Down but not out

By Robert Keough and Michael Jonas Growth and Development, Municipal Government 0 Comments Jan 1, 2004

SPRINGFIELD, THE STATE’S third largest city and the metropolitan anchor of western Massachusetts, is in the soup. To say it is on the brink of disaster might be going too far. But to say it is a struggling third-tier city facing the same challenges as many urban centers across the state, while true, would not(...)

Uncategorized

Boston tries to keep a token presence in the magazine publishing industry

By Jeffrey Klineman 0 Comments Jan 1, 2004

Jeremy Brosowsky, age 28 but already a publishing success, thought he had the formula. His Washington Business Forward was 18 months old and going strong. He could imagine Business Forward magazines in two dozen markets, including fast-growing cities like Atlanta and San Antonio. Why not Boston, for a start? Before long, Brosowsky had a downtown(...)

Criminal Justice

Its time for Romney to reform the correctional system

By Robert Keough 0 Comments Jan 1, 2004

Pledging themselves to the cause of reform, Gov. Mitt Romney and his team have taken on a number of shibboleths in state government during their first year in office. From UMass to the courts, the Romney administration has raised legitimate questions about the way state government organizes and delivers vital services to citizens of the(...)

Politics

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(...)


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