Deval's South Coast Town Meeting on Wednesday

Come one, come all!

South Coast Town Hall Meeting
Wednesday, May 2, 2007 6 p.m.
Doors will open to the public at 5:30 p.m.
Diman Regional Vocational High School
251 Stonehaven Road, Fall River

I've helped organize this little shin dig and can say that a lot of effort has been made to make this town meeting unique. The fine folks at Diman are really trying hard to make sure they can make their school fit for the governor and put their own stamp on the event. If anyone is in the area and can make it, please do. A lot of hard work has been put into it, much of which will come from the students of one of Massachusetts's best technical high schools. It's really their day to shine and make an impact on the Governor, as much as it is for Deval to have an open discussion. So, be there or be square!

Deval's South Coast Town Meeting on Wednesday

Come one, come all!

South Coast Town Hall Meeting
Wednesday, May 2, 2007 6 p.m.
Doors will open to the public at 5:30 p.m.
Diman Regional Vocational High School
251 Stonehaven Road, Fall River

I've helped organize this little shin dig and can say that a lot of effort has been made to make this town meeting unique. The fine folks at Diman are really trying hard to make sure they can make their school fit for the governor and put their own stamp on the event. If anyone is in the area and can make it, please do. A lot of hard work has been put into it, much of which will come from the students of one of Massachusetts's best technical high schools. It's really their day to shine and make an impact on the Governor, as much as it is for Deval to have an open discussion. So, be there or be square!

A Worthy Read

Here's a little property tax 101 for people. It's about Dartmouth, but I think has enough relevance that anyone in Massachusetts should read it - and then ask what the resident/business split is in their town, if there is any.

One important thing to note about Dartmouth is there's a rather large business community in it, so people shouldn't doubt that those businesses have a tremendous influence on town leaders. It's no wonder that their tax rates haven't been increased beyond the rate of inflation, while private citizens in Dartmouth have seen a 60% increase over 10 years. Business "interests" - screwing over the general public in favor of their maximum profitability - is probably the number one enemy of the progressive movement because of their clout of Republicans and Democrats and leaders of any kind. I want businesses to do exceedingly well, but they have to pay their fair share - be it property taxes or whatever.

Pensions Aren't the Problem

Mr. Glaeser, it's poor planning. If companies, in their prime, set aside enough money for pensions - it wouldn't have been a problem. They didn't foresee the rise of foreign competitors and therefore expected everything to remain the same. Unions aren't to blame, GM/Ford/Chrysler and hundreds of other companies are at fault. Many towns and cities lacked sufficient planning as well, not setting aside the necessary funding at the time and instead allowing surprise situations later on.

The fact remains that 401(k)s are dangerous and there's no guarantee companies will increase wages enough to compensate for the lack of pensions. In fact, everything that's happened over the past 20-30 years has proven they won't: wages in the private sector are near stagnant, not even really keeping up with inflation. Pensions are secure and have helped hundreds of millions live comfortably in their retirement. 401(k)s are a mixed bag in terms of savings; not that many people have enough money to adequately fund their retirement. If private companies aren't paying their employees enough to adequately fund their retirement, why will localities do so?

Most importantly, funding one's own retirement through decades of personal saving and investing assumes people have the expertise and frugality to both save and know how to save, when most people don't. Not everyone can be experts at stocks, the market or the safest sorts of investments. Pensions were something that any blue collar person could understand, all the while anyone with a good pension could live decently after retiring. It's funny that, after decades of proving how good they are for people, there are attacks from all over aimed at pensions. It's one of the last frontiers for conservatives and their efforts at destroying middle class America.

Update: I just have to explain my frustration. I'm sick and tired of intelligent people spending so much time examining an issue that they can't even see what's under their nose. Obviously, they think, since there have been so many perceived troubles with pensions lately there's actually a problem with pensions. If they just took a step outside of their box, maybe they'd be able to tell that pensions are only a symptom of the larger problem.

And don't misconstrue those words: there is a larger problem. Corporations haven't proven themselves nearly as efficient as people like to pretend they are, otherwise there would be no pension problems. The whole stock mentality has created a thirst for instant profits, which means companies like General Motors isn't exactly going to be very willing to save more money when they make these deals with unions - thinking the money will be there in the future when that wasn't certain. Companies can't plan for the long term when they're worried about stock holders today - and all those people care about are their instant or near-term profits. Why pay workers higher wages now, when corporations could create pensions and defer payment until retirement - thus increasing their supposed profitability now? Companies could have planned their employee pensions then, instead of getting themselves into trouble now, but they didn't. Workers shouldn't be held accountability for shoddy planning by their employers and lose their rights to have a solid pension. Mr. Glaeser could have written about these topics and actually contributed to the dialogue, but instead he chose to attack one of the few remaining assets many in the middle and working class enjoy.

Veto the Budget!

The House passed a budget. Sal's 'compromise' with Deval was more spending, primarily out of rainy-day funds and other one-time solutions. Great planning, huh? Meanwhile, Deval wants to eliminate corporate tax loopholes, money that would grow with inflation and would permanently add to the solvency of the Massachusetts state budget. Sal had the audacity to call Deval's spending plans shortsighted on the radio.

Yet, none of this was prominent in Lisa Wangsness's big budget article. In fact, she barely mentions the biggest issue surrounding this budget debate. I guess reporting on the poignant topics of the day is no longer a priority, especially when talking about how much money is being spent on this and that is oh so much more important. Right? I confess myself disappointed in the Globe.

However, to Governor Deval Patrick, I urge he veto this budget. I highly doubt the Senate is going to be able to fix it; it's going to take an epic tug-of-war with business-sleazy Sal. It's time to take the Speaker of the House to the mattresses. Apparently, Sal DiMasi thinks this is a one-sherriff town. While I'd prefer cooperation to power-plays, if it's a fight Sal wants, Deval ought to give it to him. That way, when Sal loses (and he will), we won't have to go through this mess again.

The Mass Economy Growing Massively?

Apparently, that's the case. We're growing leaps and bounds above the rest of the country, despite everything. Let this be a lesson to all the doubters in this state: businesses can be successful here even if it's more expensive.

The state's economy grew at a 4.7 percent annual rate in the first quarter, the fastest pace in nearly 7 years, according to a report yesterday from the University of Massachusetts. The US economy grew at a 1.3 percent rate, its worst performance since early 2003, the Commerce Department said.

The question is "how many people are enjoying this surge?" Is it just going to the businesses, who won't even accept having a normal, average tax rate? They're doing well, while regular people are breaking their backs trying to pay ever-increasing property taxes. In fact, they're making profits 4x greater than the rest of this country - yet expect Massachusetts to keep its infrastructure top notch on the back's of its citizens, without paying their fair share. Nice.

Here's what's driving the economy:

Technology, however, is again driving growth here, UMass analysts said. Global demand for the state's technology and medical products has increased, and that has fueled strong job growth, said Alan Clayton-Matthews, a professor of public policy at UMass-Boston and the UMass report's lead analyst.

No surprises there. Massachusetts is one of the most natural places to lead this country in terms of advancing technology, with the dozens of great Universities we have. It's something we need to truly incubate in other areas as well, such as developing renewable energy. There are entire brink cities that could be resurrected through growth of the tech sector, such as Lynn. Perhaps even the South Coast, with UMASS Dartmouth, or Greater Lowell, with UMASS Lowell, could benefit from the advancement of technology - by melding together the private and public sectors. An entire 20-30 story building is being constructed to test that theory in Boston, right next to where my best friend works in a Harvard medical research lab.

There was an interesting paragraph tossed in toward the end of the article, highlighting the differences between the Massachusetts economy and the rest of the country.

