On the eve of the sales tax hike and with the current Governor's ratings spiraling downward, Charlie Baker confidently stepped onto the state stage when he signed papers yesterday at the Office of Campaign and Political Finance in Boston. Why can I not stop smiling? Is it because I see a viable future, a path being made clear and a leader who will rally the Republican Party in Massachusetts? Is it because I see reasonableness and monetary sensibility being renewed? Is it because I see common sense and good government returning to our Commonwealth? Or is it because I see the possible revitalization of social moderation coupled with fiscal conservatism? I dare say it's all of the above.

Don't just take my word, however. Read what John Walsh, Chairman of the Democratic State Committee, said about Charlie Baker. Although he continues with criticism, Walsh is quoted in yesterday's T & G as saying, "'He's tall and blonde and handsome and articulate and smart, and all those things..'" (p.A4) Need I say more?

Watch Charlie Baker tonight at 7:00 on "Greater Boston" with Emily Rooney, channel 2, WGBH and be sure to visit his new website at http://www.charliebaker2010.com/


Telegram & Gazette, Thursday, July 30, 2009, "Baker begins governor's race not tied to national GOP" by John J. Monahan, p.A4
http://www.telegram.com/article/20090730/NEWS/907300688/1052

Telegram & Gazette, Wednesday, July 29, 2009, "Baker launches Web video spot" by John J. Monahan, p.A4
http://www.telegram.com/article/20090729/NEWS/907290380/1052

The Boston Globe, Wednesday, July 29, 2009, "Baker depicts himself as turnaround artist" by Martin Finucane, p.B5
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/07/29/baker_campaign_video_paints_image_of_turnaround_artist/

Boston Sunday Globe, July 26, 2009, "Patrick support plummets, poll finds" by Frank Phillips and Matt Viser, p.A1
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/07/26/globe_poll_shows_patricks_approval_rating_falling/

The Boston Globe, Thursday, July 30, 2009, "For starters, Baker jabs at Patrick" by Matt Viser, p.A1
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/07/30/for_starters_baker_jabs_at_patrick/

Whereas many times I disagree with Derrick Jackson's interpretations of events, I must say that on the arrest of Henry Louis Gates, Jr., he has some very worthwhile and insightful thoughts, ideas that seem to wrap up the situation, at least for me. In his Globe editorial Saturday titled "All right everybody, let's all cool off," Mr. Jackson writes, "While it is a serious cautionary tale that we are not in 'post-racial' America, it does not invoke a 911 call on racism that throws out the baby of generally improving race relations with the shampoo of this bad hair day." 7/25/09, p.A13

Front page of the same edition of The Boston Globe pointed out how police officers have to operate within an air of suspicion, lest things go bad, something I had not considered before posting blog entry and comments of 7/23/09. Since then it has come out that Officer Crowley is "exemplary," in his field, Barack Obama's word for him. Following the President's lead, I apologize for assuming Professor Gates had fallen victim to racial profiling. I, along with President Obama, who is humbly acting as National Conciliator, evidently spoke too soon. Derrick Jackson writes, "Regarding Cambridge police, I think I have a pretty good idea of what constitutes a rogue cop, having once covered police brutality in New York City. Cambridge is not a corrupted city of rogues and monsters." 7/25/09, p.A13

The links below connect to yet another slate of articles on the case. Lest you are tempted to tire of the subject, I say re-think that idea, as while race relations have dramatically improved within the past ten years, much work remains to be done. Americans need to continue to discuss the issue, as open and thorough conversation is one avenue that could potentially offer a course to that elusive, sought-after "post-racial" society all of us dearly long for. Ending with Mr. Jackson's sage advice, "Now, after nearly a week of incendiary charges back and forth, it is time for this scholar on race and the cop who teaches on racial profiling to show how smart they truly are. Perhaps the next PBS special produced by Gates should be of him and Crowley discussing how it all went wrong. That might help the rest of us get it all right."


