"We maintain financial transparency and public accountability." Financial transparency is currently minimal. The Conservancy's legally required Form 990's and related documents remain substantively incomplete and inaccurate, despite … [Read more...]
Why did Edwards fail?
John Edwards was the only first-tier candidate actually talking about real change, about the only key, fundamental, important change that would make all the other specific changes possible. That change is the reversal of the corporate … [Read more...]
Deval Patrick scorecard
I didn't see any posts, for example, about the story on his laundering of campaign contributions through the Democratic party, which although not illegal is not strictly kosher (sort of a corporate loophole of his own), and is a jarring … [Read more...]
BMG Scorecard for Patrick’s first year?
The Globe story mainly addressed his success in getting things through the legislature; this is not an evaluation. I was hoping BMG would create a systematic scorecard for recording all of Patrick's significant actions and words in the key … [Read more...]
Patrick: gaming (I think he means gambling) is historically part of Mass culture
In his haste to justify state-operated gambling, Patrick tells us in today's Globe that "for a long time now, gaming has been in practice in Massachusetts, and gaming revenues have been used to support public projects." As examples, … [Read more...]
Deval deals with corporate loophole problem by cutting tax rates
Deval Patrick is going to address the corporate loophole problem by cutting corporate tax rates. What problem does that solve? The one thing he started to do that we elected him for was to cut waste, fraud and abuse by closing … [Read more...]
State hearing on eminent domain bills Dec 4
The Joint Committee on the Judiciary will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, December 4, 2007 at 1:00 in room A2, on land and property issues including eminent domain legislation. The eminent domain bills are on the state website: H1770, … [Read more...]
Mayor Menino’s Bill Blocks Governor’s Residential Tax Relief
Menino filed House 3119 to repeal the 2004 law. This bill, backed by the Municipal Research Bureau (a powerful corporate lobby, not a "city watchdog" as commonly believed), drops the tax cap back to 175% for 2008. This would … [Read more...]
Chapter 40T, Special Development Districts, is back
Cities and town governments may welcome 40T as "free" private money for infrastructure they can't afford -- often because they're giving away too many subsidies to developers already. It will be used to end-run Proposition 2 1/2, since the … [Read more...]
Deval, Fidelity, and corporate welfare
Everyone, including Deval Patrick, knows that these give-aways don't influence business decisions; he told me so himself, he said so in the newspapers. Even Ranch Kimball, who presided over the corporate feast under Romney, is quoted … [Read more...]