This new interpretation is consistent with Common Cause's view of the statute and that of Governor Patrick’s former chief legal counsel Ben Clements, who chaired the Governor's task force on Public Integrity and wrote the … [Read more...]
Governor Patrick’s Balanced Approach to Our Structural Deficit
As one of the long time community activists organizing to strengthen our neighborhoods and our communities through the Coalition of Social Justice and the Coalition against Poverty in the various South Coast cities and towns, I can tell you … [Read more...]
Including a Revenue Message
Your request for additional funding will be stronger if you can say that your organization supports increasing state revenues to support all of our public structures, including your request. This may mean ending special tax cuts or … [Read more...]
Why We’re Part of People First
Over the past decade, our state economy has been growing faster than net spending. That means the economy has been growing faster than our budget. But during this same timeframe, state taxes and fees have been growing much slower than the … [Read more...]
A Smokin’ Success Story
[Crossposted from ONE Massachusetts by Harmony Blakeway]As our community leaders and advocates look through the dramatic cuts being made to all manner of state structures and programs, we thought it would be good to look at one of our many … [Read more...]
Tomorrow’s 9C Cut Announcement: Can We Balance Cuts With Other Options to Support Our State?
ONE Massachusetts project director Yawu Miller spent this morning at the Tax Expenditure Budget Hearing, asking that committee, and the Legislature as a whole, to examine the tax expenditure budget as carefully as legislators examine the … [Read more...]
Virtual Rally III – Contact Governor Deval Patrick!!
SAMPLE SCRIPT The most important part of this script is that you customize each section with your own values, personality, etc. [Introduction:] Hello Governor Patrick. My name is Harmony Blakeway, and I am one of your Allston … [Read more...]
Could Adjusting Loopholes be Part of a Balanced Approach to Support Our State?
Peter Enrich, Law Professor at Northeastern University and former general counsel to the Massachusetts Executive Office for Administration and Finance has been testifying before the Revenue sub-committee on Tax Expenditures, and for this … [Read more...]
We’re Not Alone How Other U.S. States Are Dealing with Deficits
Reading through the reforms, I was struck by the number of options being proposed by both legislators and governors, and by the effort that folks nationwide are putting into supporting their own states and local communities. It obviously … [Read more...]
How Do YOU Think We Should Fund Our State?
We all want to live safe, healthy lives. In Massachusetts, public services that we care deeply about - education, public safety, services for the elderly and disabled, and environmental protection, to name just a few - are hurting. For … [Read more...]