Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

For real economic development fund the cultural infrastructure and higher education

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Similarly, every dollar invested in public higher education retains population and creates local jobs.  Funding mandatory minimums and a growth in the prison population is regressive, and does not retain population nor does a growing percentage of unrehabilitated released inmates with “criminal records” fuel economic development or social stability.

Lets expand funding for our cultural infrastructure and higher education, not the prison industry – and see our economy and population grow.

Bibliography:  http://www.florida-arts.org/re…

http://www.erie.gov/legislatur…

http://www.nmarts.org/org_reso…

http://www.artsusa.org/pdf/get…

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/…

http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/…

http://www.insidehighered.com/…

http://www.insidehighered.com/…

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  1. Your post is excellent and timely as it could be a measuring stick to use with the candidates for POTUS.

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    p>Who is speaking these words in the presidential campaign?

    Yet  every dollar spent on cultural infrastructure, educational infrastructure or housing in fact fuels economic development.  Recent research has shown that every dollar spent on cultural capital leads to revenue growth of as much as 10:1.  This is just not true of every dollar spent on prison construction!!

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    p>Who has or will submit legislation in the Commonwealth to make the vision tangible?

  2. As far as I am concerned, allowing casinos is  more phoney-baloney smoke and mirror budgeting, and has none of the “bang for the buck” of funding higher education or the cultural infrastructure as I detailed in the above bibliography.

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    p>While there is research showing that graduates of our local community colleges stay in Massachusetts and are more likely to be employed and less likely to become incarcerated, there is no research showing casinos have stopped population drain – or improved employment.

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    p>Colleges themselves are beneficent employers, as are cultural attractions, and properly funded social services such as after school care, community counseling and health centers.

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    p>The prison industry is a regressive employer [high cost, few jobs unless there is serious funding for rehabilitation and education of prisoners] – and I get sick to my stomach thinking about the fact that Putin’s Russia incarcerates 1% of its population and we incarcerate 5%.  

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    p>I am not talking about violent sociopaths like Tavares – I am talking about the criminalization of the mentally ill, and juveniles as the worst, absolutely toxic example.

    • Putin has an elegant solution to his incarceration problems which we have denied ourselves in the Commonweatlh – he executes incorrigible criminals.  Perhaps we should consider this option over releasing killers after 16 years, so they can go kill again.

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      p>Also – part of the incarceration problem is related to the ‘pig in the python’ – the enormous population bulge of the Boomers and post-Boomers, which will work its way through the system after 10-15 years.

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      p>Come to think of it – I hope they are constructing those prisons so they can easily be remodeled into nursing homes.  

      • Interesting theory but I wonder if you have any data to back up your thoughts about the incarceration bulge as a baby boomer phenomenon with a likely decrease in 10-15 years?  It seems to me that a disproportionate amount of young men of color are the leading incarcerated population demographic.

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        p>I suspect that there is more socio-economic relationship to incarceration than post WWII pregnancies.  That being stated, creating positive economic opportunities as presented by AmberPaw are not only necessary, but critical.

        • …as far as I can tell, Boomers (those who were born between 1945 and 1959) are a bit too old to be a significant criminal threat.  Maybe those who are incarcerated at Cedar Junction (Walpole’s new name) should just be released.  

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          p>Although it is probable that they have been incarcerated for so long that they would have nowhere to go; career criminals have networks that largely allow them to elude the authorities.  That is one of the byproducts of the Americans’ policy of insanely long prison sentences.

          • Although it is probable that they have been incarcerated for so long that they would have nowhere to go; career criminals have networks that largely allow them to elude the authorities.  That is one of the byproducts of the Americans’ policy of insanely long prison sentences.

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            p>I’m not opposed to long prison sentences, per se.  I think the ‘insane part is the concomitant refusal to give them anything constructive to do (and/or learn) while ‘inside’.  It’s a warehouse for the very very dumb, the very very amoral and the very very smart… That’s the insane part.  

