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Post Office Box 1147
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Marblehead, Massachusetts 01945
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“Every Tax is a Pay Cut ... A Tax Cut is a Pay Raise”
46 years as “The Voice of Massachusetts Taxpayers”
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their Institutional Memory — |
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CLT UPDATE
Sunday, June 7, 2020
Chaos, Confusion, Autocracy and
Hypocrisy Reign
Jump directly
to CLT's Commentary on the News
Most Relevant News Excerpts
(Full news reports follow
Commentary)
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“Crises are
temporary. ‘Temporary’ tax hikes are forever,” said Chip
Ford, executive director of Citizens for Limited
Taxation, in a written statement.
Ford argued that
raising taxes on people who are have been thrown out of work
because of the shutdown of the economy by the governor would
victimize the unemployed again.
Ninety-one
Massachusetts economists have signed a letter calling for
increases in the state’s income tax and corporate tax rate
to deal with expected budget shortfalls because of the
coronavirus emergency.
Almost half – 45 –
work at one of the campuses of the University of
Massachusetts: 22 at the flagship campus in Amherst, 19 in
Boston, 2 in Lowell, and 2 in Dartmouth....
Jim Lyons,
chairman of the Massachusetts Republican Party, said raising
taxes in the midst of an economic crisis would be exactly
the wrong thing to do.
“Incredibly, these
economists are calling for an income tax increase at the
absolute worst possible time, when mandated business
shutdowns have people struggling to make any income at all,”
Lyons said in a written statement Friday, May 29.
He suggested that
the economists who signed the letter wouldn’t feel the ill
effects from it that others might.
“The answer from
these economists, every one of them ensconced in the luxury
of tenured positions in academia, who work at the beck and
call of Beacon Hill Democrats, is never to trim away any
wasteful government fat,” Lyons said. “Their answer is
somehow always, ‘here’s a crisis that can be taken advantage
of, here’s an opportunity where we can justify the
Democrats’ appetite for spending more of the taxpayer’s
hard-earned dollars.’”
The New Boston
Post
Sunday, May 31, 2020
Economists’ Call for Tax Hike Draws Opposition From
Massachusetts Conservatives
With the state
bleeding revenue, some economists are calling for tax
increases to offset the need for layoffs and deep spending
cuts.
In a letter to
Gov. Charlie Baker and legislative leaders, more than 90
economists make the case for raising taxes — instead of
cutting programs and services — to lessen the blow of
declining revenues and rising costs for responding to the
coronavirus outbreak.
The economists
argue that spending cuts will have "a more negative impact
on economic growth than balancing the budget by raising
taxes." ...
The economists
suggested that increasing the state's 5% personal income tax
rate by only one percentage point would raise more than $2.5
billion a year, while hiking the 8% corporate tax rate by a
similar amount would drum up an estimated $180 million a
year, even if overall tax collections continue to decline.
"These tax rates
could be phased back as the economy returns to its
pre-recession level," they wrote....
The fiscal
watchdog Citizens for Limited Taxation blasted the
proposal as "cruel" and said tax increases will stunt
economic growth at a time when many people are still out of
work and businesses are still shuttered.
"While everyone
else is thinking about survival and recovery, wondering if
they can get back on their feet, hoping to catch up from
their dire losses in the months and years ahead, these
economists are already scheming to afflict more pain on the
victims," said Chip Ford, the group's executive
director.
The state's
Republican Party also panned the idea of raising taxes and
scoffed at claims that tax increases would be temporary.
"When
Massachusetts voters chose to roll back the state income tax
to 5% in 2000, it took nearly 20 years for the Democrats
controlling Beacon Hill to comply," MassGOP chairman Jim
Lyons said. "Their appetite for other people's money is
insatiable."
The Salem News
Thursday, June 4, 2020
Economists push for tax hikes to balance budget
Did you see those
headlines about the “91 economists” who wrote a letter to
the kleptocrats at the State House demanding a 20% tax hike
to keep the hackerama humming?
Oddly, few seemed
to notice that at least 40 of the “economists” are
themselves either on the state payroll or grabbing a state
pension.
No wonder these
eggheads want to tax the working classes back to the Stone
Age — to keep themselves rolling in the do-re-mi as the
politicians try to finish destroying the Massachusetts
economy.
A million Bay
State residents have lost their jobs in this
catastrophically stupid lockdown, but not one of them is a
faculty member at ZooMass. Despite the jive about “on-line
classes,” the professors have mostly been on what amounts to
three-month paid vacations while collecting their six-figure
salaries.
When this very
predictable demand was issued by the leftist academics, much
of the attention focused on the lead grifter — Jonathan
Gruber of MIT, one of the architects of Obamacare. Remember
how he bragged on videotape about how it was “the stupidity
of the American voter” made the destruction of American
health care possible?
Obviously, this
latest epistle shows that Gruber still has the same low
regard for the intelligence of the electorate.
“We are concerned
that the state will pursue counterproductive budget cuts.”
Could they mean
doing something about the $243,956-a-year salary of one of
the signatories, David Terkla of UMass Boston? God forbid.
Surely the great unwashed wouldn’t dream of reducing the
$217,631-a-year grab of Robert A. Nakosteen of UMass
Amherst.
“Difficult choices
lie ahead” — but not for them, of course, since they keep
getting paid every two weeks, even though no classes have
been held on campus since March....
Obviously, Gruber
et al. are once more counting on the stupidity of the
American voter.
Let’s go down the
list of some of UMass Amherst professors who want to beggar
the working classes...
Don’t worry,
though, Gov. Charlie Parker has said this proposed tax
increase is a bad idea. Of course that’s exactly what he
said about the obscene legislative-judicial pay raise three
years ago.
And now Charlie
Parker promises he will halt tax increases that would keep
his army of hacks at the public trough as the rest of us
begin digging ourselves out of the deep hole he’s put us in.
If you believe
that, you’re as stupid as Jonathan Gruber thinks you are.
The Boston Herald
Friday, June 5, 2020
Economists want to hike your taxes … to pay their salaries
By Howie Carr
All 200 seats in
the Massachusetts Legislature are up for re-election this
fall, but nearly two-thirds of sitting members are on a
glide path toward another term with minimal opposition.
A total of 125
incumbent lawmakers, including members in both parties, were
the only major-party candidates in their districts to file
nomination papers with Secretary of State William Galvin by
Tuesday's deadline, according to data compiled by Galvin's
office and analyzed by the News Service.
They could still
receive challenges from write-in campaigns. But the ballots
are largely set, and as it stands now, none of those 125
legislators -- representing 62.5 percent of the General
Court -- will face a declared Republican or Democratic
opponent in either the Sept. 1 primary election or Nov. 3
general election.
The landscape
means voters all over Massachusetts will have no choices to
make in legislative races at a time when the state is
struggling with major public health, economic, budgetary,
and racial justice crises....
Democrats hold
supermajorities in both Massachusetts legislative chambers,
currently outnumbering Republicans 125-31 in the House --
plus two more Democrats who won Tuesday special elections
but have not yet been sworn in -- and 36-4 in the Senate.
They already added
to their significant majority mid-session by winning all
five special elections, three of which flipped
Republican-held seats, and will look to ride November's
presidential election to build on their numbers.
State House News
Service
Thursday, June 4, 2020
Not Much Competition in This Year’s Legislative Elections
As Crises Rage, Few Interested in Running
New unemployment
claims filed last week continued a gradual downward trend
from record highs as both Massachusetts and the country
consider how to support a safe recovery from the pandemic's
unprecedented economic damage.
In Massachusetts,
labor officials reported 27,034 new claims for traditional
unemployment insurance between May 24 and May 30, about
10,000 fewer than a week earlier and roughly one-seventh as
many as the highest weekly level observed in late March.
Almost 1.88
million more Americans filed claims over the same span,
according to federal data.
At both the state
and national level, new applications for standard jobless
benefits declined for the ninth straight week while
remaining significantly elevated above pre-pandemic
levels....
Since March 15,
Americans have filed about 42.6 million claims for
traditional jobless aid, while another 10.7 million were
enrolled in PUA as of May 16. The 928,000 cumulative UI
claims and 573,000 total PUA claims in Massachusetts
together would represent nearly 40 percent of the state's
labor force in February.
Another key
indicator of how dire the employment outlook has become
during the COVID-19 pandemic will arrive Friday, when
federal labor officials release national figures on the
unemployment rate and job losses for the month of May.
The national
unemployment rate surged to 14.7 percent in April, the first
full month of data reflecting the outbreak's impact, while
Massachusetts set a record with 15.1 percent unemployment.
State House News
Service
Thursday, June 4, 2020
New Claims For Unemployment Benefits Continue to Slow
Nearly 40 Percent of State Workforce Has Sought Aid
Labor officials
reported Friday that 2.5 million more people were employed
in May than in April, a sign that the labor market is
rebounding slightly despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The latest federal
jobs report, reflecting the second full month of data since
the COVID-19 outbreak prompted widespread business closures
and caused many people to stay home, caught some experts by
surprise.
Data indicated
that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased by
1.4 percentage points in May to 13.3 percent -- which is
still the second-highest monthly rate on record dating back
to 1948 -- rather than surging above 20 percent as many
forecasts expected.
Robert Nakosteen,
who chairs the operations and information management
department at UMass's Isenberg School of Management, said he
has "never seen a data series that was so out of line with
expectations."
After counting a
record 20.7 million jobs lost in April, the Bureau of Labor
Statistics said American employers added about 2.5 million
positions in May, many in industries that have been affected
most acutely by the economic downturn.
Federal officials
attributed the slight turnaround to "a limited resumption of
economic activity that had been curtailed in March and
April." State-level jobs data for May, which may indicate if
the gains varied based on where states were in the recovery
process, will be released on June 19....
President Donald
Trump had reportedly been growing closer to supporting
another round of stimulus up to $1 trillion, and discussed
his stimulus hopes on Friday, but Stephen Moore, an economic
adviser to the White House, said the change in trend
direction "takes a lot of the wind out of the sails" of a
so-called Phase Four proposal, according to the Washington
Post's Jeffrey Stein.
"We don't need it
now," Moore said, as quoted by Stein. "There's no reason to
have a major spending bill. The sense of urgent crisis is
very greatly dissipated by the report."
That could deal a
blow to state and local governments, many of whose leaders
have been pushing for additional federal dollars to help
them balance budgets this summer amid a sharp decline in tax
revenues. The $3 trillion House Democratic proposal calls
for up to $875 billion available for states and
municipalities....
Several industries
affected most sharply by the shutdowns aimed at preventing
spread of the virus -- which has killed more than 110,000
Americans -- reported bringing back many employees in May.
The leisure and
hospitality industry increased employment by about 1.24
million, though within that category only food services and
amusements added jobs. Accommodations, arts and spectator
sports all reported further losses.
Employment
increased by 464,000 positions in construction, 424,000
positions in education and health care, and 368,000 in
retail trade.
State House News
Service
Friday, June 5, 2020
U.S. Jobs Report Shows Economic Activity Picking Up
After Steep Nosedive, Talk of Rebound Gains Steam
With Massachusetts
in the final month of the fiscal year, state budget
officials are looking at a balance sheet that shows tax
revenues coming in $2.253 billion short of expectations for
the year, an 8.3 percent drop that might have to be covered
with reserves or federal bailouts.
The Department of
Revenue on Wednesday released its May revenue report that
showed tax collections of $1.74 billion missing the monthly
target by $320 million and reflecting a $262 million, or
13.1 percent, decrease from last May.
Over the first 11
months of the fiscal year, the state has now collected
$24.78 billion of the $30.29 billion in taxes budgeted for
the fiscal year with just one month left until fiscal 2021
begins on July 1. The 6.5 percent decline from the fiscal
2019 has been largely caused by the economic shutdowns put
in place to cope with the spread of COVID-19....
Legislative
leaders and the administration have yet to chart a course
for how they plan to budget through the pandemic. The timing
of the COVID-19 outbreak made it difficult to slash spending
so late in the fiscal year, according to budget analysts,
but the state does have $3.5 billion in a "rainy day" fund
that could be needed this year and beyond.
State House News
Service
Wednesday, June 3, 2020
May Revenue Report Shows State $2.25B Short On Taxes
Thousands of
people congregating night after night to protest police
brutality and the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis poses
a risk for the spread of COVID-19, Gov. Charlie Baker
acknowledged on Wednesday, but the governor said the state
has no intention of trying to discourage these types of
gatherings.
"Any time there's
big gatherings with close quarters the potential for spread
is real," Baker said, calling it a "balancing act" between
public health and First Amendment rights.
"We are still in
the midst of a terribly dangerous and wildly contagious
virus and this is certainly going to be a risk," Baker said.
Baker addressed
the protests first thing at a State House press conference
on Wednesday after demonstrations in Boston and Brockton the
night before, which included some clashes between protesters
and police. The governor did not have a briefing on Tuesday,
making these his first comments since Monday when he
addressed the violence and vandalism in Boston over the
weekend and President Donald Trump's insistence that
governors "dominate" protesters.
On Monday, Baker
said people attending the protests were still largely going
with people they know and suggested it shouldn't hamper
contact tracing efforts too badly....
The protests have
sprung up throughout Massachusetts just as the state was
appearing to make real progress in its fight against the
spread of COVID-19, and it could be a couple of weeks before
public health officials understand the full impact of these
demonstrations on their ability to control the virus.