Telegram & Gazette, Saturday, July 25, 2009, "Obama playing racial peacemaker" by Nancy Benac, p.A1
http://www.telegram.com/article/20090725/NEWS/907250534/1116

The Boston Globe, Saturday, July 25, 2009, "Obama moves to quell Gates furor" by Jonathan Saltzman and Brian MacQuarrie, p.A1
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/07/25/obama_moves_to_quell_gates_furor/

The Boston Globe, Saturday, July 25, 2009, "All right, everybody, let's all cool off" by Derrick Z. Jackson, Opinion page A13
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/07/25/all_right_everybody_lets_cool_off/


Boston Sunday Globe, July 26, 2009, "No surprise in Cambridge" editorial, p.C8, Ideas section
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2009/07/26/no_surprise_in_cambridge/


Boston Sunday Globe, July 26, 2009, "Gates case strikes nerve, stirs racial debate" by Peter Schworm and Jazmine Ulloa, Metro Section, p.B1
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/07/26/gatess_arrest_stirs_discussion_of_race_and_class/


The Boston Globe, Saturday, July 26, 2009, "In risky field, suspicion is key tool, officers say" by Maria Cramer, p.A1
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/07/25/in_risky_field_suspicion_is_key_tool_officers_say/


Telegram & Gazette, Sunday, July 26, 2009, "Officer, prof confrontation is a guy thing" by Dianne Williamson, Local & Regional news, p.B1
http://www.telegram.com/article/20090726/COLUMN01/907260445

They Looked Suspicious . . . Why???

On the arrest of distinguished professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., there are many angles to view this telling incident, as evidenced by the myriad of links below. For one minute, consider this case from the perspective of the caller. If my front door was jammed, as many times happens, and my daughter and I (both of us white with blond hair) were taking a few moments to push it open, no one would phone the police. Non-incident. No second glances. Non- starter. Nothing.

Some people muse that perhaps we've reached a "post-racial society". Sisters and Brothers, to get to that plane, we have "miles to go before [we] sleep," as Robert Frost writes in his "Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening" poem. President Obama was joking, but correct in my view, when he said last night at his press conference, that if the front door to the White House was stuck and he stood there, shouldering it open, "'Here, I'd get shot.'" (Boston Globe, 7/23/09, p.A12)


Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening

~by Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

We have "promises to keep," Folks.

Choose an article. Each one has a different take. Then again, you might prefer to dwell on Robert Frost's poem instead.

The Boston Globe, Thursday, July 23, 2009, "Obama scolds Cambridge police" by Joseph Williams, p.A1
http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2009/07/22/obama_says_police_acted_stupidly_in_arrest/

The Boston Globe, Thursday, July 23, 2009, "Professor is down-to-earth, friends say" by Tracy Jan, p.A12
http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2009/07/23/friends_say_skip_gates_rides_no_high_horse/

The Boston Globe, Thursday, July 23, 2009, "Machismo and the Gates incident" by Joan Vennochi, Opinion Page A17
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/07/23/machismo_and_the_gates_incident/

The Boston Globe, Thursday, July 23, 2009, "Officer at eye of storm says he won't apologize" by Jonathan Saltzman, John R. Ellement and Erica Noonan, p.A1
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/07/23/officer_at_eye_of_storm_says_he_wont_apologize/

The Boston Globe, Thursday, July 23, 2009, "Gates's neighbor captured the moment" by Jack Nicas, p.A13
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/07/23/birth_of_a_flashpoint_gatess_neighbor_captured_the_moment/

The Boston Globe, Wednesday, July 22, 2009, "No charge, but Gates case seethes" by Tracy Jan, p.A1
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/07/22/no_charge_but_gates_case_seethes/

The Boston Globe, Wednesday, July 22, 2009, "Racial profiling is alive and well" by Carol Rose, Opinion pageA11
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/07/22/racial_profiling_is_alive_and_well/

The Boston Globe, Wednesday, July 22, 2009, "The unfinished work of equality" by Georgianna Melendez and Robert L. Turner, Opinion page A11
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/07/22/the_unfinished_work_of_equality/

The Boston Globe, Wednesday, July 22, 2009, "A Professor's arrest" editorial, p.A10
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2009/07/22/a_professors_arrest/

The Poetry of Robert Frost, edited by Edward Connery Lathem, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, New York, 1969, "Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening" pp. 224-225

I'll Take a Pair of Hot Pink Stilettos With A Cloth Bow Around The Heel, If You Please

On page A3 of yesterday's edition, the Telegram & Gazette published a picture of a group of pretty ladies running in stilettos down a street in Tel Aviv. According to the AP, this was actually a promotion for "gel cushions" that were embedded in the shoes, proving they make any type of shoe so comfortable, you can run in them, even stilettos.