Massachusetts growth in the face of the national slowdown illustrates the different make-up of the state's economy. The nation depends primarily on consumer spending. Massachusetts, however, relies on business spending since it has a high concentration of firms that sell goods and services to other companies.

Bottom line? Our's is a much healthier economy. The figment of consumer spending, with trade imbalances every year and millions of low-wage jobs, hasn't been an awe-inspiring recipe for success. Yet, research and development has been successful for us. The only thing Massachusetts is missing as an economy is a little diversification - which means that when industries like tech falter, we're screwed. So, it's important that the Beacon Hill not just rest on its laurels with what we have now, merely happy to see job growth, and try to develop entirely new sectors or rebuild weak ones.

Just Ban All Proms Then

So this is interesting.

In Attleboro, high school senior Rosanne Stott wanted to bring a date to the prom, but she can't, because her date would be a woman. At a public school, the administration would have
trouble enforcing such a rule, but this is Bishop Feehan High School, run by the local catholic diocese.

Okay, it's a Catholic School, so there's really nothing anyone can do about it... freedom of religion, blah, blah, blah, blah. I support that principal - people choose to go to Catholic Schools. If that's all there was to this, I probably wouldn't be writing about it. However, there's an interesting little blurb about this all.

"Rules are made by schools that anyone can call discrimination if they want," he said in a telephone interview. "The school has the right to make rules in the best interests of the students. We teach tolerance towards people who may be gay. That is not the issue at all. That's the confusion. It's against gay sexual activity."

Now, I left the Catholic Church about 2-3 years ago, but I'm fairly familiar with basic Catholic catechism. Last time I heard, sex before marriage was banned. I would especially think Catholics would want teenagers in general to avoid sexual activity.

I confess myself confused. If having sex before marriage is bad - why have any prom at all. Or do only those heathen homosexuals have sex before marriage? After all, straight people could have sex with straight people, right? Wouldn't the Captain of the football team possibly want the popular cheerleader? So, what's it gonna be? Why have any prom at a Catholic School at all if potentially any of those dirty men could do the bad deed to any woman? The Catholic School claims to be worried about sexual activity - and they don't care about the whole 'gay' thing - so shouldn't they be consistent?

Or is only gay sex wrong? Or at least the only sex wrong enough to ban certain people from going to the prom?

I didn't know this was possible, but apparently the Catholic Church can become even more hypocritical than it already was. Wow.

Let's Spend a Moment on Iraq and Other...

Inept columnists, from different newspapers. Any0ne read this pile of crap today, comparing Attorney General Gonzales to Senate President Reid? Well, apparently David Broder thinks political "ineptitude" is as bad as, well, potentially breaking the law and compromising the entire judicial system by firing attorneys for purely political reasons. However, what's more revealing is the dirth of stuff Broder has on Reid. Broder is angry about Reid's Iraq position, but the majority of America agrees that the war in Iraq is lost. So, instead of arguing on the merits, Broder just launches a bunch of old political gaffes at Harry Reid and basically says "see! see!"

Well, I see nothing - other than a typical politician. However, Harry Reid is very right about Iraq. There's no way to "win" Iraq - what are our goals, anyway? Who are we fighting? Can we "win" a war in Iraq - for Iraqi independence - if the people we're fighting in Iraq are, well, Iraqis? And are we fighting against Shiites or Sunnis? Every day it changes, depending on which group of angry 'constituents' (after all, we're building a Jeffersonian Democracy here) sets off a bomb by an American Humvee. Broder has nothing, otherwise he'd be answering some of these questions and criticizing Reid for not doing so. That's why, in order to change public opinion, he's just going back on old stories Reid has long since apologized for.

The Globe and DiMasi

Maybe I sound a little too much like Mel Gibson, but is there a coincidence in these two stories on DiMasi in today's Globe?

The second article, to me, seems to be the most damaging; it attacks exactly what DiMasi is trying most to protect - his budget.

A federal agency is threatening to cut as much as $20 million in funding for the MBTA if the
House approves a budget provision, championed by Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi, that would move the Transportation Oversight Division from the Department of Public Utilities to the Executive Office of Transportation.

I guess we don't want to pass that budget! It's an important issue, especially when the Bay State's infrastructure isn't funded well enough as is, so let's hope that DiMasi doesn't risk those extra funds. $20 million is a lot of money. Here's the problem:

The Federal Transit Administration has told state officials that DiMasi's plan compromises the independence of the division, which oversees the MBTA, and would force the Transit Administration to cut a portion of its funding for the T. By federal statute, the administration can withhold up to 5 percent of the approximately $400 million in federal grants the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority receives if the federal government deems that the division overseeing its safety procedures has a conflict of interest.

The second story is one of the Globe's famous Pension Numbers. This time, it's an aide DiMasi let go - several days after she was eligible for a much higher pension. Oh no you dihin't.

House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi's executive assistant, Donna Sweeney, was fired last month after 20 years of service in the House of Representatives, 20 years and 11 days, to be exact.

The dismissal of the 42-year-old staff member, less than two weeks after she qualified for early pension benefits, could increase her annual payout to $20,000, more than four times the annual amount she would have received if she had quit. The increase could mean potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars more in pension payments over her lifetime.

Under a law designed to protect employees from being harmed by politically motivated dismissals when newly elected officials take over, state workers who have 20 years of service are eligible for significantly higher pension benefits if they are terminated and can prove they were not fired because of questionable behavior. But they are disqualified from the enhanced benefit if there is any evidence of collusion with a superior to make what is in fact a resignation appear to be a termination.

Soon after Sweeney was dismissed in March, the State Retirement Board delayed a vote on her application for an enhanced pension after board members raised questions about the timing of her termination. The board will reconsider Sweeney's request today. If denied, Sweeney would qualify for an annual pension of $4,600.

Personally, I think twenty years of service to the state is worth more than a $4,600 pension - and $20,000 doesn't sound all that off. However, I typically label these pension stories as "fake news" because they seem more made up to stoke the passions - whether legitimate or not - and they so often seem like political hit pieces. It kind of feels nice that some of that, err.... "good reporting" is being directed toward DiMasi for once. After all, if ever there was a man in the wrong and a man with a sickeningly close relationship to the big corps of this state, that man is Sal DiMasi.

So, Boston Globe, keep firing away. At least DiMasi is deserving of the heat for trying to rob the future (the rainy day fund) instead of making corporations just pay their fair share by closing some of our most egregious corporate tax loopholes. DiMasi ought to learn quick that the state is in rough financial shape and millions of people are affected by his poor decision making. If it takes pension stories to do that, maybe I'm okay with it.

Gov Patrick Proposes Changes on Foreclosures

I'll let you all analyze it, but here's part of his press release:

Proposed Legislative Action

• The criminalization of mortgage fraud
• Prohibiting abusive foreclosure rescue schemes
• Creating a mandatory pre-foreclosure filing notice with a copy to be filed with the Division
• Establishing a central repository of foreclosure notices at the Division; and
• Updating various provisions of the laws that currently govern the foreclosure process.

Consumer Advocacy/Education Action

• Enhancing the Division’s mortgage hotline. The Division will partner with the National Consumer Law Center and NeighborWorks to implement a process whereby homeowners can call the Division’s toll free number and be directed to appropriate resources for assistance.
• Implementing an awareness campaign designed to encourage homeowners having difficulty maintaining existing payments to seek immediate assistance by actively promoting the Division’s toll free number and NeighborWorks 24 hour foreclosure prevention hotline.
• Developing a list of reputable foreclosure counselors that homeowners calling the Division’s mortgage hotline can be referred to and
• Developing a listing of lenders willing to assist homeowners who are at risk of foreclosure.

