MORE ARTICLES
Massachusetts Affordability and Competitiveness Ranking is in FreefallJuly 26, 2024 - 10:19 am
Average Weekly Wage Change for two Massachusetts Counties with Differing Densities.July 25, 2024 - 11:54 am
Suffolk County Residential and Commercial Taxation Changes Since 2018July 25, 2024 - 9:54 am
Stanford’s Arnold Rampersad on Jackie RobinsonJuly 24, 2024 - 11:29 am
Registering Republican Realignment: GOP Convention Showcases Conservatism’s New DirectionJuly 23, 2024 - 11:02 am
An Evaluation of 340B in MassachusettsJuly 23, 2024 - 10:41 am
Migration to Massachusetts in 2022: Where Are People Going?July 18, 2024 - 3:00 pm
The Economic Development Bill Starting to Take Shape; It Makes Big Bets on Life Sciences, Clean Technology and Applied AIJuly 18, 2024 - 2:11 pm
Disparities in LIHTC Data Illuminate Difficulties in Housing ProductionJuly 18, 2024 - 12:13 pm
Examining the New Massachusetts Estate TaxJuly 18, 2024 - 9:43 am
Build it and they will come?
/0 Comments/in Better Government, Blog, Economic Opportunity, Housing /byI think we have heard that one before. So now we are going to build a $1.4 billion commuter line to New Bedford, even though the T can’t afford it, even though that will add to the ongoing costs of the T to maintain the line, and even though expected ridership is dismally low so it won’t even pay for a tiny fraction of the ongoing costs. Okay, what else is new? Perhaps we can build a convention center at the end of the line to soak up all the excess demand for conventions in Massachusetts. Stephen Smith, executive director of the Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District (SRPEDD) and I did an op-ed on this months ago for […]
A Plea For Slightly Less Integrated Transportation Planning
/0 Comments/in Better Government, Blog, Blog: Better Government /byThe Herald’s has done a fine job pointing out one of the dumb things we do as a state — provide massive subsidies for little-used local airports that have no relevance to the transportation needs of the state. Check out pg. 17 of this chart just to see how little usage many of these airports get. Many of these airports are home to a handful of privately-owned planes and certainly provide a service for those people, but the Herald correctly asks why the vast majority of commercial air travelers should be taxed to pay for it. The Massachusetts Aeronautics Commission is the state agency charged with the task of maintaining these smaller airports. And they have no compunction about these […]
More Drapes? Enough with the drapes!
/0 Comments/in Better Government, Blog, News /bySometimes smart people cannot learn. We are smart people in Massachusetts. We all know that. Jim Rooney, executive director of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, is a smart and also capable guy. And he’s done a great job with the bad hand he was dealt. We have two convention centers and the market isn’t big enough to fill them. Jim R’s worked hard to fill the convention centers with events, any events, including meetings of law firms and boat and flower shows. There are some big shows, but still far too many events where people drive in and out of town, leaving in their wake not enough spending and too much traffic. Room nights is the coin of the realm […]
What a Difference 100 Days Makes……
/0 Comments/in Better Government, Blog, Blog: Better Government /byRemember the early days: “We strongly believe that good governance means taking the best ideas from the best people, no matter what their Party.” Ehh, maybe not so much anymore: [The Governor’s informal group of advisors] agreed on a major priority: to crack the whip on the administration’s lagging efforts to replace Republican-appointed government managers with a team loyal to Patrick. Hey, he’s the Governor, he gets to pick his own team. But his major priority? Not sure that’s what the Administration needs to focus on right now.
The Winter Moth
/0 Comments/in Blog, News /by Liam DayAs winter turns to spring, or the day of it, anyway, we can expect before summer arrives, I would like to turn my attention to nature. The winter moth was introduced to North America from Europe and has now spread over much of the northeastern United States and Canada. Like the gypsy moth, the winter moth loves to eat trees, but not just shade trees. No, the winter moth likes fruit too, particularly, I understand, apples and crabapples. Now this may not seem like all that big a deal. Unless, of course, you own or work in an orchard and depend on apples for your living. I suppose then it would be a very big deal. The reason I bring […]