How politicians distract you from America’s $1 trillion annual national debt interest

Did you hear that Americans now pay $1 trillion in interest on the national debt? No? That is by design.

There is nothing more important to America’s future than our crushing national debt yet Joe Biden and congress distract us with global warming, Russia, Israel, and Trump trials. Look at this boogey man, but not politicans selling off our future. The Roman politicians figured this out over two thousands years ago; distract the population with wars and gladiators and some free bread while stealing all the wealth. Two men who didn’t know each other fighting to the death. Symbolically, today’s gladiators are just Democrat versus Republican, liberal versus conservative and black versus white. We pick a side, jump on social media and battle it out with people we don’t even know. Sometimes the combat hits the street. Today, we are willing to hate and fight with people we don’t even know while our politicians from both parties enrich themselves.

The United States Government is now paying $1 trillion annually in interest on the national debt and that debt is now increasing at a rate of $1 trillion every 100 days. A trillion is a big number and hard to comprehend so let’s see if I can help you understand how big it is relative to the gross domestic product (GDP) other countries and then the consequences of it.

America’s nation debt is now at $34 trillion, twice the size of the world’s second largest economy, China. In other words, America’s future generations owe twice as much money than the entire Chinese economy and that debt is growing fast. There are only 19 counties on earth with an economy larger than $1 trillion. Our $1 trillion interest payment is equal to the size of the entire Saudi Arabia economy ($1 trillion GDP). We pay annual interest payments that are larger than the total economy of 194 of 213 countries on earth. American tax payers pay more interest than the entire Switzerland economy is worth. You can see the list of countries by GDP here.

$1 trillion annual interest payments is about $2.7 billion a day. For some local perspective, the City of New Bedford budget for FY2024 is $513 million. This means America’s daily interest payment is more than five times larger than New Bedford annual city budget. Instead of sending $500 million to 5 American cities each day, we send the interest payments to the banks and wealthiest in the world who buy up the debt. Is the lightbulb on your head going off yet?

It’s important to note that these interest payments are paid off by printing more money and collecting more taxes, which is horrible for Americans. Printing more money leads to more inflation (too many dollars chasing the same amount of goods) and collecting taxes transfers money from mostly the middle class to the wealthiest. China is the largest country outside America holding our debt so you are building their cities with the interest payments, not America’s.

Imagine an elderly couple with a combined income of $100,000 a year with $120,000 in debt. Instead of paying off the debt, they just pay on the interest and keep spending recklessly knowing death will come before they’ll have to pay off the debt in full. Now imagine their children and grandchildren inheriting the debt and you have an accurate picture of your federal government spending and debt balance. President Biden is 81-years old and overseeing $1 trillion being added to the nation debt every 100 days and he’s asking for more addition spending – nearly $100 billion for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. He can print more money and raise taxes because the debt will go to the next generations and he’ll be long dead before the debt bomb explodes on his grandchildren.

It doesn’t matter if you are the horrible politicians who spend the money, or just a person ignoring it, you are equally responsible for destroying our future generations. Stop being distracted and call your local congressman.




New Bedford’s bookmobile to deliver library services across the city

“NEW BEDFORD – The New Bedford Free Public Library recently debuted its new outreach vehicle, the Mobile Library. An expansion of the Bookmobile program, the Mobile Library delivers books, materials, and other services to patrons who are unable to visit the library, such as those who are homebound, have mobility challenges or live in senior housing or other similar residential facilities.

The idea to expand the Bookmobile program was born in 2019, and the demand for services during the pandemic, when many people called who were unable to access the library in person, further highlighted the persistent need.

“This is another step in our effort to modernize our library system,” Mayor Jon Mitchell said. “The Mobile Library ensures equitable access and brings library services to every New Bedford resident.”

The Mobile Library is a Ford 500 Series van wrapped in an attractive, inviting design skin. Donned with slogans and a City logo, the Mobile Library has room inside for portable carts with a collection of books curated to meet the needs of patrons at each site. These carts can be wheeled outside, or rolled into a lobby, for easier access.

Library Director Olivia Melo said getting something smaller in size than the traditional bus-sized Bookmobile was a top priority over the three-year process of acquiring the Mobile Library.

“It’s much easier to navigate city streets, and any member of the staff can drive it, whereas the larger vehicle required a driver with a Commercial Driver’s License,” she said. “New Bedford is fortunate to have five library building across the City to meet the needs of residents, but we were lacking a way to bring library services to those who find themselves unable to get to a library branch.”