Regulatory Action

• Increasing the net worth/bonding requirements for licensed mortgage lenders and brokers. This action will raise barriers to entry thereby ensuring that companies with a limited financial stake cannot secure a license to do business in the Commonwealth.
• Increasing licensing and examination fees for licensed mortgage lenders and brokers to increase enforcement capabilities and create a mortgage fraud unit.
• Increasing the education and experience requirements for licensed mortgage lenders and brokers;
  Adopting a statement on subprime lending parallel to the draft federal guidance currently out for comment

Partnerships Action

• By building on the partnerships between government, non-profit organizations, and industry created during the process of crafting the Mortgage Summit Report, the Division of Banks and other partnering entities can establish subcommittees or small working groups from members of the working groups and others within state government to focus on specific issues including:
• Reviewing and identifying false, deceptive, and misleading advertising practices
• Reviewing sales practices of real estate brokers and salespersons that refer clients to mortgage lenders and brokers
• Improving the existing process of mortgage disclosure
• Improving existing pre and post closing consumer education
• Creating a web site on financial education; and
• Developing a foreclosure intervention mortgage program.

Please, Stop the Nonsense at Gov Center

Maybe Boston City Hall should be replaced, maybe it shouldn't, but there is nothing aesthetically pleasing about the building. It isn't and will never be a historic landmark in terms of architectural achievement. Here at UMASS, a school designed by the same architect, we have the same god-awful concrete mammoths. Part of me likes them, but then I see how they are just falling apart. Concrete just isn't a great material to work with as the primary material used in building. First, it isn't comfortable. It isn't colorful and has tones that just put people to sleep. It isn't particularly good for heating a building or keeping it cool. It leaks like all hell. And, with acid rain on the blook, they have shelf lives between 50-75 years.

I'm sick and tired about hearing how all these people love the design of Boston City Hall (or UMASS Dartmouth). I've yet to see any normal human being stand up and say how spectacular these buildings are - because they aren't. I'm not saying Boston should shift Gov Center to a different part of the city or even replace the ugly monster they call the city HQ. However, let's not kid ourselves either - it isn't some splendid piece of art either, I don't care what far-removed-from-reality architects think.

Tingly Feelings of Goodness

I have to say waking up and reading something like this sure makes me feel good.

WASHINGTON -- After more than a decade of government inaction, gay-rights proponents in Congress have gotten several major bills moving through the Democratic-controlled chambers, a development that could result in the greatest expansion of federal protections for gays and lesbians in US history.

For far too long, Democrats have just expected support from the gay community - with very little to show for it. Part of that fact was the Democrats were out of power, but there were still things they could have done, but weren't willing to do. For example, they could have stood up for gay people, instead of often joining in the neo-con fun and games. It's high past time to see Democrats advance gay rights - and good on them for finally doing it. It's more than a decade too late, but society has shifted position on gay rights and is now overwhelmingly in favor of it - so Dems have no more excuses. Thus, the sea change in D.C.

There are two bills that look to be fast tracked in DC: the first is a hate crimes expansion, the second is a bill that protects from workplace discrimination. Passing both bills is beyond obvious, so let's hope they win with overwhelming support and President Bush doesn't foolishly veto them. While some people say "a crime is a crime," the fact remains that many people in that camp - Christian Conservatives - didn't feel that way the last time hate crimes went through. Then, they demanded religious intolerance be deemed a hate crime - and for good reason. The fact that they then went and blocked a glbt addition to the hate crimes law was just that much more hypocritical.

The second piece of legislation is even more important. While hopefully increasing tolerance, education and a shifting attitude in society to a more welcoming, liberal place will have a huge impact on reducing hate crimes, workplace discrimination is a scary reality. Gay people only have workplace protections in states that deem it worthy to protect them. Currently, in many states - because of a lack of a federal statute - it's legal to fire someone just because they're glbt - a fact most people don't realize. How could discrimination of that magnitude be legal in this country? Hopefully, it won't be for much longer.

Kudos to the National Dems for being the change that they want. Protecting this country's vulnerable minorities is one of the most important things it can do.

Yesterday's Podcast

Sadly, we didn't have Lynne yesterday, but Mike and I soldiered on and had a good show anyway. We talked about the DiMasi/Patrick fiasco and all those recent developments, as well as some on the 5th Congressional Race. Look for a special guest next week for that race. Furthermore, we spent a great deal of time talking about whether or not it was time to make gun control an issue again in America (and enthusiastically say yes, it is).

OMG I Have a Month Left

I interrupt regularly scheduled political blogging to discuss an issue both close to heart and one I don't want to face: college is coming to an abrupt end. I have no idea what I want to do, other than the fact that I like to write and love politics. Part of me doesn't necessarily want to work in either field though, because hobbies are fun (even if they are time consuming). Though, they're some of the few things that I'm actually qualified for. I feel pulled into all sorts of directions - be it journalism, joining some random Boston corp and working in politics (preferably in campaigns - and even more preferably around pr/event coordinating). Part of me feels the tug of the stage - and god I wish that would go away, because a long, hard and poor life would that be.

What people do after college is actually a very politically relevant question. College degrees just aren't worth what they used to be and a lot of recent college grads are having a tough time. Seeing as how I still don't know exactly what I want to do, it looks like I'll be joining that crew. However, I'm not exactly scared. I can't remember who told me this, but once I heard some really great advice: your twenties are for figuring out what you want to do, while you're thirties are for actually doing what you want. So, that leaves me with seven years to explore and actually find the career I'd like to partake in.

Anyone pay for blogging? LOL

Deval to Feds: Take the Money and Shove It

Kudos to Governor Patrick for not playing politics with the lives of our state's teenagers. The federal government has been downright audacious thinking it can - under the pretenses of being benevolent - toss around money with lead chains attached. Let's make no bones about it: abstinence-only sex education doesn't work. It could even exacerbate things by not giving hormonal teens the knowledge they need.

Giving out funds to schools that only teach abstinence is like the Federal Government giving away cars without any transmissions. By the time people pay the repair costs, they may as well have bought their own damn car anyway. So, Governor Patrick just told those dirty, used salesmen in D.C. to take their "free" money and shove it. I only like him more for it.

Lisa Wangsness Misses the Point

Her article was so brief, it couldn't possibly cover everything - but it was an important topic that people care about. Sure, Patrick's supporters want more the cops, but the central issue on the budget debate is funding - corporate tax loopholes, meals and hotel taxes, pork spending, etc. The Globe can't be the paper of record with articles as non-substantative as this, at least on important subjects like the entire Commonwealth budget.

NH's Civil Unions Back on Track

The Governor is supporting it, even though it was rumored as of a few days ago he was trying to squash it. I have to think the outrage from progressives in NH had something to do with this - so kudos to all of you brave souls.

DiMasi's Telecom Connections

A reader sent me some interesting information that may just be relevant, considering DiMasi's staunch opposition to some of Patrick's budget plans. DiMasi has been very gung-ho in protecting the Telecomm industry from paying property taxes on the lines they own, something that cable companies already do. This money would go directly to towns and cities, which have been hit hardest in our state's budget woes. Here's the gist:

I think DiMasi's strong opposition to closing the loopholes stems from the fact that Mintz Levin and MLstrategies-affiliated attorneys have been among his greatest contributors in recent years. Mintz Levin is a law firm/lobbying firm that, according to opensecrets.com, counts the Telecommunications Industry as its largest client. If you research the matter, it's pretty easy to trace the money from the cable/telecom industry groups to Mintz Levin to DiMasi's campaign fund. A lot of Mintz Levin attorneys donated money to DiMasi without even disclosing their affiliation with the firm, which tells you something as well.

