The Boston Police Department budget is absolutely massive, dwarfing every other department other than schools. ACLU Massachusetts lays it all out in a series of charts.  These numbers have always been public knowledge. It's just that now, … [Read more...]

In a context of no accountability from the top, a "Law and Order" President who encourages police rioting, police in cities across the country have been exacerbating violence with a warrior mindset and military-style equipment, abusing … [Read more...]

It's been a hell of a weekend. I wish everyone safety -- and if it's too late for that, a fast recovery. I'm still trying to process the events, in Boston and Minneapolis and DC and New York and Louisville ... Let's take a moment to … [Read more...]

Massachusetts suffered dearly in the Great Recession, but not as badly as some places. Realizing that cuts to state funding and services -- ie. jobs -- would exacerbate the economic damage, the Commonwealth raised revenues. That was due to … [Read more...]

ProgressiveMass now has endorsed progressive challengers to Richard Neal (MA-1) and Steven Lynch (MA-8). Not really any surprises here, but I wonder if at some point there will be a stampede to the exits for two of the least-progressive or … [Read more...]

We had so many questions about Charlie Baker's re-opening plan. And it would seem that some of the very people affected by this decision -- supposedly to their benefit -- are made very uneasy. The Massachusetts Council of Churches … [Read more...]

As Christopher alerted us, last night the Democrats took two more seats in the State Senate. The Dem majority is a laughable 36-4. As we all know, the Dem supermajority is a self-perpetuating thing: Some of those Dems are pretty … [Read more...]

Gov. Baker has announced his re-opening plan to the cities and towns. I'm sure it's the result of many informed conversations, but I can't discern the rhyme or reason. In a bit of bravado that will have the opposite of its intended effect, … [Read more...]