Larry Summers gave his first local speech since leaving the White House yesterday. He began his address by joking that Washington, DC, offered a respite from the brutal politics of […]
Current Affairs
Posted inEconomy, Politics, The Download
The Download: Breaking news—important people consort and talk to each other
“No matter how cynical you get, it’s impossible to keep up,” Lily Tomlin famously said. That’s especially so if your news consumption consists of a steady diet of Boston Herald […]
Posted inEconomy, Health Care, Politics, The Download
The Download: Bill, TED, and state budgets
Microsoft founder Bill Gates is deep into state finances these days, worried that government officials are using so many accounting tricks to balance their budgets that precious public education dollars […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics, The Download
The Download: First and goal
Union matters seem to dominate the 24-hour news cycle these days. From Wisconsin’s governor looking to eviscerate his state’s public sector unions; to Ohio being on the verge of doing […]
Posted inEducation, Politics, The Download
The Download: Setti for Senate
What makes Newton Mayor Setti Warren think he can beat US Sen. Scott Brown? Evidently, the same supreme confidence that made Brown think he could take on Martha Coakley. Ever […]
Posted inHealth Care, Politics, State House News Service, The Download
The Download: Patrick as political analyst
Gov. Deval Patrick spent the weekend in Washington, DC, raising his national profile, raising cash, and getting some practice in the role of campaign surrogate for President Obama. The trip […]
Posted inEnvironment, Politics, The Download, Transportation
The Download: Rank this
If this has been the winter of our discontent, we are now entering the slush season of high anxiety for high school seniors, who will soon learn which colleges have […]
Posted inEducation, Environment, The Download
The Download: On Wisconsin
It was more of a shouting match than a vote, but the Republican-controlled Assembly in Wisconsin early this morning approved legislation cutting the collecting bargaining rights of public sector workers […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
The Download: No defense
President Obama has turned the favored sports axiom on its ear by showing the best offense is not a good defense but actually no defense. In ordering his Justice Department […]
Posted inHealth Care, Politics, The Download
The Download: The sprawling health care story
Now that nearly everyone in Massachusetts has health insurance, Gov. Deval Patrick is filing legislation to rein in its cost. It’s one of those big, complicated policy stories that few […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics, The Download, Transportation
The Download: Mass. rail projects to cash in again?
Florida Gov. Rick Scott decided on Wednesday that he couldn’t be bothered to use the $2.4 billion in federal high-speed rail stimulus funds to build a link from Orlando to […]
Posted inHealth Care, Politics, The Download, Transportation
The Download: IOU health care
There is no end to the constant drumbeat of health care as a public policy issue and a private dilemma. Yesterday, the well-respected Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation released a first-of-its-kind report […]
Posted inEconomy, The Download
The Download: Presidential campaign idol
The just-concluded Conservative Political Action Conference marks the unofficial start of the presidential campaign season, and the months ahead will be full of fundraising, speechifying and quiet outreach. That’s the […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
The Download: Deval’s road map
increased crime in the region, says a Cape Cod Times editorial.
Posted inHealth Care, Politics, The Download, Transportation
The Download: Tier drops
Today’s Boston Globe and WBUR’s Martha Bebinger report on cost-conscious employers queuing up to purchase health plans that have tiered or limited networks that require subscribers to seek care from […]
Posted inEnvironment, Politics, State House News Service, The Download
The Download: Redistricting – there’s an app for that
Why is meeting with members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation the first order of business for Beacon Hill’s point men on redistricting, Rep. Michael Moran and Sen. Stanley Rosenberg? Massachusetts Republican Party […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download, Transportation
The Download: Green Line delays
Right-wing budget hawks in Congress could hold the planned Green Line extension hostage. That’s the terrifying vision state transportation secretary Jeff Mullan raised yesterday. Amid a day filled with talk […]
Posted inEconomy, State House News Service, The Download
The Download: Cash for credits
The US Tax Court is making it easier to turn tax credits into cash. Travis Blais, a Mintz Levin tax attorney, issued an alert about a recent decision that he […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Politics, The Download
The Download: The politics of snow removal
With four major storms under the region’s collective belt and area snowfall totals poised to break the Shaq-o-meter, state lawmakers and municipal officials are bringing increased attention to snow removal […]
