As we all pause to celebrate Thanksgiving with friends and family – and maybe attend a high school football game or two – I wanted to say, “THANKS!”  Your help, enthusiasm, and support make a very big difference, and I really appreciate it.

The campaign itself continues to roll on, gathering momentum and excitement every day.  We’ve done dozens upon dozens of events all across the state – Hyannis, Worcester, Reading, Grafton, Lynnfield, Quincy, Auburn, Topsfield, Salem, Boston, Plymouth, Milton, Lexington, Springfield, Cambridge, and Swampscott(!) – to name just a few.  Our base of support continues to grow, as more people sign on every day, coming to events, volunteering their time and making donations – big and small.

We were also pleased by the crowd we managed to turn out a couple of weeks ago at the Plymouth County Republican event in Rockland.  The room was packed – overflowing, actually – and many terrific Republican candidates and office holders had a chance to speak to the crowd (including me).  I’m also pleased to say that we won the first straw poll of this very young campaign season that night, besting our Republican primary opponent Christy Mihos.

Yesterday, we received another big boost, as State Senator Richard Tisei joined our team as a candidate for Lieutenant Governor.  I couldn’t be more excited to have Richard on board.  He has a proven record as a fiscal conservative and a state government reformer.  He is a serious, principled public servant who is not afraid to take on the status quo. When other legislators and politicians on Beacon Hill were debating the merits of making the Fluffernutter the state sandwich, Richard was shouting from the rooftops about the need to get wasteful spending under control.  With his experience, I know that our team will be ready to govern from Day One.

I’ve also had a chance to visit with some of this state’s job creators – from Chicopee to Burlington to New Bedford – and a bunch of other places in between.  We’ve heard wonderful stories about family run businesses, small manufacturers, and assorted other Massachusetts success stories along the way.

Unfortunately, I’ve also been hearing about the damage the policies of the Patrick Administration have done to our state’s economy.  I continue to be amazed by the way the Patrick Administration is approaching the fiscal and economic challenges facing the Commonwealth.  Many of the small manufacturers I’ve met with say the state is targeting small manufacturers for tax audits, and several told me they spent days justifying their accounting policies and tax filings, with very small amounts of money under review.  One told me that a three day review translated into less than $500 in additional tax payments.

These small businesspeople added that they tell their suppliers, customers and colleagues the same thing they told me – that Massachusetts is a lousy state to be in if you run a small business.
Maybe the Patrick Administration needs to crack the tax audit whip at small, manufacturing businesses that have been employing people in Massachusetts for dozens of years to pay for the millions of dollars the state is giving to one solar panel manufacturing company that’s currently moving most of its manufacturing activity to China.

Along these lines, I hear a lot from the Patrick Administration about their “values.”  The implication is that they have good values, while others – maybe guys like me and Richard – do not.  From what I’ve seen, their values consist of spending more money than they have and making up the difference by raiding the Rainy Day fund, increasing taxes, cutting local aid, and slashing funding to programs for the most vulnerable, like the homeless.
Here are some of our values:

• I believe that Beacon Hill’s inability to solve the fiscal crisis is driving away employers, jobs and families.  We need more of all three.
• I believe the state should share the pain.  Cities and towns are cutting wages, furloughing workers, freezing new hires, and renegotiating collective bargaining agreements.  This is not the time to be cutting local aid.
• I believe state government should be re-structured before it cuts one more program that supports some of the state’s most vulnerable residents.
• believe people who pay their taxes and play by the rules deserve a responsive, affordable, accountable state government.  State government works for the people of Massachusetts, and not the other way around.

Over the next eleven months, Richard and I will be offering our values as an alternative to the Democratic “values” of spending money you don’t have to pay for programs you don’t need.  We are confident that the people of Massachusetts share our values, and not theirs.

One last thought – you were probably one of the first to hear that Richard had joined our team yesterday, either by email or on Facebook or Twitter.  We spread the word that way – and we’re emailing you this way today – because we believe the internet is a vital tool for establishing a real dialogue between us and you.  As we continue our journey, we welcome your questions, your concerns and your suggestions.

Enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday break.  Go Big Blue!

Charlie Baker

P.S. Stay tuned for more information about our Holiday Party on December 16th.  It should be a lot of fun!