Better Web Designs for Local Papers

I'm very happy to report the general improvement of a bunch of the local papers, which probably isn't a coincidence (considering their mega-owners).

New Bedford's paper has had a great website for a while, but now I have to say I've liked the general improvement in the other two local papers I read on a regular basis: the Lynn Item and Swamspcott Reporter. The Reporter is a part of the huge collection of local weeklies - owned by the Herald, if I'm not mistaken - which is also true of the Lynn Item, though they have their own printing services and are fairly independent in terms of both content and publishing. The best part of the Item's paper are the comments - a lot of people are leaving them, which makes these stories much, much more interesting. Also, kudos for the amount of content the Item is now leaving - which was paltry on its old website.

7 Stitches to Glory

My show opens tonight, the night after a very good dress rehearsal. However, the dress rehearsal didn't end so well - look what happened during the bows sequence at the end.

Yet, the show must go on. I have no idea what I'm going to be doing for make up, but there's no good way to hide that thing.

A Day of Silence

Today is the Day of Silence, a day mainly meant for young glbt people and allies to protest for an equal voice at the table. While I am not one to normally think "silence" is the right message, speaking (or not speaking, in this case) in unity can be a very powerful device. I decided to participate this year for the first time ever and in my first class of the day, it actually made a difference. The professor decided to have a moment of silence for the entire class after I passed her the standard note card informing her I was participating and then proceeded to say anyone who wanted to should turn mute with a purpose.

The interesting thing about the Day of Silence is the fact that - if it works - it's not silent at all. It can be very loud and make an impact. The more people who participate, the stronger and clearer that message will be. So, if anyone is able to be silent until 5pm tonight (when the Day of Silence ends), do it. If you can't stay silent, stand up for civil rights at least once today. We're facing a critical period in Massachusetts - the waning weeks before the next Constitutional Convention - and we need everyone on our side strong and active in their convictions. We need to help make an effort to recruit new allies in the efforts of securing civil liberties for all. Today is a day that can make an impact.

Nice Job, MassEquality

MassEquality created a new tool for its supporters in Massachusetts: a website that allows people to

1) Create your own personal homepage about why marriage equality matters to you
2) Track your progress in organizing your friends and family and getting them to take action
3) Win prizes by motivating your friends and family to contact their legislators
4) Use easy tools to contact your legislators, write a letter to your local paper, donate, or sign up to volunteer
5) Find events in your area or create your own pages to invite family and friends to your equality activities
6) Post messages on your own Equality Journal

While I haven't played around with it, there's certainly some potential there. I especially like the concept of allowing people to create their own pages and diaries. I've come down hard on MassEquality in the past - and perhaps unfairly to some extent. However, there's certainly a purpose to my criticism: I do so only because I think the organization has great potential if it adapts and changes strategies. I can't say for sure whether or not this proposal is going to work, but it's great to see some new developments out of that organization. It should be helpful - and, if enough people get involved, could be the difference between blocking this next marriage-banning amendment - or not.

This Week's LeftAhead Podcast

This week, Lynne, Mike and I talk MA-05, the Sal vs. Deval budget conflict, our favorite blogs and even a bit on public infrastructure and environmental concerns. Check it out!

Soulforce, Gordon College and BYU: Kudos to Who?

Soulforce is an organization that just so happens to be sending bus loads of glbt students across the country to protest against Christian colleges for warping Christianity to persecute against them. In great part because of their nonviolent actions, some of the colleges acted in ways that didn't exactly make them look good and show that good 'ol fashioned protesting is still effective. How do we know that? Well, several Christian colleges have taken a step in the right direction - in large part because of the actions of Soulforce.

The Globe had an interesting article about a trip Soulforce planned for at Gordon College in Massachusetts. Unexpectedly, the school agreed to allow the protesters on campus - and for really good reasons. One big complaint against these colleges is the suffocation of ideas and beliefs - by not even allowing a group like Soulforce on campus, they don't allow students the same kind of opportunity to think for themselves as they would at any non-religious college or university. It's something that Gordon got.

"We present lots of ideas in the classroom that we don't agree with -- that's part of education," said Barry J. Loy , the dean of students. "I'm hopeful that they will come here to learn, and we will do the same. We're not keeping our students from them."

Loy e-mailed the entire Gordon campus about the visit, declaring that, "Gordon College affirms the historic, orthodox Christian position that homosexual practice is incompatible with the teaching of Scripture. However, the college plans to provide a gracious welcome to our Equality Ride visitors and views this occasion as an important educational opportunity."

Clearly, Gordon College is trying to make it a place that students may actually want to go to.

What's even more shocking is the likely effects of Soulforce on a far crazier slightly more unique school and situation - Brigham and Young University. For whatever reason - and I'm sure Soulforce's role in this made an impact - BYU has changed it's policy on gay and lesbian students. Basically, for the first time ever, students are actually allowed to be gay at BYU. Granted, the policy is still draconian - homosexual activity is still banned and people aren't allowed to advocate for the 'gay agenda' - but, students can be "out" and apparently, it's already had an impact to some at the school.

One current student told the paper that the changes "remove a lot of the Gestapo atmosphere from the campus."

Things are far from perfect, but it's important for Christian colleges to move toward the direction of equality and it's nice to see that it just may be happening. It's too early to tell if things are getting better for sure, but hopefully progress is inevitable. Colleges are meant to be the last learning bastion that prepares an adult for the "real world" and that just can't happen in today's society if students are indoctrinated to hate gay people. Furthermore, colleges are supposed to be liberal - as in open-minded - institutions that allow students to make up their own damn minds. An institution can't claim that if they ban gay advocacy and gay students. Most importantly, there are a lot of religious gay people in this country - and they deserve the right to go to a religious college if that's their choice. Schools would do well to accept and encourage them, as they're just the same as straight people and have a desire to learn about religion, instead of alienating them. After all, turning away the sheep isn't a very good way to keep them in the flock. Kudos to Soulforce for being the change they want all across this country.

Interview With Commission on GLBT Youth's Chair

Recently, I was contacted by Jason A. Smith, Chair of the Massachusetts Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth. He read my story on Massresistance's use of GLBT photographs, complete with full identification of the individuals and homophobic insults written as 'descriptions.' Smith offerred to take questions on any topic related to the Commission. Since it's an important organization that empowers gay and lesbian youth - a disenfranchised group if there is any - I was glad to oblige. Here's what he had to say:

1. For starters, just because I don't think a lot of people know exactly what the Commission does - including people who know about it - can you write a bit about what you guys actually do? What happens at a typical meeting or event? etc.

The Commission as it exists now was created in June 2006 by the Legislature. There had been a Governor's Commission in existence since 1992, but the move to create the Commission as an independent agency of the Commonwealth in 2006 gives us a stability that wasn't there before.

At a minimum, the Commission is tasked with ensuring that there are school and community-based programs for suicide prevention, violence prevention, and promoting zero-tolerance policies regarding harassment and discrimination against GLBT youth. Beyond this minimum, the Commission is expected to investigate resources used to provide resources for GLBT youth and to make recommendations on policies to the government.

Our typical meetings are actually rather formal. There is a set agenda that we move through discussing each item. Because the Commission is starting anew, our meetings have had to be very focused to get through the enormous amount of material that we have to work with. I expect that we will have more interactive meetings and hearings starting in July once the Commission begins to meet around the state and move outside of Boston. The meetings in July and following should be a lot more interactive as we hope to hear from youth, service providers, and other members of the community.

