"We must break their will."

Today, a shocking new video has surfaced of David Ismay, Governor Baker’s Under Secretary for Climate Change, telling a group of Vermont based climate advocates that in order for Massachusetts to lower carbon emissions, the state needs to “break their will” and “turn the screws on” on ordinary people to force changes in their consumption of heating fuels and gasoline. Ismay described the ordinary people as the “person across the street” and the “senior on fixed income” and closed his statement by noting that, “I can’t even say that publicly.”

A video is available on the MassFiscal’s YouTube channel located here.

Ismay’s direct quote is, “So let me say that again, 60% of our emissions that need to be reduced come from you, the person across the street, the senior on fixed income, right… there is no bad guy left, at least in Massachusetts to point the finger at, to turn the screws on, and you know, to break their will, so they stop emitting. That’s you. We have to break your will. Right, I can’t even say that publicly….” The remarks were made on January 25, 2021 at the Vermont Climate Council meeting. 

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Ismay’s comments are simply reprehensible. He describes his target as ordinary people in Massachusetts like the elderly on fixed incomes and the person across the street.  They’re his target simply because they cannot change their lifestyles enough to be acceptable to his climate agenda. The weapon he intends to use to “turn the screws” on them is the new climate legislation and administrative tax increases like the Transportation and Climate Initiative, which seek to drive up costs in order to “break their will” and force decreases in consumption.

It’s frightening to think an official so high up in the Baker administration is bragging to an out of state group about the economic pain he wants to inflict on the very people who he’s supposed to work for. Remarks like this have no place in state government. Ismay should be dismissed from his position in state government, as he’s clearly demonstrated he does not have the best interests of the residents of Massachusetts at heart.