State House News
Service
Wednesday, June 3, 2020
Protests, Virus Leave State in “Balancing Act”
Large Gatherings "Certainly" Creating New Risk, Guv Says
For the first time
in a long time, COVID-19 became part of the set design,
still on stage but no longer in the spotlight.
The deadly virus
that has consumed nearly everyone's attention on an
around-the-clock basis for three months had been supplanted,
at least for the moment, in the public consciousness by
something equally insidious -- structural racism.
The Memorial Day
killing of George Floyd, a unarmed Black man in the custody
of white Minneapolis cops, touched off daily protests around
the country this week, including in Boston where perhaps the
largest protest on Sunday unfolded peacefully until after
curfew, when some demonstrators clashed violently with cops
and looted and vandalized businesses in downtown Boston.
That incident, and
ones like it in American cities from Washington, D.C. to Los
Angeles, from Brockton to Lowell, set the tone for an uneasy
week on two fronts - race relations and public health.
Social distancing norms that had become commonplace went out
the window as people gathered to make their voices heard,
though for the most part masks remained.
And the "balancing
act" that Gov. Charlie Baker described between respecting
the First Amendment and remaining vigilant against the virus
tipped toward free speech....
Baker, over the
course of the week, thanked those protesting peacefully and
said he was working with community leaders and law
enforcement to pursue reforms that would hold police
accountable.
He told looters
they would have their day in court.
And he told
everyone to be careful. "We are still in the midst of a
terribly dangerous and wildly contagious virus and this is
certainly going to be a risk," Baker said....
House lawmakers
also voted this week to extend an additional lifeline to
restaurants, passing a bill that would let them sell to-go
cocktails in sealed containers, along with the existing
take-out beer and wine service. The legislation would also
cap third-party delivery service fees and waive penalties
and interest for late meals tax payments as eateries get
back on their feet.
That bill still
requires action in the Senate, however. And so does a major
expansion of early voting and vote-by-mail.
For those who
still wish to vote in person in the Sept. 1 primary and the
Nov. 3 general election, early voting would be made
available before both days, including a full two weeks with
two weekends before the 2020 general election.
The House almost
passed both bills on Wednesday, but the House shut down
debate over the voting bill as protestors gathered outside
the State House and the authorities wanted the building
cleared....
And while on the
topic of elections, the special legislative contests for
2020 are now over, and it was a clean sweep for the
Democrats, who picked up a total of three new seats. Five
special elections have been held over the past several
months, and Democrats won every race, including in two
Senate districts and one House district where a Republican
held the seat previously.
This week it was
Republican Taunton Mayor Shaunna O'Connell's old House seat
going to Taunton School Committee member Carol Doherty,
while Democrat Dan Sena of Lunenburg held onto Alliance for
Business Leadership President Jennifer Benson's old seat for
his party and became the first Brazilian immigrant elected
to a state Legislature.
STORY OF WEEK: The
pandemic takes a backseat to justice for George Floyd.
State House News
Service
Friday, June 5, 2020
Weekly Roundup - Taken To The Streets
All signs point
toward moving within days into the next phase of economic
reopening and Gov. Charlie Baker on Saturday will fill in
the blanks, most importantly the exact timing.
Retailers,
restaurateurs and the lodging industry - sectors devastated
by forced economic shutdowns - are itching to get back on
their feet, and aware that they need to help customers feel
confident as the state is still within its safer-at-home
status in the COVID-19 fight. The clearance for more
businesses to open with safety precautions in place is
intended to help reverse the momentum behind the economic
collapse that the still fast-spreading respiratory disease
has caused.
But as
Massachusetts next week marks its third month under a state
of emergency, Beacon Hill finds itself reacting to a third
crisis - confronting racism and police violence. The
Legislature, which continues to develop responses to the
public health, economic and budgetary challenges posed by
COVID-19, now faces growing public pressure to craft a
policy response to widespread and continuing protests....
Wednesday, June
10, 2020
STATE OF EMERGENCY
ANNIVERSARY: The COVID-19 state of emergency marks its third
month on Wednesday, and while the virus is not spreading as
it once was, there's no end in sight for the emergency
status and COVID-19 is expected to remain front and center
for the foreseeable future, and at least until a vaccine is
found.
While growth has
slowed in Massachusetts, there are reports that new cases
worldwide are at record levels as the virus takes hold in
more countries.
"There's no
question that the efforts to mitigate the spread of this
virus will be disruptive," Baker said on March 10, declaring
the state of emergency following his return from a vacation
in Utah. That same night, the House canceled all public
events "for the foreseeable future." The grips of COVID-19
was well known at that point, based on reports from other
countries and states, and Mayor Walsh on March 9 had
canceled the St. Patrick's Day parade in South Boston.
State House News
Service
Friday, June 5, 2020
Advances - Week of June 7, 2020
Some businesses
hungry to open up are backing a lawsuit calling Gov. Charlie
Baker’s coronavirus executive order shutting them down
unconstitutional — with a North End restaurant owner saying
she may open up early anyway.
The lawsuit,
filed in Worcester Superior Court, argues Baker is
“using the wrong law” to enforce pandemic safer-at-home
standards, said attorney Michael DeGrandis of the
D.C.-based the New Civil Liberties Alliance, which has
filed the legal challenge.
“What started
as a health crisis has become one of an economic crisis,
a social crisis and now a constitutional crisis,”
DeGrandis said in a Zoom session hosted by the
MassFiscal Alliance Monday to outline the lawsuit.
“We hope to
get the court to declare the governor’s state of
emergency invalid,” he added, “and therefore his orders
are invalid.”
DeGrandis said
the state Legislature is supposed to be taking the lead,
but it isn’t. He said his group is looking to
“fast-track” a court decision in hopes that local boards
of health will be tasked with deciding to open the
economy as they see fit....
MassFiscal
Alliance spokesman Paul Diego Craney said Baker’s
executive orders are “harming countless businesses while
infringing on the civil rights of almost everyone.”
The lawsuit
argues Baker is overstepping his authority, with
DeGrandis adding the “founders thought of these issues”
— even if and when a pandemic hit.
“We have to
make sure he doesn’t do this again,” he added. “I don’t
think the Legislature likes to make tough decisions.
They are slow-walking this … and letting the governor be
out in front.”
The Boston
Herald
Monday, June 1, 2020
Lawsuit targets Charlie
Baker’s slow reopening; ‘Do Your Job!’ owners urge
Massachusetts has
come to the point that legal action is needed, not to save
itself from the coronavirus, but from power hungry
politicians. Massachusetts and the rest of the country are
fortunate to see all health trends pointing in the right
direction. The curve is flattened. Emergency health care
facilities are not overrun and have the supplies and
procedures needed going forward. Most of the public is using
common sense. Common sense is leading to good results, with
one exception — our state’s politicians.
Our state’s most
privileged class are the elite politicians who have secure
paychecks, gold plan health care packages for life, a
guaranteed taxpayer-backed pension, a parking spot in
downtown Boston and no term limits. These elitists are,
purposefully or not, adding another privilege to their list
— unjust and extra-legal executive powers that circumvent
the legislative process. These executive orders bypass the
laws already on the books to deal with pandemic situations
in order to micromanage businesses and infringe upon almost
everyone’s personal rights. In essence, it’s an executive
order to act like God.
Legal action is
needed to rein in these overzealous elites. They are using a
temporary health emergency to enact changes that will have
major, long-term consequences for the commonwealth. Believe
it or not, the governor’s current response — and his
executive orders — are being justified by a law enacted
during the Cold War to protect the public from a Soviet
threat. Any reasonable judge would recognize that
Massachusetts’s pandemic response should be guided by the
laws governing public health, not one designed for civil
defense and protecting people from nuclear war. Luckily, 10
Massachusetts plaintiffs have joined the New Civil Liberties
Alliance and filed a lawsuit on Monday to do just that....
Society cannot
change overnight. Any long-term change must come from the
legislature so that the “people” have a say. A lawsuit
needed to be filed against these unjust executive orders.
Even if you believe the state has a role in micromanaging
every aspect of our lives, and that business and personal
liberty should take a backseat during a pandemic, you should
agree it should be done through an open, democratic
legislative process. Or at the very least, follow the laws
already passed.
Until then, it’s
clear a court of law needs to weigh in as more people in the
court of public opinion grow sour to these executive orders.
The Boston Herald
Thursday, June 4, 2020
Legal action needed to save Mass. from elitist leaders
By Paul Craney
Pandemics are
public health emergencies; they aren't supposed to be
political. Yet, the American people have been subjected to
Draconian lockdowns for months that have stripped our
Constitutional rights -- to assemble, worship or even to
leave our homes to go to work -- to prevent the spread of
the coronavirus we've been told by government and health
officials alike is extremely contagious and would kill
scores if we didn't comply.
We've been
told that if we didn't obey the mandated national
quarantine and other government guidelines and
restrictions that the U.S. health care system could
collapse....
All of this
was in the name of protecting vulnerable populations and
curtailing the spread.
Now, we're
seeing massive gatherings in cities across America
protesting the wrongful death of George Floyd. Although
our nation is rightfully appalled by the police
brutality that led to his alleged murder, it doesn't
eliminate the fact that the stringent social distancing
rules that have been imposed on the masses have been
completely ignored by tens of thousands of protesters
and rioters -- many of whom aren't wearing masks.
But perhaps
more troubling is the same government officials and
so-called experts that implored us to #StayHome these
past few months -- no matter how difficult -- have been
noticeably silent about the throngs of protestors
congregating shoulder to shoulder. Why is that?
Did the virus
that robbed us of our basic freedoms and livelihoods
just vanish overnight? Or have we been led astray by
power-thirsty officials and other "experts" who may have
been wrong about the transmission of the virus all
along? ...
Here's the
deal. If someone contracts COVID-19, there's a four- or
five-day incubation period, on average, before symptoms
manifest. So, if the virus is as contagious as we've
been told, we should be seeing a surge in new cases and
hospitalizations soon given the mass gatherings began
May 26.
If that's not
the case, then citizens should demand government
officials revoke mask and social distancing
requirements, reinstitute our freedoms and reopen
schools, sports arenas and the entire economy -- today.
RealClear
Politics
Friday, June 5, 2020
So Much for 'Shelter-in-Place'
Orders
By Adriana Cohen
Remember COVID-19?
Owners of small businesses that have yet to open but are in
danger of being smashed by rioters sure do....
Many business
owners are wondering if they’ll have a business left to open
when their turn finally comes.
Few business
owners I spoke to would let me use their name or the name of
their business. Several told me they’re afraid of
retaliation by a government that has full control of their
fate. They feel that criticizing any part of the reopen plan
can have them targeted for shutdown when they do get to
open....
The protests have
exposed the absurdity of the continued lockdowns. It’s
either a public-health emergency and crowds must be stopped
or it’s not. It cannot be both.
On Sunday, as
protests continued in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, a video
circulated online of a city sheriff just a few avenues away
giving tickets to open stores on 13th Avenue in Brooklyn.
None of this makes
any sense anymore. The jig is up, the lockdown is over, our
elected officials just need to catch up.
The New York Post
Tuesday, June 2, 2020
If protesters can march, why can’t businesses open?
By Karol Markowicz
Massachusetts
restaurants, retail shops, child care facilities and hotels
got the green light Saturday to emerge from their
government-induced slumbers beginning on Monday, though
every business that reopens will have to follow mandatory
safety regulations and industry-specific guidelines for
keeping workers and customers safe as the highly-contagious
coronavirus continues to circulate.
Gov. Charlie Baker
said Saturday afternoon that the public health data the
state uses to track the COVID-19 pandemic has been trending
in the right direction and that the virus has receded enough
to allow another measured step towards what used to be
normal....
Not all of the
Phase 2 businesses will be allowed to reopen on Monday,
however. Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike
Kennealy said the phase will have two "steps" to it, the
first of which will begin Monday and the second of which
will be allowed to start at a point "determined based on
continued improvements in public health metrics," the
secretary said....
Since mid-April,
the seven-day average of the positive COVID-19 test rate is
down 82 percent, the three-day average of hospitalized
patients is down 55 percent and the number of hospitals
still relying on their COVID-19 surge capacity is down 76
percent, Baker said....
Though some have
slammed Baker for being too slow to reopen the economy,
others said this week that the state is not yet ready to
move into Phase 2. The Massachusetts Public Health
Association and other groups came together to produce a set
of criteria that they insist should be met before further
reopening. The demands include a significant boost in
testing activity and a demonstrated decline in infection
rates among populations for which the state has incomplete
or zero data on the spread of the coronavirus.
Several of the
group's benchmarks would have precluded Baker from reopening
the next group of businesses by Monday....
On the other end
of the spectrum, the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance
criticized the governor Saturday for splitting the second
reopening phase into two steps and delaying the return of
some businesses.
"Seems like the
Governor is moving the goal post again," spokesman Paul
Craney said. "Phases now have parts. For part 2 businesses,
they have to wait even though they thought they could open.
It's tone deaf and out of touch to the concerns of business
owners. Cruel to start to introduce parts when it was never
originally disclosed on day one."
State House News
Service
Saturday, June 6, 2020
Economic Reopening Cleared to Expand on Monday
Shopping, Outdoor Dining to Resume, Bars Remain Closed
Governor Charlie
Baker announced Saturday that retail stores, day camps and
day care centers will be allowed to reopen on Monday, and
diners will be able to enjoy outdoor meals at restaurants.
The start of the
second phase of the state’s reopening plan will provide a
semblance of normalcy — while retaining social distancing
and other precautions — for Massachusetts nearly three
months after a lockdown was advised to stem the spread of
the coronavirus....
