CLT UPDATE
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Congratulations Carla!
Income Tax Repeal petition gets its signatures
Advocates of decriminalizing marijuana, banning
greyhound racing, repealing the state income tax, and stripping out
major portions of a major state development law appear to have cleared a
major hurdle in their effort to hold statewide referendums on their
issues next year.
The proponents had to gather at least 66,593 certified signatures by
Nov. 21, equal to 3 percent of the total ballots cast in the 2006
gubernatorial election; each of the four groups appears to have done so,
said Brian McNiff, a spokesman for the secretary of state's office....
Michael Cloud of the Committee for Small Government said his group
collected about 100,000 signatures for the income tax repeal, "enough of
a cushion to blow back any challenge." When it last appeared on the
ballot in 2002, the initiative received more than 45 percent of the
vote. Cloud predicted it would pass next year, adding that the group
plans to spend $500,000 on ads for the initiative campaign, compared
with just $90,000 five years ago.
The initiative would decimate the state budget, chopping it from about
$28 billion to $17 billion, which was about the size of the state's 1995
budget, according to Cloud. He said the average household's savings
would be about $3,600 a year.
"If the legislators feel like they need more money, they can make their
case to the people," he said....
At least four petitions appear to have fallen short of the signature
requirement, including one that sought to eliminate the auto excise tax
and cut the 2.5 percent cap on communities' property tax increases to 1
percent.
The Boston Globe
Saturday, November 24, 2007
4 ballot petitions clear 1st obstacle
Questions will tackle taxes,
marijuana laws, developers, dog racing
What about cutting costs? Here are a few savings ideas that
would improve the Commonwealth's fiscal condition.
Get public employee benefits under control. State pension laws allow public
employees to begin collecting at a younger age than private employees. Last
year, the Commonwealth paid out more than $500 million in pension benefits to
retirees and their survivors under the age of 60.
State employees currently pay 15 percent of their health insurance premiums.
Tens of millions of dollars could be saved by bringing the Commonwealth more
into line with the private sector by boosting the employee share to 25 percent.
For years, the argument for generous public sector benefit packages was that
government employees earned less. But according to the federal Bureau of Labor
Statistics, public employees in Eastern Massachusetts now earn an average of 15
percent more than their private sector counterparts who perform similar work....
Any prudent approach to addressing our strained state finances must begin with
capturing savings. Only when we know how to pay the bills can we intelligently
decide whether the governor's proposals represent the best path for
Massachusetts.
The Boston Globe
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Paying the bills
By Lovett C. Peters
With state transportation finances in crisis, top state
lawmakers are signaling new willingness to reform the use of police details on
road projects, saying all “sacred cows” must be subject to sharp scrutiny.
“Everyone has to give a little here,” said state Sen. Steve Baddour (D-Methuen),
co-chairman of the Legislature’s Transportation Committee. “If that means
milking the sacred cows, then that’s what it means.” ...
The hot-button issue has gained momentum on Beacon Hill as public leaders
grapple with a $1 billion-a-year transportation deficit. Patrick insisted
yesterday that the state must examine detail costs, saying longstanding
political resistance should not stand in the way....
Costs for details have continued to escalate to $40-an-hour in recent years. At
the Massachusetts Highway Department, where finances are so tight that the
agency must borrow millions to pay employee salaries, the cost of details
doubled to $22.4 million last year from $11.6 million in 2000.
The Boston Herald
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Pols weigh curbing ‘sacred’ cop details
Chip Ford's CLT Commentary
Like a steaming aircraft carrier, the ship-of-state's
course has been hard to turn but the electorate and its alleged
representatives in the Legislature seem to be finally correcting.
However, the correction's not going to happen on a dime.
Today seems to be a day of relatively good news and
revelations for taxpaying citizens.
First, Carla Howell's and her Small Government's
movement has succeeded in collecting enough signatures to put
abolition of the entire state income tax before the Legislature in the
spring, again. The last time Carla and her Small Government
organization put it on the 2002 ballot over the objections of the
Legislature, it garnered over 45 percent of
the vote -- the result of which probably kept Beacon Hill from even
thinking about hiking the income tax rate. If the Legislature, as
expected, refuses to adopt it in the spring, then Carla and her team
will have to go out and collect an additional 11,099 signatures of
certified voters. If, and when, they do it'll be on next
November's statewide "presidential" ballot.
