THE PIONEER BLOG

Steve Poftak

Let the handwringing begin…

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CVS has sought state permission to open MinuteClinics in a number of its retail stores. Minute Clinics provide a limited array of medical services (think simple illnesses, like ear infections and strep throat and vaccinations) at set prices or through insurance. They operate in 19 states and offer an interesting alternative — transparent pricing, convenient locations, and no hassles with doctor’s appointments or emergency rooms. Not to sound like a shill for the company — there are some questions about how these clinics would affect continuity of care (i.e. its better to have a single point of contact for medical services who has an overview of your entire medical record) and screening for more sophisticated diagnoses (e.g. a case of […]

Steve Poftak

Will they return the money?

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Today’s New York Times reports that the ethanol boom, among other reasons, is driving up the price of farmland, particularly in corn-growing areas of states like Iowa. Good thing we’ve subsidized agriculture to the tune of $164.7 billion from 1995 to 2005. Click here to get the searchable database of farm subsidies by almost every imaginable category. And to address the story’s point more directly, farmers in Iowa have received corn subsidies of $9.9 billion during the same period.

Liam Day

Pioneer has a new Home Page

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In our continuing effort to bring more and more information to you, our online readers, we have just unveiled our new home page. New features include Mass Media – links to articles of note in local media outlets, both those that reference Pioneer and those that do not (We are aware, sometimes painfully, that it is not a Pioneercentric universe.); direct links to our research centers, including their snazzy new logos; and our rotating quotes feature – each time you return to the home page you should see a different quote from such disparate sources as Frederick Douglass, F.A. Hayek and the Massachusetts Constitution. And, if you’ve been to our website recently, you may have noticed the donate button, not […]

Steve Poftak

I love New England too, but this is ridiculous.

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I’m a born and bred New Englander, but I find it odd that the leaders of two major European powers choose to vacation here. President Sarkozy’s stay in Wolfeboro, NH has been well-chronicled. But the UK’s Gordon Brown is a regular on Cape Cod (at least until this year). Maybe a coast of Maine getaway for Andrea Merkel is in the works?

Steve Poftak

Save the Longfellow!!

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Our Legacy of Neglect: The Longfellow Bridge and the Cost of Deferred Maintenance Pioneer released its latest research report, Our Legacy of Neglect: The Longfellow Bridge and the Cost of Deferred Maintenance, yesterday. Take a look at the website we put together to launch the paper at www.savethelongfellow.com. In particular, you should click on the link for the photo-rich presentation — a slide show of beautiful photos by Pioneer’s own Peter Begley. The paper itself details the Commonwealth’s neglect of the bridge – there have only been two maintenance projects of any scale on the bridge in its 100 year history. But, the Longfellow is just a small part of a much larger story: the extent to which we’ve neglected […]

Steve Poftak

Welcome Aboard the Massachusetts Business Cost Express!

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A hearty welcome to the New England Public Policy Center at the Boston Fed. They’ve just released a memo detailing some of the high costs facing Massachusetts’ business (PDF, or link). Their findings include: Massachusetts does not have right-to-work laws, which “[m]ost research has found…. [to] have a positive impact on employment and business formation” Based on Economy.com’s Cost of Business Index, “[a]ll New England states are ranked as having high business costs, with Massachusetts being particularly expensive.” Using a Forbes’ Regulatory Environment Index, “most New England states have relatively burdensome regulatory climates, although Massachusetts (29) and Vermont (35) are ranked toward the middle.” Pioneer is pleased to have the New England Public Policy Center on board our continuing efforts […]

Amy Dain

Water water everywhere

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Managing Water Demand: Price vs. Non-Price Conservation Programs While the Commonwealth is blessed with an abundance of lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands such as bogs and marshes, our residents use enough water to strain the water supply just about every summer.  The United States Geological Survey reports that Massachusetts’ rainfall and groundwater levels are average this year.  Still, communities across eastern Massachusetts, in particular along the 495 growth corridor, are adopting a range of policies to manage water demand and promote conservation.  Oddly, they often ignore the most cost-effective policy tool for achieving conservation: water pricing. Last week Pioneer released a report by Professor Sheila Olmstead of Yale University and Professor Robert Stavins of Harvard University that sites fifty years […]

Alan Petrillo

Storrow Tunnel, falling down. . .