2. How does the commission help deal with problems facing GLBT youth today? What are some of those problems? Are they the same today as they were 10 years ago, 20? Etc. What kinds of things does the commission do in schools across Massachusetts?

The Commission provides a voice for GLBT youth within state government at a level that can have significant impact on services for GLBT youth. The Commission doesn’t provide services for youth directly but works hard to ensure that those services are there and that GLBT youth have an advocate for them in the government.

GLBT youth can be at greater risk for suicide, violence, and substance abuse. Many of the problems GLBT youth face today are similar to ones faced in the past. Some are different. The key thing to understand about the health of queer youth is that often the problems they face are a result of an environment of GLBT oppression rather than some individual or family risk. If you fix that environment, you are on the way to solving some of the problems.

3. Your organization "has a mandate" to offer suggestions on issues surrounding glbt youth - presumably to the legislature. What kind of suggestions is your organization giving? How often and to what extent do they take your organization's input and advice?

We are required to report to the Legislature and to the Governor formally every year by June 2nd. We also provide information informally on a regular basis to the Legislature and various agencies that request it. We are working on our Annual Report for this year, and it is still in its draft stages so I can’t discuss its details. I do want to emphasize though that the Commission is in a unique position to talk about GLBT youth and their needs at all levels of society. I think you will see that in the upcoming Annual Report.

GLBT youth are often at risk because of the environment: from their families and schools to local organizations and communities and government. Queer youth need a voice and an advocate at all levels of society to ensure that each level of our society is supportive of queer youth and of GLBT experience. We have said that the health of GLBT youth is rooted in GLBT culture. This is what me mean. You can’t lift GLBT youth out of the whole GLBT experience and community. You really have to think ecologically about it and build an environment that supports our youth and gives them the skills they need to be healthy and to succeed.

4. I was reading an interesting article from the advocate the other day about how GLBT youth - and their allies (be it friends or the sons and daughters of gay parents) have made tremendously effective lobbyists to state legislatures across the country - helping get bans on bullying, violence and targeting of glbt students across the country. What kind of impact have the young made here?

Youth have made a tremendous impact in the Commonwealth. Youth were instrumental in getting the first Governor’s Commission established in 1992 and have been instrumental in moving Massachusetts forward in protecting GLBT youth. The Commission would not be able to do its work without the participation of queer youth.

It should also be noted that some youth who were involved in the Commission as teenagers are now working in the GLBT community in Massachusetts and are becoming leaders in our community.

5. Now, as I understand it, the Commission used to be a part of the Governor's office - and obviously, Mitt Romney wasn't the biggest fan. Can you elaborate on what went on there?

The Commission was a Governor’s Commission until 2006. The story is pretty simple: We have seen state and national leaders play politics and use the GLBT community for political advantage. This happens on all sides of the political spectrum, and happened here. To protect GLBT youth, committed legislators acted to make the Commission an agency in 2006. This reorganization of the Commission is good for GLBT youth in the long-term, but in the short-term we have spent a lot of time and energy rebuilding our administrative structure. In the end, there will be a stronger and more vibrant Commission for GLBT youth.

6. You read my blog on MassResistance's insistence on taking photos of teenagers in the commission - and releasing their names, with all sorts of blatantly homophobic descriptions on their website. Subsequently, I've heard that the Attorney General's office is looking into it. Has that gone anywhere? Do you know much about the laws concerning taking pictures of minors at places like the Commission hearing? What kind of dangers/problems does MassResistance's tactics cause? What is the reaction of the members - esp. the glbt youth - of the commission?

This is obviously a problem. The Commission is a public agency and as such functions in public. I understand and am committed to the need to have open and transparent public meetings. That being said, the Commission will do everything it can to protect GLBT youth and help to build an environment where they are supported and valued. Personally, I find taking pictures of GLBT youth without their permission, or by misrepresenting your intent, and then posting those
pictures with homophobic commentary to be abusive and predatory. Frankly, I simply don’t understand it, don’t believe that it rises to the level of protected speech, and believe that it can be a real threat to the health of GLBT youth.

I do not know if the Attorney General’s office is looking into this or not. The Commission has expressed its concern to the Attorney General and has sought technical clarification of minor points. Beyond that, I do not know what action, if any, she has or has not taken.

Ultimately, it is important to be clear about what has happened. The Commission has expressed its concern to the Attorney General and has sought clarification of minor aspects of the law. There’s not much beyond that. Any impression that there is more to it is merely a drive for publicity.

7. Finally, is there anything you wanted to talk about, discuss or reiterate? Are there any important projects going on? Consider this an opportunity to throw in a final word on anything that's important that I may not have addressed.

There are couple of important things that I would mention. First, it is important that the GLBT community be there and be part of supporting GLBT youth. The GLBT community is more than the fight for equal marriage, and youth really need the support of the community. I would urge the community to express your concern and support for the needs of GLBT youth to your legislators, to your school boards, to community organizations, and to your friends and families.
Second, the Commission really works best when youth are involved. In the coming months, the Commission will be looking to add more youth voices, and I want to invite anyone with an interest in the Commission to contact us. Our website is at: http://www.mass.gov/cgly/ and our next meeting is May 21st.

Oh My God...

I can't believe this.

A dorm and classroom were the target of a gunman who killed dozens and injured dozens more on the Virginia Tech campus today in the nation's deadliest campus shooting in history.

ABC is now reporting 29 confirmed dead...and the death toll may rise.

I don't even know what to say about something so terrible. I just wish such violent, angry people would get help before they go on a killing spree.

Support the Arts by Showing Up

For some reason, during rehearsals for the show I'm in, I've noticed just how much work is actually put into "art" - be it theatre, galleries or whatever. In my case, theatre, there's not just all the (considerable) work actors and actresses put in - but also people who help with all the technical aspects, people who help creating costumes and sets and even people who show up to help usher and otherwise help in some capacity. It wouldn't be exaggerating to say that over 1,000 man hours has been put into the musical I'm in - Moby Dick - and we're just a college theatre company. A similar amount of time was probably spent at any reader's nearest high school production. It's a lot of effort, but there's one thing that makes it all worth it: people showing up.

One of the interesting things about theater at a non-professional level is that it's still tremendously expensive to produce. Despite the fact that no profits are made, rights to a particular show don't come cheap. Costumes and sets take serious cash. In fact, even if every show sold out at my production of Moby Dick (and it won't), the UMASS Dartmouth Theatre Company may just break even. When I did Urinetown: the Musical, which was a professional-calibre show and received overwhelmingly positive reviews, the production was thousands in the red - and it was by all means a reasonably cheap show to put on (our set was fairly inexpensive and only a handful of costumes needed to be rented).

There are two reasons for the redline: there aren't nearly as many people going to these events as one would like - even when we advertise big time, put on a great show and get great reviews. The second is we consider breaking even a luxury: the University is very generous to the Theatre Company, so we're able to have very low-cost tickets. It's just nice to have people show up, but that seems like a tremendously hard thing to do. At $3 and $4 dollars for student tickets and $10 for adults, I don't get it. Why not show up?

Seriously, why don't people who live in a community not show up to their local college or high school production? They're often very good. When I was in high school, our musical productions were about as good as they are at UMASS Dartmouth - and they're pretty darn good here. Tickets are cheap, less than going to the movies or going out to the 99. Is it just that people don't know when these shows are, despite the massive attempts at advertising? Is it that people are out of practice in actually caring about community events? The same could be said for local artists putting on some kind of show, be they dancers, photographers or painters.