In 2000, CLT tried to simply roll back the 1989
"temporary" income tax hike (from 5.85 back down to 5 percent over three years).
59 percent of the voters so mandated it on that year's ballot, but were disrespected and
ignored. The Legislature deigned to "temporarily freeze" it at 5.3
percent in 2002, where it has remained even five years later. Most
legislators were reelected, which says a lot about too many voters' self-respect
and self-regard. "We [collectively] get the government we deserve."
I'm just tired of getting the government that they deserve, aren't
you?
When you hear those voters (or worse, non-voters)
complain about higher taxes, turn your back on them. They're
hopeless, pathetic, and not worth your effort or even attention.
So goodness gracious, if voters so decree (for what
that's worth today), then it'll be "Where would you cut?" This is the
first distracting question which Carla and Michael Cloud will confront
from opponents come next fall's ballot campaign -- as CLT has been confronted with so
often in the past -- like that's CLT's or Carla's problem.
Fortunately, the
Pioneer
Institute today has begun the discussion. Finding places to
cut spending has never been a problem for us. Finding the
political will on Beacon Hill to cut anywhere whatsoever always has been
the roadblock. CLT has tried without success for years,
offered many
suggestions for decades.
The "Where would you cut?" question is merely a
rhetorical distraction -- any response amounts to simply wasted time.
Even entrenched Beacon Hill pols now finally
recognize that "police details" have become the poster-child for waste,
fraud and abuse of tax- and rate-payers. Even the powerful police
unions are aware that their gravy train is at last threatened, at the
end of its track, has made its last run. Their prolific and
orchestrated "objective" letters-to-the-editors in newspapers across the
state are becoming more and more let's say "creative" -- if weaker in
the process; reaching hard, stretching thin for something, anything, to
perpetuate their gravy train.
But everyone now recognizes it for the financial,
taxpayer rip-off scam it's always been. We simply can't afford to
pay tribute any more for being held hostage by authorities with the
guns. As the only state in the nation with "police details" it's
past time when we shouldn't continue being made victims or fools any longer by
our elected "representatives."
Either make spineless pols work in your interests or
replace them with your vote on the 2008 ballot -- with anyone
else for a change . . . anyone else.
They think they've got us sucker-punched, and so long
as we and our neighbors keep reelecting them they're right!
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Chip Ford |
The Boston Globe
Saturday, November 24, 2007
4 ballot petitions clear 1st obstacle
Questions will tackle taxes,
marijuana laws, developers, dog racing
By Lisa Wangsness
Advocates of decriminalizing marijuana, banning greyhound racing,
repealing the state income tax, and stripping out major portions of a
major state development law appear to have cleared a major hurdle in
their effort to hold statewide referendums on their issues next year.
The proponents had to gather at least 66,593 certified signatures by
Nov. 21, equal to 3 percent of the total ballots cast in the 2006
gubernatorial election; each of the four groups appears to have done so,
said Brian McNiff, a spokesman for the secretary of state's office.
The state's town and city clerks have until Monday to certify the
signatures, and Secretary of State William F. Galvin has until Wednesday
to count them.
But the burden for the advocates doesn't end there. If Galvin determines
an initiative to have the requisite number of signatures, the
Legislature has until the first Wednesday in May to make the proposals
law. If lawmakers do not act, proponents have to gather another 11,099
signatures - half of 1 percent of the ballots cast in the 2006
gubernatorial election - by June 18.
Despite the difficult road ahead, supporters of the petitions that
seemed likely to advance were jubilant.
"I think this was the real reason why the ballot process was created;
this is a common-sense policy that is going to save $24.3 million a year
in arrests and booking charges by creating a civil penalty system," said
Whitney A. Taylor, chairwoman of the Committee for a Sensible Marijuana
Policy, who said her group had collected more than 105,000 signatures in
349 of the state's 351 cities and towns.
