In just two days, we will celebrate the 234th anniversary of our republic. To mark the occasion, I’ve been highlighting Ronald Reagan’s speech at the 1980 Republican convention. It’s not because he was a Republican, nor because he was perfect. We saw from 2000 to 2008 the unfriendly reception Republicans in Washington gave to the principles of our founders – and to even the more recent ideals restated by Reagan. Reagan had more than his share of faults, as do all actors on the American stage. What this last segment of that speech in 1980 points out is that the rare quality that Reagan had (and perhaps the only recent political figure I have seen who has it is a […]

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. … [W]e are going to initiate action to get substantial relief for our taxpaying citizens and action to put people back to work. None of this will be based on any new form of monetary tinkering or fiscal sleight-of-hand. We will simply apply to government the common sense that we all use in our daily lives. Work and family are at the […]

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. First, we must overcome something the present Administration has cooked up: a new and altogether indigestible economic stew, one part inflation, one part high unemployment, one part recession, one part runaway taxes, one part deficit spending seasoned with an energy crisis. It’s an economic stew that has turned the national stomach. Ours are not problems of abstract economic theory. These are problems […]

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. Three-hundred-and-sixty years ago, in 1620, a group of families dared to cross a mighty ocean to build a future for themselves in a new world. When they arrived at Plymouth, Massachusetts, they formed what they called a “compact,” an agreement among themselves to build a community and abide by its laws. This single act – the voluntary binding together of free people […]

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: You know, the first Republican President once said, “While the people retain their virtue and their vigilance, no Administration by any extreme of wickedness or folly can seriously injure the Government in the short space of four years.” If Mr. Lincoln could see what’s happened in these last three and a half years, he might hedge a little on that statement. But […]

Because he just got an awesome deal on the Worcester Airport, that’s why. The city just got paid $17 million by Massport (and here’s the build-up behind the number). Now, don’t get me wrong, I love the Worcester Airport and I hope it one day becomes a thriving hub. There’s a lot of potential there but the reality is that it loses money, so getting $17 million in value is a great one for Worcester (and an…ahem…challenging one for Massport, no?).

We picked on Curt Schilling a few months back for considering a move to Rhode Island. And we maintain our position that firm relocation, in the aggregate, is not an important creator of jobs across the entire MA economy. That said, Schilling’s firm has been offered a $75 million loan guarantee (note the difference — a guarantee on a private loan, not a direct loan) by Rhode Island, according to the Providence Business News.