[Crossposted from ONE Massachusetts]
Today Governor Patrick signed the new state budget while last week ONE Massachusetts launched its 2011 summer campaign. With this campaign we are looking forward to engage our network into documenting systematically local cuts that have happened in our communities because of recent budget cuts and the passage of the new state budget. The documenting of local cuts will help us show local and state elected officials how recent budget cuts have affected the quality of life in cities and towns across Massachusetts.
Photo by Chloe Gotsis
Last Tuesday Newton’s three women legislators told a crowd that the 2011 budget season will go down as one of the toughest in recent memory:
Meetings with legislators, like the one in Newton, provide their constituents an opportunity to hear from them what their rationale is for the decisions they make on behalf of us and to hold them accountable.
Legislators need to hear and educate themselves from people in their communities about the real consequences their decisions at the State House have in the communities they represent. It is not enough to say that we are going through difficult economic times without offering a solution that would balance the state budget and properly fund our services and programs.
Whether it has been the decrease in youth summer jobs, less mental health workers in hospitals, crowded school classrooms, or less firemen in local stations, we all have experienced first hand the impact recent budget decisions have had on all of us. That’s why we need you to: 1) help us document local budget cuts in as many communities as we can across the state and 2) talk with your local state representative and state senator on how these cuts are affecting us all.
Our youth, seniors, teachers, firemen, policemen can’t wait any longer to have the proper funding to serve our communities. Level funding programs is not enough. We want to keep and increase the funding of all our programs and thrive as a state. Please consider joining our summer campaign and also support an Act to Invest in Our Communities to provide much needed relief to our state and local budgets.
Gov’s Budget Actions
and here, in part, is a summary from the State House News Service.