IN THE EARLY DAYS of the pandemic, the Paycheck Protection Program offered a crucial lifeline for millions of suddenly desperate businesses. Yet as banks doled out nearly $1 trillion in PPP money, minority-owned businesses were at the back of the line. It was a glaring example of how even the most well-intentioned public policies can […]
Benjamin Forman
Posted inOpinion
COVID-19 cost Mass. households $673m last week
THE CORONAVIRUS SHUTDOWN cost Massachusetts households at least $673 million in earnings last week alone, according to an extrapolation of data gathered from a survey conducted by the MassINC Polling Group between March 20 and March 23. The poll of 597 Massachusetts residents breaks down respondents by geographic location and income level and asks them […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Opinion, Politics
Fact-checking the district attorneys
AT MONDAY’S JUDICIARY COMMITTEE HEARING on criminal justice reform legislation, District Attorneys Joseph Early of Worcester County, Timothy Cruz of Plymouth County, and Michael Morrissey of Norfolk County testified in opposition to the elimination of mandatory minimum sentences for drug crimes. Their testimony drew heavily on talking points prepared by the Massachusetts District Attorneys Association […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Mandatory minimum drug sentences costly mistake
SUPPORTERS OF MANDATORY minimum sentences for drug crimes are circulating a set of disconnected talking points on Beacon Hill that obscure the real issues. The debate is heating up as the Legislature prepares to hold hearings this month on bills that would eliminate Massachusetts laws requiring judges to impose a prison term of a specified […]