Blue Mass Group

‘ROUNDING THE GLOBE’-13: Critical Analysis of Boston Globe Education Coverage Is a new day dawning at my morning newspaper? Yesterday, this blogger who, like his many education reform nemeses, means only to do good in this world, took a sacred pledge not to mention Diane Ravitch for several weeks. That was my sincere intention, but after one whole day I have fallen off the wagon. It isn’t easy to give up an obsession, but my struggle was made more difficult by the appearance today of a long-awaited Larry Harmon column on… herself. I took the pledge following a criticism by a fellow blogger who wrote, “We get it already!”…enough with Ravitch. That criticism actually led me to reflect on the cause of my obsession. Here it is: given Ravitch’s stature and coverage by other major papers, I didn’t see how the Globe could simply ignore the news of her turnaround. If ever they were going to cover a dissenting view on education as news this was it. I guess I was right. Though the paper couldn’t bring itself to cover her recent Boston talks in the news columns, Larry Harmon did have a bylined column today about Ravitch. (I do [...]

Today the SJC ruled in Provencal, or the slip opinion link that if your employer offers health insurance, and pays at least 33% of it, even if you cannot afford that insurance and would have been eligible by income for a subsidized policy at a far lower, if you don’t get your employer’s policy you get NOTHING and have no recourse. The reason for this result is that the Connector has not issued any regulations to cover waiver of the ESI (employer policies).  This looks like a problem for fast tracked legislation, frankly. The law of unintended consequences seems to apply together with the draconian obeisance to agency discretion in this state.  This issue has been discussed with regard to the Isaac and Jeremy decisions in the field of child welfare law.  Similarly, bowing to the discretion of the Department of Children and Families (at that time called “DSS”) the SJC held that it would concede to agency expertise and budgets, and judge’s lost the ability to make decisions in the best interests of children in Juvenile Court over DCF objections, and were reduced to only over turning egregious errors using the abuse of discretion standard. The reason for calling [...]

Congratulations to Peter Smulowitz, who appears to have defeated Lida Harkins in the Democratic primary for Scott Brown’s seat (IT’S THE PEOPLE’S SEAT!!).  Smulowitz will face Richard Ross in the May 11 general election. Things remain unsettled in the Middlesex, Suffolk & Essex race – apparently Tim Flaherty has refused to concede to Sal DiDomenico (who claimed victory earlier with a margin of about 125 votes), is alleging “voting irregularities” in Everett, and is asking for a recount. Stay tuned…

Earlier this year in an article titled “Back to the Future in Massachusetts”(1/24/10), I made the following observations among others: “No analysis of the 2010 Massachusetts election can be complete without acknowledging that the Tea Party Movement has moved, at least for the time being, from the fringe into the mainstream of American politics…. But the real question for the G.O.P. is has it made a deal with the Devil in jumping onboard the Tea Party tiger? It is one thing to embrace the Tea Party Movement when the opposition is a Democrat, but what about the prospect of intra-party challenges during the upcoming 2010 Republican primary process… When you combine the Tea Party Movement’s penchant for ideological purity with the likes of it’s leading personalities: Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin and Jim DeMint, you have a formula for driving independent voters into the hills and thereby affecting a drain off of support for any type of centrist Republican agenda.” Well, as it so happens, it didn’t take long before the chickens came home to roost around the Bay State. According to the Monday Edition of the Boston Herald, it appears that newly elected Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown wants to be [...]

First question is why did I get a town meeting call about the recently passed health care destroyment bill?

Plus it was pre-screened callers and one way communications.  Very shabby.

Question

Will the Federal government bill the estate of people for health care as is outlined in the application for MassHealth.

Go Bill Hudak!

The ONE Massachusetts Leadership Team voted in favor of a campaign for new revenues in the 2011 state budget. ONE Massachusetts network members are calling on our legislators to close tax loopholes that cost the state money and close the budget gap, which is threatening our communities with drastic budget cuts. We’re asking the Legislature to back to following revenue options: Restore of the tax on dividends and interest to 12 percent, with provisions to exempt moderate-income seniors (+/- $500 million) Cap of the Film Tax Credit for one year to save $75 million Limiting Life Sciences Tax Credits by $5 million Repeal of the Aircraft Sales Tax exemption ($4.5 million) Removing the sales tax exemption for cigars and smokeless tobacco ($15 million) Sales tax on candy and soda ($51 million) Support for transparency and accountability measures advance by Revenue Committee chairmen Ben Downing and Jay Kaufman and Gov. Patrick Organizations that have signed on to this campaign include: ONE Mass. Leadership Team Health Care for All Mass. Teachers Association Coalition Against Poverty Coalition for Social Justice Boston Parent Organizing Network Mass. Community Action Network Mass. Society of Professors, UMass Amherst Mass. Home Care Yes! Northampton Mass. Public Health Association [...]