  3. Its new governor-elect Steve Beshear is pushing hard to get more community  college dropouts back into school to finish, as well as forgiving colleges loans.  For each year a Kentucky graduate stays and works in Kentucky, a year of college debt is forgiven.  Yes, this costs them money up front, but in a few years that Commonwealth will have a better educated population, earning more money,starting more new businesses, and paying more taxes.

    • Here is the link to his letter to the Editor in today’s Boston Globe:  http://www.boston.com/bostongl…

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      p>What he said, was:

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      p>

      A presence, and future, in Lawrence
      November 25, 2007
      I AGREE with your Nov. 18 editorial “Massachusetts makeover.” Building a new economy based on healthcare and technology is the best bet for turning aging manufacturing cities such as Lawrence into thriving communities.
      Northern Essex Community College has had a presence in Lawrence for more than 30 years, and in recent years that presence has grown significantly.
      We have two Lawrence campuses, and more than 2,400 students study there. While the majority are Lawrence residents, including many recent immigrants who are acquiring the skills needed to get ahead in this country, our programs attract hundreds of students from outside Lawrence.
      Working closely with the city, we plan to build an Allied Health and Technology Center, which will allow us to expand our programming in emerging fields in healthcare, homeland security, and technology.
      At Northern Essex, we believe that by providing Lawrence residents with the tools needed to secure jobs, we are helping to develop the Lawrence economy. We are partnering with the school system, the city, and local organizations to make this happen.
      DAVID HARTLEB
      President
      Northern Essex Community College
      Haverhill

      I think he said it better than I did – not only that – THIS is leadership.  David Hartleb did not wait for Beacon Hill to get it – and the Big Three [Governor, Speaker, Senate President] to wake up and work as a team – nor deid he wait for Capitol Hill to show vision and leadership.  This community college president actually understands that when young people can graduate into real jobs, they do not need to move away from their parents, town, and this state – nor do they wish to do so.

      The current projection is that there will be a shortage of 110,000 qualified workers in the emerging fields within healthcare, renewable energy, greyfields reclamation, and the like.  Those folk will come from other countries  – or jobs that can leave WILL leave unless we educate our graduates for the jobs that are opening up.  There is solid research on this; and young adults who have schools to go to and jobs they can be hired for will not leave the state.

      As Charlie said, “Hello”!

    • …pot smokers…or even users of drugs that should not be legal, but we’d be better off spending about $7,000 for 6 months of treatment, instead of denying treatment, waiting for their habit to overcome them and wait for them to commit a crime?  Then we can send them to prison at a cost of $35,000 per year.    

      • The cost of incarceration can be about $45,000 – depending where – and whether that includes the ancillary social welfare costs.

      • on public safety? Really? Because there are a whole lot of hard-working, law-abiding people who live in crime-stricken neighborhoods of the city where I live that would disagree with you.

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        p>By implying that public safety is not a serious problem in MA, one that should be high on the priority list of all levels of government, all you’ve accomplished is to sound like some out-of-touch guy, living in some well-off suburb where you’ve become completely detached from the problems people face in the real world.

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        p>When Bratton was Police Commissioner here in Boston during the early 90s, violent crime rate was roughly halfed. Whole neighborhoods were transformed, as people began moving into the city again, and a 40-year trend of population loss was turned around. Boston became not just a safer city, but a wealthier and more diverse one as well because of this.

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        p>Now, in case you hadn’t noticed, violent crime is on the rise again. Much of the progress of the past 15 years is at risk, not to mention our future. People in parts of Roxbury, Mattapan, Dorchester, and even slivers of the South End and JP are afraid to stay out past dark, and you’re saying public safety shouldn’t be high  up on our government’s list of things to do?

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        p>Gimme a break.

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        p>PS, you’re right, of course, that marijuana being illegal is ridiculous, and that our drug policy is nuts. Too bad you brought this up to change the subject.  

        • Or, was it a stronger, more robust economy, resulting in more full time, part time, seasonal, mothers-hours, and other jobs?  An economy without a mortgage crisis and almost all new housing billed as luxury condos?

