public structures

CNN: Hudson River Plane Crash

As people across our state deal with flooding in our communities, I am reminded of the media response to the terrible Hudson River Airplane Crash just over a year ago.

Though the situation was clearly different - a very short-term, localized emergency event - the coverage seems familiar.

Nationwide coverage and popular response focused almost entirely on Chesley B.
"Sully" Sullenberger, the heroic pilot who landed the flight, but in large part, failed to fully-recognize  the carefully-coordinated efforts of private and public employees working together to make sure the safe landing stayed a positive story.

Ferry drivers, Coast Guard and Fire Department members, paramedics, nurses and doctors all followed plans from emergency coordinators with practiced contingency plans - built in advance so that tragic events can go as smoothly as possible.

CNN: Northeast Flooding 2010

Reading through flood coverage - and seeing it covered on both local and nationwide news footage - I see a lot of the same reaction. People on every channel and in every publication are shocked by the road-rivers flowing past homes and are worried about losing power to pumps working hard in their basements. People are shown being rescued from homes and vehicles by emergency workers and checking into their flood insurance policies.

And while all of these are very important stories, not enough people are speaking publicly about the historic causes and long-term planning we need to do to protect our communities for future natural disaster such as these floods. How are we going to repair and maintain the structures in our cities and towns that keep us safe?

As we look at the status of the Massachusetts budget, it is easy to forget that we are not alone in making some very important decisions about our state and our communities.

Not only can we learn from the consequences of our own state's historic budget and revenue decisions, we can learn from other states working through the same issues!

Sunday's Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune Op-Ed, "The case for paying higher taxes, happily," laid out a scenario that was all too familiar - a state facing a structural deficit, another round of budget cuts, and advocates calling for even more tax cuts for big businesses. The authors, though push back, calling for a more balanced look at the effect of tax cuts:

What's good for General Mills usually is good for Minnesota. And despite the state's gigantic revenue shortage, some proposals at the Capitol to give further tax cuts and credits to businesses deserve a serious look.

But the assumption that more tax cuts are the only way to strengthen the state's economy is just plain wrong. It misses the truth on the flip side: What's good for the public also is vital for business in the long run.

The letter lays out a list of the ways those tax dollars would get spent that benefit large and small businesses as they do individuals throughout the state:

• ...Courts and the rule of law are essential not just for public safety but also for conflict resolution and contract enforcement for businesses.
• Delays and deteriorating roads -- due to the state's fast-growing congestion and crumbling transportation infrastructure -- build higher costs into the prices of products produced or sold here.
• Our public schools are being forced, in effect, to loan money to state government. Students at Minnesota's two-year colleges pay the third-highest tuition and fees of all 50 states. And Minnesota faces a growing achievement gap between white and nonwhite, and between affluent and poor households. These trends represent an erosion of Minnesota's educational advantage, the bedrock of our economic success.
  

Sound familiar? We all want and deserve to live healthy, happy lives, and there are some things that we must work on together because we just can't do them on our own - clean water, safe roads, reliable emergency services. Sometimes, it's all too easy to take these things for granted. That is because there is a pervasive disconnect between those things we expect from our government, and the way that those public structures are maintained.

We've already seen one round of 9C cuts this session, and this week will likely bring more. People across our state are already talking about the options we have to avoid devastating cuts - and taxes are clearly on the table:

• Patrick Considers Raising Gas Tax  [Boston.com, Jan 13, 2009]
• Mayor Set to Take on Larger Role (Meals Tax)  [Boston.com,  Dec 21, 2008]

Get Informed about some of our options to boost state revenues. Ready to learn how to talk more effectively about all kinds of taxes? Check out the of our Upcoming Events at ONE Massachusetts, or request a training for your organization or community! 

As residents of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, we all want - and deserve - healthy lives, healthy families, quality education, safe, vibrant communities, and prosperity in a thriving state.

Since being passed into law in 2001, The Community Preservation Act has helped communities across the state save public areas threatened by development, rescue historic gems from the erosions of time, and create much-needed affordable housing units. These funds are currently being threatened by the lack of state funds sustaining the CPA, while a recent bill, filed by Sen. Cynthia Creem, is designed to close these loopholes, and secure state funds for the CPA. More information on communities that are working to utilize the CPA, and how your community can realize the benefits of the Act can be found at the Community Preservation Coalition.

Can a consortium of businesses do a better job of promoting the public good than the city of Boston?

Anti-government activists in the United States often complain that their local, state and federal government should be run more like a business. “If we operated our government like a business,” the argument goes, “we could have better services and lower taxes.”

So now that a group of downtown businesses calling themselves the Greenway Conservancy have stepped forward claiming they will help develop the Rose Kennedy Greenway by pooling private donations, it’s worth questioning how much of the taxpayers’ money they will save.

Some stories just make you smile, and it's good to see the Metro covering the good deeds our friends and neighbors are accomplishing in our communities! Now where did I put that paintbrush?

Dorchester Pitching in Rogelio Buckley, 5, is happy to pitch in and help clean up his favorite park.

Last month we asked "Who Needs Libraries, Anyways?"

Second and Fourth graders at George H. Mitchell Elementary School in Bridgewater have resoundingly answered that question by raising more than $20,000 for their town's public library.

“The children learned that they could do something worthwhile to support their community and they improved their reading at the same time,” said second-grade teacher Lisa Ohman.

It is fun to see movie stars on our streets, I can't deny that. But it is so important to know what we are choosing to do without in order to lure the film industry here. In light of the constant claxon of "worst budget in years" and "budget crisis," can we justify giving tax breaks to the film industry?

Just one current casualty is public health. I'm not talking about Health Care Reform which is about insurance and having access to acute or chronic health care, I'm talking about the unique role of government in tracking, monitoring and controlling infectious diseases (among other things).