People often complain about a lack of activities, but there's so much more going on if people would ever consider getting out of their typical mold. Society would be a better place if more people showed up. Everyone would have more fun, from the audience to the people spending all their time rehearsing, painting or doing whatever. Furthermore, a larger audience would encourage more artistic endeavors and community events - and diversify what's already there. A sense of community is something seriously lacking in America, but it's only lacking because people aren't taking advantage of what's already here and present.

Why Keep Interviewing the Haters?

The Globe did an article on the aftermath of the immigration raid on New Bedford. I'm not happy to report that, out of the 94,000+ people who live in New Bedford, they chose it's biggest hater as the person to interview. Why interview Phil Paleologos? What sort of expertise does he offer on immigration? If the Globe wanted a general reaction from people in the New Bedford community, there are plenty of people to pick from - almost a hundred thousand. What is this media obsession with interviewing the biggest jerks - people who have no credibility within the community, except for the crazy people who buy into their utter hatred?

It's sad to taint the article that way, because it did report on a lot of the problems New Bedford is facing. Few people think about the reasons behind why New Bedford is struggling - and this article addresses some of them. However, the Paleologos stench (along with a few other haters) is prioritized way up top. Speaking as someone from the New Bedford area, I don't see any of this hatred from the community in general. In fact, New Bedford has been one of the most welcoming places I've yet to see. There are great organizations, like the South Coast Marriage Coalition, which have made great strides in fostering a welcoming atmosphere. Wouldn't it have been nice to see the Globe focus on that, instead of the few bad apples at the bottom of the barrel Shawmut Diner.

Dick Howe is a Welcome Addition

It's belated, but I just read this blog on Marty Meehan and it's some interesting stuff. Everyone should read it, it really ties together a few tangents on just how long he plans to stay on as Chancellor of UMASS Lowell. Here's a brief snippet:

During his visit to WCAP yesterday morning, Marty Meehan did not directly address the possibility of again running for elective office, but he did talk about the probable length of his stay at UML and obliquely raised some interesting possibilities.

This was just as interesting:

When a caller asked what he would do with his $5 million campaign account, Marty said the money was in high yield accounts and “I’m not going to break them” (presumably this means the money is in CDs and he doesn’t want to lose interest due to early withdrawal penalties). “You’ll be able to look every six months and see how much interest they’ve earned.” (In three years – the length of his contract – at 5.5% interest, Marty’s $5 mil will have earned $870,000 in interest, allowing him to add nearly $1 million to his campaign account while serving as chancellor).

Hmm... let's see, raise almost a million with no work - just on the interest... take a nice little job for a few years that really pads the resume, a break from actually doing stuff on Capitol Hill and stay in Lowell just long enough to sit out one of our senators' last term...

In all actuality, there's nothing wrong with this apparent plan of his, as long as he actually does his job. Yet, it just goes to show everyone that, when it comes to politics, Marty Meehan is one shrewd man.

Why Is Deval Going to Win the Battle?

The Battle of the Bulge Budget has kicked into gear - Sal DiMasi and his powerful House allies versus Deval Patrick, with his people-powered army and veto powers. The other day, I said Deval Patrick had the upper hand. Mike didn't believe me, but I was right,

A day after the House released a spending plan that eliminates or scales back many of Governor Deval Patrick's banner budget proposals, a spokesman for the governor said the chief executive is willing to defend his budget priorities by exercising his veto power.

"The governor is prepared to wield his veto pen if need be," said Kyle Sullivan, press secretary to the governor.

It's a stand off, but Deval has an army of supporters... So I'll take my chances on the governor and his veto power.

Weak: Universal Healthcare Not to Be Universal at All?

If this story is true, I'm going to be very, very disappointed.

To remove the threat of a public backlash, the state plans to exempt nearly 20 percent of uninsured adults from the state's new requirement that everyone have health insurance.

The proposal, expected to be approved by a state board today, is based on calculations that even the lowest-cost insurance would not be affordable for an estimated 60,000 people with low and moderate incomes who do not qualify for state subsidies. Forcing them to buy insurance or pay a penalty could jeopardize the rest of the state's initiative, officials said. Instead, the state board appears prepared to settle for near universal coverage, all but 1 percent of the state's population.

Talk about a non-solution to a problem. The problem in insuring these brink cases is affordability. So, instead of the state actually fulfilling their promises to help with affordability, they're instead going to go into the realm of The Quasi. That way, they can still pat themselves on the back and say "we got Massachusetts Universal coverage," except they'll be lying lairs - liars who got quasi-universal coverage, coverage that fails to cover 20% of the people they sought to cover.

No one fool themselves: it's not universal insurance. It's also not acceptable.

Romney Would Still Do Imus's Show

Now I understand how "LOL" became internet lingo for laughing out loud - because Romney's statement on this matter is hi-fracking-larious.

Mitt didn't just come out and say he wouldn't do Imus's show. Anything for free publicity, right? That $21 million first quarter wasn't enough to justify being more selective in free press... I suppose he'd just love to do Limbaugh, Savage, Hannity and any other crazy out there.

Oh, don't worry though, Willard promised to give Mr. Imus a good, stern talking to...

Nice catch, David. That's quite the revealing story.

I was just dying to write about this as soon as I - for the first time in months - caught NBC news with Brian Williams and heard the spokesperson come on to discuss the matter. Now, with Mr. Romney's admission, I have an excuse to give my take: what an awesome precedent NBC Universal has initiated. It's well past time the crazies are thrown off the air for hate speech. First, DePetro, now hopefully CBS will follow NBC's tv-suit and throw Imus off the air for good.

Methinks Deval's Going to Win This Fight

Sometimes, things are just obvious. Deval Patrick's budget plan, at least in comparison to the House Ways and Means rainy-day robbing crap shoot, is the far superior plan. I guess that's what happens when a Governor actually spends a solid month behind closed doors, with his experts, to craft a budget. The result of that was an eminently intelligent, reasonable and fair budget - at least given the tough fiscal year this state faces. Deval Patrick managed to balance a billion + dollar deficit without raising taxes or robbing the rainy day fund. Sal DiMasi? Not so much...

The Globe's editorial staff made their opinions fairly clear.

THE HABITS of 16 years are hard to break, and so.... the Legislature ought to give greater consideration to [Governor Patrick's] ideas on how to make state government work better.

Let's hope Sal DiMasi gets the memo. To people who want to see most of Patrick's budget pass - who want unfair corporate tax loopholes closed - they need to be vocal. Call your State Rep and Senator and tell them to override the House Ways and Means Committee and tell them to tell Speaker DiMasi that he's wrong.

So Much for Not Giving an Endorsement...

MA-05 was just starting to get interesting, but today we learn that Congressmen Meehan's wife will be serving as candidate Tsongas's campaign manager. Now, Marty Meehan didn't say "I'm endorsing Niki Tsongas," but the fact that his wife will be her campaign manager is such a blatant blanket of support that Niki's voters are going to be warm at night knowing that she's his man - in the political arena, of course. The sad thing is I was actually starting to like Niki, but I confess myself disappointed here.

What happened to Congressman Meehan's pledge to not get involved? If he truly wanted to support someone to replace him, that is his perogative, but this isn't the underground railroad here. He doesn't need to leave secret signs of support. Meehan should have stayed out of it or have been open and honest to begin with.

Update: It's funny, I was talking with Lynne and Mike earlier today about next week's LeftAhead show, deciding what topics it would be on, when I said something like 'let's not talk about the MA-05 race, unless something big happens.' Of course, I figured, what big things could happen at this point in the campaign? Oops. On top of Meehan's quasi-endorsement, a second candidate just dropped out of the race.

My Show Opens Next Week!

