Blue Mass Group

dave-from-hvad

My name is David Kassel and I am Director of Communications for the Massachusetts Coalition of Families and Advocates (COFAR, Inc.), on whose behalf I often blog and cross-post on this site. I have also taught public budgeting, statistics, and program evaluation as an adjunct instructor at a number of local colleges and universities. I'm the author of "Managing Public Sector Projects," which is available on Amazon. My email is davekassel@charter.net.

Person #1422: 296 Posts

Recommended: 305 times

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A warning about privatizing the T

Feb 25, '15 12:06 PM

London provides an impressive example of failed privatization -- although why anyone would want to imitate much of anything about contemporary Britain anyway is an open question. Read Adeas' excellent review of Transport for London's current structure and recent history here. But there are many other models for quasi-privatization, and the baseline remains: the MBTA is grotesquely inadequate, has been in decline for decades, and is unlikely to turn around or raise the $13 billion it needs without substantive structural reorganization and a way to earn billions in new revenue going forward. - promoted by Bob_Neer

Abuse investigation agency faces ‘shameful’ shortfall in funding

Feb 23, '15 5:06 PM

Public Health Department needs to release report on death of developmentally disabled man

Feb 13, '15 11:19 AM

Compensation of provider executives in MA reaches $100 million

Jan 28, '15 2:37 PM

Roger Goodell and the NFL should be investigated for “Inflategate”

Jan 27, '15 9:41 AM

USAToday: "When Deflategate is over, Robert Kraft is coming for Roger Goodell"

- promoted by Bob_Neer

It’s time to put a priority on state-operated care for the developmentally disabled

Jan 14, '15 12:39 PM

Administration proposing last-minute regs changes that will reduce DDS oversight of providers

Dec 15, '14 12:13 PM

What does it take to get an indictment when the police kill someone?

Dec 3, '14 9:59 PM

All of the contradictory testimony in the Ferguson case, all of the doubt about what actually happened ... there was none of that in the Eric Garner case. There's just video of a bunch of cops choking a big black guy to death for no evident reason. It's sickening. The NY Times editorial says it pretty well:

What is clear is this was vicious policing and an innocent man is dead. Another conclusion is also obvious. Officer Pantaleo was stripped of his gun and badge; he needs to be stripped of his job. He used forbidden tactics to brutalize a citizen who was not acting belligerently, posed no risk of flight, brandished no weapon and was heavily outnumbered.

Any police department that tolerates such conduct, and whose officers are unable or unwilling to defuse such confrontations without killing people, needs to be reformed.

I'd just add that the NYPD doesn't appear to be the only institution in need of reform.

There is a rally tonight at 7 on Boston Common. Almost 5,000 people have responded to the Facebook event that they are going. - promoted by david