THE SO-CALLED UNION LOOPHOLE is a longstanding social injustice that MassFiscal, and its sister organization the Fiscal Alliance Foundation, are determined to right. On Wednesday, we teamed up with the […]
Elections
Posted inPolitics
New Dem electeds talk race — and racism
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE MASSACHUSETTS DEMOCRATS, who won race after race in Tuesday’s elections, appear to have a some racial tensions within their party. In a televised interview that aired […]
Posted inNews Analysis
Baker shows a Republican can do well in cities
ON HIS WAY to a landslide victory this week, Charlie Baker did something unusual for a Republican these days. He won urban areas, pulling 55 percent in the state’s 20 […]
Posted inPolitics
Going behind the vote totals in legislative races
A correction has been made to this story. THE OVERALL OUTCOME of Tuesday’s legislative races wasn’t all that dramatic – Democrats, who already dominate on Beacon Hill, picked up three […]
Posted inPolitics
Dems pick up three seats on Beacon Hill
This story was updated at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday and the numbers stating the makeup of the House were corrected. REPUBLICAN GOV. CHARLIE BAKER won a landslide reelection victory on Tuesday, […]
Posted inPolitics
CommonWealth’s election cram sheet
IF YOU’RE TRYING to cram for Tuesday’s election, check out CommonWealth’s election coverage — both news stories and opinion pieces — to get a handle on the issues. GOVERNOR’S RACE Charlie […]
Posted inOpinion
Union ‘loophole’ isn’t a very big one
MASSACHUSETTS IS ONE of seven states to permit labor union political giving while entirely barring corporate contributions – both those from corporate treasuries and from associated political action committees (PACs). […]
Posted inHealth Care
Researchers at odds on agency’s nurse staffing report
THE HEALTH POLICY COMMISSION’S REPORT early last month on the potential effects of Question 1 was portrayed as an independent, objective analysis, but many of the researchers whose work was […]
Posted inPolitics
Democrats seek to increase dominance in Legislature
DEMOCRATS, who already dominate the state Legislature, have a good chance of picking up more seats on Tuesday. The numbers are in their favor. Of the 200 seats in the […]
Posted inOpinion
This election could see a millennial wave
THE POLITICAL SPIN CYCLE moves at exponential speeds these days. Where once Republicans were unenthusiastic, now they are supposedly ready to charge to the polls. And millennials, chronically disinterested in […]
Posted inPolitics
Globe and Herald throw endorsement curves
YES, IT’S A FAIR QUESTION to ask how much influence newspaper endorsements have in an era of declining circulation — or to wonder how much sway they have ever had […]
Posted inPolitics
GOP’s Sen. Ross refuses to debate his opponent
IT’S A SCRIPT nearly every challenger in an election follows: Throw the gauntlet down for the incumbent to agree to a series of debates and then try to hold their […]
Posted inPolitics
Actress: Yes on Q3 would send message to nation
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE AS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT weighs changes to legal definitions around sex and gender, a vote to uphold a Massachusetts law aimed at protecting transgender people from […]
Posted inOpinion
Why we’re voting no on Question 1
SHOULD MASSACHUSETTS establish mandated nurse-to-patient ratios in law for all the state’s acute care hospitals? This 25-year-old conflict between the Massachusetts Nurses Association and Massachusetts Hospital Association will be determined […]
Posted inOpinion
Here’s why more nurses don’t mean better care
IS A VOTE FOR QUESTION 1, which sets mandatory nurse-to-patient ratios, a vote for safer care in hospitals? At first blush, it might appear so. How can it be otherwise […]
Posted inHealth Care
On nurse ballot measure, Dems line up with labor
THE NOVEMBER BALLOT QUESTION that would mandate minimum nurse staffing levels at Massachusetts hospitals is a complicated issue. Health care experts offered views that were sharply at odds with each […]
Posted inPolitics
Bellotti going strong at 95
FRANK BELLOTTI IS 95, the kind of 95 you’d want to be if you live to be 95. Trim, tan, sharp of mind (but perhaps slower of gait), Bellotti joined […]
Posted inPolitics
MA Fiscal sues to block ad disclosures
THE CONSERVATIVE MASSACHUSETTS FISCAL ALLIANCE is suing to block enforcement of a state law requiring the organization to attach a list of its top five donors and a statement of […]
Posted inPolitics
Gonzalez: Records destruction bid suggests cover-up
DEMOCRATIC GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE Jay Gonzalez on Wednesday accused the State Police of attempting to cover up corruption within the agency by destroying payroll and attendance records and urged the inspector […]
Posted inOpinion
Question 1 bad for care, nursing education
IMPROVING PATIENT CARE and supporting healthcare workers should always be the top priorities when making changes to today’s health care system. I am a nurse and educator with 40 years […]
Posted inTransportation
Long wait for Red, Orange Line improvements
THE MBTA’S OVERSIGHT BOARD on Monday awarded the final major contract needed to complete an  overhaul of the Red and Orange Lines, but the milestone agreement was another reminder of […]
Posted inOpinion
Strapped to the status quo express
MASSACHUSETTS HAS A PROBLEM talking candidly about its transportation revenue needs. This is not a new problem. We have been in its grip for decades, and the result has been […]
Posted inOpinion
MA ruling on corporate donations is a missed opportunity
THE RECENT DECISION by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court regarding corporate campaign contributions was a missed opportunity by the state’s highest court to eliminate the country’s most unfair campaign finance law. Instead […]
Posted inPolitics
Caccaviello to mount write-in campaign
THE INCUMBENT DISTRICT ATTORNEY in Berkshire County, who came in second in the three-person Democratic primary, says he is not giving up and plans to run for the office as […]