Fall 2002

Fall 2002

Dispelling the myths about Shays Rebellion

Dispelling the myths about Shays Rebellion

Shays’s Rebellion: The American Revolution’s Final BattleBy Leonard R. RichardsUniversity of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia, 216 pages. Residents of western Massachusetts find it difficult to avoid regular encounters with the legacy of Daniel Shays. When I drive my youngest son to school, we cut diagonally across South Amherst on Shays Street. When I take visitors on(...)

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The conventional wisdom about Bostons image

Who stands for Massachusetts–Frasier or Spenser? Visions of conventioneers–and not Shriners in fezzes–are dancing in Boston heads. Mayor Thomas Menino wants to host the Democratic Party’s national convention in 2004, and he’s put together an impressively united front of civic and business leaders to make the city’s case. His argument is simple and compelling: With(...)

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Counterpoint

Contrary to Sam Tyler’s opinion, institutions that offer advanced educational degrees that qualify police personnel for salary upgrades have not stood still for the 30-plus years the Quinn Bill has been in place. Much like police-recruit training, these college programs no longer focus strictly on criminal justice subjects. They cover a much broader base, including(...)

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Contested legislative races

When they go to the polls this November, two-thirds of Massachusetts voters will see only one candidate for state representative on the ballot. Only South Carolina has less competition for seats in the lower legislativebody, the one designed to be closest to the people. Massachusetts also stands out in potential for a par-tisan reversal of(...)

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Argument

The theory sounds good: Better-educated police officers make for better policing, and that’s something worth paying for. But what if there are no standards to ensure that the quality of instruction delivered to police officers and the level of academic performance demanded of them are sufficient to deliver public benefits anywhere near equivalent to the(...)

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The CALL doesnt stop at job placement

The CALL doesnt stop at job placement

For many years, Jewish Vocational Service of Greater Boston was a small agency that helped Jewish immigrants find jobs. The organization was founded in 1938 to accommodate the influx of Jewish refugees from Eastern Europe. In 1981, it had about 10 employees and a budget of roughly $200,000. That was the year the agency hired(...)

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