Sticking It to Mitt Continues

Hey, don't blame Bostonist if the door hits Mitt Romney's behind a few times in one day as he vacates the corner office. Not only did the SJC deny him the chance to force legislators to vote on a measure that would put banning same-sex marriage on the ballot (not a total victory, but not terrible, either), but governor-elect Deval Patrick has thumbed his nose at the man he will replace by restoring the old governor's budget cuts

The Herald writes that Patrick's move will bring more than $380 million to needed social services: "The money restored today will pay for services that help the mentally ill and disabled, homeless people and the elderly. It will also replenish accounts for pre-kindergarten programs and domestic violence services and restore tens of millions in rate relief for MWRA [Massachusetts Water Resources Authority] customers."

This is a big deal for Patrick and anyone needing that money, but Patrick snuck it in under the radar, over the holidays and while he and Romney were out of town. (Do politicians ever stay in town?) The budget reinstatement will probably make many people happy, but Patrick's just getting started - he still needs to tackle requests based on soliciting suggestions on the web and from community meetings.

"Money Tree" image from Flickr user Silas216.