President George W. Bush’s hopes for re-election are now riding on turning Iraq, a country riven by ethnic and religious factions with no memory of anything but dictatorship, into a […]
After salvaging the Big Dig Andrew Natsios has a tougher task rebuilding Iraq
Posted inEconomy, Politics
A 5 raise buys a lot of trouble for Stonehams town moderator
STONEHAM–Five bucks can’t even get you into a movie in most places, but it can still buy a lot of trouble in Stoneham. Moderator Michael Rotondi won an annual pay […]
Posted inPolitics
Where the largest corporations and philanthropies put down roots
Much has been made of Massachusetts becoming a branch-office economy and the threat that poses to local charities dependent on corporate largesse. But so far, at least, the Bay State […]
Posted inEducation, Politics
Barnstable cant get enough of charter schools
At a time when school districts across the Commonwealth are feeling the triple squeeze of the federal No Child Left Behind law, MCAS tests, and shrinking budgets, officials in the […]
Posted inPolitics
Getting the biggest return on human capital in state government
So it’s reform time again in state government. I sincerely wish Gov. Mitt Romney lots of luck. I was there in 1992, when we were trying to reinvent government under […]
Posted inUncategorized
Letters
Mark Jurkowitz did a fine job telling a rather complex story in “Gale force” (Spring 2003). However, I am compelled to add clarity to three points: 1) the Cape Cod […]
Posted inPolitics
Sociologist Theda Skocpol worries that the demise of the Odd Fellows and the rise of advocacy groups leave citizens with nothing to do
Though the title was created for sardonic effect by Boston Globe columnist Alex Beam, whose use of it always drips with sarcasm, here’s one small reason Harvard might well be […]
Posted inPolitics
Why Democrats lack the knack of electing a governor
Read responses to this article. Why can’t Massachusetts elect a Democratic governor? This stands as one of the bigger political puzzles of the last decade. In national politics, Massachusetts is […]
Posted inUncategorized
Counterpoint
As any parent who ever checked a child’s homework can tell you, people work harder and better when they know someone is watching! Many Massachusetts courts and agencies do a […]
Posted inUncategorized
Argument
In May 2001, the Governor’s Council emerged from relative anonymity to make newspaper headlines across the country. As a pregnant acting Gov. Jane Swift lay hospitalized awaiting the birth of […]
Posted inUncategorized
New questions about hightech work visas
INTRO TEXT Gina Minks, a technical trainer at EMC Corp. in Hopkinton, knew full well that the high-tech industry was in trouble, so she wasn’t shocked to be laid off […]
Posted inUncategorized
Marion offers residents a tax break to declare their houses affordable
INTRO TEXT Like all but 27 Massachusetts communities, the small coastal town of Marion doesn’t have enough affordable housing. At least not according to the Department of Housing and Community […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
Commonwealth Forum figures the odds on slot machines and stock markets
INTRO TEXT The Bay State’s current fiscal crisis has, not surprisingly, revived discussions on increasing revenue by expanding legalized gambling here. At the Commonwealth Forum “Taking a Gamble: Risk, Reward, […]
Posted inUncategorized
CarFree in Boston finally pulls into bookstores
INTRO TEXT After nearly a decade in the shop, Car-Free in Boston is back in service–and, for those who prefer their transportation public rather than private, not a moment too […]
Posted inUncategorized
Bristol County lawmen hedge their bets on gambling
INTRO TEXT If those in the Romney administration say they are “ambivalent” about legalized gaming, even as they support the introduction of video slot machines to boost state revenue (see […]
Posted inEconomy
Mass production
MORE THAN A dozen executives from high-tech companies doing business in Massachusetts are seated around a rectangle of wooden tables in the Governor’s Council chambers in the State House. They’ve […]
Posted inEducation
College Credit
Ben Lieberman’s tiny office on the third floor of the old Miller Building is crammed with books. In his 10 years at Fitchburg State College, the associate professor of history […]
Posted inUncategorized
Soft touches
Charities are advised to stay close to Boston–or head a bit to the west–when shaking their tin cans. The Catalogue for Philanthropy, a consortium of nonprofits that says it “promotes […]
Posted inPolitics
Letter of introduction
On behalf of the MassINC Board of Directors, it is our pleasure to introduce readers to Ian Bowles, the new executive director of MassINC and publisher of CommonWealth. As MassINC […]
Posted inEducation
Public higher ed deserves attentionand some respect
As viewed from the peanut gallery, the struggle over Gov. Mitt Romney’s government-reorganization plan has been a fascinating, if at times horrifying, spectacle. When the plan was outlined in the […]
Posted inArts and Culture, Uncategorized
A devastating picture of the teacher crisis
Who’s Teaching Your Children?Why the Teacher Crisis Is Worse Than You Think and What Can Be Done About ItBy Vivian Troen and Katherine C. BolesNew Haven, Yale University Press, 224 […]
Posted inArts and Culture, Uncategorized
A celebration of doing nothing
The Importance of Being Lazy: In Praise of Play, Leisure, and VacationsBy Al GiniRoutledge, New York, 176 pages. Al Gini is a guy I’d like to have by my side […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Politics
Romneys public safety chief calls for a targeted approach to fighting terrorism
It’s been a grueling half-year for Gov. Mitt Romney, who has taken his lumps from Beacon Hill Democrats over the state budget and his government reorganization plan, which was summarily […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics
Marblehead hikes property taxes and avoids a sticky trash situation
MARBLEHEAD–Mayors and managers in cash-strapped communities may eye Marblehead with a certain amount of envy this summer, and not just because of the North Shore town’s rocky beaches. Last month, […]