OUR NATIONAL MOOD is currently characterized by two things: anger and anxiety. Many people are angry because of the Trump presidency and his ongoing contribution to political deterioration. Others are […]
Edward M Murphy
Edward M. Murphy worked in state government from 1979-1995, serving as the commissioner of the Department of Youth Services, commissioner of the Department of Mental Health, and executive director of the Health and Educational Facilities Authority. He recently retired as CEO and chairman of one of the country’s largest providers of services to people with disabilities.
Posted inOpinion
Can Mass. launch the fusion revolution?
SINCE THE 1950s physicists have researched something they knew was theoretically possible but technically challenging: the effective generation of fusion energy as a substitute for carbon-based power. The prospect of […]
Posted inOpinion
What Joe McCarthy and Donald Trump have in common
McCarthy: Power Feeds on Fear is a new documentary nationally available from PBS. The film details Joe McCarthy’s rise in the late 1940s from political obscurity in Wisconsin to become […]
Posted inHealth Care
The reality of Medicare for All is not what you think
DEBATES AMONG CANDIDATES for the Democratic presidential nomination feature discussions of how to address the significant shortcomings of the US healthcare system. All the candidates appear to support versions of […]
Posted inOpinion
Progressive taxation — let’s do it right
ON MAY 8, THE MASSACHUSETTS LEGISLATURE restarted the lengthy process that may put a constitutional amendment requiring a “millionaire tax” before voters in 2022. Advocates had hoped that the amendment would appear […]
Posted inOpinion
Cost of drugs in the US is an outrage
THE HIGH COST OF PHARMACEUTICALS in the United States is an embarrassment. Americans don’t consume more prescription medications than their counterparts in other developed countries but, on a per capita […]
Posted inOpinion
Our Know Nothing heritage on immigration
THE HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION to the United States is also the history of the response to immigration. Since the founding of the republic, intermittent surges of foreign-born newcomers have consistently […]
Posted inOpinion
Why does Humira cost less in Europe?
POLITICIANS FREQUENTLY TALK about doing something to address the high cost of pharmaceuticals. President Trump has made especially loud promises that he would lower drug prices “really, really substantially.” On […]
Posted inOpinion
The real driver of health care spending
THE HEALTH CARE DEBATES that occurred in Washington over the past year were largely irrelevant to what’s happening in the health care marketplace. Republicans couldn’t repeal the Affordable Care Act […]
Posted inEducation
The Mount Ida Rorschach test
TWO MASSACHUSETTS COLLEGES announced plans to close this year. The demise of Atlantic Union College in Lancaster went virtually unnoticed. The closure of Mount Ida College in Newton has created […]
Posted inHealth Care
Democrats have a lot to learn from Trump
OUR DAILY FOCUS on Donald Trump’s narcissistic behavior diverts attention from something much more significant: the likelihood that his presidency may constitute an important historical transition for the United States. It […]
Posted inOpinion
Millionaire tax wrong way to play Robin Hood
THE MILLIONAIRE TAX is a brilliantly marketed bad idea. It’s hard not to find appeal in the concept of higher taxes on top earners when income disparity has grown dramatically […]
Posted inOpinion
Humira, a money-making machine, rolls on
IT IS WELL ESTABLISHED that US healthcare expenditures are dramatically higher than any other developed country by all measures. The total amount spent, the per capita cost, and the percentage […]
Posted inOpinion
Drugs are best treatment for opioid abuse
THE OPIOID ADDICTION crisis in the United States has prompted leaders at the state and federal level to promise more money, new laws, and greater focus on the problem. That […]
Posted inEnvironment
Health insurers, despite anxiety, are doing well
Daily newspaper headlines report that the nation’s health insurance companies are anxious about the future and may seek rate increases to protect themselves. Rate increases would seem logical, given uncertainty arising from paralysis in Congress […]
Posted inHealth Care
Deregulated health care not the answer
THE UNITED STATES has by far the most expensive health care system in the world. We spent $3.35 trillion, almost 18 percent of GDP and more than $10,000 per person, […]
Posted inHealth Care
Red states dodge a Medicaid bullet
REPUBLICANS IN WASHINGTON couldn’t cobble together enough votes in March from their own party to repeal and replace Obamacare. President Trump learned that health care is more complicated than he […]
Posted inMicrophilanthropy
Running away from homelessness
Microphilanthropy is an occasional feature that calls attention to small acts of generosity that people do for the benefit of others and highlights little-known needs that could benefit from generosity, […]
Posted inEconomy, Opinion, Politics
Dump the millionaire tax
FORTY-THREE STATES IN this country tax the income of their citizens in some form. Of the states that tax wages, only eight, including Massachusetts, use a single rate rather than a […]
Posted inEducation, Microphilanthropy
Contributing to debate
Microphilanthropy is an occasional feature that calls attention to small acts of generosity that people do for the benefit of others and highlights little-known needs that could benefit from generosity, […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
Robbing MIT to pay international reactor
THE DECADES-LONG QUEST to produce inexpensive carbon-free energy from nuclear fusion is making tangible progress. There is much work ahead but recent research is bringing the elusive goal into clearer […]
Posted inMicrophilanthropy
A personal form of charity
Microphilanthropy is an occasional feature that calls attention to small acts of generosity that people do for the benefit of others and highlights little-known needs that could benefit from generosity, […]
Posted inUncategorized
Fusion: The next big thing
GREATER BOSTON IS on a roll, propelled by innovation. The US Chamber of Commerce recently named the region number one in the nation for “fostering entrepreneurial growth and innovation.” Our […]
Posted inEconomy, Education, Microphilanthropy
Addressing hunger at Bunker Hill CC
Microphilanthropy is an occasional feature that calls attention to small acts of generosity that people do for the benefit of others and highlights little-known needs that could benefit from generosity, […]