In Phase 2,
labeled “Cautious” by the state, restaurants initially will
only be allowed to offer outdoor dining, with indoor dining
set to follow later....
Massachusetts has
been the last state in the country to reopen its retail, and
its small businesses have been among the hardest-hit in the
nation, according to Jon B. Hurst, president of the
Retailers Association of Massachusetts.
While many
business owners had anxiously awaited the green light,
restaurant owners will be left scrambling. It will be
impossible to restock kitchens with only two days’ notice,
according to Bob Luz, president and chief executive of the
Massachusetts Restaurant Association.
“You can’t
announce on Saturday and have us open on Monday," said Brad
Fredericks, the owner of the Back Deck restaurant in
Downtown Crossing.
Fredericks added
that he didn’t want to bring food into the restaurant until
he knew for sure that he had the go-ahead. "We’ve donated
and thrown enough food away the first go-around,” he
said....
Under Phase 2,
employees at any restaurants able to reopen will need to
wear masks, as will patrons walking the floors. But diners
“don’t need to wear their face covering” while seated so
they can “enjoy the experience of dining out,” Lieutenant
Governor Karyn Polito said recently.
Restaurants also
should get diners’ contact information, and in the event of
a presumptive or positive case of COVID-19 in a worker,
patron, or vendor, the restaurant must immediately shut down
for 24 hours to be cleaned and disinfected....
After the violence
and looting that followed last Sunday’s peaceful protests
demanding justice for Black Americans — and the subsequent
presence there of police in riot gear and National Guardsmen
in Humvees — diners may not be rushing to Downtown Crossing
for a burger.
“We don’t want to
open up with two-thirds of the businesses boarded up,”
Fredericks said. This week while at the restaurant, he said,
“every corner had military personnel with assault rifles. So
hopefully that will quiet down.”
The Boston Globe
Saturday, June 6, 2020
Stores, restaurants, day camps set to reopen Monday
as Baker announces second phase of state’s recovery plan
Governor Charlie
Baker on Saturday announced that Phase 2 of reopening can
begin in Massachusetts on Monday, June 8, as key metrics of
coronavirus public health data have been trending in the
right directions.
Phase 2 will open
in two steps, the first of which begins Monday, the second
of which will be determined at a later date.
Since the first
reopening plan was released in mid-May, officials have
clarified what exactly can reopen come Phase 2. Here’s a
look at what businesses and sectors fall into that phase, as
well as the two following it, according to state guidance
and public comments from officials.
The Boston Globe
Saturday, June 6, 2020
Here’s what can reopen in Mass. during Phases 2, 3, and 4
|
Chip Ford's CLT
Commentary
With the state and nation
in such chaos and turmoil, now on two fronts, it is
difficult to remain focused on taxes and taxpayer
interests, but
CLT still struggles to accomplish it.
The Salem News reported on Thursday
("Economists push for tax hikes to balance budget"):
With the state bleeding revenue, some economists are
calling for tax increases to offset the need for
layoffs and deep spending cuts.
In
a letter to Gov. Charlie Baker and legislative
leaders, more than 90 economists make the case for
raising taxes — instead of cutting programs and
services — to lessen the blow of declining revenues
and rising costs for responding to the coronavirus
outbreak.
The economists argue that spending cuts will have "a
more negative impact on economic growth than
balancing the budget by raising taxes." ...
The economists suggested that increasing the state's
5% personal income tax rate by only one percentage
point would raise more than $2.5 billion a year,
while hiking the 8% corporate tax rate by a similar
amount would drum up an estimated $180 million a
year, even if overall tax collections continue to
decline.
"These tax rates could be phased back as the economy
returns to its pre-recession level," they wrote....
The fiscal watchdog Citizens for Limited Taxation
blasted the proposal as "cruel" and said tax
increases will stunt economic growth at a time when
many people are still out of work and businesses are
still shuttered.
"While everyone else is thinking about survival and
recovery, wondering if they can get back on their
feet, hoping to catch up from their dire losses in
the months and years ahead, these economists are
already scheming to afflict more pain on the
victims," said Chip Ford, the group's
executive director.
The New Boston Post
reported ("Economists’ Call for Tax Hike Draws
Opposition From Massachusetts Conservatives"):
“Crises are temporary. ‘Temporary’ tax hikes are
forever,” said Chip Ford, executive director
of Citizens for Limited Taxation, in a
written statement.
Ford argued that raising taxes on people who are
have been thrown out of work because of the shutdown
of the economy by the governor would victimize the
unemployed again.
Ninety-one Massachusetts economists have signed a
letter calling for increases in the state’s income
tax and corporate tax rate to deal with expected
budget shortfalls because of the coronavirus
emergency.
Almost half – 45 – work at one of the campuses of
the University of Massachusetts: 22 at the flagship
campus in Amherst, 19 in Boston, 2 in Lowell, and 2
in Dartmouth....
On Friday Boston Herald
columnist and WRKO talk show host Howie Carr wrote:
Did you see those headlines about the “91
economists” who wrote a letter to the kleptocrats at
the State House demanding a 20% tax hike to keep the
hackerama humming?
Oddly, few seemed to notice that at least 40 of the
“economists” are themselves either on the state
payroll or grabbing a state pension.
No
wonder these eggheads want to tax the working
classes back to the Stone Age — to keep themselves
rolling in the do-re-mi as the politicians try to
finish destroying the Massachusetts economy.
A
million Bay State residents have lost their jobs in
this catastrophically stupid lockdown, but not one
of them is a faculty member at ZooMass.
Despite the jive about “on-line classes,” the
professors have mostly been on what amounts to
three-month paid vacations while collecting their
six-figure salaries.
When this very predictable demand was issued by the
leftist academics, much of the attention focused on
the lead grifter — Jonathan Gruber of MIT, one of
the architects of Obamacare. Remember how he
bragged on videotape about how it was “the stupidity
of the American voter” made the destruction of
American health care possible?
Obviously, this latest epistle shows that Gruber
still has the same low regard for the intelligence
of the electorate.
“We are concerned that the state will pursue
counterproductive budget cuts.”
Could they mean doing something about the
$243,956-a-year salary of one of the signatories,
David Terkla of UMass Boston? God forbid.
Surely the great unwashed wouldn’t dream of reducing
the $217,631-a-year grab of Robert A. Nakosteen of
UMass Amherst.
“Difficult choices lie ahead” — but not for them, of
course, since they keep getting paid every two
weeks, even though no classes have been held on
campus since March....
Obviously, Gruber et al. are once more counting on
the stupidity of the American voter.
Let’s go down the list of some of UMass Amherst
professors who want to beggar the working classes...
Don’t worry, though, Gov. Charlie Parker has said
this proposed tax increase is a bad idea. Of
course that’s exactly what he said about the obscene
legislative-judicial pay raise three years ago.
And now Charlie Parker promises he will halt tax
increases that would keep his army of hacks at the
public trough as the rest of us begin digging
ourselves out of the deep hole he’s put us in.
If
you believe that, you’re as stupid as Jonathan
Gruber thinks you are.
We reminded you of Jonathan Gruber and his
despicable fraud on and disrespect for Americans in the last CLT Update
("Scandalous
deceptions exposed"):
Gruber was, first,
the
architect of Romneycare. Then went on to create and
manipulate passage of Obamacare.
You might better
remember him for the fraud he committed and lies
he later boasted of telling, belittling voters years ahead
of even Hillary Clinton's dismissive term "Deplorables":
Passing Obamacare,
Gruber said, was “a
very clever . . . basic exploitation of the lack of economic
understanding of the American voter. . . . The stupidity of the
American voter . . . was really, really critical for the thing to
pass.”
This tax hike shot across the bow bears
close watching. This is how tax hikes always are sowed and begin
rooting.
On Wednesday the State House News Service
reported ("May Revenue Report Shows State $2.25B Short On Taxes"):
With Massachusetts
in the final month of the fiscal year, state budget officials are
looking at a balance sheet that shows tax revenues coming in $2.253
billion short of expectations for the year, an 8.3 percent drop that
might have to be covered with reserves or federal bailouts.
The Department of
Revenue on Wednesday released its May revenue report that showed tax
collections of $1.74 billion missing the monthly target by $320
million and reflecting a $262 million, or 13.1 percent, decrease
from last May.
Over the first 11
months of the fiscal year, the state has now collected $24.78
billion of the $30.29 billion in taxes budgeted for the fiscal year
with just one month left until fiscal 2021 begins on July 1.
The 6.5 percent decline from the fiscal 2019 has been largely caused
by the economic shutdowns put in place to cope with the spread of
COVID-19.
While most are focused on the distracting
shiny objects over there, dark forces are gathering to leverage the
crises to benefit themselves and advance their agendas through tax hikes
and other oppressions on us. We've now seen how quickly that can
happen.
When massive protest demonstrations and
instigated riots struck across the nation this week it presented the
undeniable truth about the needless economic shutdown and astounding
deprivation of liberty — at least its
imposition upon the law-abiding. The Massachusetts state of
emergency imposed by Gov. Baker marks its third month on Wednesday.
Writing in RealClear Politics, Boston
Herald columnist Adriana Cohen noted ("So Much for 'Shelter-in-Place'
Orders"):
Pandemics are public health emergencies; they aren't
supposed to be political. Yet, the American people
have been subjected to Draconian lockdowns for months
that have stripped our Constitutional rights — to
assemble, worship or even to leave our homes to go to
work — to prevent the spread of the coronavirus we've
been told by government and health officials alike is
extremely contagious and would kill scores if we didn't
comply. . . .
Now,
we're seeing massive gatherings in cities across America
protesting the wrongful death of George Floyd.
Although our nation is rightfully appalled by the police
brutality that led to his alleged murder, it doesn't
eliminate the fact that the stringent social distancing
rules that have been imposed on the masses have been
completely ignored by tens of thousands of protesters
and rioters — many of whom aren't wearing masks.
But
perhaps more troubling is the same government officials
and so-called experts that implored us to #StayHome
these past few months — no matter how difficult — have
been noticeably silent about the throngs of protestors
congregating shoulder to shoulder. Why is that?
Did
the virus that robbed us of our basic freedoms and
livelihoods just vanish overnight? Or have we been
led astray by power-thirsty officials and other
"experts" who may have been wrong about the transmission
of the virus all along? . . .
Here's the deal. If someone contracts
COVID-19, there's a four- or five-day incubation period,
on average, before symptoms manifest. So, if the
virus is as contagious as we've been told, we should be
seeing a surge in new cases and hospitalizations soon
given the mass gatherings began May 26.
If
that's not the case, then citizens should demand
government officials revoke mask and social distancing
requirements, reinstitute our freedoms and reopen
schools, sports arenas and the entire economy — today.
Karol Markowicz of the New York Post
also succinctly defined the shameful hypocrisy in her Tuesday column, "If
protesters can march, why can’t businesses open?":
The protests have
exposed the absurdity of the continued lockdowns. It’s either
a public-health emergency and crowds must be stopped or it’s not.
It cannot be both. . . . None of this makes any sense anymore.
The jig is up, the lockdown is over, our elected officials just need
to catch up.
Unfortunately for Bay Staters, His Royal
Excellency Charles Baker has not yet noticed, never mind caught up.
While praising the swarms of "peaceful" protestors defying his "social
distancing" and "best health practices" edicts he keeps his knee on the
neck of the liberty of the law-abiding struggling to survive his dragged
out shutdown commands.
Baker yesterday decreed that his subjects
of Massachusetts may now enter "Phase 2" starting tomorrow
— but added a new royal caveat: His
Royal Majesty has abruptly broken his "Phase 2
— Cautious" expectation into two new
parts: "Phase 2A" and "Phase 2B" ("More
Cautious" and "Less Cautious" I guess?) further extending his absolute
power and autocratic rule. His second grant of restricted
additional freedom to his subjects, apparently "Phase 2B," is scheduled to start at
"a point
determined based on continued improvements in public health metrics."
Why are each of his triggers so amorphous,
so vague and indefinable, so secretive and decreed apparently on a whim
at a time of his choosing? Will His Royal Excellency order a Phase
2C next, followed by Phase 2D . . . ? Will we ever reach Phase 3
("Vigilant — June 29 at the earliest")?
Why do I even need to ask such a once-absurd question?
The Boston Globe reported, according to Jon
Hurst, president of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts,
"Massachusetts has been the last state in the country to reopen its
retail."
Yesterday the Globe further reported
("Baker announces second phase of state’s recovery plan"):
In Phase 2,
labeled “Cautious” by the state, restaurants initially will only be
allowed to offer outdoor dining, with indoor dining set to follow
later....
Massachusetts has
been the last state in the country to reopen its retail, and its
small businesses have been among the hardest-hit in the nation,
according to Jon B. Hurst, president of the Retailers Association of
Massachusetts.
While many
business owners had anxiously awaited the green light, restaurant
owners will be left scrambling. It will be impossible to restock
kitchens with only two days’ notice, according to Bob Luz, president
and chief executive of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association.
“You can’t
announce on Saturday and have us open on Monday," said Brad
Fredericks, the owner of the Back Deck restaurant in Downtown
Crossing.
Fredericks added
that he didn’t want to bring food into the restaurant until he knew
for sure that he had the go-ahead. "We’ve donated and thrown enough
food away the first go-around,” he said. . . .
Restaurants also
should get diners’ contact information, and in the event of a
presumptive or positive case of COVID-19 in a worker, patron, or
vendor, the restaurant must immediately shut down for 24 hours to be
cleaned and disinfected.
