IT’S THE CULTURE of state government versus the Baker administration and the winner, by a knockout in the fifth round, is state government culture. Think of the MBTA and the […]
Michael Widmer
Posted inOpinion
Where is Baker’s sense of urgency on the T?
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER is apparently contemplating a third term in order to complete the things he’s started. It’s clear that at this pace he may need a fourth term to […]
Posted inOpinion
Mass. leading way on reining in health care costs
THE CONSTITUENCIES THAT CAME together to gain passage of the state’s landmark universal health care law in 2006 — consumers, employers, providers, insurers — were justifiably proud of our achievement. […]
Posted inOpinion
Tolls may be best way to deal with congestion
WHEN BOSTONIANS GET TOGETHER and engage in small talk the topics are predictable — sports, politics and of course the weather. But recently a new topic has risen to the […]
Posted inTransportation
Is Baker’s commission another delay tactic?
LIKE RED LINE TRAINS, the state’s efforts to address transportation funding are constantly bedeviled by fits and starts in a seemingly endless quest to reach the destination. In the latest […]
Posted inTransportation
Lack of public sector experience is troubling
THE APPOINTMENT OF LUIS RAMIREZ as the new general manager of the MBTA again raises the question of whether a successful private sector businessman or woman can make a successful […]
Posted inHealth Care, Opinion, Politics
What’s the rush on Medicaid reform?
IN THE SUMMER OF 1972, then-governor Frank Sargent announced a series of steps to gain control over the escalating costs of the Medicaid program, which had been launched only a […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
FY18 budget shortfall could be $1b
IT IS WIDELY RECOGNIZED on Beacon Hill, certainly among budget writers, that the fiscal 2018 budgets passed by the House and Senate depend on unrealistic revenue projections. But it is […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
Latest numbers undercut need for health care tax
THE LATEST DATA for the state’s MassHealth program indicate enrollment has stabilized, suggesting the assumption behind Gov. Charlie Baker’s health care tax on employers – that Medicaid rolls are soaring […]
Posted inHealth Care, Opinion, Politics
Baker’s claim of soaring Medicaid rolls is faulty
WITH MUCH FANFARE last January, the Baker administration sounded the alarm that the Medicaid rolls were soaring because individuals were dropping their employer coverage and choosing instead to enroll in […]
Posted inHealth Care, Opinion, State House News Service
With health assessment, Baker heading down familiar path
“ONCE BURNED, twice shy.” Will the Legislature heed that aphorism in response to Gov. Baker’s proposed health care tax on employers to help balance the state’s fiscal 2018 and 2019 […]
Posted inHealth Care, Opinion
Baker’s health care tax is bad policy
IN AN ERA OF ALTERNATIVE FACTS, a bit of revisionist history may seem like a small sin. But in the case of Gov. Charlie Baker’s proposed tax on employers who […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
Boston property tax hike makes sense
TAXES VS. INVESTMENTS. The tension between these two concepts has been at the center of public policy debates at all levels of government throughout American history. Putting aside the recurring […]
Posted inEconomy, Opinion, Politics
The lessons of GE’s move to Boston
LURKING BEHIND GENERAL ELECTRIC’S DECISION to relocate its headquarters to Boston is the hotly debated issue of why businesses locate and grow in Massachusetts or decide to consolidate or expand […]
Posted inEducation, Opinion
A lesson on tuition for immigrants
ALLOWING UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS in Massachusetts to pay in-state rates for tuition and fees for public colleges and universities is an emotional issue, similar to just about every other issue surrounding […]
Posted inOpinion, Uncategorized
Weathering the perfect fiscal storm
One year ago, the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation warned of an impending “perfect storm” in the state’s finances that would spell the end of the generous spending growth of recent years. […]
Posted inUncategorized
Counterpoints
Most taxpayers would agree that it is desirable to reduce the Massachusetts income tax rate to 5 percent, especially given a state income tax burden that is one of the […]
Posted inUncategorized
Counterpoints
Ed Moscovitch’s proposal for a statewide property tax to fund the costs of a basic education in each community in the Commonwealth has two important policy objectives: to sustain the […]