill, but its really a hidden tax bill. During the writing of the energy
deregulation bill, electric utility lobbyists convinced the Legislature to sock ratepayers with $1 billion per year in extra charges to pay for the bad investments of the electric companies. This is as much as 30% of a family's monthly electric bill. Yet the politicians who passed this outrageous bill go before voters and claim that they are fighting new taxes. It's time for some honesty on who they are really fighting for."

Tobacco-related health costs are another "hidden tax" according to Stein. "Tobacco health injuries cost Massachusetts over $4.3 billion each year in health care expenses and lost productivity. That works out to over $1000 per year for each household in Massachusetts. But tobacco lobbyists have managed to convince the legislature to cut effective smoking prevention programs by 92%. We once had a smoking prevention program that was a national model - now we are a national example of dereliction of duty."

Stein noted that as Secretary of State she intends to "bring accountability into the Internet age" by making it easier to link campaign donations to lobbying reports. She said she would also work to end the reporting abuses that result in incomplete and misleading data being submitted to the Secretary of State. "Who is buying the services of your legislator? Who is spending money to influence them? Voters have a right to know. And this information should be available before the election, not after."

Note 1: There is ample testimony to support the fact that Bechtel was not quaking in their boots in fear of the project oversight apparatus.

For example:

"They just ignored me. They didn't take me seriously, because they knew they had connections in other places."
- Jordan Levy, former Massport board member commenting on his attempts to question Bechtel (Boston Globe, 7/24/06)

"They were all married to each other." - Judge Edward Ginzburg, hired by Mass. Turnpike Authority to investigate tunnel leaks, but resigned, citing lack of cooperation from those involved.

"Technically, B/PB works for and answers to the MTA. In reality, they have meshed into an impenetrable web of mutual protection." - David Bernstein, Boston Phoenix, 7/27/06

"They're well-connected in Washington and on Beacon Hill . . . They've been blamed for lots of failures, but the repercussions have been fairly minimal." - Jeffrey Berry, Tufts University political science professor, commenting on Bechtel's ability to evade accountability, AP story, 7/15/06

"The completion of our review has been hindered because Big Dig officials have withheld documents under a claim of attorney-client privilege. In addition, public data and documents have reportedly been destroyed and other public documents have been reportedly removed from Massachusetts Turnpike Authority (Turnpike) offices in early 2000." - Massachusetts Office of the Inspector General Report to the Treasurer of the Commonwealth, March 2001

. When the Turnpike Board started to investigate, Jane Swift derailed the investigation by forming her own ad hoc board, at which point Bechtel just stopped cooperating. [Ref: Christy Mihos's account in"Digging for Dirt".]

. "It's not just lining up the guy who is the building inspector. They would co-opt the whole supervising, regulatory infrastructure."- Laton McCartney, author "Friends in High Places", a book on Bechtel