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          p>Sure, a million dollars worth of new cops will reduce crime.  I’d bet, so would a million dollars worth of increased drug rehab.  I’d bet, so would a million dollars worth of after school, weekend, and summer youth programs.

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          p>The question is… which million dollars is the most effective at reducing crime?  Violent crime?  Property crime?

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          p>

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          p>I want less crime.  I also want more productivity from citizens, and a more pleasant place to live.  It’s not obvious to me that spending more money on enforcement is the most efficient way to accomplish this.

          • You speak of ‘drug rehab’ like it was penicillin – just take two courses, and you’re cured!

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            p>Addiction is a pandemic in this country, due in no small part to a culture of instant gratification and incessant boosting of self esteem.  THAT is another topic.  However, addiction treatment only works when and IF the addict wants to be cured – wants to go straight.  Drug treatment is sometimes viewed by normally sceptical progressives with an almost religious zeal – if YOU believe hard enough, SURELY those addicts will also come to believe!  Now, much of our treatment dollar is of the revolving door variety, to be ditched when it becomes inconvenient or interferes with lifestyle or social choices.  Sobriety is tough work, and like education, pouring money on it isn’t always the answer.

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            p>Police arresting violent felons with guns, on the other hand, just about ALWAYS has the desired effect.

            • But it’s not a simple either/or.  There are some people who want to quit, but lack a ready alternative to the lifestyle of addiction.  It’s harder to quit if you have no job available, nor a community to support you.  The fictional movie Gridlock’d is an effective artistic rendering of that kind of tough environment.
              By the way, Peter, do you have a link reporting whether drug treatment programs in Mass are under-enrolled?

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              p>  

              • I checked a local facility, and found two empty beds out of fifteen.  Doesn’t mean much, as the holiday season is notorious for bringing out long standing emotions, spurring binges, etc., and places are usually filled by Feb.

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                p>The point I was trying to make is that addiction services are hard to quantify, as opposed to enforcement efforts which can point to arrest statistics.  It’s futile to just say – spend money on rehab! – when there’s no good numbers about its efficacy.  Especially on a short term basis which Stomv was talking about.  

                • and room in longer term rehab facilities is very hard to find. What facility are you talking about?

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                  p>I also don’t understand why you think there are no statistics on the efficacy of addiction treatment. There are many academic journals devoted to this topic and it is a field of active research. Just because you cannot easily find everything in a naive google search, doesn’t mean it does not exist. Perhaps you should do some real research before declaring that information does not exist.

              • I checked a local facility, and found two empty beds out of fifteen.  Doesn’t mean much, as the holiday season is notorious for bringing out long standing emotions, spurring binges, etc., and places are usually filled by Feb.

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                p>The point I was trying to make is that addiction services are hard to quantify, as opposed to enforcement efforts which can point to arrest statistics.  It’s futile to just say – spend money on rehab! – when there’s no good numbers about its efficacy.  Especially on a short term basis which Stomv was talking about.  

          • I’ll add though, that much of the violent crime in Boston that I’ve heard of is gang-related, at least as much as it is drug-related. Drug crime is a real problem, but I don’t have the data to say whether it’s the biggest or not, and my instinct would be to say it may not be.

        • Spend less money on public safety…I NEVER said or implied such a thing.  Ironicly your PS basically agrees with my point.  And I never changed the subject, but addressed a specific comment your made.  

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          p>Were you any good at reading comprehension?

      • I’m a daily Globe reader, so please forgive that these are all from the same source.

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        p>http://www.boston.com/news/loc…

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        p>http://www.boston.com/news/loc…

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        p>http://www.boston.com/news/loc…

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        p>Please check it out, and see what you think.

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        p>When I’m out canvassing my neighbors, whether it was last fall for Governor Patrick, or this fall for Felix Arroyo and Sam Yoon, and I ask them what the most important political issue is the them, Public Safety is almost always #1, tied with Healthcare.  