On page B7 of the same T & G publication was a picture of Timothy Geitner who is making a pitch for US "treasury bills, notes and bonds." Martin Crutsinger, also of the Associated Press, writes, "They hold nearly half of the government's roughly $7 trillion in publicly traded debt." Secretary Geithner is on the road trying to convince people in China, Saudi Arabia and Europe to continue purchasing these commodities by assuring them the dollar is strong and that the current administration's plans to reduce the deficit will work.

Both Timothy Geithner and the women in stilettos are pushing a product. I wish I could have located an online picture of the 50 meter stiletto dash because these women were racing and marketing with joy, made particularly obvious by the one with the biggest smile who was running on a completely rolled over left ankle!

Mr. Geither may be having more difficulty convincing his audience than the cushion sales ladies. Couple public perception with this fact released by the Congressional Budget Office. Based on the budgetary actions set in motion by President Barack Obama, the federal deficit will not be able to be reduced to any less than $633 billion over the next ten years!

According to Martin Crutsinger, "When Geithner told a packed auditorium at Peking University that Chinese investments in the U.S. were safe, his comment was greeted by laughter. The students appeared to be laughing more at the quickness with which Geithner had responded to a question, not at what he said. Still, the reaction did highlight underlying skepticism."

Comparing the two advertising campaigns, it appears the stiletto racers in Tel Aviv have a much easier, more enjoyable and more believable sell. I wonder if they got to keep the shoes?

To see my choice of stiletto, click on the link below.
Shoes for her.com
http://www.sg1dev.com/shoesforher/wsau.asp

Telegram and Gazette, Monday, July 20, 2009, "US Treasury bills are becoming a hard sell" by Martin Crutsinger of the Associated Press, Money section, p.B7
http://www.telegram.com/article/20090720/NEWS/907200336/1002

Telegram and Gazette, Monday, July 20, 2009, Associated Press picture "Cushy Soles?" p.A3

Yesterday's Globe told about a ceremony that took place in Veterans' Hall at the State House this past Wednesday. According to Matt Collette, author of the article, former marines Kenneth Isaksen and Dominick King are implementing an idea of theirs to establish a sort of "clearinghouse" for returning troops who are in the process of sorting their way through government benefits. OIF/OEF (Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom) Veterans of Massachusetts, will open an office on the 5th floor at the State House and in addition, a memorial will be placed in honor of those who have given their lives.

Considering the tremendous amount of wasteful spending running amuck these days, this is something truly worth funding. Protecting and helping returning soldiers is what we should be doing, especially considering the sacrifices they are making for us and for our country.

The Boston Globe, Thursday, July 16, 2009, "Memorial honors veterans who have died since 9/11" by Matt Collette, Metro section, B4
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/07/16/memorial_honors_veterans_who_have_died_since_911/

Are you beginning to get the idea that whatever or whoever Charlie Baker advocates for, that individual, town, company or state will prevail? That doesn't mean getting everything on a wish list, but being much better off as a result of the association. Since Mr. Baker declared one week ago, The Boston Globe has interviewed a number of Swampscott residents on their thoughts and feelings about him as selectman. The gist of the Globe's research was quite positive, as expressed by the subtitle, "Many in Swampscott recall his budget savvy, ability to listen". (Steven Rosenberg, 7/14/09, p. B1)

In his article, Steven. Rosenberg writes about how, during his tenure as selectman (2004 - 2007), Charlie Baker worked and was successful in helping Swampscott build a new high school. Mr. Rosenberg quotes Arthur Goldberg, then school committee member. "'He was very influential in getting us before the School Building Assistance Bureau. Swampscott was one of the last schools to be considered. He opened the door so that the ducks could march through the gate.'" (p.B4) David Driscoll, who was Education Commissioner for the Department of Education at the time, recalls his experience with Mr. Baker on that issue. "He was advocating for it. He was very knowledgeable and proactive. He was really working hard to get it. 'I said 'You've got to have your ducks in a row.' and I think Charlie understood that and got them in a row.'" (p.B4)


Read about Charlie Baker, as viewed through the lens of a sampling of citizens from his home town.

