Govern Patrick's class-III casinos are sometimes pitched as a greenhouse--redirecting into Massachusetts a flow of gambling dollars that is otherwise spent in Connecticut. Horrors! But casinos are a pipeline, not a greenhouse, designed to … [Read more...]
Hidden agenda surfaces in the Globe, part 2
The headline was matched by the lede, another finger-pointing gotcha: HANGING ROCK, Ohio - Senator Hillary Clinton, who has accused rival Barack Obama of sending misleading mailers to voters about her healthcare plan, misstated his … [Read more...]
Hidden agenda surfaces in the Globe, part one
The tax cutters! "Seniors are our first line of defense against overrides," said Barbara Anderson of Citizens for Limited Taxation. "Senior citizens are defeating these overrides, and they are trying to give them a reason not to vote." I've … [Read more...]
The Credentials Card
In the unlikely case that neither Clinton nor Obama win an outright majority through the primary process, the party leaders will broker the nomination (though almost certainly before the convention). I say "unlikely" because, with only two … [Read more...]
His Expediency Speaks
His remarks here. Seems to me a net plus for him on the road to the VP nomination. Or whatever. Let the spinning begin. … [Read more...]
Insult to Injury: What the Legislature Does to Cities and Towns
In his "municipal meltdown" diary last week, Charlie quotes a Commonwealth piece extensively about the fiscal crisis facing cities and towns. One line from Commonwealth really pushed my stupid button:When the leader of the Massachusetts … [Read more...]
Is Boston getting serious about bicycles?
Is this for real? It's a promising start. … [Read more...]
What is populism?
This wide-ranging discussion tossed around the P word freely, with some interesting comments but no agreement (though nobody seems to like Bob Shrum.)Populism is like democracy was 150 years ago. It's scary, embarrassing, has bad breath, … [Read more...]
What a dumb Globe story
Subtract the irrelevant nonsense and get a starker story:(No words added or moved, only subtracted.)Property tax bills soar as services fallResidential property taxes rose an average of $161 in cities and towns across the state in the past … [Read more...]
Everybody Wins!
Kris Mineau, Ray Flynn and the rest get to continue to do their ugly pathetic thing--be the righteous victims of wickedness, cheated again by legislative shenanigans or corruption or the just plain horrible tyranny of the majority (in this … [Read more...]