In case anyone didn't know, I'm performing in the UMASS Dartmouth Theatre Company's production of "Moby Dick: the Musical." It opens next week on Thursday, April 19th at UMASS Dartmouth. Consequently, my schedual is going to be a bit crazy and, while I'm not going to take the week off blogging, I'll probably cut back just a bit.

If anyone is in the South Coast area and would like to see the show, here's the basic info:

Plot: In order to save their bankrupt school that’s seen better days, the girls of St. Godley’s Academy for Young Ladies decide to put on a musical version of Moby Dick. The highly comic, satirical romp through this age-old mariner’s tale that ensues proves to be a world of endless, funny double entendres and wonderful, pastiche-y company numbers.

Show Times:
Thursday, April 19th at 8pm
Friday, April 20th at 8pm
Saturday, April 21st at 8pm
Sunday, April 22nd at 2pm

Ticket Prices:
UMD Students - $4!!!
Non-UMD Students, Faculty, Alumni, Seniors - $10
General Admission - $12

For more information or to reserve tickets call the UMass Dartmouth Theatre Company at (508)999-8167.

UMASS Dartmouth is really good at doing these kinds of musicals - extremely funny, somewhat dirty productions with fun, energetic music (and there's even some good dancing). When I did Urinetown here last year, it was amazing and we'll put on a good show this time around too.

So, go see the show if you're nearby - and I'll try my best to keep up a steady flow of blogs during "hell week."

Some MA-05 Differences

On yesterday's episode of LeftAhead, the round e-table discussed a lot of things - but chief among them was the MA-05 race. As I said late last night, Lynne has some key insights. I suggest listening into the show to get a full sense of the race we've seen so far, but I thought I'd tackle a few quick ones right here.

Despite what a lot of people have said (including me), there are key policy differences. The race really does extend beyond picking between like minds. For example, Lynne talked about universal health care - not all of the candidates agree there. Niki Tsongas, for example, used to serve on the board of Fallon Healthcare - is she the kind of candidate that's going to support a true universal system? One that considers health a public (not private) good?

Another candidate, Jamie Eldridge, has really fashioned himself as the "progressive" candidate - something he's lived up to in a lot of ways, especially in terms of supporting the Governor's call to cut unfair corporate tax loopholes and campaign finance reform. However, he's also fundraising on a very high scale (among the highest in the race so far, but not on Tsongas's level) - and surely not all of that money is coming from small donations and regular folks.

Then there are other kinds of differences too - for example, differences in how much information candidates are putting out there. Touching on this subject, Lynne ranks the candidate websites. There are differences in political experience, as well as differences in private-world experience.

People also have to take Meehan's seniority - and power - into consideration. Meehan was one of the most powerful and effective congressmen out there, able to champion issues like campaign finance even when Republicans were in power. Constituents of his may decide they want someone who can rise in power just as quick as he did and be a leader. Even if Meehan's credibility faltered a bit when he hoarded all his money during last election, he was certainly right on most of the positions and solidly liberal (if not progressive). Not all the often-liberal congressmen in Massachusetts have been able to enjoy that kind of success in terms of leadership in the House. It was a point Mike made well yesterday on LeftAhead that certainly rings true. However, what isn't clear is who could best fill those shoes.

So, there's a lot to chew on - and not a lot of time to do it. Furthermore, with so many people in the race, 25% of the vote could win it. People may have to pick the lesser of two evils, instead of the candidate they really want, to avoid seeing someone they really don't want elected. Voting strategically may become paramount in this race. In the meantime, the Lowell Sun interviewed the candidates and Dick Howe is posting videos of all the candidates at their first forum.

Who'd a Thought?

Sometimes good ideas are so obvious no one ever thought of them before. Or they assumed it already existed.

Beginning this week, it will install detailed maps that meld bus routes with maps of neighborhoods around subway stops, showing for the first time the full scope of T bus and subway services in a given region.

Who knows?

All I know is it's a good idea to make our tools and resources that are already available more accessible and easier to use. So, good job for the T today.

Listen Up

This week's podcast was perty good, especially when Lynne hopped on board to give a little of her MA-05 insight. Everyone should listen to this new tool for the lefty blogosphere. It's still just our third podcast, so if anyone has any requests, comments or suggestions, let me know. We're going to add guests, call-ins and other goodies as we go along, hopefully my babbling, Mike's poignancy and Lynne's excellence will entertain - and maybe some people will learn a little something in the person. There's something that comes out of speech that you just don't get in text, so tune into this week's webisode on the MA-05 race and the new media/UMASS Lowell citizen journalism conference that Mike and Lynne attended.

Breaking News!

WHDH-TV Channel 7 News interrupted it's regularly schedualed programming to air a very important live press conference. Larry Birkhead is indeed Anna Nicole Smith's baby's dad. One of Boston's three largest local news programs felt the need to air the feed live from the Bahamas, so it must be super-duper important to the local news seen. Right? Right?

Ask Ryan Anything

It's that time of the week again. There are so many things I'd love to blog about, but don't have the time. There are other things I should be blogging about, but have yet to consider. Now's the opportunity to get me on the record about my thoughts on, well, anything. People could ask about my podcast, the controversial Out Magazine's decision to, well, out Anderson Cooper and Jodie Foster or Mitt's adventures in hunting - all two of them. It's an open game!

Yo, Sal: Step Away From the Purse Strings

The math ain't in your favor, buddy. Turn over the keys, Mr. Speaker, and give Team Deval a turn at the wheels on this one.

Massachusetts residents appear to favor Governor Deval Patrick's proposals for raising revenues to bridge the state budget gap and ease the property tax burden, with a small majority expressing support for closing what he described as corporate tax loopholes, and for giving communities the right to impose a local tax on meals and hotels, according to a new Globe poll.

Closing corporate tax loopholes seemed like a good idea to 56 percent of residents, despite arguments from the business community....

The fact is that an even larger majority of this state want to see improvements in schools - or heck, just the avoidance of all these property tax hikes and school closings (which sadly seems inevitable in Swampscott, my hometown, but that has as much to do with politics as money). Without repealing unfair, corporate tax loopholes and without allowing towns the option of having a very small meals and hotel tax, there's no way to even maintain the status quo in educational quality.

If the Speaker of the House blocks these extremely important - and fair - measures, the public would do well to remember just who is responsible for their kids never again going through the doors of their favorite school - because it was shut down for lack of funds. If parents are angry that their children's art and music programs got slashed to nothing, they should remember it was Sal DiMasi who was holding the state's purse strings. If high school students are pissed that sports and activities were cut - or that their fees were raised to even higher astronomical levels - they should know just who is to blame: the Speaker of our House, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts's second most powerful politician. All of us would do well to remember that he answers to us and us alone, not Verizon.

So what is it going to be, Mr. Speaker? In the words of another big friend of Corporate America, "are you with us or against us?"

Diane Patrick's Back!

Good news for the Commonwealth, our First Lady is back on her feet.

From the Globe:

As a "deeply private person," she wrote, she had been affected by the "exhilarating highs and stomach-churning lows" of her husband's campaign.

"When the campaign was over, I expected life to settle down, at least a bit, and to regain some sense of normalcy," she wrote. "To my surprise, however, soon after the inauguration, I found myself aboard a new and different roller coaster. I was trying to balance my return to a full-time law practice with the unfamiliar demands of serving as First Lady -- all while living in a fishbowl.

"I now appreciate that I needed some time to rest and repair, to stand back and take full stock of what lay ahead for me, and to put it all in context," she continued. "I now have had some time to do just that."

I'm glad she's doing better. The stress she went through is more than understandable. Welcome back, Diane Patrick.

Some Fixes to the T

Not enough, but moving in the right direction.