The Mobile Library has already started delivery services to homebound residents in the North End and to others in nursing homes and senior living centers. It will also be a common sight this summer when it attends festivals, parades and events throughout the City to promote the library and its services.

The Mobile Library was made possible through a $50,000 American Rescue Plan Act grant award through the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners and almost $80,000 from the State Aid to Public Libraries program.

For questions about scheduling a visit from the Mobile Library, please contact Ned Denby, branch manager, at 508-991-6274. For inquiries about having it attend events, please contact Karen Tolman, senior branch manager, at 508-991-6214.” -City of New Bedford.




Tractor-trails rollover dumps battery acid on Massachusetts Turnpike

On Wednesday morning around 12:10am, a tractor-trailer driving on the Massachusetts Turnpike flipped onto its side, breaking open, dumping some of its cargo of approximately 700 car batteries onto the highway. The broken and burst car batteries subsequently spilled the sulfurci acid onto the road.

The Interchange 90 on-ramp to I-90 westbound was shut down so that the wrecked truck could be uprighted, and debris could be removed from the road. The closure had significant impacts onf travel from I-290, I-395, and Route 12 all the way to I-90 westbound.

An Emergency HAZMAT also arrived onsite to ensure that all the toxic compounds were safely neutralized.

All photos by Environmental Services, Inc. and Auburn Fire Rescue:




Merging storms to bring sleet, snow, and rain to the South Coast

A storm in the southern U.S. and another close to the Canadian border in the north formed 1,000 miles apart Tuesday night then began to move on a collision course. The combined storms will eventually merge and arrive on the eastern seaboard and dump an absolute mess on the South Coast.

The converged storm will bring with it everything from snow, drenching rain, and sleet to high wind gusts, thunder and lightning. The timing of the storm with a high-tide and extremely heavy downpours may bring significant coastal flooding that could overwhelm some storm drains and lead to pooling on some area highways.


Accuweather photo.

What makes this converged storm a weather hazard is that the southern, warmer storm brings the thunder, lightning, and rain and the colder northern storm will bring the colder temperatures, snow, sleet and wintry conditions. A double whammy.

While the South Coast will be spared of significant amounts of snow, northern New England will receive 6-12 inches of snow and in some spots as much as 18″. It’s a matter of opinion whether getting significant snow is better than the wintry mess of feezing rain, sleet, and snow we’ll get.

On Saturday around 9:00am the first effects of the merged storms will begin. Heavy rain will start out the day accompanied with winds that will increase as the hours pass. The rain will quickly bring with it flooding and and the commute will be miserable. The rain will persist all day and into the night.


Accuweather photo.


Accuweather photo.




Florida Gov. DeSantis favors idea of shipping unlawfully present Haitians to Martha’s Vineyard

On Wednesday, at a press conference, Florida’s Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) “We do have our transport program also that’s going to be operational. So, Haitians land in the Florida Keys, their next stop very well may be Martha’s Vineyard.” In the first week of March, DeSantis deployed resources to the state’s southern regions to address potential migration from Haiti.

In response, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley released a statement:

“This week, Rep. Pressley, along with Senator Edward J. Markey and Haiti Caucus Co-Chairs Yvette Clarke (NY-09) and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), urged the Biden Administration to redesignate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti and pause all deportation flights to Haiti until conditions improve.

“That DeSantis would continue exploiting vulnerable families is unconscionable but unsurprising from a failed presidential candidate seeking to stay relevant,” said Rep. Pressley, Co-Chair of the House Haiti Caucus. “Families fleeing unspeakable violence in Haiti and other countries deserve to be met with compassion—not to be used as pawns in Republicans’ cruel political games. It is far past time to take federal action to stabilize Haiti and save lives. That means immediately halting deportations to the island, redesignating TPS for Haiti, cracking down on arms trafficking to Haiti, supporting a Haitian-led democratic transition, and providing the security, humanitarian, and economic assistance that the island needs.”

As Representative for the Massachusetts 7th Congressional District, Congresswoman Pressley serves as Co-Chair for the House Haiti Caucus and represents one of the largest Haitian diaspora communities in the country, with approximately 46,000 Haitians and Haitian-Americans living across the state and over half in the Boston metropolitan area. Additionally, Massachusetts is home to more than 4,700 Haitians with Temporary Protected Status.”-Pressley.house.gov.




