[Cross-posted by Judy Meredith from Realclout.org and via the State House Notes newsletter]
The lead paragraph in the Boston Globe story, State spending plan hits services, by Michael Levenson and Noah Bierman doesn’t say it all, but they do a good job of highlighting some of the nastiest cuts:
Thousands of children on welfare would see their yearly clothing allowance plummet from $150 to $40. Community orchestras and local dance troupes would be slashed. And 2,400 poor teenagers would lose their state-funded summer jobs.
Another, deeper analysis of the Senate Ways and Means Budget, comes from our friends at the Mass Budget and Policy Center. Here’s one paragraph from one page – and keep in mind that this is a preliminary analysis.
Funding for disability services in the SWM budget – although more than in the current FY 2011 budget – is $12.8 million less than recommended by the House. The most significant reductions are in funding for the developmentally disabled. However, it is worth noting that SWM redistributes some funding from residential facilities to community residential supports, but even accounting for these shifts, funding for developmentally disabled adults is likely insufficient to maintain current levels of services for the eligible population. Also cut in the SWM budget is respite and family supports, funded at only $32.6 million by SWM, but at $41.0 million by the House. In FY 2011, these supports received $46.5 million.
 |
| Senator Stephen M. Brewer |
Senate Chair of Ways and Means Steve Brewer, a very nice guy, in my humble opinion, stated the obvious problem [from the Globe article above] – we have a 1.9 billion dollar budget gap that was solved with cuts:
Stephen M. Brewer, a Barre Democrat who is the Senate’s budget chief, called the spending plan “the largest fiscal challenge our state has yet faced.”
“Make no mistake,” he said. “This is a painful budget.”
Building a Budget Solution…At least one Member of the Senate Ways and Means Committee Senator Pat Jehlen sees the big picture and regretted that the Committee “lacked the aspiration” to see that our government could have solved the problem of the budget gap another way:
Of course, Senator Jehlen is very familiar with a possible solution because she is a cosponsor of one solution being promoted by a very big and coalition of community based groups, state wide advocacy groups and organized labor in the Coalition for Our Communities and ONE Massachusetts haven’t even slowed down their activities. Here are some notes from a community forum held in Senator Ken Donnelly’s district:
Now those of us who are advocating for new taxes in this anti-government, anti-tax era are not afraid of being out of step – we are in fact leading a movement to restore the public’s confidence in government. We see government as a way we can work together to do things that we can’t do alone – educate our children, keep our neighborhoods clean and safe, repair our roads and bridges, keep our water and air clean and on and on.
If people think we are crazy we can only quote the ancient Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, dramatist Seneca – Aliquando et insanire iucundum est – “It is sometimes even pleasant act like a madman.” We are pretty confident that we can build the public support for tax reform – and we recommend the ONE Mass budget and tax policy trainings offered by ONE Mass and inspired and supported by the Demos Public Works project. The little squirt of dopamine hitting the brain when you get it right-and win! |
We understand the legislative process is like a labyrinth – follow it all the way around and it takes you to where you want to be and then you will experience that feeling of joy —
Consequences of Cut Budgets…Finally, here is Jon Stewart on Military budget cuts that could disrupt our protection from angry engineered salamanders (wait… engineered salamanders?):
|
And Finally, Finally…Here is in an older clip on the need for new revenues with Jon asking Nancy Pelosi, promoting her book Know Your Power – a message to our daughters – and wondering why we can just print money to solve the country’s economy. The book is great by the way.
|
Note that “Larry Tribe is back” and is an expert on the decriminalization that could cut the costs of both incarceration AND indigent criminal defense: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/09/AR2010120905650.html
http://onemassachusetts.org/news/110519_budget_plan_will_not_restore_immigrants%E2%80%99_health_care
To restore health care to leak immigrants
Sweet