The Boston Globe, Tuesday, July 14, 2009, "Baker left his mark as a selectman" by Steven Rosenberg, Metro section, p.B1
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/07/14/in_swampscott_baker_is_recalled_as_a_savvy_selectman/

"I Feel It In Me Bones" ~ anonymous sailor

An air of "intellectual conservatism" is on the verge of wafting through Massachusetts. Since Charlie Baker announced on Wednesday, story after story about him, his role at Harvard Pilgrim and the race for governor has been published in the Boston Globe . Cap the week off with the lead piece on the first page of The Sunday Globe's Ideas section about conservatism by Drake Bennett and there could have something new stirring in the state, call it thoughtful republicanism perhaps.

The author writes that "Some of the most prominent voices in the broader conservative coalition have begun to worry that the movement is suffering from a problem it hasn't had for generations: intellectual fatigue. In op-eds and articles and blog posts and speeches, these thinkers worry that last fall's electoral defeats signaled that conservatives are no longer articulating persuasive modern ideas that translate into compelling politics. " (Bennett, p.C1) Mr. Bennett highlights four "thinkers"and their ideas, Luigi Zingales, W. Bradford Wilcox, Megan McArdle and Reihan Salam.

Although I do not agree with everything said, I find the fact that conservative ideas are beginning to be bantered about and taken seriously as refreshing as a summer breeze.

Boston Sunday Globe, July 12, 2009, Ideas section, "The next conservative thinkers" by Drake Bennett, p.C1
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2009/07/12/the_next_conservative_thinkers/?page=1

The Coverage Continues

Two more. Page 1 of the Metro section in the Globe and front page of the Telegram & Gazette feature stories about Charlie Baker, albeit the T & G focus is on State Representative Karyn Polito as a possible candidate for lieutenant governor.

Today's Globe ends with this quotation by Herbert E. Pope, an 87 year-old Republican from Braintree, who up until this week, was unfamiliar with Charlie Baker. "'I figure that if he has given that up, a great job and the security, he feels strongly about the policy of conservatism and the state. I don't need to know anything more about him. That's my man.'" (p.B11)

The Boston Globe, Saturday, July 11, 2009, "Charlie who?" by Nandini Jayakrishna & Jasmine Ulloa, Metro section, p.B1
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/07/11/most_voters_dont_know_much_about_charlie_baker/


Telegram & Gazette, Saturday, July 11, 2009, "Polito open to invitation" by Elaine Thompson, T & G staff, p.A1
http://www.telegram.com/article/20090711/NEWS/907110333/1116

Day 3 and he still makes the front page -- below the fold today, but nevertheless, front page news. Add to that two editorials; one titled, "The race is on". (p.A19) The Boston Globe is declaring that with Charlie Baker's announcement Wednesday the contest of who will be the next governor of Massachusetts has begun. That speaks to how qualified he is for the job and of course, how serious a candidate he is. Sure, The Globe also mentions Cahill and Mihos, and even Patrick, but the overall impression given is that Charlie Baker's declaration in those two small words, "I'm in," is so significant, that he has officially kicked off the 2010 gubernatorial campaign.

The Boston Globe, Friday, July 10, 2009, "Is Baker ready for tough choices?" by Scot Lehigh, p. A19
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/07/10/is_baker_ready_for_tough_choices/

The Boston Globe, Friday, July 10, 2009, "Baker bid for governor rallies struggling GOP" by Matt Viser, p.A1
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/07/10/baker_bid_for_governor_rallies_struggling_republican_party/

The Boston Globe, Friday, July 10, 2009, "The race is on" editorial, p.A18
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2009/07/10/the_race_is_on/

"a policy wonk with charisma" ~The Boston Globe on Charlie Baker

"'I'm in.'" Charlie Baker is quoted in today's Boston Globe, front page, above the fold! Glancing at the list of links below, it is evident that Mr. Baker's decision is big news and that is great news for the Republican Party and Massachusetts.

