The above statistic was used in both our press release for our Questions for Boston’s 2009 Mayoral Candidates Project and by moderator Jon Keller in the last debate (see transcript here, I don’t know the site and cannot vouch for overall accuracy). That number is based on information provided on the state’s Division of Unemployment Assistance website (see here) that utilizes information from the federal Local Area Unemployment Statistics Project. I used that website to get a monthly number for the number of employed Boston residents from 1990 to 2009. (see the raw data here) Taking the low water mark of 1990 – September — and subtracting that from May 2009 (which was the most current available at the time […]

Mayoral Candidate Kevin McCrea levels a serious and inflammatory charge on Blue Mass Group today — “There are many fine public schools, but serious inequities continue because our “lottery” is not genuine, and politically connected people get their children the schools they want. Does it surprise anyone that Mayor Menino, Councilor Flaherty and Councilor Yoon were all just “lucky” and their progeny ended up in their first choice of schools?” I’ve been a long-time observer, critic (see here and here), and participant in the Boston Public Schools lottery process. I’ve never heard anyone provide credible evidence that the BPS lottery process is anything but on the level. It can be difficult to understand and frustrating, but not fixed. If McCrea […]

Monday’s Pension Reform Commission had a couple of recommendations that deserve follow-up and discussion. They appear headed to a full commission recommendation of extending the funding schedule by another 10 years and to allow any future expansion of liabilities to be amortized over 20 years. To put it in perspective, Massachusetts figured out in the late ’80s that a pay-as-you-go pension system was not sustainable and started to sock money away in pension funds. Of course, a huge liability had been accrued that couldn’t be paid all at once. So, it was decided that we would pay that liability off over 40 years, culminating in fully funded pension plans in the 2020s. However, for a variety of reasons — expanded […]

(Ed. Note — Pioneer Institute urges compliance with all local, state, and federal laws.) I used to be one of those people who crept through the Fast Lane readers, believing that it needed time to read my transponder. Then a gentleman who made part of the transponder’s insides informed me that they can read at very high speeds. Meanwhile, State Auditor Joe DeNucci has found that a number of folks are being overcharged by the FastLane system. Peter Samuel of Toll Road News looks into the issue and finds that, at low speeds in bumper-to-bumper traffic, the system can’t distinguish between the break between vehicles. What that means is that the person in the first car is getting charged for […]

Today’s FT reports that “study after study shows that overall the highest level of health spending in the world does not deliver anything like the best results”. And I’ve seen similar variations elsewhere. I’d point you in the direction of a recent paper from the Population Studies Center at UPenn. In it, mortality rates for prostate cancer are considered, as prostate cancer responds well to early detection and treatment. The study shows that mortality rates for the disease have declined significantly in comparison to a number of European countries. Does it disapprove the initial assertion? Not close to completely, but it does provide some evidence that factors beyond ineffective healthcare spending are causing some of the poor results in other […]