Saturday, October 27, 2007 Then we wouldn’t have such close elections. Political scientist Andrew Gelman has posted some maps showing how the rich, middle-class, and poor voted in the last […]
If only we could keep the rich/poor from voting
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Red Sox Nation has no WMDs
Saturday, October 27, 2007 More musings on the boundaries of Red Sox Nation at The Eisenthal Report, along with an observation on the upside of sports partisanship:how comforting it is […]
Posted inThe Download, Transportation
Does Menino see dollar signs in surveillance cameras?
Boston Mayor Tom Menino has said he wants to install cameras at key intersections to nab the city’s notoriously heavy-footed drivers who think a yellow light is their cue to […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Rudy still in the catbird seat
New polls in California and Florida give Rudy Giuliani 25 to 30 percent of the Republican presidential primary vote, with no other candidate cracking 15 percent in either state. Time […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
It’s pissah to talk like a Red Sox fan
Dorchester native Patrick Radden Keefe writes on Slate.com about what most actors get wrong in doing a Boston accent. His nomination for the most authentic-sounding actor: Ben Affleck in Good […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Has Burlington saved the Bay State’s bacon?
Last December, the US Census Bureau estimated that Massachusetts had gained residents in 2006, after being the only state to lose population in both of the previous years. This summer, […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Red Sox Nation border skirmishes
On the eve of the World Series, it’s time to ask: Exactly where is Red Sox Nation? Strange Maps (click on the map to get a more complete view) has […]
Posted inPolitics
Joke candidates
Romney: so handsome it’s not funny?AP Photo/Jim Cole it’s too early to predict how far Mitt Romney will go in his bid for the White House, but what does it […]
Posted inEducation, Opinion, Politics
Ed reform’ missing piece
when massachusetts passed its education reform law in 1993, everyone expected that the combination of greatly increased funding and high-stakes testing would produce dramatic gains in student achievement. Since then, […]
Posted inEconomy, Health Care
CPA FUNDS BENEFIT THE ENTIRE STATE
The Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston’s report on the Community Preservation Act (“Study Says CPA Steers Money to Wealthy Towns,” Inquiries, CW, Summer ’07) is so flawed it is difficult […]
Posted inEconomy
Unions fight moves against construction labor agreements
INTRO TEXT fiscal watchdog groups have long railed against agreements guaranteeing union-only workers on major construction projects. But with public budgets under stress, even some usual labor allies are questioning […]
Posted inState House News Service, Transportation
Transportation pros make tough calls, get cold shoulder
INTRO TEXT columbus day fell during a particularly volatile moment in the 2006 gubernatorial campaign. Three weeks past his runaway primary win, there were still doubts about Deval Patrick’s electability-specifically, […]
Posted inEnvironment, Politics, State House News Service
Medford embraces wind power
INTRO TEXT As controversy continues to swirl around the Cape Wind proposal in Nantucket Sound, the city of Medford is leaping to the head of the class by shoring up […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
On district matters, a Patrick ally turns adversary
INTRO TEXT a year ago, Marty Walz was among the legion of liberal Democrats enthralled by Deval Patrick’s gubernatorial candidacy. The state representative from Boston’s Back Bay was an enthusiastic […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Top cop
at a park on the corner of Talbot and Washington in Dorchester’s Codman Square, a sea of blue uniforms behind him, Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis is announcing the expansion […]
Posted inPolitics
Municipal meltdown
From the archives This article first appeared in CommonWealth’s Fall 2007 issue. Click here view more issues. A MAJESTIC GROVE of evergreen trees overlooks the town swimming pools in West […]
Posted inPolitics
Betting the farm
on july 28, thousands of Middleborough voters assembled on a high school football field for town meeting, one of the purest exercises in grass-roots democracy. Carpenters and lawyers, farmers and […]
Posted inPolitics
Dispatches
THE $15 MILLION PARKING SPOT It’s one thing to figure out the tax bill for a homeowner’s new deck or rehabbed kitchen, but the board of assessors in the town […]
Posted inEducation, Politics
The 0.1 solution
in the summer of 1995, the entire Boston public school system seemed possessed by anger and incompetence. Every day brought new reports of financial scandals, mismanagement, racial tensions, sour labor […]
Posted inPolitics
Tax returns
critics have blamed much of Deval Patrick’s early troubles on Beacon Hill on a lack of political experience. But if experience counts, Patrick may do better on Capitol Hill, where […]
Posted inPolitics
Statistically Significant
Illustrations by Travis Foster The Web site LegiStorm reports that Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank of Newton has logged more trips paid for by private sponsors (84) than any other member […]
Posted inEconomy
Pension pinching
massachusetts is not quite the public pension paradise that it’s often made out to be. In fiscal 2005, we ranked 15th in the total amount of paid benefits divided by […]
Posted inPolitics
Plugged in, tuned out
it’s morning in Boston. Take a look around. Whether you’re on the subway, walking through downtown, or standing in line at Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts, you’re surrounded by young people—twentysomethings, […]
Posted inEconomy
Protection money
nothing is certain in life but death and taxes, and the one thing almost everyone thinks taxes should be used for is saving us from early deaths. Police and fire […]