New Bedford Police charge south end man with cocaine trafficking

“NEW BEDFORD – Narcotics detectives have seized over 100 grams of cocaine from a south-end apartment.

On March 18th, Det. Nathaniel Almeida concluded his investigation into a cocaine distribution operation being conducted out of 12 Roosevelt St., #2. The target of the investigation was JOSE SOTO-TORRES, 46.

A search warrant was executed at the apartment, which led to the discovery of approximately 130 grams of cocaine as well as a small amount of heroin. Also found were packaging materials used in the preparation of narcotics for street-level sales and $161 in cash that was seized as a result of the nature of the charges.

SOTO-TORRES was taken into custody and charged with trafficking cocaine in excess of 100 grams and possession of a class A substance.

If you have any information you would like to share with the police, you can do so by anonymously leaving a tip on our website or by calling 508-99-CRIME.”-City of New Bedford Police Department.




Massachusetts Migrant Work Permits Stagnant Since December

By Sam Drysdale
State House News Service

Gov. Maura Healey has frequently pointed to getting more migrants authorized to work as a key step in moving people out of the state’s overwhelmed emergency family shelter system, but the number of new arrivals who have work authorizations has stagnated since December.

About half of the families in the state’s Emergency Assistance family shelter system are newly arrived immigrants, refugees or asylum-seekers, many of whom are not authorized to work in the United States. As the number of immigrants coming into Massachusetts has skyrocketed in the last year, Healey has repeatedly called on the federal government to expedite the work authorization process to help migrants who are eager to work leave state-funded housing and support their families financially.

With family shelter cost estimates of close to $1 billion per year, both the House and Senate are now considering putting time limits on how long a family can stay in emergency shelter. Shelter limits would add urgency to the need for these authorizations as parents would need to be able to work to pay for housing once they are no longer able to stay in the shelter system.

The House has proposed a nine-month limit on shelter stays, while the Senate will take up a bill later this week to impose a nine-month limit with opportunities for extensions. Either option would be a significant change to the system, where most families stay for over a year, according to the Healey administration.

“The federal government is allowing people into the United States. And my position has been, if you’re going to allow people in, then work with us states on getting people working — expedite those work authorizations,” Healey said last fall.

The administration held two “clinics” in November with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to help process work authorizations for shelter residents, where they said they helped “thousands” of new arrivals become eligible to work in the country.

Though the clinics seemed to lead to a sharp increase in work authorizations, that number has since stagnated.

As of Dec. 12, 2023, 813 newly arrived immigrants, refugees or asylum-seekers in Massachusetts’ shelter system had federal work authorizations. That number climbed to 2,713 individuals two weeks later.

Since late December 2023, however, the number of non-citizens living in shelters and able to legally work in the U.S. has remained unchanged, according to reports from the governor’s administration.

The most recent report on the EA family shelter system to come out of the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities showed that as of March 7, there were still only 2,713 of these individuals with work authorizations.

A Healey aide said the work authorization numbers are derived from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and recommended reaching out to them.

Despite this stagnation, Healey continues to point at the success of the November clinics in expediting this process that she deems as critical to helping people out of shelter and opening up space for other families in need.

At an unrelated press conference at the State House on Monday, responding to a reporter’s question about whether the migrant population is an “untapped labor market,” Healey replied, “I do. That’s why I’ve focused from the outset on getting work authorizations.”

“I’m proud that we as a state have really led when it came to getting folks processed. I called on the federal government to act for a long long time, and I also said we’re not going to wait. And so we were able to get folks from DHS here on the ground… That work has continued,” she said.

The News Service followed up, pointing out there have been no new work authorizations reported by her office since late December.

“The work does continue… We continue to process people for work authorization,” Healey replied. “It’s a good thing right now that Salem Hospital was able to fill its janitorial and cleaning staff. It hadn’t been able to do that for years. So we’re continuing to look for opportunities.”

She did not directly respond to a question on why her administration had not reported an increase in work authorizations over the last three months.

In the time since late December when the number of new migrants eligible to work flatlined, hundreds of families have been added to the waiting list of folks waiting to be let into shelter. Around 400 families were on the waitlist — waiting for a spot after Healey capped the system at 7,500 families last fall. By early March, that number had reached about 780 families.

Earlier this month, the Healey administration announced partnerships with eight resettlement agencies to help families exit shelter by connecting with resources such as housing, job searching and social services. Healey’s office said the initiative, funded by money included in last year’s supplemental budget, will enable families to access permanent housing.