Former Governor William Weld speaks about Charlie Baker in the Globe's headline article which continues to page 10. "'I consider myself a Baker Republican. When I was in office, I would turn to him in private after virtually every meeting and say, 'What do you think we should do?' I don't recall he and I ever disagreeing. He knows more about government than I do or ever did.'"

Read about Charlie Baker and the tremendous sacrifice he is making for our common wealth. It'll make your heart sing!

The Boston Globe, Thursday, July 9, 2009, "GOP's Baker leaps into race against Patrick" by Andrea Estes and Matt Viser, p.A1 [above the fold!]
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/07/09/gop8217s_baker_leaps_into_race_against_patrick/

The Boston Globe, Thursday, July 9, 2009, "Candidate tempers achievements with down-to-earth style, goals" by Eric Moskowitz, p.A10
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/07/09/baker_tempers_dazzling_achievements_with_down_to_earth_goals/

The Boston Globe, Thursday, July 9, 2009, "The challenges for challenger Charlie Baker" by Joan Vennochi, p.A14
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/07/09/the_challenges_for_challenger_charlie_baker/

The Boston Globe, Thursday, July 9, 2009, "Politicians ready to party like it's 1990" by Matt Viser and Andrea Estes, p.B1 [above the fold!]
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/07/09/politicians_ready_to_party_like_its_1990/

The Boston Globe, Thursday, July 9, 2009, "Smooth turnover vowed at insurer" by Robert Weisman, p.B7
http://www.boston.com/yourtown/wellesley/articles/2009/07/09/choice_of_bullen_eases_transition_at_harvard_pilgrim/

It's positively patriotic -- and economic!

Never did I expect to write about something so far afield as China on the 3rd of July. George Washington at Trenton would have been a suitable topic, I thought, or perhaps Thomas Jefferson and his Declaration of Independence, in other words, something patriotic. However, after reading David Brooks' New York Times article published yesterday, I have come to realize that the relationship the United States has with China is vital to the future of our country and that considering the working out of that affiliation is indeed patriotic. In his article, David Brooks states that he recently attended the Aspen Ideas Festival where two views about the U.S./China association were propounded. Harvard's Niall Ferguson cautions China could become a potential adversary, whereas James Fallows, writer from The Atlantic, suggests an "integrated" connection between the two countries might develop.

Based on James Fallows' talk, Mr. Brooks points out some enlightening economics. "China did the making, and the United States did the buying. China did the saving, while the U.S. did the spending. Between 1995 and 2005, the U.S. savings rate declined from about 5 percent to zero, while the Chinese savings rate rose from 30 percent to nearly 45 percent." Now that flow has changed and Chinese officials are aware. So how will the U.S. and China work out this erstwhile lopsided arrangement?

What is most interesting is that both Fallows and Ferguson recommend the same course of action, that is, get money owed in control. David Brooks wraps up. "This conversation, like many conversations these days, gets back to America’s debt. Until the U.S. gets its fiscal house in order, relations with countries like China will be fundamentally insecure."


New York Times, July 2, 2009, "Chinese Fireworks Display" by David Brooks
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/03/opinion/03brooks.html?_r=1&ref=opinion

"...one drop of giant rain" ~Emily Dickinson

Written in the nineteenth century, Emily Dickinson's poem seems to be describing today, or perhaps the month of June? Please, not July. Please.


Complete Poems

by Emily Dickinson

Part Two: Nature

XXXVII

THE WIND begun to rock the grass
With threatening tunes and low,—
He flung a menace at the earth,
A menace at the sky.

The leaves unhooked themselves from trees
And started all abroad;
The dust did scoop itself like hands
And throw away the road.

The wagons quickened on the streets,
The thunder hurried slow;
The lightning showed a yellow beak,
And then a livid claw.

The birds put up the bars to nests,
The cattle fled to barns;
There came one drop of giant rain,
And then, as if the hands

That held the dams had parted hold,
The waters wrecked the sky,
But overlooked my father’s house,
Just quartering a tree.