The
State House News Service noted yesterday ("Economic Reopening Cleared to Expand on Monday"):
Not all of the Phase 2
businesses will be allowed to reopen on Monday, however. Housing and
Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy said the phase will have
two "steps" to it, the first of which will begin Monday and the second
of which will be allowed to start at a point "determined based on
continued improvements in public health metrics," the secretary said....
On the other end of the spectrum, the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance
criticized the governor Saturday for splitting the second reopening
phase into two steps and delaying the return of some businesses.
"Seems like the Governor is
moving the goal post again," spokesman Paul Craney said. "Phases now
have parts. For part 2 businesses, they have to wait even though they
thought they could open. It's tone deaf and out of touch to the concerns
of business owners. Cruel to start to introduce parts when it was never
originally disclosed on day one."
Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance,
through the Washington, D.C.-based New Civil Liberties
Alliance, has challenged the Royal Governor's autocratic
actions in court. On Monday Boston Herald's Joe
Dwinell reported:
“What
started as a health crisis has become one of an economic
crisis, a social crisis and now a constitutional
crisis,” [attorney Michael DeGrandi] said in a Zoom
session hosted by the MassFiscal Alliance Monday to
outline the lawsuit.
“We
hope to get the court to declare the governor’s state of
emergency invalid,” he added, “and therefore his orders
are invalid.”
DeGrandis said the state Legislature is supposed to be
taking the lead, but it isn’t. He said his group
is looking to “fast-track” a court decision in hopes
that local boards of health will be tasked with deciding
to open the economy as they see fit....
MassFiscal Alliance spokesman Paul Diego Craney said
Baker’s executive orders are “harming countless
businesses while infringing on the civil rights of
almost everyone.”
The
lawsuit argues Baker is overstepping his authority, with
DeGrandis adding the “founders thought of these issues”
— even if and when a pandemic hit.
“We
have to make sure he doesn’t do this again,” he added.
“I don’t think the Legislature likes to make tough
decisions. They are slow-walking this … and letting the
governor be out in front.”
Not that there isn't enough
discouraging if not downright depressing events consuming
the commonwealth and its residents, but unfortunately here's
one more to add to the growing burden. The State House News Service
reported on Thursday ("Not Much Competition in This Year’s Legislative Elections"):
Democrats hold supermajorities
in both Massachusetts legislative chambers, currently outnumbering
Republicans 125-31 in the House -- plus two more Democrats who won
Tuesday special elections but have not yet been sworn in -- and 36-4 in
the Senate.
They already added to their
significant majority mid-session by winning all five special elections,
three of which flipped Republican-held seats, and will look to ride
November's presidential election to build on their numbers.
In that report, the News Service also
noted:
All
200 seats in the Massachusetts Legislature are up for
re-election this fall, but nearly two-thirds of sitting
members are on a glide path toward another term with
minimal opposition. . . .
A
total of 125 incumbent lawmakers, including members in
both parties, were the only major-party candidates in
their districts to file nomination papers with Secretary
of State William Galvin by Tuesday's deadline, according
to data compiled by Galvin's office and analyzed by the
News Service.
Fifteen legislative seats will be open and up for grabs
this election season, 14 of which are currently
represented by House lawmakers who opted not to seek
another two-year term. One more seat will remain
vacant until voters choose a successor to former Rep.
John Velis, who won a special election to the Senate.
The
remaining 60 races —
48 in the House and 12 in the Senate
— will
feature competition in either the primary or general
election or both, including five seats that have been
filled through special elections after lawmakers quit
mid-term.
Seventeen Democratic members of the House face primary
challengers . . .
With a steadily diminishing Republican
presence in the Legislature (now a mere 35 out of 200) and infighting
among Liberal and Socialist Democrats for dominance, I expect this will
lead to a Legislature that moves even further "progressive" far-left
after the November election. Holding it at bay will become only
more difficult. Massachusetts desperately needs a stronger
two-party system, any opposition whatsoever to what now
rules with impunity.
|
 |
 |
|
Chip Ford
Executive Director |
|
|
Full News Reports Follow
(excerpted above)
|
The New Boston
Post
Sunday, May 31, 2020
Economists’ Call for Tax Hike Draws Opposition From
Massachusetts Conservatives
Conservatives are expressing dismay over a call for
increasing state taxes in Massachusetts because of the
coronavirus emergency.
“Crises are temporary. ‘Temporary’ tax hikes are forever,”
said Chip Ford, executive director of Citizens for
Limited Taxation, in a written statement.
Ford argued that raising taxes on people who are have been
thrown out of work because of the shutdown of the economy by
the governor would victimize the unemployed again.
Ninety-one Massachusetts economists have signed a letter
calling for increases in the state’s income tax and
corporate tax rate to deal with expected budget shortfalls
because of the coronavirus emergency.
Almost half – 45 – work at one of the campuses of the
University of Massachusetts: 22 at the flagship campus in
Amherst, 19 in Boston, 2 in Lowell, and 2 in Dartmouth.
Noting that states have to produce a balanced budget and
can’t run an operating deficit, the economists argue that
“balancing the budget by cutting spending has a more
negative impact on economic growth than balancing the budget
by raising taxes.”
“Both the personal income tax and the corporate tax are fair
ways to do this, since they fall only on persons with
incomes and businesses with profits,” states the economist’s
letter to Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, dated
Tuesday, May 26. “A one percentage point increase in the
income tax could raise $2.5 billion per year while a one
percentage point increase in the corporate tax rate could
raise $180 million per year, even if the income tax base
falls by 25% and the corporate tax base falls by 50% during
this recession. These tax rates could be phased back as the
economy returns to its pre-recession level.”
Jim Lyons, chairman of the Massachusetts Republican Party,
said raising taxes in the midst of an economic crisis would
be exactly the wrong thing to do.
“Incredibly, these economists are calling for an income tax
increase at the absolute worst possible time, when mandated
business shutdowns have people struggling to make any income
at all,” Lyons said in a written statement Friday, May 29.
He suggested that the economists who signed the letter
wouldn’t feel the ill effects from it that others might.
“The answer from these economists, every one of them
ensconced in the luxury of tenured positions in academia,
who work at the beck and call of Beacon Hill Democrats, is
never to trim away any wasteful government fat,” Lyons said.
“Their answer is somehow always, ‘here’s a crisis that can
be taken advantage of, here’s an opportunity where we can
justify the Democrats’ appetite for spending more of the
taxpayer’s hard-earned dollars.’ ”
It’s not clear how Beacon Hill leaders will handle expected
shortfalls between revenue and pre-coronavirus revenue
projections.
More than a month ago, Massachusetts Senate President Karen
Spilka (D-Ashland) expressed skepticism about an $18 billion
bond and tax bill designed to raise funds for transportation
infrastructure, saying about it, according to State House
News Service, “I’m not certain that now is the time to be
talking about taxes.”
The
Salem News
Thursday, June 4, 2020
Economists push for tax hikes to balance budget
By Christian M. Wade
With the state bleeding revenue, some economists are calling
for tax increases to offset the need for layoffs and deep
spending cuts.
In a letter to Gov. Charlie Baker and legislative leaders,
more than 90 economists make the case for raising taxes —
instead of cutting programs and services — to lessen the
blow of declining revenues and rising costs for responding
to the coronavirus outbreak.
The economists argue that spending cuts will have "a more
negative impact on economic growth than balancing the budget
by raising taxes."
"Large cuts would erode the health and social infrastructure
needed to continue combatting COVID-19, increase an already
high level of inequality, and exacerbate the economic
downturn," they wrote. "Instead of budget cuts, the state
should look to raise revenues to balance its budget."
The economists suggested that increasing the state's 5%
personal income tax rate by only one percentage point would
raise more than $2.5 billion a year, while hiking the 8%
corporate tax rate by a similar amount would drum up an
estimated $180 million a year, even if overall tax
collections continue to decline.
"These tax rates could be phased back as the economy returns
to its pre-recession level," they wrote.
The left-learning Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center,
which released the letter, says "targeted tax increases" are
"the best way to build a strong recovery."
"This is not the time for an austerity budget," said
Marie-Frances Rivera, the group's president. "Furloughing
public employees, cutting state contracts to businesses and
nonprofits, and reducing assistance to municipalities and
low-income families will take money out of the Massachusetts
economy, prolonging and deepening the recession."
Budget writers are bracing for a projected $4.4 billion
decline in tax revenues as the pandemic continues to hurt
the state’s economy.
Senate President Karen Spilka, D-Ashland, and House Speaker
Robert DeLeo, D-Winthrop, have both suggested tax increases
may be needed to absorb the hit, but Baker has repeatedly
said he would not consider such a move with so many people
struggling.
The fiscal watchdog Citizens for Limited Taxation
blasted the proposal as "cruel" and said tax increases will
stunt economic growth at a time when many people are still
out of work and businesses are still shuttered.
"While everyone else is thinking about survival and
recovery, wondering if they can get back on their feet,
hoping to catch up from their dire losses in the months and
years ahead, these economists are already scheming to
afflict more pain on the victims," said Chip Ford,
the group's executive director.
The state's Republican Party also panned the idea of raising
taxes and scoffed at claims that tax increases would be
temporary.
"When Massachusetts voters chose to roll back the state
income tax to 5% in 2000, it took nearly 20 years for the
Democrats controlling Beacon Hill to comply," MassGOP
chairman Jim Lyons said. "Their appetite for other people's
money is insatiable."
—Christian M. Wade covers
the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media
Group’s newspapers and websites.
The Boston
Herald
Friday, June 5, 2020
Economists want to hike your taxes … to pay their salaries
By Howie Carr
Did you see those headlines about the “91 economists” who
wrote a letter to the kleptocrats at the State House
demanding a 20% tax hike to keep the hackerama humming?
Oddly, few seemed to notice that at least 40 of the
“economists” are themselves either on the state payroll or
grabbing a state pension.
No wonder these eggheads want to tax the working classes
back to the Stone Age — to keep themselves rolling in the
do-re-mi as the politicians try to finish destroying the
Massachusetts economy.
A million Bay State residents have lost their jobs in this
catastrophically stupid lockdown, but not one of them is a
faculty member at ZooMass. Despite the jive about “on-line
classes,” the professors have mostly been on what amounts to
three-month paid vacations while collecting their six-figure
salaries.
When this very predictable demand was issued by the leftist
academics, much of the attention focused on the lead grifter
— Jonathan Gruber of MIT, one of the architects of Obamacare.
Remember how he bragged on videotape about how it was “the
stupidity of the American voter” made the destruction of
American health care possible?
Obviously, this latest epistle shows that Gruber still has
the same low regard for the intelligence of the electorate.
“We are concerned that the state will pursue
counterproductive budget cuts.”
Could they mean doing something about the $243,956-a-year
salary of one of the signatories, David Terkla of UMass
Boston? God forbid. Surely the great unwashed wouldn’t dream
of reducing the $217,631-a-year grab of Robert A. Nakosteen
of UMass Amherst.
“Difficult choices lie ahead” — but not for them, of course,
since they keep getting paid every two weeks, even though no
classes have been held on campus since March.
To keep the paid vacations going, the “economists” suggest
“a one percentage point increase” in the state income tax —
which would actually be a 20% hike.
Obviously, Gruber et al. are once more counting on the
stupidity of the American voter.
Let’s go down the list of some of UMass Amherst professors
who want to beggar the working classes: M.V. Lee Badgett
(salary: $171,097), Deepankar Basu ($131,088), Gerald
Epstein ($159,373), Gerald Friedman ($159,628), Danielle
Girardi ($111,828), James Heintz ($162,622), Lawrence King
($166,464), Katherine A. Moos ($118,606), Lenore M.
Palladino ($120,000), Peter Skott ($158,571) and Vamsi
Vakulabharanam ($132,120).
Remember, we’re all in this together. That’s what they keep
telling us, right?
You’re laid off, and they’re on paid vacation. But if you
ever do get another job, you’re going to have to pay 20%
more, to keep the good times rolling … for them. Don’t
worry, though, the tax hike will only be temporary.
“These tax rates could be phased back as the economy returns
to its pre-recession level.”
What recession? There surely isn’t one at UMass. As for
“phasing back” the tax hikes, well, in 1989, the hacks
passed themselves a “temporary” income tax hike. After 31
years and a referendum in 2000, the “temporary” tax increase
was finally phased out this year.
Here are some other profs who want to increase your taxes to
support their one-percenter lifestyles: Robert Forrant,
UMass Lowell, $161,378; Michael Goodman, UMass Dartmouth,
$154,561; Marlene Kim, $139,075; Devon Lynch, UMass
Dartmouth, $104,057; and Andrew Perumal, UMass Boston
$112,558.
A lot of these signatories are “emerati” — retired. Given
that Massachusetts has one of the most underfunded pension
systems in the US, the wrinkly “economists” need the hoi
polloi to keep on forking over, to keep their monthly kisses
in the mail coming.
According to the state comptroller, signatory James K. Boyce
has been retired from UMass Amherst since 2018. His pension
is $114,794 a year.
Carol Heim retired from UMass Amherst last year — $101,035
pension.
Arthur MacEwan has been retired from UMass Boston since
2008. He’s collecting $102,783.
“Large (budget) cuts would … increase an already high level
of inequality and exacerbate the economic downturn.”
Do you suppose any of these people (or any of the other
signatories, from the private schools) have ever “checked
the box,” and paid at the higher, voluntary state income tax
rate?
I’m guessing the number would be zero out of 91. Their
motto: higher taxes for thee, but not for me.
