The future belongs to the nation that best educates its citizens. That’s President Obama singling out Massachusetts as a model for the rest for the United States on March 9, 2009. He went on to say: The solution to low test scores is not lower standards – it’s tougher, clearer standards. Standards like those in Massachusetts, where 8th graders are now tying for first – first – in the world in science. The president was right in 2009, before his agenda on standards morphed into the usual “the feds know best” attitude. Academic standards and objective assessments for teachers and students are the major drivers of the overall improvement we’ve witnessed in Massachusetts’ district schools. They are also a major […]

…on racino licensing. Both are pushing back on racino proposals that would not apply market pricing to these particular gaming licenses. As I wrote in 2006 for the Boston Globe: Massachusetts’ great gambling giveaway IF THE MASSACHUSETTS Legislature wrote a billion-dollar check to the casino industry, people would be outraged. But the [2006] gambling bill, awaiting action in the House after receiving Senate approval, threatens to give away more than $1 billion in value by charging an inordinately low fee for the four proposed licenses…. …The point is not that the state should fix the exact license price. Rather, there is credible evidence that the proposed license price is too low and difficult to ascertain…. …the state should not provide […]

10 – don’t actually live in district 9 – weekend attire of Celtics/Red Sox gear, mesh shorts and flip-flops considered unstatesmanlike 8 – equally unpopular with public safety employees and progressives 7 – not prepared to explain “It’s Polish, but my mom’s Irish” a million times 6 – far right-wing rants in college op-eds might come back to haunt me (actually, never mind…..) 5 – most district residents know me from screaming at (my own) unruly children at Roche Brothers 4 – have never sponsored little league or soccer team 3 – absolutely no relation whatsoever to anyone named Coppinger 2 – still not on Menino Machine’s Christmas Card list 1 – little-known rule reserves post for a graduate of […]

Governor Patrick signed a $27.6 billion budget for the upcoming fiscal year, touting it as “balanced, responsible and on time.” Notwithstanding all the cries of pain from the state budgeters, it represents an increase over the 2010 budget, albeit of only 0.2 percent. Most families and most localities would take that deal. The state can’t handle it. The Guv has put off $300 million in debt payments, drained the near bone-dry rainy day fund further and set us up on a cliff now that the federal stimulus dollars are all spent. The mismatch of revenues and spending (often called in deep sonorous tones “The Structural Deficit” by budgetistas) remains. Lots of eyes are focused on implications for legal and illegal […]

In just a few days, we will be celebrating the 234th anniversary of our republic. To mark the occasion, I thought it would be fun to go back to one of the great acceptance speeches of the past 50 years – Ronald Reagan’s speech at the 1980 Republican convention – and pull out eight important themes for 2010. We must have the clarity of vision to see the difference between what is essential and what is merely desirable; and then the courage to bring our Government back under control. It is essential that we maintain both the forward momentum of economic growth and the strength of the safety net between those in our society who need help. We also believe […]

In just a few days, we will be celebrating the 234th anniversary of our republic. To mark the occasion, I thought it would be fun to go back to one of the great acceptance speeches of the past 50 years – Ronald Reagan’s speech at the 1980 Republican convention – and pull out eight important themes for 2010. I often get tired of supposedly theoretical discussions about limited government—that sort of caricature libertarian who wants anarchy. Dudes, not helpful. Freedom is not simply freedom from government, nor is it simply freedom through government. Freedom in the American context is a balance of those two impulses, much like the balance of several institutional powers inside the frame of constitutional government. What […]