“With this ballot question, we can reverse decades of underfunding and start making our public colleges affordable again. In the face of declining enrollment at our public colleges, we need to act urgently to remove the barriers that are preventing working and middle-class students from pursuing a degree at our public colleges.”
“Letter: Fair Share Amendment would make Massachusetts’ opportunities more equal,” Berkshire Eagle
“When we work hard and enjoy financial success, we like to tell ourselves that we’ve excelled in a fair race. Can we say this when our tax system is inequitable and public university is unaffordable? The Fair Share Amendment will get us back toward an equal opportunity Massachusetts.”
“Abolishing MBTA bus fares is about more than improving transit access,” Boston Globe
“On the surface, abolishing bus fares is about improving transit access and easing the financial burden of transportation on poor residents. But more than that, the fare-free bus program is about government taking a small step toward providing people with the dignity they deserve. No one should be denied a ride because they can’t afford it. No one should be made to feel ashamed for having to ask a bus driver to let them on. And no one should have to choose between paying for a bus fare or getting a couple of extra items at the grocery store.”
“State power limits Boston’s vision,” Boston Globe
“Thanks to a striking concentration of power in the seat of Massachusetts government on Beacon Hill, the capital city and other Massachusetts municipalities must seek state sign-off for both substantive policy changes, such as restricting how much rents may increase each year, and more routine proposals, such as changing speed limits on some roads.”
“Senate plan puts too much emphasis on electric vehicles,” CommonWealth
“do not oppose the transition to electric vehicles, indeed I embrace it. But we need to be honest with ourselves about what an all-electric vehicle future means. Primarily, it means continued traffic congestion, continued poor land use, continued particulate matter emissions – in other words, every negative externality of today’s auto mobility system other than carbon emissions will remain present in an all-electric vehicle future. We can do better than use public funding to enable that future, without any effort to balance the scales in favor of more sustainable, healthier, sensible mobility solutions. Right now, neither the current Baker administration plan nor this Senate bill gets this balance right.”
“After two decades of disinvestment, we’re too far down the road to expect a few reforms will re-chart a new course for our public institutions and students. Years of inaction will force the state to finally decide the role the Commonwealth, which prides itself on being the birthplace of public education, should play in post-secondary public education,” wrote Bahar Akman Imboden, managing director of the Hildreth Institute and the author of the report.
“Boston Common Rally Calls To Make Early Education More Affordable In Massachusetts,” CBS Boston
“The child care system in Massachusetts is struggling to meet the needs of families and parents, but it’s also not working for providers who are struggling to keep their doors open. And it’s not working for workers who are not making a livable wage.”
“Taxing Massachusetts millionaires to boost racial justice,” Boston Globe
“A graduated income tax is a fact of life for federal filers. Those who make more, pay more. Graduated state tax systems across the income spectrum are also common (as are, yes, zero state tax states). In Massachusetts, where there is so much wealth and yet so much poverty, starting with an extra tax tier for those who are fortunate enough to make over $1 million in a year seems only just.”
“Two months in, Maura Healey’s pitch for Mass. governor is light on the details,” Boston Globe
“Chang-Díaz’s platform web pages link to news articles, studies, and votes the senator has taken while serving on Beacon Hill, going into great detail with bulleted lists of actions she would take as governor. She’s been endorsed by groups like Progressive Massachusetts, which require lengthy, detailed questionnaires. Chang-Díaz’s was 48 pages long.”
“Dear Governor Baker: You’re wrong on driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants,” Boston Globe
“Fearmongering Republicans make it a sport to assume the worst possible behaviors of undocumented residents. The truth is that the vast majority of people without valid immigration status are like the radio caller from Pembroke — maybe they overstayed their visa (not a criminal violation), maybe their green card has expired, maybe they have a pending immigration case. But they have jobs and pay taxes, and they have kids to drive to school. It’s in everyone’s best interest to license them to drive.”