Don’t worry, though, Gov. Charlie Parker has said this
proposed tax increase is a bad idea. Of course that’s
exactly what he said about the obscene legislative-judicial
pay raise three years ago.
And now Charlie Parker promises he will halt tax increases
that would keep his army of hacks at the public trough as
the rest of us begin digging ourselves out of the deep hole
he’s put us in.
If you believe that, you’re as stupid as Jonathan Gruber
thinks you are.
State House
News Service
Thursday, June 4, 2020
Not Much Competition in This Year’s Legislative Elections
As Crises Rage, Few Interested in Running
By Chris Lisinski
All 200 seats in the Massachusetts Legislature are up for
re-election this fall, but nearly two-thirds of sitting
members are on a glide path toward another term with minimal
opposition.
A total of 125 incumbent lawmakers, including members in
both parties, were the only major-party candidates in their
districts to file nomination papers with Secretary of State
William Galvin by Tuesday's deadline, according to data
compiled by Galvin's office and analyzed by the News
Service.
They could still receive challenges from write-in campaigns.
But the ballots are largely set, and as it stands now, none
of those 125 legislators -- representing 62.5 percent of the
General Court -- will face a declared Republican or
Democratic opponent in either the Sept. 1 primary election
or Nov. 3 general election.
The landscape means voters all over Massachusetts will have
no choices to make in legislative races at a time when the
state is struggling with major public health, economic,
budgetary, and racial justice crises.
Fifteen legislative seats will be open and up for grabs this
election season, 14 of which are currently represented by
House lawmakers who opted not to seek another two-year term.
One more seat will remain vacant until voters choose a
successor to former Rep. John Velis, who won a special
election to the Senate.
The remaining 60 races -- 48 in the House and 12 in the
Senate -- will feature competition in either the primary or
general election or both, including five seats that have
been filled through special elections after lawmakers quit
mid-term.
Seventeen Democratic members of the House face primary
challengers, including Second Assistant House Majority
Leader Paul Donato of Medford, Housing Committee Co-chair
Kevin Honan of Allston, Election Laws Committee Co-chair
John Lawn of Watertown, and Revenue Committee Co-chair Mark
Cusack of Braintree.
Lowell Rep. David Nangle, who stepped down from his
leadership and committee posts in February after he pleaded
not guilty to more than two dozen federal fraud charges,
filed nomination papers to seek re-election. He faces two
primary challengers, Lisa Arnold and Vanna Howard.
Only one Republican in the House, Rep. Nicolas Boldyga of
Southwick, will have a declared primary race, against
Agawam's Dino Mercadante.
In the Senate, five of the 36 Democrats face primaries:
Financial Services Committee Chair James Welch of West
Springfield; Patricia Jehlen of Somerville, who co-chairs
both the Elder Affairs Committee and the Labor and Workforce
Development Committee; Veterans and Federal Affairs
Committee Co-chair Walter Timilty of Milton; and Export
Development Committee Co-chair Nick Collins of South Boston.
The fifth senator with a Democratic primary challenger,
Brockton's Michael Brady, had been the chamber's top member
on the Public Service Committee until the Senate stripped
his position in November following his drunk driving arrest.
Only one state legislative primary drew four candidates from
the same party, for the 12th Suffolk House seat currently
held by outgoing Rep. Daniel Cullinane.
The 4th Congressional District race, however, is far more
crowded: a total of 11 candidates are on the ballot to
succeed Congressman Joe Kennedy III, who himself is in the
midst of a heated primary race against U.S. Sen. Ed Markey.
Nine Democrats made the Sept. 1 primary ballot for the
congressional seat: Jake Auchincloss and Becky Grossman of
Newton; Dave Cavell, Alan Khazei, Ihssane Leckey, Natalia
Linos, Jesse Mermell and Ben Sigel of Brookline; and Chris
Zannetos of Wellesley.
Whoever emerges on top of that race will face either Julie
Hall of Attleboro or David Rosa of Dighton, both
Republicans.
In the U.S. Senate race, Kennedy and Markey are joined by
Republicans Kevin O'Connor and Shiva Ayyadurai.
Three other congressional seats will involve primary
elections: Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse is challenging Rep.
Richard Neal, Robbie Goldstein will vie for Rep. Stephen
Lynch's seat, and Rep. Seth Moulton faces opposition from
both Jamie Belsito and Angus McQuilken.
The winner of that primary for the 6th Congressional
District will face John Paul Moran in the general election.
Reps. James McGovern, Katherine Clark and Bill Keating face
Republican opponents Tracy Lyn Lovvorn, Caroline Colarusso
and Helen Brady, respectively.
Congresswomen Lori Trahan -- who emerged narrowly victorious
in a 10-way Democratic primary two years ago following a
recount -- and Ayanna Pressley, the newest members of the
delegation, have no major primary or general-election
opponents on the ballot.
Ballot listings can still be withdrawn or challenged by
Friday. For federal races, unenrolled candidates have until
Aug. 25 to file papers to make the general election ballot.
Democrats hold supermajorities in both Massachusetts
legislative chambers, currently outnumbering Republicans
125-31 in the House -- plus two more Democrats who won
Tuesday special elections but have not yet been sworn in --
and 36-4 in the Senate.
They already added to their significant majority mid-session
by winning all five special elections, three of which
flipped Republican-held seats, and will look to ride
November's presidential election to build on their numbers.
The 2020 elections appear likely to be conducted with a far
greater portion of mail-in ballots than ever before as a
precaution against the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly as
experts warn that a second surge could hit this fall.
The House this week is advancing legislation that would
require Galvin to send every registered voter an application
for a mail-in primary and general election ballot.
State House
News Service
Thursday, June 4, 2020
New Claims For Unemployment Benefits Continue to Slow
Nearly 40 Percent of State Workforce Has Sought Aid
Chris Lisinski
New unemployment claims filed last week continued a gradual
downward trend from record highs as both Massachusetts and
the country consider how to support a safe recovery from the
pandemic's unprecedented economic damage.
In Massachusetts, labor officials reported 27,034 new claims
for traditional unemployment insurance between May 24 and
May 30, about 10,000 fewer than a week earlier and roughly
one-seventh as many as the highest weekly level observed in
late March.
Almost 1.88 million more Americans filed claims over the
same span, according to federal data.
At both the state and national level, new applications for
standard jobless benefits declined for the ninth straight
week while remaining significantly elevated above
pre-pandemic levels.
Claims for the expanded eligibility Pandemic Unemployment
Assistance program, launched to support employees such as
gig workers who do not qualify for traditional aid, also
dropped compared to last week, totaling about 623,000 across
the United States and 54,000 in Massachusetts.
In the latest batch of data, new claims continued to tail
off after the wave peaked in late March. The key question
underneath the trend, however, is how quickly laid-off
employees can find new work -- or whether they can at all --
now that many states are cautiously lifting restrictions on
business and public activity.
Since March 15, Americans have filed about 42.6 million
claims for traditional jobless aid, while another 10.7
million were enrolled in PUA as of May 16. The 928,000
cumulative UI claims and 573,000 total PUA claims in
Massachusetts together would represent nearly 40 percent of
the state's labor force in February.
Another key indicator of how dire the employment outlook has
become during the COVID-19 pandemic will arrive Friday, when
federal labor officials release national figures on the
unemployment rate and job losses for the month of May.
The national unemployment rate surged to 14.7 percent in
April, the first full month of data reflecting the
outbreak's impact, while Massachusetts set a record with
15.1 percent unemployment.
Massachusetts is on the verge of entering the second part of
a four-phase reopening plan outlined by the Baker
administration, which will allow restaurants to host patrons
for outdoor dining and a range of other businesses to revive
or expand their operations.
Officials have warned that they could reintroduce
restrictions if the highly infectious virus, which has
already killed more than 7,100 people in Massachusetts,
sparks a new surge of infections.
In a Wednesday analysis, the Massachusetts Budget and Policy
Center warned that the state's economic recovery could
suffer if federal lawmakers do not extend the PUA program,
which runs through the end of 2020, or if policy granting a
bonus $600 per week to all benefit recipients is allowed to
expire at the end of July.
"Bold federal policies to strengthen unemployment insurance
have been a crucial source of funds for many workers whose
income has been interrupted," Phineas Baxandall, a senior
analyst at MassBudget who authored the report, said in a
press release. "If these benefits are allowed to expire
before the Massachusetts economy has recovered, a lot of
people and prospects for growth will be harmed."
State House
News Service
Friday, June 5, 2020
U.S. Jobs Report Shows Economic Activity Picking Up
After Steep Nosedive, Talk of Rebound Gains Steam
By Chris Lisinski
Labor officials reported Friday that 2.5 million more people
were employed in May than in April, a sign that the labor
market is rebounding slightly despite the ongoing COVID-19
pandemic.
The latest federal jobs report, reflecting the second full
month of data since the COVID-19 outbreak prompted
widespread business closures and caused many people to stay
home, caught some experts by surprise.
Data indicated that the seasonally adjusted unemployment
rate decreased by 1.4 percentage points in May to 13.3
percent -- which is still the second-highest monthly rate on
record dating back to 1948 -- rather than surging above 20
percent as many forecasts expected.
Robert Nakosteen, who chairs the operations and information
management department at UMass's Isenberg School of
Management, said he has "never seen a data series that was
so out of line with expectations."
After counting a record 20.7 million jobs lost in April, the
Bureau of Labor Statistics said American employers added
about 2.5 million positions in May, many in industries that
have been affected most acutely by the economic downturn.
Federal officials attributed the slight turnaround to "a
limited resumption of economic activity that had been
curtailed in March and April." State-level jobs data for
May, which may indicate if the gains varied based on where
states were in the recovery process, will be released on
June 19.
While economists agreed with federal officials that the
change in trend direction stems from gradual business
reopenings in May, they cautioned against drawing quick
conclusions from a data series that also contains other
indications of strain.
Alicia Sasser Modestino, associate director of the Dukakis
Center for Urban and Regional Policy at Northeastern
University, said a broader figure in the latest data shows
21.2 percent of the labor force is either unemployed,
working reduced hours or has given up trying to find work.
"I do think it's a little bit of a fragile recovery at this
point," Modestino said. "We are by no means out of the
woods, but I think it's an encouraging start and really the
next two, three, four months will tell us where we are."
Nakosteen noted that the Bureau of Labor Statistics said in
its report that household surveyors, whose data is used to
calculate the unemployment rate, misclassified "a large
number" of furloughed workers as employed but absent from
work rather than unemployed on temporary layoff as they were
instructed.
The bureau's standard practice is not to change survey data,
but if those workers had been classified properly, "the
overall unemployment rate would have been about 3 percentage
points higher than reported (on a not seasonally adjusted
basis)," Friday's report said.
Like Modestino, Nakosteen urged patience until monthly
figures for June and July are available and can indicate if
the slight upswing is a trend that will continue or part of
an uneven recovery.
"There's a reasonable chance that, at least for now, things
have gotten as bad as they're going to get," he said. "But I
would also add this additional caution: I don't think
there's going to be an (uninterrupted) increase in
improvement in economic data. You could see a month-to-month
improvement, and then next month, things go downhill."
President Donald Trump had reportedly been growing closer to
supporting another round of stimulus up to $1 trillion, and
discussed his stimulus hopes on Friday, but Stephen Moore,
an economic adviser to the White House, said the change in
trend direction "takes a lot of the wind out of the sails"
of a so-called Phase Four proposal, according to the
Washington Post's Jeffrey Stein.
"We don't need it now," Moore said, as quoted by Stein.
"There's no reason to have a major spending bill. The sense
of urgent crisis is very greatly dissipated by the report."
That could deal a blow to state and local governments, many
of whose leaders have been pushing for additional federal
dollars to help them balance budgets this summer amid a
sharp decline in tax revenues. The $3 trillion House
Democratic proposal calls for up to $875 billion available
for states and municipalities.
Modestino and Nakosteen warned that already-significant cuts
to public sector employment -- government at all levels shed
585,000 jobs in May, more than 10 times as many as any other
industry category -- could become more pronounced without
federal aid.
Unlike the federal government, most state and local
governments are required to balance their budgets every
fiscal year. Cratering tax revenues amid the crisis have
left many with massive shortfalls that will need to be
closed through a combination of stimulus funding, borrowing,
spending cuts or tax increases.
"That's a huge and important sector of the economy that
continues to be really damaged, and one of the things
another stimulus package was meant to address was to help
rescue governments from laying off police and fire and
teachers and public health workers and such," Nakosteen
said. "We can expect more damage to the public sector in the
coming months. I don't think we've seen the end of it or the
bottom of it yet."
In a Friday press conference, Trump praised the numbers as
evidence of strong recovery, adding that he plans to pursue
"additional stimulus money" and a payroll tax cut.
Trump said his administration also planned to be "doing
things for restaurants and various pieces of the
entertainment industry," he said, according to a video
posted by The Guardian. It could be tax incentives or
deductions, he said, and an announcement will be made
"soon."
Job gains in May were not universal among demographic
categories. The unemployment rates for white workers and
Hispanic or Latino workers dropped 1.8 percentage points and
1.3 percentage points, respectively, while rates increased
0.1 percentage points for Black employees and 0.5 percentage
points for Asian employees.
In Friday's report, officials also revised job loss
estimates for March from 881,000 to about 1.4 million and
for April from 20.5 million to 20.7 million, indicating
deeper damage earlier in the crisis than previously thought.
Several industries affected most sharply by the shutdowns
aimed at preventing spread of the virus -- which has killed
more than 110,000 Americans -- reported bringing back many
employees in May.
