We like to be there for people when they’re struggling. We shuttle pints of Ben and Jerry’s to them after a bad breakup, and we answer the phone when they need to vent.

But after a while, our patience wears thin and all we want to do is shake them until they start making sense again. With that, we turn to House Speaker, Sal DiMasi.

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Exactly one week ago, Republicans in the State Senate decided they’d like to tack a few gambling amendments on to the 2009 budget since House Speaker Sal DiMasi ruthlessly dispatched Gov. Deval Patrick’s casino legislation before they could have a say. The only problem with that is the Senate budget would go back to the House, creating delays in finally knowing how screwed the state’s finances will be next year.

Therefore, the Speaker is throwing the Senate a bone, and promises to put a casino referendum on the ballot this fall.

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We imagine that every time one of those Southwest ads that ends with “Want to Get Away?” comes on in Sal DiMasi’s household, the Speaker fantasizes about sticking his friend Richard Vitale on one of the gold planes and sending him very, very far away. Every move Vitale makes brings DiMasi’s quartet of ethics investigations back into the news.

Today, the headlines are all about Sal’s Pal quitting his day job at his accounting firm.

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Last week, Gov. Deval Patrick hinted that his casino legislation may make like Lazarus and rise from the dead. We applauded him for suddenly having the courage to kick House Speaker Sal DiMasi while he’s down (politics, hooray!).

But an unlikely party is pledging to tack the casino proposal onto the Senate’s budget as an amendment.

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Our philosophy in life is to not dignify idle gossip with a response. It’s better to walk with your head held high than to get into a sniping match with those who are trying to take you down.

But there is a point where you have to step forward and tell the haters your version of events. After a weeks of bad press, House Speaker Sal DiMasi has reached that threshold, and he has written a letter to legislators about his rapidly deteriorating reputation.

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There is no worse feeling than filing your taxes and seeing how much of your income has gone to the state. Thousands of dollars you could have used for myriad other purposes disappear into the state coffers, never to be seen again.

That money is supposed to do things like fix roads and bridges. But, there are only so many huge potholes you can hit before you start to wonder if it’s really worth it. The state government knows this, and is preparing to battle a referendum that would eliminate Massachusetts’ income tax.

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If you’re anything like us, the most complex task you can handle at 3 p.m. on a Friday afternoon is figuring out which bar will have the shortest wait for a table after work. People involved in scandals tend to exploit this weakness and make news late in the day when few people will notice.

House Speaker Sal DiMasi’s pal Richard Vitale is the latest to take advantage of our late-day distraction. DiMasi’s former treasurer and personal banker registered as a lobbyist today.

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Whenever House Speaker Sal DiMasi’s phone rings, he probably checks the caller ID to make sure the Globe’s number doesn’t show up. These days, 929-2000 must make the Speaker cringe, since the paper seems hell-bent on publishing damaging stories about DiMasi as frequently as they do pieces on bee-keeping.

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In the past month, House Speaker Sal DiMasi has gone from seemingly invincible to looking surprisingly vulnerable. Phantom voting made a comeback, and then there’s the matter of the three ethics complaints Republicans have made about DiMasi’s dealings.

The GOP isn’t the only party that smells blood in the water. Dissatisfied Democrats are also looking to oust DiMasi, according to the Herald.

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I’ve never been a big fan of Scooby-Doo. Even as a kid, the unmasking of the troublesome ghost as the person who’d helped the ragtag detectives seemed too predictable.

But somebody needs to call the Mystery Machine to Beacon Hill. It seems that phantoms are voting in the place of our state representatives. Again.

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