  5. We could divert money spent on prosecuting and incarcerating minor drug offenders on drug treatment programs, instead.  We could also provide treatment instead of imprisoning minor offenders whose underlying problem is a mental illness.  Maybe not everyone can be helped by treatment – but those who could would have a shot at employment and a productive life.  Our present system of criminalizing mentally illness and addiction leaves us with a population of people with criminal records who are likely to receive no help with their underlying illness while in prison and be released back into society with the same problems that got them into trouble with the law in the first place. For those who are lucky enough to secure help and can manage their illness, they still are left with a record that can severely limit employment opportunities.  Who wins from this system?  Pete Earley’s book Crazy should be required reading for policy makers.

    • …is that the prison-industrial-government complex in the US has far more money than the public health system, and can bend the politicians to their will.  In much of the civilized world, drug addiction is, in fact, treated as a public health problem.  Not in the USofA, of course.

  6. most normal thinking Americans would equate this as
    “administered in a Satanic way for profit by pond scum”, really I mean just look at our current situation.

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    p>End of “debate”?

      • and the knowledge of how things used to be bring out my cynical nature.

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        p>The glass is half empty?

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        p>No you actually never had a glass let alone half filled with water.

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        p>You really don’t even have the right to think about having a glass, HR 1955.  Such things are “illegal”.

          • and did not mean to imply I thought you younger.  Ah, the imperfection of an imperfect media coupled with the barrier of language.  If we could do Mr. Spock’s Vulcan mind meld would the world be a better place.

    • …it really is

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      p>When one says “universal health care” most normal thinking Americans would equate this as “administered in a Satanic way for profit by pond scum”

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      p>One, most Americans have never traveled outside the US (except maybe to Aruba) and most probably have never had to make use of medical facilities in other countries.  We have, regarding the latter, as I have mentioned here before.

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      p>Two, I’ll tell you another of my little stories.  About a year ago, I was engaged in a discussion with a “consrvative” about the American health care delivery “system” vs. systems in other countries.  He did not want something along the lines of the Canadian system, and cited an OECD study that purported to show that, in the Canadian system, there was a some four month delay in getting elective surgery, whereas there was zero delay in the US.  

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      p>The OECD study was unclear as to when the delay period began.  (Example: suppose in Canada that the delay period began when the physician authorized the surgery, but in the US, the delay period began when the insurance company authorized the surgery; there is a difference.)  But what that person ignored was that that was for elective surgery, and further, that other countries with unified health care systems, particularly France and Germany, there was no waiting period whatsoever.

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      p>It appears that people in the US believe what they want to believe, and that’s why you will have no unified health care financing system whatsoever in my lifetime.  Or, probably, yours.

      • Dear Raj:

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        p>I never considered that, in having traveled and studied outside the USA at a formative age, as well as later, I was in a minority.

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        p>It is true, I have experienced universal health care as a traveler, and rather liked it – health care no questions asked, was my experience.

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        p>Maybe others who have lived or worked in countries with universal health care would/should consider posting about “what is it really like” for the majority who only have Boogie Man Stories to go by???  

  7. …is this “In our state, we provide more funds for incarceration then education” true?  I’m presuming that by “our state” you are referring to Massachusetts.  Are you aggregating all of the funding for education in your assessment, including local (which provides the lions’ share of funding for particularly k-12 education), state aid and federal aid, or are you just considering the state portion of the funding for education in your comparison?

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    p>The second question is, regarding higher education (I presume that you are referring primarily to the UMass system), I’m sure that the tuition has gone up since, say, 1970, but has it gone up substantially faster than the inflation rate?  If not, what’s the complaint?

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    p>NB: I’m not particularly interested in having the taxpayer foot the bill for commercial attractions, and that includes “cultural infrastructure” (whatever that means).

  8. “We have a drug and alcohol problem. We’ve got to quit locking up all the people that we’re mad at and lock up the people that we’re really afraid of, the people who are sexual predators and violent offenders. But the nonsense of three strikes and you’re out has created a system that is overrun with people, and the cost is choking us.”

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    p>Highlight the lines below with your mouse for the answer…

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    p>Gov. Mike Huckabee

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