NEWS RELEASE
November 2, 2006
The truth is out there: The public needs to hear
it.
Facts for the Final Week
We have always liked and admired the Massachusetts
media, have always been treated fairly by all its aspects. We remember
with nostalgia the excellent in-depth reporting on Proposition 2½
twenty-six years ago. But of course times, and readers, have changed,
and we understand what the print media, especially, is up against
limited reader attention span.
According to some polls, voters have remained
uninformed about key issues through the bulk of this year’s
gubernatorial campaign. Some media persona are starting to ask tough
questions; here are some answers that do not seem to be getting through
to the public. (What happened to the Globe’s Ad Watch?)
1. The Globe editorial endorsement of Deval Patrick
says that "he wants to expand the circuit breaker limit on property
taxes for the elderly." There IS no "circuit breaker limit on property
taxes" for the elderly or anyone else, no matter how many times Deval
says it. It is bad reporting to keep repeating it. Just Google "circuit
breaker Massachusetts" and you will see that it is an INCOME tax credit
available only under certain limited conditions.
This is important because polls show voters would
rather have a property tax cut than an income tax cut. Well, so would
we! But SOMEONE should be telling them that this is a non-existent
choice. While the income tax rollback has been on the table for
seventeen years, Deval Patrick does not have a proposal for a property
tax cut.
And neither, of course, does Christy Mihos. Some
voters actually think that Christy’s "Proposition 1" is on the ballot
next week. The media should be telling voters that it requires a
constitutional amendment that could only be on the 2010 ballot if the
Legislature allows it – which means it won’t ever happen. We realize
that most of the media is basically ignoring this as a silly proposal,
but many voters think it is for real and should be told that it’s not.
2. The MTA Ad. The Massachusetts Teachers
Association’s ad claims that "Massachusetts ranks 41st in state funding
for education." But PER PUPIL SPENDING K-12 has been among the highest
in the nation for years – 5th highest in 2003-04, well above the
national average.
Local aid has always been lower here than in many
other states because we over-utilize the property tax, which is also
among the highest in the nation. The MTA opposes Proposition 2½ and its
effort to limit those property taxes. This entire context is important
because the teachers’ union has endorsed Deval Patrick, and is funding
over $2 million in ads in his support.
3. Anger with Romney. Voters appear angry
with Governor Romney for traveling out of state. We’ve seen few
reminders to voters that the last Democratic Governor, Michael Dukakis,
actually RAN FOR PRESIDENT FULL-TIME in 1988, using "the Massachusetts
Miracle," which was created with unpaid Medicaid bills, imaginary state
revenues, and a raid on the state pension fund. Shouldn’t people be
given that perspective as well?
4. Criminals . The resulting fiscal crisis
led to Dukakis’ threat to release prisoners from the county jails. As I
wrote in my recent column:
"When he returned to the fiscal crisis he created, he
demanded a tax increase. When the Legislature refused to give it to him,
he threatened to let the prisoners out of the county jails! I remember
this because it scared me too.
"All of us - legislative Republicans and angry Democrats, Citizens for
Limited Taxation, business leaders – agreed to a doubling of the deeds
excise, with part of the new revenue dedicated to the jails. No one
wanted to be responsible for innocent citizens being robbed or raped by
early-released felons."
This is why it is important to determine exactly how Deval Patrick feels
about criminals before we elect another liberal Democrat.
Barbara Anderson --
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