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Sam Kelley doesn’t shrink from the challenge

January 23, 2006 By Charley on the MTA

It’s clear that Dr. Kelley’s strongest issue is health care: “I ran for

Lieutenant Governor because I saw our health care system fall

apart. The middle class is losing its safety net for health care.” As

LG, Dr. Kelley sees himself as a kind of health care liaison to Beacon

Hill, saying it would be helpful for legislators to have a resource  —

one who is elected — with some knowlege of the issue, both theoretical

and practical. He sees himself as the legislature’s guide and the

public’s voice regarding complicated issues of coverage and care, to

help leaders understand the practical consequences of what they’re

doing. Already, he says, “Leaders on

Beacon Hill are grateful that I have

that perspective.”

As for policy, Kelley supports government-level bulk-purchasing of

prescription drugs, and streamlining billing operations among health

insurers to reduce costs. [That sounds trivial and technical, but

simple paperwork, from medical records to billing is a hugely

inefficient: You ever read a statement from an insurer? Worse yet, ever

understood one? Well, apparently neither do they, and that costs money.]

Kelley

is in step with the apparent consensus that the high cost of living is

the main obstacle to economic growth in the area: As he says, “health

care and housing

costs are to the economy as Kryptonite to

Superman.” Regarding housing, Kelley believes in continuing the

rebuilding of the larger cities such as Worcester and Lawrence, in the

process making them more attractive for businesses to relocate. It’s an

interesting strategy: Use the “second cities” as cheaper places to

attract talent that otherwise would end up in Boston, Cambridge, or the

128 corridor.

We discussed local aid with Kelley at some length; again, he ties the

dwindling stream of local aid and unfunded mandates with the

cost-of-living issue of property taxes. Increasing property taxes

clearly puts strain on the finances of older people, who didn’t need

huge wealth to buy real estate back in the day, and still don’t have it

if they wish to keep their houses. He says he hears “all the time” from

cities and towns that lottery money is not making it back to

localities. As for raising the necessary tax revenue, he recommends

“growing our way out” of the problem, with aggressive marketing to

businesses. He mentioned a <a

href=”http://www.ncgov.com/asp/subpages/intention.asp?P=1&I=34″>North

Carolina program that actively recruits businesses thinking of

relocating as a model for Massachusetts.

Now, it’s been mentioned on this blog that Sam Kelley is not exactly

lighting up the fundraising circuit. Much has been made regarding the

relative fundraising abilities

of the candidates; I love a good horse-race as much as anyone, but I

admit I find such discussions a little … arid. A candidate should not

be defined by his/her dollars any more than anyone else is. And in any

event, we want this blog to be a

forum for ideas, not as a basis for an actual cash wager.

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Filed Under: User Tagged With: caucuses, cost-of-living, health-care, housing, lg, lieutenant-governor, local-aid, massachusetts, property-tax, sam-kelley, vote-9.16.2006

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