The marijuana initiative would replace criminal penalties with civil
penalties for people caught with an ounce or less of marijuana. She said
11 other states, including New York and Maine, have enacted similar
laws.
Michael Cloud of the Committee for Small Government said his group
collected about 100,000 signatures for the income tax repeal, "enough of
a cushion to blow back any challenge." When it last appeared on the
ballot in 2002, the initiative received more than 45 percent of the
vote. Cloud predicted it would pass next year, adding that the group
plans to spend $500,000 on ads for the initiative campaign, compared
with just $90,000 five years ago.
The initiative would decimate the state budget, chopping it from about
$28 billion to $17 billion, which was about the size of the state's 1995
budget, according to Cloud. He said the average household's savings
would be about $3,600 a year.
"If the legislators feel like they need more money, they can make their
case to the people," he said.
John V. Belskis of Arlington, chairman of Repeal 40B, the group behind a
petition to strip four major affordable housing provisions out of the
state's comprehensive permitting law, said his group has been working
for years to get the Legislature to make improvements to the law, known
as Chapter 40B. The law was designed to increase the availability of
affordable housing by speeding permitting for developers looking to
build such structures.
Belskis's group contends that the law is fundamentally flawed, saying it
has lined the pockets of developers and bankers and disempowered
communities, whose local zoning laws get pushed aside. The group says
40B has failed to create much affordable housing.
The Legislature has ignored the group's pleas, Belskis said.
"If we repeal these four sections," he said, "they're going to have to
do something to fix it -- and they're not doing it of their own
volition.'
The greyhound racing ban would make wagering on dog racing in
Massachusetts illegal, punishable by a $20,000 civil penalty.
Massachusetts has two dog tracks -- Wonderland Greyhound Park in Revere
and Raynham Park in Raynham. Advocates for the ban could not be reached
for comment yesterday.
At least four petitions appear to have fallen short of the signature
requirement, including one that sought to eliminate the auto excise tax
and cut the 2.5 percent cap on communities' property tax increases to 1
percent. A second effort that failed to gather enough signatures would
have tried to amend the state constitution and make it easier for the
United States to join an international federation of democratic nations
-- should one ever exist.
Paul Anderson of the South End, one of those involved in that ballot
initiative, said: "We may try again in two years."
The Boston Globe
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Paying the bills
By Lovett C. Peters
Leslie Kirwan, secretary for administration and finance, says the
Commonwealth faces a budget deficit of at least $1.3 billion next year.
That doesn't include a down payment on a number of new programs Governor
Deval Patrick has proposed that have one thing in common: They would
cost a lot of money.
Patrick wants to spend $2 billion to repair crumbling state colleges and
$1 billion to boost the commonwealth's biotech industry. Building a
commuter rail line to New Bedford and Fall River would cost another $1.4
billion and add about $21 million to the MBTA's annual operating
deficit.
Universal early childhood education, a longer school day, and free
community colleges would cost yet-uncalculated billions. A dramatic
increase in capital spending will add to interest costs that are already
the fourth-largest line item in the state budget at nearly $1.8 billion.
The governor proposes to use proceeds from his casino gambling proposal
to provide property tax relief and invest in our deteriorating
transportation infrastructure, but the new revenue wouldn't be enough to
solve these existing problems, never mind close the budget gap or fund
any new spending.
In a September speech before a business group, House Speaker Salvatore
DiMasi took a different approach. "When people . . . say 'new revenue,'
" he declared, "I like to say, 'What about efficiencies and cutting
costs?' "
What about cutting costs? Here are a few savings ideas that would
improve the Commonwealth's fiscal condition.
Get public employee benefits under control. State pension laws allow
public employees to begin collecting at a younger age than private
employees. Last year, the Commonwealth paid out more than $500 million
in pension benefits to retirees and their survivors under the age of 60.
State employees currently pay 15 percent of their health insurance
premiums. Tens of millions of dollars could be saved by bringing the
Commonwealth more into line with the private sector by boosting the
employee share to 25 percent.
