A downanddirty look at negative campaigning

By Robert David Sullivan 0 Comments Jul 25, 2006

Do democracy and mudslinging go together like ice cream and apple pie? this spring in California, a candidate for a legislative seat attacked his Republican-primary opponent for having had a heart transplant. “Tom Berryhill doesn’t have the heart for State Assembly,” read a flier put out by Bill Conrad. “Can you imagine the costs to(...)

Environment

Beyond Cape Wind

By Ian Bowles 0 Comments Jul 25, 2006

Filling up at the gas station for a weekend on Cape Cod has taken on new significance this summer as prices hover around $3 a gallon. High energy prices have long contributed to the cost of living and doing business in Massachusetts. But now, as the crunch seems to be getting worse, energy could represent(...)

Economy/ Opinion

Scams and job loss make reforming unemployment insurance an imperative

By John OLeary Employment 0 Comments Jul 25, 2006

meet john doe. He earns about $70,000 a year running his own design firm. He’s also been collecting unemployment insurance for 24 years running-and it’s all legal. John Doe is a UI scammer, and he’s not alone. Not by a long shot. The Massachusetts unemployment insurance system was intended to provide temporary income to those(...)

Arts and Culture/ Economy

Anthony Flints This Land takes a whack at suburban sprawl

By Robert Keough Growth and Development 0 Comments Jul 25, 2006

This Land:The Battle over Sprawl and the Future of AmericaBy Anthony FlintBaltimore, Johns Hopkins University Press, 310 pages with gov. mitt Romney a self-declared lame duck, it is by no means too soon to begin discussing his legacy. Among the chattering classes, that topic is already inviting smirks of derision. As Romney engages in the(...)

Uncategorized

Letters

By CommonWealth Staff 0 Comments Jul 25, 2006

I don’t know Christopher Lydon personally, though I know of him pretty well, I think, from my own experiences with editors who thought highly of him and his work and his manner during my years as an editor at The Boston Globe, from 1966 to 2000. I’m not typing to quarrel with Lydon’s central thesis(...)

Health Care

DC think tanks have unpredictable reactions to the Massachusetts health care plan

By Shawn Zeller 0 Comments Jul 25, 2006

when edward kennedy ascended the State House steps in April to praise the Legislature’s passage of a bill that aims to ensure that every Massachusetts resident has health care coverage, the state’s senior senator appeared to be playing to type. Kennedy spoke in grandiose terms, praising Gov. Mitt Romney and State House leaders for setting(...)

Economy

COUNTERPOINT

By Richard C. Lord Employment, Taxes and Budget Issues 0 Comments Jul 25, 2006

support for working families is a worthy cause-one that, as Senate President Travaglini notes, is important to employers. His specific proposals, however, are a mixed bag. Although Associated Industries of Massachusetts does not take positions on personal tax issues except as they affect business competitiveness and the fiscal stability of the Commonwealth, it is certainly(...)

Economy

Devens advances toward independence

By Ray Hainer Growth and Development 0 Comments Jul 25, 2006

devens This former US Army base has turned into limbo for the 250 or so people who now live here. Depending on their address, they vote in Ayer or Harvard, two towns that contributed land for the base in 1917. Because the Devens community is too small to support its own school system, their children(...)

Economy

ARGUMENT

By Robert E Travaglini Taxes and Budget Issues 0 Comments Jul 25, 2006

families form a central pillar of our society. The critical role of the family is a value shared by Republicans and Democrats alike. One of the toughest challenges we face, individually and as a community, is balancing work and family. It’s a tougher challenge than ever for today’s working family. According to data collected by(...)

Economy/ Politics

Statistically Significant

By Robert David Sullivan Ethics and Open Government, Taxes and Budget Issues 0 Comments Jul 25, 2006

Illustrations By Travis Foster hedging on pork futures Notwithstanding our fame as the site of the “Big Pig” tunnel project, the Bay State gets only scraps of pork from the federal government, according to Citizens Against Government Waste. The “taxpayer watchdog” group says that Massachusetts won $18.25 in “pork per capita” in fiscal year 2006,(...)

Summer 2006