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…and the Longfellow Bridge isn’t looking too good, either. This week, both the Globe and the Governor (see below) have confirmed what everyone else who drives, rides, walks or breathes already knew: the state of the state is shaky. And leaky. And rusty, potholed and occasionally scary. From the State House News: Responding to a question about the Boston Globe’s front page story on the 56-year-old tunnel’s lack of waterproofing when it was first built, Patrick said, “It’s another example of the persistent neglect of our transportation infrastructure that goes back many decades.” …Patrick said the problem points out the importance of paying attention to the upkeep of the state’s roads and bridges “an ongoing basis and not just on […]

Steve Poftak

Dinosaurs Becoming Extinct, Slowly

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Hurrah, the State Police have finally stopped giving driving tests to 16 year olds in Massachusetts!!! A full 15 years after the merger of the Registry Police with the State Police, the Commonwealth has finally figured out (as part of collective bargaining, of course) that we probably don’t need trained, armed (and highly compensated) officers giving these exams.

Liam Day

Thoughts on the State Budget

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The final 2008 state budget came out of committee and was signed by Governor Patrick a little over a week ago. Below is our partial response, composed by another of the extraordinary Pioneer interns, Lincoln Rathnam. (Again, though I would like to take credit, I can’t.): “The Massachusetts state budget for 2008 is praiseworthy in several respects but also gives us cause for serious concern. In May Pioneer called on the legislature to reject the governor’s proposed addition of $500 million in taxes and fees and to work towards a solution to the state’s public employee pension and retiree health care liabilities. The new budget begins to fund those liabilities. Citizens of Massachusetts can also be thankful that the legislature […]

Alan Petrillo

How to watch and listen to Gov. Patrick’s BGC address

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One of the highlights of last month’s Better Government Competition was Governor Patrick’s well-received keynote address. We’re pleased that the speech will be broadcast on C-SPAN Radio, XM Satellite Channel 132, at 10 am on Sunday, July 22. If you can’t bear to wait that long, the audio is here, and also enjoy YouTube clips one, two and three.

Scott W. Graves

The new math of convention madness

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The Boston Business Journal today reports that the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority is issuing an RFP to expand the Bonston Convention & Exhibition Center. The request for proposals is for the development of a master plan for the BCEC that will provide an envelope for future expansion of the facility. Gloria Larson calls the BCEC “as successful as we hoped.” Golly, Gloria, one might call that a pretty big plea from low expectations.  She notes, in fact, that The building has exceeded our expectations, and it is the right time to explore what we should do with the undeveloped portion of the property. A master plan is the best way to start the dialogue. In a previous post, I noted that while […]

Liam Day

Congrats to Steve Poftak

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To those of you in the blogosphere who miss the witty and sometimes irreverent posts of our research director, Steve Poftak: Steve has been blog-silent for good reason. He and his wife are celebrating the birth of their second child. All of us at Pioneer wish Steve and his family the best, even as we miss his wit and banter around the office.

Liam Day

A Path to Solvency for the DCR?

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Though I have been unable to leave the BGC behind (it really was that good an event), I cannot take credit for the following post. It comes from one of our summer interns, Katharine Sheehan, a senior year BC: “The Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (NVRPA), runner-up at the BGC, has transformed its operations in just a matter of years and cut operating costs while increasing usership and revenues. As a result, the NVRPA is now a self-sufficient agency, producing enough revenue that it no longer relies on state and local funding. The key to its success is simple: the NVRPA reinvented itself by implementing a market-focused strategy. Here in Massachusetts, the DCR, which oversees the state park system, has […]

Liam Day

Whom would you like to address the BGC dinner next year?

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Now that it’s all said and done, we at Pioneer have a moment to reflect on the BGC. Though admittedly biased, we do believe it was a great success: 280 contest entries, 360 awards dinner guests, and 2 very fine speeches, delivered by Springfield (MA) Mayor Charlie Ryan and Governor Deval Patrick. (As an aside, our condolences to Springfield on losing out to Springfield, Vermont in the contest to host the world premiere of the upcoming Simpson’s movie. A red carpet in Vermont? Who would’ve thunk it?) Looking to the future, we have already started kicking around the office names of people we would like to invite to be next year’s guest speaker. As some people expressed, shall we say, […]