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Middleboro Review 2

NEW CONTENT MOVED TO MIDDLEBORO REVIEW 2

Toyota

Since the Dilly, Dally, Delay & Stall Law Firms are adding their billable hours, the Toyota U.S.A. and Route 44 Toyota posts have been separated here:

Route 44 Toyota Sold Me A Lemon



Saturday, July 25, 2015

MASSterList: Earmarks emerge across the Commonwealth | The massive Mass. debt load | Paint Gate? The case of the DIY selectman


Judging from the high number of 'hits' from re-posting  from MASSterList, please consider subscribing to their great recap of news. 

PLEASE NOTE the article below about Massachusetts DEBT at a time when requisite infrastructure upgrades will be necessitated by Slot Barn development and the Wealthy White Guys' Brain Fart for their Folly - The Olympics. 






Tuesday, July 21, 2015



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By George Donnelly (@geodonnelly) with Keith Regan
What's up today
Labor groups plan to ask state pension fund managers to divest from oil, coal and gas companies, a goal of environmentalists that has concerned representatives of public employees who rely on the fund to produce retirement checks at the Pension Reserves Investment Management (PRIM) Board's Investment Committee meeting, 84 State St. #250, Boston, 9:15 am... Revenue Committee holds a public hearing on a range of other bills addressing the sales tax, Room A-1, 10 am.... The newly created MBTA Fiscal and Management Control Board will hold its first meeting today to establish the role of the board, set board bylaws and determine its meeting schedule1:15 pm, 10 Park Plaza, Room 3830, Boston.

Time to make the sales tax holiday permanent, or semi-permanent
The sales tax holiday has been approved 10 of the last 11 years. Shoppers seem to love it. Retailers seem to make the most of it. For a brief weekend, it levels the playing field for retailers with New Hampshire and the Internet, diverting sales to local retailers to the tune of $168 million. And yet every year, there is a Groundhog Day feel to the approval of the sales tax holiday. Not necessarily substantive debate. Only unnecessary delay, giving retailers limited time to market the tax holiday.
It stands to reason that if the tax holiday were a reliable thing, rather than a year-to-year exercise, it would generate more benefit. Shoppers could plan, and forestall that Internet purchase or trip to the Granite State. Isn't it time to codify the sales tax holiday as a real holiday that we can put in the calendar and count on? Or pass a law to make it eligible for renewal every four years? That way we could see if giving the holiday a longer lead time generates more business for retailers.


Lynch would not picket DeLeo
Congressman Stephen Lynch, big-time union guy, was asked by Jim Braude on Greater Boston last night: Is organized labor wrong for (thinking of) picketing Bob DeLeo?  "Yeah. Bob DeLeo is a good man. I would not have been picketing Bob DeLeo, that's for sure." On Sunday DeLeo told Jon Keller on Keller at Large that he was "disappointed" that unions were considering picketing a fundraiser he was planning to attend soon for Boston state Rep. Michael Moran at Carrie Nation, a restaurant on Beacon Hill. The State House News Service has more details: http://bit.ly/1I9Ga7W

Massachusetts: the high-debt state
The Commonwealth ranks 48th in the nation in fiscal solvency -- a ranking of states' structural deficits, long-term debt, and unfunded pension liabilities. The state's long-term liability per capita, for example, is $5,947, more than double the national average. Indeed, Massachusetts traditionally has loved to borrow, and indeed, Commonwealth has a structurally unbalanced budget. CommonWealth's Gabrielle Gurley details the report, produced by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, with some people saying it isn't as bad as it seems. http://bit.ly/1Igpe64

Op-ed: It's time for the next stage of ADA accessibility for the T
Thanks to the Americans With Disabilities Act, access to the MBTA has improved, but there's still a ways to go. Jessica Podesva of the Greater Boston Legal Services and Josh Ostroff of Transportation for Massachusetts say that an additional commitment is needed from leaders as the T continues to undergo reform in this MASSterList exclusive op-ed. http://bit.ly/1VoCSYB