The leisure and hospitality industry increased employment by
about 1.24 million, though within that category only food
services and amusements added jobs. Accommodations, arts and
spectator sports all reported further losses.
Employment increased by 464,000 positions in construction,
424,000 positions in education and health care, and 368,000
in retail trade.
"Barring a second surge of COVID-19, the overall U.S.
economy may have turned a corner, as evidenced by the
surprise job gains today, even though it still remains to be
seen exactly what the new normal will look like," said Tony
Bedikian, head of Global Markets at Citizens Bank, in a
press release.
Modestino said it is still "hard to tell" how many laid off
or furloughed employees will be called back and how many
positions that have returned will last once funding through
the federal Paycheck Protection Program expires.
"For employers who did receive PPP support from the federal
government, they are required to reemploy their furloughed
workers, otherwise they have to pay back that support as a
loan rather than keeping it as a grant," she said. "This
summer will be very important in terms of timing of
reopening, how many furloughed workers are recalled, and
whether or not those recalls are permanent."
State House
News Service
Wednesday, June 3, 2020
May Revenue Report Shows State $2.25B Short On Taxes
By Matt Murphy
With Massachusetts in the final month of the fiscal year,
state budget officials are looking at a balance sheet that
shows tax revenues coming in $2.253 billion short of
expectations for the year, an 8.3 percent drop that might
have to be covered with reserves or federal bailouts.
The Department of Revenue on Wednesday released its May
revenue report that showed tax collections of $1.74 billion
missing the monthly target by $320 million and reflecting a
$262 million, or 13.1 percent, decrease from last May.
Over the first 11 months of the fiscal year, the state has
now collected $24.78 billion of the $30.29 billion in taxes
budgeted for the fiscal year with just one month left until
fiscal 2021 begins on July 1. The 6.5 percent decline from
the fiscal 2019 has been largely caused by the economic
shutdowns put in place to cope with the spread of COVID-19.
Other factors contributing to steep fall in tax revenues
over the past two months include decisions to postpone the
personal income tax filing deadline to July 15 and extend
payment deadlines for regular sales, meals and other taxes
until June 20.
Every category of taxes was down in May, except withholding
and estimated income taxes. Regular sales taxes were down
12.2 percent from last year, and meals taxes were down 60.7
percent, with restaurants limited to take-out and delivery
service.
"Shortfalls in income return payments, sales and use tax,
corporate and business taxes, and 'all other' taxes were
partly offset by surplus in withholding, which was impacted
by withholding on unemployment insurance benefits," DOR
Commissioner Geoffrey Snyder said in a statement. "COVID-19
and the associated return filing and payment deadline
extensions have significantly affected May revenues, and we
will continue to closely monitor revenue collections for the
remainder of the fiscal year."
Legislative leaders and the administration have yet to chart
a course for how they plan to budget through the pandemic.
The timing of the COVID-19 outbreak made it difficult to
slash spending so late in the fiscal year, according to
budget analysts, but the state does have $3.5 billion in a
"rainy day" fund that could be needed this year and beyond.
States like Massachusetts are also waiting to see if
Congress comes through with another relief package.
State House
News Service
Wednesday, June 3, 2020
Protests, Virus Leave State in “Balancing Act”
Large Gatherings "Certainly" Creating New Risk, Guv Says
By Matt Murphy
Thousands of people congregating night after night to
protest police brutality and the death of George Floyd in
Minneapolis poses a risk for the spread of COVID-19, Gov.
Charlie Baker acknowledged on Wednesday, but the governor
said the state has no intention of trying to discourage
these types of gatherings.
"Any time there's big gatherings with close quarters the
potential for spread is real," Baker said, calling it a
"balancing act" between public health and First Amendment
rights.
"We are still in the midst of a terribly dangerous and
wildly contagious virus and this is certainly going to be a
risk," Baker said.
Baker addressed the protests first thing at a State House
press conference on Wednesday after demonstrations in Boston
and Brockton the night before, which included some clashes
between protesters and police. The governor did not have a
briefing on Tuesday, making these his first comments since
Monday when he addressed the violence and vandalism in
Boston over the weekend and President Donald Trump's
insistence that governors "dominate" protesters.
On Monday, Baker said people attending the protests were
still largely going with people they know and suggested it
shouldn't hamper contact tracing efforts too badly.
The governor on Wednesday thanked those who have been
demonstrating peacefully, and who wore masks while doing so,
and credited members of law enforcement who worked to give
people a safe space to make their voices heard.
"The country needs empathy not hostility," Baker said. "The
[country] needs to heal, not fracture. And here in the
commonwealth we plan to continue to talk, listen and push
progress forward."
The governor said he and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito continue to
talk with Black and Latinx elected officials, faith and
community leaders and law enforcement about ways to "enhance
transparency and accountability across the Massachusetts law
enforcement system," including the idea of standards of
conduct for police and the ability to strip a police
officer's certification if those standards are violated.
The protests have sprung up throughout Massachusetts just as
the state was appearing to make real progress in its fight
against the spread of COVID-19, and it could be a couple of
weeks before public health officials understand the full
impact of these demonstrations on their ability to control
the virus.
By then, Massachusetts could be well into Phase Two of the
governor's reopening strategy, which will include both
outdoor and indoor athletic facilities, though sporting
activities will be severely limited to start.
Outdoor fields, courts, pools and boating facilities could
reopen as soon as next week for organized youth and adult
sports, but Lt Gov. Karyn Polito said contact sports like
basketball, baseball and soccer will be limited to
no-contact drills and practices when Massachusetts moves
into the next phase of its reopening.
Tennis matches, for instance, could resume, but a baseball
tournament would still be off limits.
"I know how different time has been for many families that
have children in sports used to spending time together on
the sidelines, in the bleachers, cheering our kids on. It's
one of the greatest joys," said Polito, who has two
teenagers, active in sports. "It's been even tougher for our
kids that miss their friends and their teammates and the
togetherness they feel as they practice and enjoy their time
competing in games and events that are a big part of their
lives."
New guidance released Wednesday from the administration on
outdoor and indoor athletic activities also said that indoor
sports facilities may reopen only for organized and
supervised sports activities for youth under 18, and groups
must be limited in size to 10 participants and games or
scrimmages are still prohibited.
Multiple groups of players will be permitted to practice on
a basketball court or field, but should stay 20 feet from
the nearest group, according to the rules.
Fitness centers, yoga and spin studios, rock gyms, and other
general fitness studios will remain closed in Phase Two, as
will locker rooms and weight rooms.
The release of rules for youth and adult recreational sports
comes as the Baker administration is preparing different
sectors for their opportunity to reopen if and when the
state moves into Phase Two.
Baker plans to make the announcement on Saturday whether the
state is ready to move to that phase, which could begin as
soon as Monday, but could also be pushed back later. The
governor did, however, point to encouraging signs in
Tuesday's public health report with respect to the positive
test rate and hospitalizations.
The percent of tests coming back positive for COVID-19 was
about 6 percent on Tuesday, which is down from 27 percent in
mid-April, and the 1,657 patients hospitalized with the
disease is down by half over the past month.
"These positive trends in the public health data are the
primary indicators of how COVID-19 is impacting our
communities and will continue to determine how and when we
pursue measures associated with our reopening program,"
Baker said.
The positive test rate was down to 5.1 percent on Wednesday
and rolling seven-day average dipped below 6 percent, while
hospitalizations were up slightly in the daily report by 27
patients.
Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders also
said that for the first time on Wednesday the state will
begin reporting the number of people who have recovered from
COVID-19, which will give a better glimpse at how many
people in Massachusetts might be currently infected with
virus.
After not holding a press briefing on Tuesday, Baker was
joined on Wednesday by Early Education and Care Commissioner
Samantha Aigner-Treworgy to walk through some of the child
care reopening protocols that were announced on Monday.
Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy
also spoke about the new guidelines retailers will have to
follow when they get to expand operations in Phase Two, and
Sudders ran through some of the results of auditing done at
the state's nursing homes to measure their preparedness to
deal with COVID-19.
For the first time in months on Wednesday, nursing homes,
assisted living facilities and other long-term care settings
were allowed to let in visitors for outdoor, pre-scheduled
visits with residents and patients.
And Baker, who has talked frequently about the emotional
challenge of not being able to see his father during this
pandemic, said he will soon be availing himself of the new
guidelines.
"I am going to go see my dad. Soon," he said.
State House
News Service
Friday, June 5, 2020
Weekly Roundup - Taken To The Streets
Recap and analysis of the week in state government
By Matt Murphy
For the first time in a long time, COVID-19 became part of
the set design, still on stage but no longer in the
spotlight.
The deadly virus that has consumed nearly everyone's
attention on an around-the-clock basis for three months had
been supplanted, at least for the moment, in the public
consciousness by something equally insidious -- structural
racism.
The Memorial Day killing of George Floyd, a unarmed Black
man in the custody of white Minneapolis cops, touched off
daily protests around the country this week, including in
Boston where perhaps the largest protest on Sunday unfolded
peacefully until after curfew, when some demonstrators
clashed violently with cops and looted and vandalized
businesses in downtown Boston.
That incident, and ones like it in American cities from
Washington, D.C. to Los Angeles, from Brockton to Lowell,
set the tone for an uneasy week on two fronts - race
relations and public health. Social distancing norms that
had become commonplace went out the window as people
gathered to make their voices heard, though for the most
part masks remained.
And the "balancing act" that Gov. Charlie Baker described
between respecting the First Amendment and remaining
vigilant against the virus tipped toward free speech.
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren said white people need to be more
than allies to the Black community. They need to be
"anti-racists," she said. And Boston Mayor Marty Walsh
quoted from the Serenity Prayer, telling white Bostonians to
"just listen" to their Black neighbors and coworkers.
Things were also tense between the White House and, well, a
lot of people.
Trump told governors on Monday they were "weak" and being
made to look like "jerks" by the protesters. You have to
"dominate" the demonstrators, the president said on a
conference call with governors, later threatening to send in
the military of state's couldn't handle it on their own.
Baker has often joined these calls during the pandemic, but
skipped this one as he prepared for a press conference
during which he addressed the protests the night before and
an executive order he signed more clearly spelling out the
rules for retailers, child care centers and other industries
to reopen in Phase 2.
That he didn't hear the president's words firsthand,
however, didn't stop Baker from directly addressing the
rhetoric emanating from the White House, offering a rare and
forceful public rebuke of Trump, who he usually prefers to
just ignore.
"I know I should be surprised when I hear incendiary words
like this from him, but I'm not," Baker, a Republican, said
during his opening comments Monday. "Like so many times
during these past several weeks when the country needed
compassion and leadership the most, it was simply nowhere to
be found. Instead, we got bitterness, combativeness and
self-interest."
U.S. Sen. Ed Markey called Trump's threat of military force
"unAmerican," and Attorney General Maura Healey said, "We
don't need soldiers in our streets." The Democratic
prosecutor then unfurled this line that should be starred
for 2022 if and when Healey decides to run for governor:
"Yes, America is burning, but that's how forests grow,"
Healey said.
Baker, over the course of the week, thanked those protesting
peacefully and said he was working with community leaders
and law enforcement to pursue reforms that would hold police
accountable.
He told looters they would have their day in court.
And he told everyone to be careful. "We are still in the
midst of a terribly dangerous and wildly contagious virus
and this is certainly going to be a risk," Baker said.
The risk is low enough, however, that Baker appears poised
to send Massachusetts into Phase 2 of reopening as
hospitalizations and the positive testing rate, now under 6
percent, continue to fall. While it will be weeks before
public health officials know whether the protests led to a
spike in infections, Baker plans to make an announcement on
Saturday on whether to let restaurants, retailers, child
care, summer camps, pools, athletic fields and more reopen
on Monday.
The next phase, if it's triggered, will come after a
surprisingly positive national jobs report on Friday that
sent the stock market soaring, and the steady decline in
Massachusetts of new unemployment benefit claims, which were
down to 27,034 last week.
While far from assured, a quick economic recovery (without a
second surge of COVID-19) would be welcome news for state
budget writers who got the word this week that May tax
collections were down $262 million, or 13 percent, from last
year, and the state is currently looking at $2.25 billion
less in revenue than it was counting on for fiscal year
2020, with one month left.
Most sectors at this point have been given special
instructions on what it will take for them to reopen when
their turn comes, and Mayor Walsh said he's expecting
restaurants to get the green light for outdoor service on
Monday, when the forecast currently calls for temps in the
mid 70s.
House lawmakers also voted this week to extend an additional
lifeline to restaurants, passing a bill that would let them
sell to-go cocktails in sealed containers, along with the
existing take-out beer and wine service. The legislation
would also cap third-party delivery service fees and waive
penalties and interest for late meals tax payments as
eateries get back on their feet.
That bill still requires action in the Senate, however. And
so does a major expansion of early voting and vote-by-mail.
The House passed the voting law changes nearly unanimously
on Thursday. If approved by the Senate and signed by the
governor, Secretary of State William Galvin would be
instructed to send applications for mail-in ballots to all
4.5 million registered voters.
For those who still wish to vote in person in the Sept. 1
primary and the Nov. 3 general election, early voting would
be made available before both days, including a full two
weeks with two weekends before the 2020 general election.
The House almost passed both bills on Wednesday, but the
House shut down debate over the voting bill as protestors
gathered outside the State House and the authorities wanted
the building cleared.
Getting a few lawmakers and staff to head home for the day
turned out to be far easier and less controversial than the
military tactics Trump deployed to clear Lafayette Square
outside the White House of peaceful protesters on Monday so
he could visit St. John's Episcopal Church.
