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GOV's Race Machismo

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This morning’s newspaper reports that the LG was hospitalized yesterday after marching in an incredible (insane?) 5 parades over the sweltering weekend. Get well soon, Tim Murray. So, is Tim Cahill’s tweet this AM a bit of one upsmanship? [emphasis added]: 7 parades in 3 days! Great parade coverage by @fox25news & @joebattenfeld http://ow.ly/27vaK #mapoli #magov #timin10 44 minutes ago via HootSuite

Happy 4th – Gordon Wood on the Founding

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Below is a video of an event, History and Civic Education, that we held with Brown University Professor Gordon Wood, the amazing historian of the American Founding. The video starts with Charles White, the head of Project Civic Engagement in the School of Education at Boston University. My introductory remarks begin at 3:30. They are part good ol’ patriotic rant, I suppose, but they give you a sense about how Pioneer sees itself in our community today. At 9:15 Boston City Councilor Maureen Feeney, who so understands the importance of history instruction in our schools and the need for civic engagement informed by knowledge of our history and our institutions. And then at 18:17 begins Dr. Wood–and he is always […]

Happy 234th Anniversary: On Love of Country

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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 […]

A painful budget for schools, not state officials

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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 […]

Happy 234th Anniversary: On Individual Freedom & Dignity

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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 […]