School-kids steamroll pols on Beacon Hill

By James V. Horrigan State Government 0 Comments Jan 1, 2004

Do you think we need an official state color? If certain Bay State schoolkids named Amber, Ashley, Brittany, and Brianna have their way, it won’t be long before we have three! Rep. Brian Knuuttila of Gardner has filed legislation to make blue, green, and cranberry the “official colors of the Commonwealth.” He did it on(...)

Politics

Robert Putnams stories of hope for civic life in America

By Kevin Peterson 0 Comments Jan 1, 2004

Better Together: Restoring the American CommunityBy Robert D. Putnam and Lewis M. Feldstein, with Don CohenSimon & Schuster, New York, 318 pages. In 2000, Robert Putnam’s book Bowling Alone documented his claim that America is in free fall as far as civic life is concerned. With cool and scholarly detachment, trenchant analysis, and voluminous data,(...)

Economy/ Health Care/ Politics/ Opinion

Rising medical costs could upend state government

By Eric Kriss State Government, Taxes and Budget Issues 0 Comments Jan 1, 2004

Read responses to this article When we speak of balance in government, the typical reference is either to the intricate separation of powers inherent in our constitutional democracy, or to the fiscal requirement of a balanced budget. Questions of balance, then, are usually left to the political scientist or fiscal officer, and are of secondary(...)

Arts and Culture/ Uncategorized

An unsentimental look at teen parents in Pittsfield

By Bill Everhart Urban Affairs 0 Comments Jan 1, 2004

Growing Up FastBy Joanna LipperPicador, New York, 432 pages. The Berkshires, or “America’s premier cultural resort,” as the region is referred to by the local Chamber of Commerce, is also the home of wrenching poverty–much of it in Pittsfield, the bleak industrial city just a few miles away from the cultural tourism hubs of Lenox(...)

Uncategorized

Letters

By CommonWealth Staff 0 Comments Jan 1, 2004

I have read the Conversation with bankruptcy expert Elizabeth Warren in the recent issue of CommonWealth magazine (“Doubling Down,” Fall 2003). In short, let me say it was fantastic. It sent a message that should be read by every family or individual, whether they are just starting their financial life or are somewhat down the(...)

Economy

Massachusetts comes around to supporting an Internet sales tax

By Shawn Zeller Taxes and Budget Issues 0 Comments Jan 1, 2004

A pair of boots from L.L. Bean. The latest bestseller from Amazon.com. A diamond engagement ring from Blue Nile. Every day, more and more consumers are buying items like these over the Internet. According to the most recent estimates, nearly 100 million Americans bought something using the Internet in 2003, with about 7 million buying(...)

Economy/ Health Care

Economist David Cutler says increased life expectancy comes at a price and we havent figured out how many more years we want to pay for

By Robert Keough 0 Comments Jan 1, 2004

Harvard economist David M. Cutler’s new book, his first, has a catchy, if somewhat threatening, title: Your Money or Your Life. The subtitle promises “strong medicine for America’s health care system,” and the book delivers on that promise in a number of ways. But the real dose of castor oil Cutler dispenses is for the(...)

Politics

North Andover says the state is nothing but a tax deadbeat

By Victoria Groves Municipal Government 0 Comments Jan 1, 2004

NORTH ANDOVER–With the help of some thoughtful planning, the town of North Andover has been able to enjoy economic development without losing its historic character. About 27,000 residents coexist with such employers as Merrimack College and the Lawrence Municipal Airport. But in one sense, North Andover is among the Commonwealth’s biggest losers, and town leaders(...)

Politics

Let towns have more power and regional planning may follow

By Gerald E. Frug, Rick T. Su and David J. Barron Municipal Government 0 Comments Jan 1, 2004

In Massachusetts, the birthplace of town meeting, no civic value is more sacred than the idea of home rule. By the term “home rule,” people generally mean the right of every locality to control its own destiny. This appeal to local sovereignty is so strong that it is regularly invoked as the reason that solutions(...)

Uncategorized

Where the odds favor single men, the Bay States mysterious budget a looming shortage of dentists, homeowners who stay put, a business-climate report card, whos buckling up

By Robert David Sullivan Demographics 0 Comments Jan 1, 2004

Temptation island? Single women who like the odds to be in their favor might consider moving to Nantucket. According to the Web site ePodunk.com, the island is the only county in New England that has more single men than single women, with 105 available guys for every 100 detached dolls. (Essex County, Vt., comes the(...)

Winter 2004