Far from denouncing tomorrow’s Tea Party rally, and the claims of Tea Party Express chairman Mark Williams that our President is an “Indonesian Muslim turned welfare thug” … and “racist in chief,” Massachusetts G.O.P. Chairman [sic.] Jennifer Nassour announced today that she will attend the rally. “MASSGOP WELCOMES TEA PARTY TO BOSTON” the Party emailed today (CAPS in original email, no link), and noted: Chairman Nassour will also be checking out the Tea Party rally on Boston Common on Wednesday, which is expected to draw thousands! The Massachusetts GOP is indeed redefining itself before our eyes.  

Published in The Chelsea Record on 4/8/2010

I’m running for State Senator because our government and our economy are a mess. We clearly need a new direction, and I want to offer a fresh perspective and the kind of passionate, bold leadership we need now more than ever.

What we don’t need is more of the same — which is what we will get if we elect either of the two establishment candidates in this race — Sal DiDomenico and Tim Flaherty. Tim’s message is one of inevitability – that is, “Vote for me because I’m raising the most money and I’m going to win.”

Sal’s message is about experience – that is, “I’ve been up there already working in Senator Galluccio’s office, doing the job. Let me stay.”

A recent poll published by The Hill on 4 April: The national breakdown of the Tea Party composition is 57 percent Republican, 28 percent Independent and 13 percent Democratic, according to three national polls by the Winston Group, a Republican-leaning firm that conducted the surveys on behalf of an education advocacy group. Two-thirds of the group call themselves conservative, 26 are moderate and 8 percent say they are liberal. Of course, just because most Tea Partiers are Republicans doesn’t mean most Republicans are Tea Partiers, but in the game of public perception I’d say 2008 G.O.P. Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin and her employer Fox, building on the groundwork laid by Dick Cheney, George W. Bush, and others, have between them redefined the G.O.P. before our eyes. The latest installment of this process will come tomorrow on Boston Common. The election of Tea Party candidate Scott Brown notwithstanding, I have difficulty seeing how this can serve the long-term interests of the Republican Party, especially if the economy continues to improve. The Coffee Party, as just one example, has 199,993 Facebook fans since 26 January 2010 (over 65,000 per month, counting all of January) while its alternative the Tea Party has [...]

Since being purchased by casino developer Richard Fields in 2007, Suffolk Downs has led the charge for casinos in Massachusetts.  They have put together a formidable team of connected insiders and have brought the Commonwealth closer to welcoming casinos then at anytime in our history.  

Along the way, Suffolk Downs has managed to garner itself much positive publicity.   In summer 2008, Suffolk Downs got much deserved praise with the announcement of a strict “zero-tolerance” policy for horse owners/trainers who engage in the pernicious practice of having old racehorses sold for food or industrial purposes (like glue) once they are no longer spry enough for racing at the track.  If horse from Suffolk Downs was slaughtered or caught being auctioned for slaughter, the people who were responsible for that horse would have their right to operate at Suffolk Downs permanently revoked.  The extensive press section of Suffolk Downs website proudly touts much of the good publicity this admirable policy generated.

In November 2008, Suffolk Downs even followed through on this policy by announcing that they were coming down hard and banning one horse owner and four licensed trainers when their horses were found by anti-slaughter activists in the “kill pen” of a horse auction, just days after the horse a left Suffolk Downs supposedly bound to work giving rides to kids at a carnival in Florida.  Naturally, the good publicity generated by this sanction is touted on the Suffolk Downs website.

Unfortunately for aging racehorses and the integrity of Suffolk Downs ownership, in April 2009 the “zero-tolerance” policy was proved to be a sham and three of the trainers were reinstated.  No mention of this development appears on Suffolk Downs website however, guess there was no room.