"Columbia Junction has been identified as the number one cause of signal failures among all signal failures on the line," Daniel A. Grabauskas, the T's general manager, said yesterday. Last year, 25 percent of the 528 failures on the Red Line were blamed on the equipment at Columbia Junction, between JFK/UMass and Andrew stations.

It could cost 65 million, but it should cut back delays by 60%. Funding of the fix wasn't mentioned in the article.

How to Pay for the Rail Extension?

Charley has a great post on his skepticism of the whole rail proposal by Governor Patrick: where's the state going to come up with 1.2 billion?

Well, the comments to his blog were fairly interesting too, including this one by Noternie. He suggested the proposed casino in New Bedford could help pay for it. As many readers are aware, I've never been a fan of casinos. I've been solidly against them in Massachusetts for a long time now. I was in Las Vegas for four days this summer and didn't even put one quarter into a slot machine. I've see the effects of gambling on people's lives and the community in regular Nevada towns (I travelled all through Nevada and California this past summer) and don't want anything remotely like that here in Massachusetts.

Then again, neither Rhode Island nor Connecticut remotely resemble that today. While the effects of gambling no doubt have hit Connecticut, perhaps the potential rewards of a casino in New Bedford could be worth it. Noternie's post made me think about how everything in life is interconnected: railways and a potential casino could be a match. People from the South Coast could use it to go to work in Boston; people from Greater Boston could go to a revitalized New Bedford waterfront - which would be a different kind of waterfront than anywhere else in this state. If all the state's taxes from a New Bedford casino were to go toward a railway extension and the casino fronted the costs of the additional cops, infrastructural needs, etc. that would be - maybe, just maybe - I could get behind that. A rail extension to New Bedford may just be enough to cover the costs of allowing a casino there.

Hilarious

Seriously, some laughs will ensue.

South Coast Commuter Rail is Happening';

Apparently, the Governor stopped by UMASS Dartmouth today - and I missed him! I saw some signs saying "Governor's Parking Space" earlier this morning literally across the street from my dorm, which made me think it had to refer to good ol' Deval - and I was right. I figured he'd be coming around noon, but couldn't find anything to confirm any specific time on massgov or in emails - which was a disappointment.

Anyway, the discussion was on the South Coast Commuter Rail project, something Deval Patrick unveiled today right here at UMASS.

Trains would be rolling to Fall River and New Bedford by December 2016 — nearly a decade from now — under a commuter rail plan Gov. Deval Patrick will announce at UMass Dartmouth today, according to sources familiar with a private briefing by the state's transportation secretary.

Transportation Secretary Bernard Cohen also gave SouthCoast lawmakers a new price tag on the proposed extension of the MBTA's Stoughton Line, which originates at South Station in Boston: a whopping $1.4 billion. Previous estimates on the cost of extending rail to SouthCoast were $800 million to $1 billion.

The key to bringing the train to New Bedford and Fall River will be finding a source of money for the project, something Gov. Patrick may elaborate on when he gives a presentation to local leaders at 10 a.m. today at UMass Dartmouth's Woodland Commons Building.

Apparently, I should have read South Coast Today before I left for my first class, because I could have actually gone. Regardless, if anyone knows what happened, please inform readers in the comments. A ten-year time table is half that of Governor Patrick's predecessor. This speech seems as if it was a big deal - there were three television trucks (NECN, Channel 4, Channel 7) still there when I walked by again slightly before noon. Did the Governor reveal anything about funding?

Ask Ryan Anything

Almost forgot! Last week's Ask Ryan Anything went pretty welll - and at least one person asked for it to become a regular thing - so it's Monday and that time of the week again - the time to ask me anything.

Lots have gone on this week, lots to ask me about. I had 2000+ hits just the other day. The Supreme Court had a huge decision, allowing the EPA to control carbon dioxide emissions like they would other climate pollutants. I have a new podcast - and there's been all sorts of stuff going on lately in hopefully repealing 1913. I even bought a new cd! So, if anybody's curious about my take, here's your chance to cause Ryan to write pages and pages of comments stump Ryan.

Listen Live Today!

The second edition Left Ahead will be broadcast live, on the internet, today starting at 2:30pm. We're going to talk about marriage equality and some of the local races going on. As usual, Mike will be there co-hosting. We hope Lynne will be as well, but she's feeling a little bit under the weather, so we may bring a guest-co host or just have a podcast duet.

If anyone misses the live broadcast, check back at LeftAhead.com later in the day - a mp3-formatted podcast will be available half an hour after the show.

Let's Do It, Senator Murray!

From today's Globe:

The newly elected president of the state Senate said she favors repealing a law that prevents most same-sex couples from other states from getting married here, saying she did not share former governor Mitt Romney's fear that Massachusetts would become a gay marriage mecca.

Come on, Senator, let's do it! Sadly, it looks as though some pro-equality organizations may be advocating against it for some crazy reason. Here's what Lisa Wangsness had to say about that,

Proponents of gay marriage are not currently lobbying for repeal because they fear it could stir up antigay sentiment and hurt their chances of defeating the amendment.

What crap. However, I'd like to remind Ms. Wangsness that "propents" extend far beyond the political mastery of Marc Solomon; every glbt-friendly person I know thinks out-of-state marriage is a really big deal. I've advocated many times that repealing that bill would be tremendously helpful to our side. With the recent news that the Governor made on this issue - and now Senator Murray's public stance, it's time to get the job done.

Lastly, Senator Murray alerted Globe readers to some of the key information.

Murray said the Constitutional Convention, scheduled for May 9, will probably be postponed because the Senate will be focused on the budget then. She said she planned to meet with people on both sides of the gay marriage question this week, but her personal position on gay marriage is firm.

Thankfully, it looks like there won't be a ConCon in May. Also, we learn from the article that Senator Barrios got a repeal to 1913 passed through the Senate, but that - shocker of all shockers - Finneran's House blocked it. If anyone wants our elected leaders to continue to think that marriage equality supporters don't want a repeal of 1913, do nothing. Otherwise, it's time to call your rep and make sure they have the right facts: we want marriage equality and we want it now.

Deval's GLBT Support Grows

The national glbt blogosphere is abuzz over Governor Patrick's strong support for marriage equality. Towleroad, which is probably the most-trafficked glbt blog, wrote up a big story about Patrick today. Queerty, another fairly popular glbt blog, had more to say.

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick has made it his mission to take on Mitt Romney's homo-hating marriage laws. The Democrat ordered the court to validate 26 out-of-state gay marriages, thus reversing Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney's dastardly plot to deny the committed queers' dreams.

Hey, Deval, While You're at It

why don't you just stop enforcing 1913? You're the Governor and thus in charge of the executive office. Let's just not pay any attention to that 1913 boogeyman, just like we ignore the whole law that says men have to bring guns to church on Sunday. You have the power to tell cities and towns to stop bugging the people asking for wedding marriages, so let's do it. Then, let's get 1913 off the books once and for all.

Update:

Here's some key points in the Globe, sadly buried.

Each of the 26 couples at issue was married just after May 17, 2004, the date gay marriage became legal in Massachusetts. All obtained marriage licenses in one of four communities -- Provincetown, Worcester, Springfield, and Somerville -- where clerks defied Romney's order not to issue marriage licenses to out-of-state gay couples.

Romney obtained those marriage records from the clerks and stopped the state from processing them, which meant the state had no record of the marriages. The marriages were recorded at the local level, however.

Deval's made a very strong statement in favor of equality, so kudos to him. Now, it's time to go all the way... and ask clerks in towns and cities to stop harassing out of state same-sex couples. If they want to get married in Massachusetts, let's welcome them to it.