For years, the argument for generous public sector benefit packages was
that government employees earned less. But according to the federal
Bureau of Labor Statistics, public employees in Eastern Massachusetts
now earn an average of 15 percent more than their private sector
counterparts who perform similar work.
Common-sense construction. Project labor agreements require that owners
use exclusively union workers on a construction project. Since only
about 20 percent of Massachusetts construction workers choose to join a
union, the agreements increase costs by limiting competition. The
premium is at least 12 percent, according to a 2003 Beacon Hill
Institute study of Massachusetts school construction.
Twelve percent can add up quickly when you're talking about almost $1
billion. This year alone, the Massachusetts School Building Authority
will provide about $500 million in aid to municipal school projects and
the Department of Capital Asset Management will get another $300 million
in capital funds for state building projects.
Massachusetts also requires that police patrol roadway construction
projects. One recent analysis found that the Commonwealth could save $44
million this year by joining the 49 other states that allow civilians to
perform the work.
There is little appetite for new broad-based taxes, and they might slow
a state economy that already shows signs of sputtering. Other ideas
could raise additional revenue. One is to grant a long-term lease to
operate the Massachusetts Turnpike (and collect the toll revenue) in
return for a large upfront payment that could be dedicated to
maintaining transportation infrastructure. In the last couple of years,
Chicago netted $1.8 billion for its toll highway and Indiana's toll road
attracted a $3.85 billion payment.
A similar deal to operate the state lottery and collect the proceeds
could produce enough money to guarantee that state aid to cities and
towns would be at least held harmless for years to come. These ideas
should be explored, but care must be taken to ensure that any deals
protect the public interest.
Any prudent approach to addressing our strained state finances must
begin with capturing savings. Only when we know how to pay the bills can
we intelligently decide whether the governor's proposals represent the
best path for Massachusetts.
Lovett C. Peters is founding chairman of Pioneer Institute, a
Massachusetts public policy think tank.
The Boston Herald
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Pols weigh curbing ‘sacred’ cop details
By Casey Ross
With state transportation finances in crisis, top state lawmakers are
signaling new willingness to reform the use of police details on road
projects, saying all “sacred cows” must be subject to sharp scrutiny.
“Everyone has to give a little here,” said state Sen. Steve Baddour
(D-Methuen), co-chairman of the Legislature’s Transportation Committee.
“If that means milking the sacred cows, then that’s what it means.”
The Herald has reported that traffic details cost transportation
agencies $44 million last year, in many cases allowing state and local
cops to nearly double their base salaries to earn more than $200,000 a
year.
Baddour said lawmakers should explore a possible compromise floated by
Gov. Deval Patrick that would use civilian flaggers instead of cops on
some road and utility projects. House Speaker Sal DiMasi also said the
proposal should be weighed to seek savings.
“I know it’s costly,” DiMasi said of details. “But we have to examine it
with respect to balancing the act of saving money and protecting public
safety. I know the (Patrick) administration is looking at this . . . so
their report will be very helpful.”
The hot-button issue has gained momentum on Beacon Hill as public
leaders grapple with a $1 billion-a-year transportation deficit. Patrick
insisted yesterday that the state must examine detail costs, saying
longstanding political resistance should not stand in the way.
“I think (political) will has very little to do with it,” Patrick said.
“Our responsibility is to try to get all the waste and inefficiency out
(of transportation agencies) . . . before we go to the general public
for broad-based tax increases,” Patrick said.
Costs for details have continued to escalate to $40-an-hour in recent
years. At the Massachusetts Highway Department, where finances are so
tight that the agency must borrow millions to pay employee salaries, the
cost of details doubled to $22.4 million last year from $11.6 million in
2000.
Police unions have fiercely resisted reforms of the detail system,
arguing that prevailing wages would still require the state to pay more
than $37-an-hour for flaggers, which would result in meager cost
savings.
State Sen. James Timility (D-Walpole), co-chairman of the Legislature’s
Public Safety Committee, said those arguments should be weighed
carefully. “Are we taking a gun and a badge off the street to save a few
bucks an hour?” he said. “We’ll have plenty of input on that, but I
think the public does want us to discuss this.”
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