public investment

Natalie Hopkinson observes how school choice has adversely affected the educational opportunities for her son and other children in her community in Washington, DC.  Clearly school choice has winners and losers...and it comes down to economic and social justice.  Again an education policy has gained political traction and funding that is failing to provide quality educational opportunities, equally, all our children.

Such inequities are the perverse result of a “reform” process intended to bring choice and accountability to the school system. Instead, it has destroyed community-based education for working-class families, even as it has funneled resources toward a few better-off, exclusive, institutions.       

The idea was to introduce competition; good schools would survive; bad ones would disappear. It effectively created a second education system, which now enrolls nearly half the city’s public school students. The charters consistently perform worse than the traditional schools, yet they are rarely closed...Meanwhile, failing neighborhood schools, depleted of students, were shut down. Invariably, schools that served the poorest families got the ax — partly because those were the schools where students struggled the most, and partly because the parents of those students had the least power. [Full Opinion: The New York Times]

Well, with any new taxes "off the table what is the MBTA management suposed  to recommend but service cuts and fare increases?

I guess we can all argue about who pays the increase (seniors? students? trains?, buses?) and what services are cut. How about those suburban lines? Or the mid morning routes in the inner citiy?  Oh dear. What to do. What to do.  Here's what Secretary Davey told the Herald.

Suburban bus service and nighttime commuter rail could be on the chopping block as Department of Transportation officials scrounge for solutions to a $161 million budget hole projected for next year, Transportation Secretary Richard Davey said Monday.

In interview outside Park Street Station, as morning commuters crisscrossed the Boston Common, Davey said he anticipates proposals for fare hikes and service cuts to be offered next month, with a likely public hearing process set for January.

“The T will probably be looking to float some proposals in December,” he said.

“I think a fare increase – it’s a good policy to have one from time to time. The T’s costs have gone up, for health care, for power, energy ... other commodities costs. I think a fare increase is timely from time to time,” he continued.

Have you wondered what some of the items in the state budget your tax dollars pay for?  Look down at the sidewalks and the roads...look up at the traffic lights and traffic signs...read this article and you'll learn more about the outstanding maintenance bill for our public transportation system that has been neglected but can no longer be ignored for public safety reasons.

The closings [of the Red Line] are needed to allow T crews to make $80 million in repairs designed to keep trains from derailing.  [Full Article: The Boston Globe]

Merchants are already banking on the hope that a new station will bring them more customers and an economic bridge to the rest of the city. ...The MBTA said that adding stations is aimed at providing better transportation to low-income people who are overwhelmingly dependent on public transit.   [Full Article: The Boston Globe]

This editorial explores the consequences of reducing the funding for free flu vaccines...it's not only about the dollars saved for having less vaccines available; there's an even larger economic cost.  Are we being penny wise and pound foolish?

Investment in free vaccination saves lives and greatly reduces the economic toll of the flu in terms of lost hours of productivity, income, and sales. Tough economic times only make it more important for the state to be sure that its budgetary priorities provide the broadest benefit for the greatest numbers of people .  [Full Editorial: The Boston Globe]

Casinos in Massachusetts - may be a foregone conclusion if leadership in the State House has its way.  But is this the way to achieve fiscal stability for the Commonwealth as some would have us believe?  Is this strategy working to achieve budget surpluses (or balanced  budgets vs. budget deficits ) in New Jersey or Nevada?  Even Connecticut isn't showing great financial rewards from gambling.  What will happen to total revenue when there's more competition in New England?  Then there's the additional cost of the health and safety issues of gambling...

Gambling revenue  ...erodes a fundamental idea of democracy: that we’re all in this together. Instead of all people contributing equitably to the common good, a casino economy fractures the social compact. And it asks the most from those who can afford it least.   [Full Op-Ed:  The Boston Globe]

Civic engagement is definitely needed to get Congress back on track.  As Abraham Lincoln said...It's government of the people, by the people, and for the people... Therefore, it is not for some small group of ideologues to govern and control the purse strings...

A political battle ... is threatening to slow money to the government’s main disaster aid account, which is so low that new rebuilding projects have been put on hold to help victims of Hurricane Irene and future disasters.  [Full Article:  The Boston Globe]

When natural disasters strike, such as Hurricane Irene,  it's our government that protects families and property, shelters the homeless, and revives communities adversely affected by the subsequent destruction.  It's up to all of us to continue to invest in our government so that it can continue to do this work, and carry out the other programs and services we rely upon every day.

...the National Guard was assisting evacuations in the towns of Charlemont, Ashford and North Adams. 200 National Guard troops were deployed to Greenfield in order to assist with evacuations in Franklin County and the Berkshires.  [Full Article: MassLive.com]