Westport Fire Department battle structure fire off Highland Avenue

“Around 2 a.m. this morning Westport Firefighter/Paramedics, along with on-call firefighters and mutual aid companies from Dartmouth Fire District 3, responded to a structure fire in a neighborhood off of Highland Avenue.

Just a few minutes prior to the structure fire being called in, Station 2 in the north end was dispatched to a medical call, prompting the fire response to come from Station 1 in the south end of town.

On arrival firefighters found smoke coming from the eves and within the home with smoke alarms sounding. The fire, which was discovered in the attic of the home, was quickly knocked down and contained to the area of origin by firefighters.

The damage to the home, while significant, could have been much worse had it not been for the working detectors, which quickly alerted the sleeping family, and firefighters being able to quickly contain the fire to the area of origin.

The Chief, Deputy Chief, Engine 1 & 3, and off duty members responded to the call. Dartmouth Ladder 1 also responded, along with their Chief Officers.

We thank our mutual aid partners, and the sole E911 dispatcher on duty, who was handling radio communications for Police, Fire and EMS at the time of the calls.

The cause of the fire, which is not considered suspicious is under investigation.”-Westport Fire Department.


Westport Fire Department photo.


Westport Fire Department photo.


Westport Fire Department photo.




Massachusetts State Police intensify search for Westborough woman missing over a week

“The Westborough Police Department in conjunction with the Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit for Worcester County are attempting to locate Olivia Colby, 27. Ms. Colby’s phone was last pinged March 14, 2024 within a 25 meter radius of her home in Westborough.

Ms. Colby is white, 5’07” tall and 140 pounds, with brown eyes, and long brown hair with red tint. She has an eyebrow piercing above her right eye and may be wearing a green Army jacket. There are no known vehicles associated with her. There are concerns involving her current well-being.

Anyone with information regarding Olivia Colby or her whereabouts, please contact Westborough Police at (508) 366-3060 or simply call 911.”-Massachusetts State Police.


Massachusetts State Police photo.


Massachusetts State Police photo.


Massachusetts State Police photo.




Campaign shines light on New Bedford’s unique experiences, hidden gems,opportunities for art, culture, adventure

“NEW BEDFORD – Whether you’re a longtime resident or a tourist looking for history, culture, and adventure, New Bedford has unique experiences and hidden gems around every corner.

“Explore New Bedford” is the message the City’s Office of Tourism and Marketing is sharing with the world after Mayor Jon Mitchell unveiled the office’s rebranding effort Tuesday night at the New Bedford Harbor Hotel on Union Street.

The “Explore New Bedford” campaign includes the development of a new website, the design of a new logo, and a new marketing campaign focused on locals’ favorite gems in the City.

The centerpiece of the effort is the new “Explore New Bedford” logo. Designed by New Bedford-based Medium Studio, the bold and captivating logo reflects the energy and vitality of the City. Medium Studio thoughtfully crafted the logo to appeal to a diverse range of people to reflect the City’s inclusive nature and its ability to offer something for everyone.

Going live on Friday, March 22, the new tourism website, www.ExploreNewBedford.org, is a digital compass for people looking to explore New Bedford, providing easy navigation, detailed information, trip planners, and a visually appealing interface. It was designed by Patrick Gleavey of PSG Media with user experience as the No. 1 priority.

Lastly, the new marketing campaign features people from across Greater New Bedford showcasing their favorite local gems.

The rebranding effort featured input from internal and external stakeholders with Tourism and Marketing Director Asley Payne and Marketing Manager Amy DesRosiers holding meetings and focus groups with the arts and culture community. The valuable insights gathered from the sessions played a pivotal role in shaping the rebrand and making sure it authentically reflects the City and its stories.

“The City’s emergence from the pandemic was an occasion to reset the City’s tourism messaging,” Mayor Mitchell said. “This new campaign puts the City in a stronger position to capitalize on regional travel and show off the City’s progress in a more advantageous way.”

“This is a significant milestone. It reflects our commitment to showcasing the true spirit of New Bedford and inviting everyone, both visitors and residents, to explore the history, art and culture that make our City unique,” Payne said. “The goal of this project was to really capture the essence of the City’s unique identity. We want to provide a fresh, new experience that attracts visitors from near and far, while also encouraging residents to explore the gems they might not know are in their own backyard.”-City of New Bedford.