Emily Dickinson's Complete Poems, Part Two: Nature, #37, found on Bartleby.com
http://www.bartleby.com/113/2037.html

"Tax-heavy and Reform-light" ~ Lew Evangelidis

State Representative Lew Evangelidis wrote an article published in today's Telegram & Gazette in the "The People's Forum" where he explains why he voted against next year's state budget. He offers so much common sense I wonder why the rest of the Legislature can't see things that way. Why do they raise taxes when cutting expenses is the more reasonable, logical and prudent course, and as Rep. Evangelidis states, would come at a most opportune time?

Representative Lew Evangelidis is articulate and right on target in his article, "A chance to return to values".


AS I SEE IT

By Lewis G. Evangelidis


A recession is a terrible thing to waste. With this economic downturn comes a tremendous opportunity for our state government to transform itself and return to the core principles of what state government is supposed to be. To me those core values are to educate our students, provide public safety, and help those who cannot help themselves, such as the disabled and the elderly. This can be done for far less than our current $27.4 billion budget.

Over the past few decades our state government has become more and more about taking care of the special interest groups that take care of Beacon Hill. The state has become a wholly owned subsidiary of those special interest groups. It is clear that we have reached the point that our budget is unaffordable and unsustainable in the long run. For years the private sector has been cutting back on employee salaries, vacation time, health benefits and pensions. At a time when layoffs in the private sector have been occurring by the hundreds of thousands, an effort on Beacon Hill to eliminate Evacuation Day and Bunker Hill Day holidays for state employees failed to pass the Legislature.

I fear that the commonwealth is on its way to becoming another California: a state mired in bankruptcy.

Gov. Deval Patrick inherited a budget surplus exceeding $3 billion when he was elected in 2006. As a percentage of our annual budget, this was the largest surplus in the nation. After expanding dozens of programs, hiring thousands of new state employees and addressing the economic downturn, our rainy-day fund is virtually gone. The rainy-day fund would be completely gone except that we immediately spent our federal stimulus money, more of which should have been saved for FY11 and FY12.

On June 19, I voted against the state's 2010 budget. This budget is far too tax-heavy and reform-light. In response to our current economic situation, our state has once again resorted to massive tax hikes on the people of Massachusetts. These regressive tax hikes will hit the pocket of every working family and business trying to make ends meet. A sales tax increase of 25 percent will cost each working family $400 per year. Alcohol will now be subject to a 6.25 percent tax on top of already existing taxes paid by the store. Taxes on hotels, meals and satellite TV are also going up.

The worst time to raise taxes is during a recession. These new taxes will lead to further job losses through increased Internet sales and purchases in neighboring states, which undeniably hurts our border communities. History has shown us, as in last year's cigarette tax increase, that the revenues generated will be far less than projected. Unfortunately, the damage has been done and it will be permanent.

Some reform has taken place but much more needs to be done. We have the most expansive and expensive health care benefits system in America. When this legislation passed in 2005, we were told that uninsured emergency room visits would drop significantly and in the long run this reform would be cost neutral. This has not been the case, and we can no longer afford the hundreds of millions of dollars from our state budget to support this unaffordable program that clearly needs to be reined in. The Pacheco Law has single-handedly handcuffed every town in Massachusetts by forcing them to pay inflated costs for nearly every public project while making savings through privatization nearly impossible. While the Legislature has enacted some pension reform, most of which only applies to future hires, it is obvious that we can no longer afford 80 percent tax-free pensions for retiring state employees. We must consider other options such as individual retirement accounts and 401(k) accounts for our state employees. Additionally, the Legislature must remove all barriers that restrict municipalities and school districts from joining the state's Group Insurance Commission, which provides excellent health insurance while at the same time providing significant cost savings. Finally, it is time for us to impose a state freeze on wages and hiring until this fiscal crisis passes.

Nearly all of us on Beacon Hill have issued warnings that this budget crisis is likely to last for many more years. If we don't enact real reform now, we never will. It is essential that we do not miss the opportunities that are presented because a recession is a terrible thing to waste.


Telegram & Gazette, Wednesday, July 1, 2009, "A chance to return to values" by Lewis G. Evangelidis, p. A6.