While that was happening, U.S. Sen. Edward Markey and U.S.
Rep. Joseph Kennedy were in a television studio in
Springfield for just their second debate of this primary
campaign.
In these exchanges, Markey has largely stuck to a recitation
of his legislative accomplishments as evidence of the
leadership he will provide, while Kennedy has tried to make
the case that there's more to being a senator than filing
bills and making laws, and he would be better at that part
of the job.
"I co-sponsored the Green New Deal," Markey argues. "But it
won't pass unless you flip control of the Senate, and I can
fundraise and campaign around the country," Kennedy
counters.
Kennedy, however, also leaned in on Monday night to the
perception first raised by moderator Janet Wu of WCVB that
Markey is a creature of the Beltway, except around election
time, and doesn't spend enough time in Massachusetts
communities.
The two will debate again this coming Monday in Providence.
And while on the topic of elections, the special legislative
contests for 2020 are now over, and it was a clean sweep for
the Democrats, who picked up a total of three new seats.
Five special elections have been held over the past several
months, and Democrats won every race, including in two
Senate districts and one House district where a Republican
held the seat previously.
This week it was Republican Taunton Mayor Shaunna
O'Connell's old House seat going to Taunton School Committee
member Carol Doherty, while Democrat Dan Sena of Lunenburg
held onto Alliance for Business Leadership President
Jennifer Benson's old seat for his party and became the
first Brazilian immigrant elected to a state Legislature.
STORY OF WEEK: The pandemic takes a backseat to justice for
George Floyd.
State House News
Service
Friday, June 5, 2020
Advances - Week of June 7, 2020
All signs point toward moving within days into the next
phase of economic reopening and Gov. Charlie Baker on
Saturday will fill in the blanks, most importantly the exact
timing.
Retailers, restaurateurs and the lodging industry - sectors
devastated by forced economic shutdowns - are itching to get
back on their feet, and aware that they need to help
customers feel confident as the state is still within its
safer-at-home status in the COVID-19 fight. The clearance
for more businesses to open with safety precautions in place
is intended to help reverse the momentum behind the economic
collapse that the still fast-spreading respiratory disease
has caused.
But as Massachusetts next week marks its third month under a
state of emergency, Beacon Hill finds itself reacting to a
third crisis - confronting racism and police violence. The
Legislature, which continues to develop responses to the
public health, economic and budgetary challenges posed by
COVID-19, now faces growing public pressure to craft a
policy response to widespread and continuing protests.
Gov. Baker plans next week to roll out proposals that he
says will address transparency in law enforcement. The
racial, public health and economic issues are intertwined.
"We will not accept a reopening at the expense of workers,
particularly low-wage workers and Black and Latinx
communities," Carlene Pavlos, executive director of the
Massachusetts Public Health Association, said Thursday as a
coalition outlined its reopening demands.
Baker also must decide by Saturday on a bill that addresses
treatment disparities and would spell out data reporting
requirements, including information on COVID-19 in long-term
care centers and in correctional facilities.
The bill (H 4672) includes language calling for elder care
facilities -- including nursing homes, the soldiers' homes
in Chelsea and Holyoke, and assisted living facilities -- to
make daily COVID-19 reports to their local health
departments.
The House and Senate on Thursday sent Baker another bill (S
2680) altering the rules of local governance to enable
cities and towns to stray from their normal procedures
during the pandemic. And the Senate, which unlike the House
has not yet adopted emergency rules for remote
participation, is newly under pressure to act soon on a
House-approved bill (H 4768) adding early voting for the
Sept. 1 primaries and expanding mail-in voting so that more
people can avoid virus risks associated with in-person
voting.
In fact, a number of bills are piling up in the Senate that
could require consideration of scores of amendments, from a
cocktails to-go restaurant relief bill to an information
technology bond with millions of dollars for remote learning
and a transportation bond bill that includes governance
reforms at the MBTA, where the authority of the Fiscal
Management and Control board expires at the end of the
month.
The Senate has approved new ways members can vote during the
pandemic, including from their office or by proxy, but has
not set up a process as the House has to enable remote
debating.
The House Ways and Means Committee has just over three weeks
until its new deadline to report a fiscal 2021 budget
proposal so look for the Baker administration at some point
this month to file an interim budget to enable state
spending to continue in the new fiscal year, which begins on
July 1.
Lawmakers have so far not taken action on a $1 billion
COVID-19 spending bill that Baker proposed and the Baker
administration's plan to balance the fiscal 2020 budget also
remains unclear, with borrowing, federal funds, and draws
from the $3.5 billion rainy day fund among possible options.
Wednesday, June 10, 2020
STATE OF EMERGENCY ANNIVERSARY: The COVID-19 state of
emergency marks its third month on Wednesday, and while the
virus is not spreading as it once was, there's no end in
sight for the emergency status and COVID-19 is expected to
remain front and center for the foreseeable future, and at
least until a vaccine is found.
While growth has slowed in Massachusetts, there are reports
that new cases worldwide are at record levels as the virus
takes hold in more countries.
"There's no question that the efforts to mitigate the spread
of this virus will be disruptive," Baker said on March 10,
declaring the state of emergency following his return from a
vacation in Utah. That same night, the House canceled all
public events "for the foreseeable future." The grips of
COVID-19 was well known at that point, based on reports from
other countries and states, and Mayor Walsh on March 9 had
canceled the St. Patrick's Day parade in South Boston.
The Boston
Herald
Monday, June 1, 2020
Lawsuit targets Charlie Baker’s slow reopening; ‘Do Your
Job!’ owners urge
By Joe Dwinell
Some businesses hungry to open up are backing a lawsuit
calling Gov. Charlie Baker’s coronavirus executive order
shutting them down unconstitutional — with a North End
restaurant owner saying she may open up early anyway.
The lawsuit, filed in Worcester Superior Court, argues Baker
is “using the wrong law” to enforce pandemic safer-at-home
standards, said attorney Michael DeGrandis of the D.C.-based
the New Civil Liberties Alliance, which has filed the legal
challenge.
“What started as a health crisis has become one of an
economic crisis, a social crisis and now a constitutional
crisis,” DeGrandis said in a Zoom session hosted by the
MassFiscal Alliance Monday to outline the lawsuit.
“We hope to get the court to declare the governor’s state of
emergency invalid,” he added, “and therefore his orders are
invalid.”
DeGrandis said the state Legislature is supposed to be
taking the lead, but it isn’t. He said his group is looking
to “fast-track” a court decision in hopes that local boards
of health will be tasked with deciding to open the economy
as they see fit.
Baker announced Monday more plans to reopen the economy —
rolling out plans for child care and summer camps — but
DeGrandis added the lawsuit will still be pushed to guard
against any future decision to halt the reopening if
coronavirus cases flare up.
The suit has won the support of business owners who said
Monday they are in dire need of cash flow.
North End restaurant owner Carla Agrippino-Gomes said others
in the neighborhood may open up this Friday — up to 20
restaurants, she added — because they just can’t wait any
longer.
“We lost out on the Marathon, on graduations, on Memorial
Day and the Fourth of July,” she said. “Why can’t we open
our businesses? … There was no social distancing among the
protesters Sunday night?
“We’re tired of being complacent,” she added. “We’re all
suffering. ‘Do your job!’ to quote the great coach of the
New England Patriots … we are going to take matters into out
own hands.”
MassFiscal Alliance spokesman Paul Diego Craney said Baker’s
executive orders are “harming countless businesses while
infringing on the civil rights of almost everyone.”
The lawsuit argues Baker is overstepping his authority, with
DeGrandis adding the “founders thought of these issues” —
even if and when a pandemic hit.
“We have to make sure he doesn’t do this again,” he added.
“I don’t think the Legislature likes to make tough
decisions. They are slow-walking this … and letting the
governor be out in front.”
The Boston
Herald
Thursday, June 4, 2020
Legal action needed to save Mass. from elitist leaders
By Paul Craney
Massachusetts has come to the point that legal action is
needed, not to save itself from the coronavirus, but from
power hungry politicians. Massachusetts and the rest of the
country are fortunate to see all health trends pointing in
the right direction. The curve is flattened. Emergency
health care facilities are not overrun and have the supplies
and procedures needed going forward. Most of the public is
using common sense. Common sense is leading to good results,
with one exception — our state’s politicians.
Our state’s most privileged class are the elite politicians
who have secure paychecks, gold plan health care packages
for life, a guaranteed taxpayer-backed pension, a parking
spot in downtown Boston and no term limits. These elitists
are, purposefully or not, adding another privilege to their
list — unjust and extra-legal executive powers that
circumvent the legislative process. These executive orders
bypass the laws already on the books to deal with pandemic
situations in order to micromanage businesses and infringe
upon almost everyone’s personal rights. In essence, it’s an
executive order to act like God.
Legal action is needed to rein in these overzealous elites.
They are using a temporary health emergency to enact changes
that will have major, long-term consequences for the
commonwealth. Believe it or not, the governor’s current
response — and his executive orders — are being justified by
a law enacted during the Cold War to protect the public from
a Soviet threat. Any reasonable judge would recognize that
Massachusetts’s pandemic response should be guided by the
laws governing public health, not one designed for civil
defense and protecting people from nuclear war. Luckily, 10
Massachusetts plaintiffs have joined the New Civil Liberties
Alliance and filed a lawsuit on Monday to do just that.
The role of the legislature has been completely ignored
through this exercise of police power (the power to regulate
the health, safety and morals of society) by our state’s
executives. These police powers should be used only for a
limited period and required to be as unobtrusive as possible
regarding people’s daily lives and liberties. These powers
come from the legislature, which require a deliberative
approach. Instead, they are being abused.
Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone is shutting down churches
and all other places of worship, despite the governor
clearing them for limited services. Whoever your God is, and
wherever you choose to worship, Mayor Curtatone intends to
keep it shut down.
Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito was asked a very uncomfortable
question by the media this week. Allegedly, her brother held
a graduation party for his kids. The Politos own an
island-based family compound and celebrated over Memorial
Day weekend. Their homes are all next door to each other and
they claimed to have socially distanced at their private
backyard beach. She’s being called a hypocrite by many due
to her role as head of the reopening advisory board, but I
think people are being far too harsh on her. People should
be encouraged to see their family members as long as they
continue to use common sense, stay safe and take the
appropriate precautions which the government has done such
an effective job at communicating to the public over the
last several weeks.
Society cannot change overnight. Any long-term change must
come from the legislature so that the “people” have a say. A
lawsuit needed to be filed against these unjust executive
orders. Even if you believe the state has a role in
micromanaging every aspect of our lives, and that business
and personal liberty should take a backseat during a
pandemic, you should agree it should be done through an
open, democratic legislative process. Or at the very least,
follow the laws already passed.
Until then, it’s clear a court of law needs to weigh in as
more people in the court of public opinion grow sour to
these executive orders.
—Paul Diego Craney is the
spokesperson and board member of Massachusetts Fiscal
Alliance.
RealClear
Politics
Friday, June 5, 2020
So Much for 'Shelter-in-Place' Orders
By Adriana Cohen
Pandemics are public health emergencies; they aren't
supposed to be political. Yet, the American people have been
subjected to Draconian lockdowns for months that have
stripped our Constitutional rights -- to assemble, worship
or even to leave our homes to go to work -- to prevent the
spread of the coronavirus we've been told by government and
health officials alike is extremely contagious and would
kill scores if we didn't comply.
We've been told that if we didn't obey the mandated national
quarantine and other government guidelines and restrictions
that the U.S. health care system could collapse.
This means millions of businesses haven't opened their doors
for months, causing a decimated economy and the loss of more
than 40 million jobs. Approximately 57 million children,
grades K-12, haven't gone to school since March. Places of
worship have been closed, weddings and funerals canceled and
professional sports on hiatus while beaches, swimming pools
and millions of restaurants, bars, gyms and hotels remain
shuttered nationwide.
Even our nation's beloved Disneyland, "The Happiest Place on
Earth," had to close the doors of its amusement parks and
furlough more than 100,000 workers in April.
That's just the tip of the iceberg. Families across the
country have been heartbreakingly restricted from saying
goodbye in person to loved ones dying in hospitals and
nursing homes. Americans have been forced to delay cancer
screenings and other medical procedures that put our health
at risk while also being forced to wear masks and practice
social distancing or risk getting fined as much as $1,000 in
places like Massachusetts.
All of this was in the name of protecting vulnerable
populations and curtailing the spread.
Now, we're seeing massive gatherings in cities across
America protesting the wrongful death of George Floyd.
Although our nation is rightfully appalled by the police
brutality that led to his alleged murder, it doesn't
eliminate the fact that the stringent social distancing
rules that have been imposed on the masses have been
completely ignored by tens of thousands of protesters and
rioters -- many of whom aren't wearing masks.
But perhaps more troubling is the same government officials
and so-called experts that implored us to #StayHome these
past few months -- no matter how difficult -- have been
noticeably silent about the throngs of protestors
congregating shoulder to shoulder. Why is that?
Did the virus that robbed us of our basic freedoms and
livelihoods just vanish overnight? Or have we been led
astray by power-thirsty officials and other "experts" who
may have been wrong about the transmission of the virus all
along?
These are questions many Americans are now asking including
Donald Trump Jr., the president's son, who tweeted on
Monday: "Why is the media no longer concerned, and often
almost gleeful, about all the mass gatherings that would
have been so deadly due to COVID 19 just a few days ago? I
guess these people magically aren't 'killing their grandmas'
by going outside anymore?!?"
