Tuesday, January 5, 2016
By George Donnelly (@geodonnelly) and Keith Regan
|
State agencies, brace yourself for emergency cuts
Gov. Baker told reporters yesterday "emergency" cuts likely will be made to the current budget, but stressed that local aid would be left intact. The budget is out of whack because of some non-tax revenue shortfalls and upwards of $250 million of spending exposure. The Governor said he's waiting for December revenue figures before acting. More from the State House News Service's Matt Murphy here:http://bit.ly/1INDmol
Why do Democrats accept the no-taxes mantra?
In a state that's famous for its liberal politicians and has a Legislature that's 80 percent Democratic, it is politically odd to witness the lack of pushback when the Speaker announces categorically that there will be no new taxes considered for a budget that faces a $1 billion hole. One understands the where the governor is coming from: the state has a spending problem, not a revenue problem. But where are the members saying the state has a revenue problem, not a spending problem? Here's Speaker DeLeo's explanation yesterday for why taxes are a non-starter:
"I feel that, especially folks in the middle class, I think that when I'm around the area and I'm talking to folks they're still having trouble just paying their expenses right now, whether it be their mortgage, whether it be their health insurance, school or whatever it may be. And quite frankly I think to try to ask them to bear a further financial burden through taxes or fees would just be a little bit too much for them."
That's reasonable (if anecdotal), but it's also reasonable to assert that just as many, if not more, people are burdened by a lack of government services, such as assistance with day care or job training or the cost of a college education, which is now $100K for a degree at UMass. I'm not advocating for more taxes, instead only for one or two of the 120-odd Democratic state reps to speak up if they happen to believe that raising revenue might do more good than harm. It might be futile, but the debate is worth having.
|
Sponsored
|
SPONSORED
Each day, the Commonwealth's Emergency Service and Mobile Crisis units intervene in severe cases where children and adults pose a danger to themselves or others. But as the opiate epidemic sweeps the state and suicide rates reach an all-time high, Governor Baker has introduced a plan to slash these vital services by as much as 72%. Baker's drastic cuts stand to disrupt client care, extend wait times and expose our communities to unpredictable risk.
Fortunately, it's not too late for the Governor to put the brakes on this reckless plan. Learn more and take action to stop the attack at http://BakersAttackOnMentalHealth.com .
Fare hikes: 'Punishing the victim'?
The MBTA's Fiscal Management and Control Board proposed two scenarios for fare increases yesterday, the most aggressive of which would raise $50 million for the bottomless financial pit that is the T. The T will now hold 10 public meetings to get input on the proposals. Here's some early input, and the best quote of the day: "I think these two options for fare increases that were proposed today are punishing the victim," said Rafael Mares, vice president of the Conservation Law Foundation. See the story by the Globe's Nicole Dungca here: http://bit.ly/22I4eN3
CommonWealth's Bruce Mohl breaks down the fare increase numbers here: http://bit.ly/1S1ELu9
How to earn OT without really trying (very hard)
The Herald continues to probe the T's ridiculously high overtime pay, discovering that contracts at the MBTA allow workers to earn overtime pay even when they work less than 40 hours weekly. Workers also can exploit a loophole in the T's leave policies that enable them to use a sick day but then pick up overtime hours later in the same week. The T tells Herald reporters Matt Stout and Erin Smith it is working on a review of its leave and overtime policies and that an internal audit of its practices is also under way. http://bit.ly/1mCy44J
Globe delivery saga: Denial, bargaining, guilt, anger
The Globe seems to be going through most of the various stages of grief all at once as it wrangles with a major delivery crisis. The bargaining element involves a maneuver revealed in a Globe story posted last night that a second delivery vendor likely will be brought in to lighten the load of the new vendor, ACI. The commentary on the delivery debacle is beginning to overflow:
Emily Rooney, the host of WGBH's "Beat the Press," doesn't like how the Globe is handling the debacle and and fired off a column outlining 10 points of outrage, including that there has been no reporting on how advertisers are being treated as a result of the distribution problems. She also calls out the Herald for not covering the story. http://bit.ly/1Z2vO2P
Globe CEO Mike Sheehan appeared on "Greater Boston" with Jim Braude last night and said the Globe was motivated to change delivery vendors because it was losing too many readers to delivery problems. He said he expected delivery to be back to normal in 45 days.
Columnist Joan Vennochi reflects on how the tables are turned on the Globe, traditionally a daily source of criticism of others, adding that the paper made the mistake of taking its loyal reader base for granted. She pinpoints the savings from the new vendor at $3 million per year.
Baker sets fundraising record
Gov. Charlie Baker raised $2.65 million for his campaign committee last year, smashing the record set by former Gov. Paul Cellucci in 1999, the Globe's Frank Phillips reports. Baker picked up the pace of fundraising as the year drew to a close, bringing in more than $233,000 in the last two weeks of 2015. http://bit.ly/1VExBeg
Neal defends insurer-friendly investment bill
U.S. Rep. Richard Neal is defending his co-sponsorship of a bill that would protect insurers - including MassMutual, his biggest campaign contributor and one of the largest employers in his district - from recently tightened regulations governing management of retirement accounts, the Globe's Christopher Rowland reports. One watchdog called Neal's bill an "industry wish list" meant to shield financial services companies from new Obama administration regulations. http://bit.ly/1TBOntm
New council reflects new Boston
As Michelle Wu took the gavel as City Council President, Lawrence DiCara used the occasion to loo back at the November election that changed the makeup of the council. Writing in CommonWealth Magazine, DiCara argued that the election showed the results of population-and political power shifts-taking place over the past two decades. "[T]he city has changed, and perhaps changed more dramatically than any of us might have imagined," he writes. http://bit.ly/1OJGSft
UMass Dartmouth gains research status
UMass Dartmouth has become the last of the five UMass campuses to earn National Research University Status, the Standard-Times reports. Gaining the doctoral-level research designation was a major goal of outgoing Chancellor Divina Grossman. http://bit.ly/1O2CVFq
Trump in Lowell: Hecklers galore
In his hour-long speech in Lowell last night, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump fended off a series of interruptions from hecklers. Trump, at one point, tried to turn the tables on the protesters as one group was led out of the arena, saying, "They remind me a little bit of Hillary. No energy, no stamina, no strength." The Herald has more Trump event coverage here: http://bit.ly/1OJPYZQ
Spanking legit reason to turn down foster parents
The Supreme Judicial Court upheld a decision by the Department of Children and Families to deny the application of potential foster parents on the grounds that they used corporal punishment to discipline children in the home. The couple had argued that "because physical discipline is an integral aspect of their Christian faith, the department's decision impermissibly infringes on their constitutional right to the free exercise of religion." Michael Norton of the State House News Service reports more here:http://bit.ly/1S1G9gq
|
| TODAY'S TOP STORIES |
National headlines
State headlines
Local headlines
|
No comments:
Post a Comment