Saturday, May 11, 2013
Results from a recent executive survey ranked Massachusetts 47th for business.
A CEO magazine ranks Massachusetts as one of the worst states in the nation for business. Chief Executive Magazine ranked Massachusetts 47th based on a survey of corporate leaders. Survey respondents reported the Bay State is one of the worst for taxation and regulation. The state Republican Party is pointing to the survey and saying that Gov. Deval Patrick and the Democratic-led Legislature are bad for the economy and business. What do you think about Massachusetts’ business climate? Is this a good state in which to do business?
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Should the state forge ahead with Gov. Deval Patrick's bold plan to invest now? Or should it follow the Legislature leadership's proposal to address the bottom line before embarking on bigger initiatives?
Massachusetts legislators this week answered Gov. Deval Patrick's ambitious plan to raise $1.9 billion for transportation and education with a $500 million plan of their own, which says the governor is asking for too much, too soon as the Bay State shakes off the effects of the Great Recession. Who's right? Should the state forge ahead in a bold plan to invest now? Or should it cautiously address the bottom line before embarking on bigger initiatives? While Patrick's plan includes funding for both the state transportation system and increased education funding from preschool through college, House and Senate lawmakers eschew new revenue for education, focusing solely on closing the transportation budget gap over the next five years. The …
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Protesters urged lawmakers not to pass Gov. Patrick's proposed gun control bill.
Taking aim at Democrats, the media and others they say are attacking the Second Amendment, hundreds of gun rights activists gathered on the Boston Common Wednesday afternoon to rally to fight a bill that would tighten gun control. "Every time the government passes new gun control laws it creates a problem," Ying Li, an engineer who participated in the 1989 pro-democracy protests centered on Beijing's Tiananmen Square, told the crowd. The rally was organized by the Gun Owners' Action League and was partly in response to new gun control measures being considered at the State House, including Gov. Deval Patrick's bill to limit firearm purchases to one a month, reduce access to high-powered rounds of ammunition and require background …
Saturday, March 2, 2013
The governor is optimistic but state legislators don't sound so sure. What do you think?
Gov. Deval Patrick is still bullish about his budget proposal, which will raise $1.9 billion in new revenue through an increase in the income tax, decrease in the sales tax, and various other changes to taxes, fees and deductions. But the men and women who have to pass the bill don't sound as eager to support a package many see as a politically damaging measure. The Boston Herald quotes several Beacon Hill legislators who sounded notes of caution and outright opposition to the budget. Those quoted cited the 1990 election losses in the wake of an income tax increase, pressure on small businesses and the higher price of gas as reasons they were skeptical. And the governor's new Web tools touting proposed transportation and education …
Monday, February 25, 2013
Do you wonder what the 'sequester' will mean for Massachusetts? A White House report gives examples of where federal aid would be cut.
Massachusetts would see more than $91 million in federal funds cut from a myriad of programs if Congress fails to act this week to avoid the sequester, the Obama Administration said Sunday. In a move designed to pressure Republicans into accepting new taxes on the wealthy as part of a deal to prevent the sequester from taking effect on Friday, the White House released reports that outlined how those cuts would impact individual states, The Huffington Post reported. Here are some examples of what's on the chopping block for us here in Massachusetts, according to the report: After the reports were released, congressional Republicans criticized the Obama administration for the PR move, The Huffington Post reported. “Rather than issuing …
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Do you agree with the governor's decision or was it too drastic?
All non-emergency drivers were ordered off the roads on Friday when Gov. Deval Patrick issued an executive order banning travel during the blizzard. (Editor's note: The ban is lifted statewide as of 4 p.m. Saturday.) Patrick's executive order is being praised by some and bashed by others, reported The Boston Globe. While former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis, who was in charge of the commonwealth during the Blizzard of ’78, praised the governor’s move, others called the order “tyrannical” and say the strict ban and hefty fines were too much, according to The Globe. Those caught violating the ban would face up to a year in jail and a $500 fine. What do you think? Do you agree with the governor’s decision or do you think the travel ban …
Saturday, January 26, 2013
The town's schools would get $1.6 million more in Chapter 70 school aid in Gov. Patrick's proposal.
Gov. Deval Patrick's Fiscal 2014 budget has some very good news for the Watertown Public Schools with school aid going up more than $1.6 million from last year. Chapter 70 school aid would increase greatly under the budget released by Gov. Patrick this week. During a visit to Watertown's Perkins School for the Blind this week, Patrick said the tax increases called for in the budget would be invested in both education and transporation. State Sen. Will Brownsberger, D-Belmont, welcomed the proposed budget in a post on his website. "The Governor, in his fiscal 2014 budget, has proposed to finally complete the education aid reform initiated in 2006. This is extremely good news for Watertown — Watertown had, for years, been badly short-…
The governor's budget proposal for fiscal 2014 would raise $1.9 billion in new revenues through a combination of tax increases and eliminating some tax breaks. Is the state's economy ready for this?
After years of treading water in the state budget, Gov. Deval Patrick has put forth an ambitious $34.8 billion proposal for the coming fiscal year that would make significant investments in education and transportation by raising $1.9 billion in revenue, through a combination of tax increases and eliminating some tax breaks. The question: Is the state's economy ready for this? To raise that funding, Patrick's proposal would increase the income tax from 5.25 percent to 6.25 percent, while doubling personal exemptions. It'd also lower the sales tax from 6.25 percent to 4.5 percent. Several tax breaks for both personal income and businesses would be eliminated. The gas tax would be indexed to inflation, ensuring gradual increases in what …
Thursday, January 24, 2013
The group at the school for the blind invited the governor to come read from his book.
Most book groups are an intimate affair, but when the special guest is the governor of Massachusetts it attracts an auditorium full of eager listeners. Thursday morning, Gov. Deval Patrick read from his book "A Reason to Believe" after being invited to Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown by the school's Elder Reading Group. "I have never seen a book club so big, and I have never been to a book club with TV cameras recording what is going on," Patrick said. The book club, which meets monthly at Perkin's Braille & Talking Book Library, read Patrick's book in May 2012, and one member was so impressed that she thought every junior and senior high school student should read the book, said Kim Charles, director of the Perkins Library. The …
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Going to the residents for more taxes may not be popular, but local legislators say they like that the budget focuses on education and transportation.
Watertown's state legislators like the areas that the governor's budget proposal prioritizes — education and transportation — but they worry about how residents will be asked to pay for the budget. The $34.8 billion budget filed by Gov. Deval Patrick on Wednesday includes an increase of the income tax along with a decrease in the sales tax, and has a focus on education and transportation. State Sen. Will Brownsberger, D-Belmont, agreed with the governor that money should be used to boost public transportation. "Like most legislators and most careful observers, and in fact, most leaders in the business community, I am convinced that we have to substantially increase our investment in transportation infrastructure, especially the MBTA," …
Wanders 365
8:38 pm on Sunday, May 12, 2013
I work for an MSS company and moved recently from the west coast. Been here about two years and I must say the lifestyle, education, business climate and environment are as good as anyone could ask for. MA seems to have weathered a significant recession pretty well. Streets are still swept, people are busy...Some feel the taxes and regulations are burdensome and I guess they move to NH? more ›