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They are good at what they do

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The National Education Association is, bar none, the most effective public employee union of the past 30 years. So it is good to understand what they do and how they do it. If you are interested in seeing their 2008 election debrief, then click right here — specially delivered to you by our education spymaster. Now, of course, noting that they are good at what they do does not mean what they do is good.

Taxation without trust?

/0 Comments/in , , /by Liam Day

I would like to follow up on my post last week regarding the shenanigans (and there really is no other way to describe it) going on in the Lawrence public schools. I heard from people and the recurring theme in their responses to me and in the comments they left on the blog is one of fundamental distrust. This doesn’t surprise me. Not only does the mismanagement of the Lawrence public schools at this point appear to be so broad it would be impossible for even the only moderately informed taxpayer not to notice it, but the same theme appears to be playing out at the state level as well. The state is facing a truly enormous budget gap, both […]

Harry Truman he ain't

/3 Comments/in , , /by Liam Day

I know there are a lot of issues on the table right now, particularly the sales tax increase the House just passed, but, because it was buried at the bottom of a column deep in the Metro section of this morning’s Globe, I wanted, very briefly, to point to a comment from Lawrence school superintendent Wilfredo Laboy so absurd it defies satire. Yet another scandal appears to be roiling the Lawrence public schools. After recent revelations that assistants to the Superintendent conducted unwarranted background checks on more than 400 individuals and that, apparently, underage drinking at Lawrence High doesn’t require police notification, we learn today that a K-8 school principal in Lawrence has been hawking her, according to the Globe, […]

One Day

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That’s all it took. We wait years for pension reform. Years for the state to reform the health care purchasing regime. Decades for them to loose the embrace of public employee unions. All that takes decades. And it isn’t done. But an increase in the sales tax? All it takes is a day. On this one the Governor is right. His letter yesterday certainly offended House members, in a way U.S. interference in a Central American election would offend that country’s population. The Governor’s letter was certainly an act of political gamesmanship, but what is wrong with that? Yes, he got the gospel late in the game, finally insisting on reform first. But the Senate only talked a great game. […]

The Return of Governor Deval Patrick

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The House of Representatives is, as we go to press, engaged in a political suicide mission — attempting to build a veto-proof majority to raise the sales tax by 25%. The Governor, smartly, has staked out a contrary position with some very specific insistence on reforms, backed by a threat to veto the sales tax increase: – On pensions, the Governor is insisting on reforms that apply to both new and current employees. This is a direct challenge to the House’s efforts thus far. – On transportation, “real reforms” and “true cost savings”, noting that based on the House and Senate efforts “[w]e are not there yet”. – On ethics, he notes the Senate’s inaction. This is smart politics and […]