Mass Municipal Association objects to public records reform
Saying the bill to update Massachusetts' public records law would amount to an unfunded mandate, the Massachusetts Municipal Association has reached out to its membership to try to protest the reform effort, the Globe's Todd Wallack reports. The bill is being reviewed by the House Ways and Means Committee and could be voted on next week, Wallack says. http://bit.ly/1VoF6qX

Earmarks make a comeback 
Budget earmarks have made a return along with the state's economy, the Globe reports, with all 40 members of the state senate able to bring home at least a small slice of pork for their district. Although Gov. Baker vetoed about one-fourth of the earmarks contained in the original budget, he kept in place spending targeted for districts of powerful players such as House Speaker Robert DeLeo and House Ways and Means Chairman Brian Dempsey. Baker also showed a penchant for municipal celebrations, the paper noted, allowing earmarks to stay for anniversary celebrations in Hopkinton, Sharon and Fitchburg. While lawmakers love them, not everyone is a fan, the Globe's David Scharfenberg reports. "Earmarks are a way to circumvent the usual local aid process and apportion money on the basis of political horse trades," Jim Stergios, executive director of the conservative-leaning Pioneer Institute, told the Globe.  http://bit.ly/1DrLiDr

Override push expected on kindergarten funds veto 
In addition to restoring some earmarks, lawmakers appear poised to push back on at least one other of Gov. Baker's budget vetoes: his decision to cut an $18.6 million fund to help communities establish full-day kindergarten to $1 million, the Telegram reports. Natick Rep. David Linksy said a letter he began circulating Monday quickly gained 52 co-signers. "I definitely think an override could play out," state Sen. Michael O. Moore, D-Millbury, told the Telegram. "I hope we do several overrides, but out of all of them, I see this as a priority." The Baker administration has said the funds were not always being used for their original intend -- to help launch kindergarten programs -- but instead to maintain those already in place.  http://bit.ly/1LzPAPy
The kindergarten funds also came up during Senate President Stan Rosenberg's meeting with mayors of Western Mass. cities on Monday, according to MassLive. Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno told Rosenberg and other lawmakers the veto leaves a $1 million hole in that city's budget. http://bit.ly/1Sz5z0U 

Paint Gate? Hue leads to cry in Billerica 
Billerica Selectman George Simolaris is facing a misdemeanor charge and calls from fellow board members for his resignation after he decided to freshen up some five fading sidewalks by applying some green deck paint himself, the Lowell Sun reports. At Monday's Selectmen's meeting -- which saw a police officer escort one of Simolaris' vocal supporters out of the room -- Town Manager John Curran announced it would cost the town $4,200 to repaint the sidewalks and that restitution will be sought. "It's not OK to take matters into your own hands," Curran said, according to the story by Rick Sobey, which dubs the brouhaha Paint Gate. For his part, Simolaris said he thought he was within his rights because he is a roadway commissioner in the town. Police told the Sun charges are coming, though exactly what they will be is still up in the air.  http://bit.ly/1OjzU24 

The Donald and McCain: A study in contrasts
The Washington Post provides a reader service by contrasting the lives of the young Donald Trump, cavorting in New York City, and the young John McCain, locked in a POW camp. BostonGlobe.com has the story posted on its site. http://bit.ly/1Ju9x5U

Mayor: No Boston Olympics should be transparent, too
Mayor Marty Walsh says groups challenging the efforts to bring the Olympic Games to Boston should be as transparent about their financial support as Boston 2024, the Boston Herald reports. Of course, No Boston Olympics has raised a fraction of Boston 2024 funds, all of $14,539 in the first quarter of the year. "We've had supporters say their bosses support Boston 2024 and they fear retribution if they oppose the games," No Boston Olympics' Chris Dempsey told the Herald's Jack Encarnacao. "We think it's appropriate to protect the little guy... This is a David vs. Goliath situation."
How to reach me and MASSterList
Nothing makes me happier than comments, tips, suggestions. Also, opinion articles also will be considered. Please don't hesitate to weigh in on what we're missing and where we should look. Reach me atgdonnelly@massterlist.com or on Twitter @geodonnelly.

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