The government that's been ignoring the potential spread of
the virus from the massive crowds of protestors for over a
week now is the same government that arrested a hair salon
owner in Texas last month for daring to reopen her business
to feed her family. It's the same government that arrested a
paddleboarder in Malibu, California, in April for violating
the lockdown order. And it's the same government that
imposed steep fines or threat of imprisonment to any
business owner that dared to reopen without permission.
Here's the deal. If someone contracts COVID-19, there's a
four- or five-day incubation period, on average, before
symptoms manifest. So, if the virus is as contagious as
we've been told, we should be seeing a surge in new cases
and hospitalizations soon given the mass gatherings began
May 26.
If that's not the case, then citizens should demand
government officials revoke mask and social distancing
requirements, reinstitute our freedoms and reopen schools,
sports arenas and the entire economy -- today.
The
New York
Post
Tuesday, June 2, 2020
If protesters can march, why can’t businesses open?
By Karol Markowicz
Remember COVID-19? Owners of small businesses that have yet
to open but are in danger of being smashed by rioters sure
do.
As Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo take turns
making vague comments about the continued destruction, many
small-business owners caught in limbo are asking: Why are
crowds OK for protest but not anything else? Our fearful
leaders have no answer.
New York City is still a full five days away from entering
Phase 1. This will open up only some industries, like
construction and manufacturing and retail on a pickup basis
only.
Many business owners are wondering if they’ll have a
business left to open when their turn finally comes.
Few business owners I spoke to would let me use their name
or the name of their business. Several told me they’re
afraid of retaliation by a government that has full control
of their fate. They feel that criticizing any part of the
reopen plan can have them targeted for shutdown when they do
get to open.
An owner of a chain of pre-schools that regularly provide
services to over 500 families across the city told me how
impossible it’s been to get a clear answer from the state
about the future of his business.
“We have waited weeks to hear from state and local officials
and no one can provide clear guidance. We’ve had teams that
have been put in place to assess the situation from Day 1,
and the fact that there is little to no solid information
presented to small businesses so we may begin to transform
to the new norm is disheartening, to say the least.”
With “education” sandwiched in with Broadway shows and
concerts in Phase 4, and so many day camps closed for the
season because permission from Cuomo to open came too late,
it’s impossible to tell when parents will be able to get any
kind of child care.
Many other business owners I spoke to were unclear how they
will reopen if their kids have nowhere to go.
Others wondered how, even after we fully reopen, their
businesses could function with the strict guidelines in
place.
A jewelry store owner in Midtown told me she’s not sure how
a jewelry store can allow customers inside with masks. The
curbside pickup finally allowed in Phase 1 won’t make a
difference to many retailers either.
Sarale Giter, a hairstylist in Brooklyn, was one of the few
to let me use her real name. She is one of the founders of
the group Reopen NY, dedicated to helping small businesses
reopen.
Giter told me, “If you can give blessings to protesters who
are exercising their right to protest without social
distancing, then surely we can be free to practice our right
to conduct business in a safe and social distanced manner
with masks and sanitizing.”
The protests have exposed the absurdity of the continued
lockdowns. It’s either a public-health emergency and crowds
must be stopped or it’s not. It cannot be both.
On Sunday, as protests continued in East Flatbush, Brooklyn,
a video circulated online of a city sheriff just a few
avenues away giving tickets to open stores on 13th Avenue in
Brooklyn.
None of this makes any sense anymore. The jig is up, the
lockdown is over, our elected officials just need to catch
up.
The unrest in our streets is undeniably tied to people being
locked in their homes indefinitely, many with no jobs to
return to. There’s a reason the protests are hitting so hard
in New York City, nowhere near Minneapolis, the actual site
of George Floyd’s killing, and that’s because we remain in
this perpetual lockdown with hardly an end in sight.
We need to get to a better place as a city, and to do that
we need to go back to work.
Dani Zoldan and James Altucher own the comedy club Stand Up
New York. On Sunday the club put on a socially distanced
show on the sidewalk outside. Altucher told me, “We just
wanted to get people laughing again. The comedians were
great. The audience was having a fun time and doing proper
social distancing and wearing masks. And then we were shut
down about 20 minutes before the show would’ve ended
anyway.”
We all need to laugh again. Our politicians need to let us.
State House News
Service
Saturday, June 6, 2020
Economic Reopening Cleared to Expand on Monday
Shopping, Outdoor Dining to Resume, Bars Remain Closed
By Colin A. Young
Massachusetts restaurants, retail shops, child care facilities
and hotels got the green light Saturday to emerge from their
government-induced slumbers beginning on Monday, though every
business that reopens will have to follow mandatory safety
regulations and industry-specific guidelines for keeping workers
and customers safe as the highly-contagious coronavirus
continues to circulate.
Gov. Charlie Baker said Saturday afternoon that the public
health data the state uses to track the COVID-19 pandemic has
been trending in the right direction and that the virus has
receded enough to allow another measured step towards what used
to be normal. As of Friday, Massachusetts had seen 102,557
confirmed cases of COVID-19, and likely many more, and had lost
7,235 people to the virus.
"This terrible virus and the terrible toll that it takes will be
with us until there are medical breakthroughs with respect to
treatments or vaccines. But thanks to your hard work and your
sacrifices, we're bringing the fight to the virus. So we're
moving forward and Massachusetts is continuing to reopen," the
governor said, commending residents for practicing social
distancing and covering their faces in public.
Not all of the Phase 2 businesses will be allowed to reopen on
Monday, however. Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike
Kennealy said the phase will have two "steps" to it, the first
of which will begin Monday and the second of which will be
allowed to start at a point "determined based on continued
improvements in public health metrics," the secretary said.
Here's what can resume starting Monday, June 8: in-store retail,
with occupancy limits; outdoor dining at restaurants; child care
centers and day camps; hotels and other lodgings; warehouses and
distribution centers; youth and adult amateur sports; house
cleaning, photography, window washing and other personal
services that do not require close contact; funeral homes;
outdoor recreation at pools, playgrounds and driving ranges; and
professional sports team practices.
Health care providers on Monday can resume in-person elective,
non-urgent procedures and services, including office visits,
dental visits and vision care, though elective cosmetic
procedures and in-person day programs will remain prohibited
until Phase 3.
Later in Phase 2 these businesses and activities can resume:
indoor dining at restaurants, and personal services that require
close contact, like nail salons, tanning salons, tattoo parlors
and body piercing, personal training, massage therapy, hair
removal, and hair replacement or scalp treatments.
Though the state's reopening plan calls for the limit on
gathering size to be "determined based on trends," an executive
order Baker signed Saturday did not increase the 10-person limit
on gatherings indoors or in enclosed outdoor spaces.
While business will begin to reopen and consumers will have
greater freedom, the governor and others on Saturday cautioned
that things will be a little unusual as employers, workers and
customers all get used to the safety measures required to be in
place.
"In a world where COVID-19 exists, everything looks little
different. We're asking people to follow new safety protocols,
to change how they interact with customers, to stagger work
schedules and to work remotely," Baker said. He added, "Since
the middle of March, we've asked a lot of everybody here in the
commonwealth -- every family, every business, every employer,
every government agency, every individual -- to get to this
point, but so far we've made tremendous progress. We've been
successful in bending the curve on COVID-19 and the metrics
reflect that."
Since mid-April, the seven-day average of the positive COVID-19
test rate is down 82 percent, the three-day average of
hospitalized patients is down 55 percent and the number of
hospitals still relying on their COVID-19 surge capacity is down
76 percent, Baker said.
"We are clearly on the path to beat the virus. But as I said
earlier, until there are medical breakthroughs, we have to
continue to take the fight and play our part in fighting the
virus. COVID-19 is still very much with us and it's incredibly
contagious, and in some cases, merciless to those that are
affected by it," Baker said. "And while we should all feel a
certain sense of relief and progress with respect to the start
of Phase 2, we should also keep in mind that we have a way to go
to get to what we would call the permanent new normal."
Indeed, bars, movie theaters, entertainment venues, gyms,
museums and casinos remained closed and will stay that way for
at least three more weeks. The four-phase reopening plan Baker
and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito detailed last month requires a minimum
of three weeks between phases, meaning the absolute earliest
possible date that Massachusetts could move into Phase 3 is
Monday, June 29.
Though some have slammed Baker for being too slow to reopen the
economy, others said this week that the state is not yet ready
to move into Phase 2. The Massachusetts Public Health
Association and other groups came together to produce a set of
criteria that they insist should be met before further
reopening. The demands include a significant boost in testing
activity and a demonstrated decline in infection rates among
populations for which the state has incomplete or zero data on
the spread of the coronavirus.
Several of the group's benchmarks would have precluded Baker
from reopening the next group of businesses by Monday.
"Today, Governor Baker chose to ignore these basic standards and
instead to put Massachusetts residents at increased risk of
illness and death – with little in the way of data to track
impact on Black and Latinx residents, no meaningful protections
for low-wage workers, testing that falls dramatically short of
the Governor’s own goals, and – adding insult to injury –
no seat at the table for the very communities that stand to be
most impacted," Carlene Pavlos, executive director of MPHA,
said. "The Governor claims to always 'follow the data' and to
'listen to the experts,' but today he did exactly the opposite.
For these reasons, we strongly oppose the Governor's decision
today."
On the other end of the spectrum, the Massachusetts Fiscal
Alliance criticized the governor Saturday for splitting the
second reopening phase into two steps and delaying the return of
some businesses.
"Seems like the Governor is moving the goal post again,"
spokesman Paul Craney said. "Phases now have parts. For part 2
businesses, they have to wait even though they thought they
could open. It's tone deaf and out of touch to the concerns of
business owners. Cruel to start to introduce parts when it was
never originally disclosed on day one."
As businesses reopen, they can only be successful if consumers
feel comfortable venturing out to shop or dine.
"It will be up to consumers to decide with their $'s when & how
they will again buy on #MainStreet. But they should be assured
that they can shop locally safely," Jon Hurst, president of the
Retailers Association of Massachusetts, tweeted Saturday
afternoon. "Consumers=70% of economy. How we spend our $'s in
months to come will truly determine futures of countless #SmallBiz."
Polito, who led the state's reopening advisory board alongside
Kennealy, implored people to shop locally.
"When you buy from the local and small businesses that make up
the fabric of your community, you support our Massachusetts
economy. You may decide to enjoy outdoor dining, or visit a
local or family-owned restaurant in your neighborhood, one of
your favorites," she said. "Make sure you visit and enjoy some
of that experience, I think it will be a lot of fun for all of
us. Go to the corner stores and shops in your town centers, they
need you."
Baker, who has been relatively quick on the take-up as
businesses and services have returned (he got a haircut in the
first few days barber shops were reopened and recently took
advantage of new outdoor visitation regulations to visit his
father in a long-term care facility), said Saturday that he
might dine al fresco next week.
Asked if he plans to take First Lady Lauren Baker out for an
outdoor dinner, the governor said, "Maybe. We'll see what
happens."
The Boston
Globe
Saturday, June 6, 2020
Stores, restaurants, day camps set to reopen Monday
as Baker announces second phase of state’s recovery plan
By Jeremy C. Fox, Janelle Nanos, Anissa Gardizy and John
Hilliard
Governor Charlie Baker announced Saturday that retail
stores, day camps and day care centers will be allowed to
reopen on Monday, and diners will be able to enjoy outdoor
meals at restaurants.
The start of the second phase of the state’s reopening plan
will provide a semblance of normalcy — while retaining
social distancing and other precautions — for Massachusetts
nearly three months after a lockdown was advised to stem the
spread of the coronavirus.
Baker said he felt comfortable taking the latest steps
because the state has continued to move in the right
direction in driving down new infections and
hospitalizations.
"This terrible virus and the terrible toll that it takes
will be with us until there are medical breakthroughs with
respect to treatments or vaccines,” Baker said at a news
conference at the State House. “But thanks to your hard work
and your sacrifices, we’re bringing the fight to the virus
and we’re moving forward, and Massachusetts is continuing to
reopen.”
The seven-day average for the state’s positive COVID-19
tests rate has declined by 82 percent since mid-April,
officials said Saturday. The three-day average of
hospitalized patients has dropped by 55 percent, and the
numbers of hospitals experiencing a surge of infected
patients is down by 76 percent.
In Phase 2, labeled “Cautious” by the state, restaurants
initially will only be allowed to offer outdoor dining, with
indoor dining set to follow later.
Tables must be 6 feet apart or be separated by walls or
6-foot-high Plexiglass dividers, according to guidelines
released by the state previously. Parties will be capped at
six, and diners won’t be allowed to sit at the bar. Printed
menus must be disposed of after each use, and tables must be
sanitized between seatings.
Retail storefronts and those in shopping malls also can open
Monday — with stringent requirements for masks and social
distancing. No more than eight people, including employees,
will be allowed for every 1,000 square feet of indoor space,
or 40 percent of the store’s maximum occupancy.
Hotels, motels, inns, and other short-term lodgings that
were restricted to serving essential workers and vulnerable
populations will be allowed to reopen to other guests, with
a long list of restrictions. Day camps and child care
facilities — but not overnight camps, which will come later
— will be allowed to reopen after meeting requirements for
keeping children and staff safe.
Car dealerships, playgrounds, driving ranges, flight
schools, and funeral homes also can open Monday.
Massachusetts has been the last state in the country to
reopen its retail, and its small businesses have been among
the hardest-hit in the nation, according to Jon B. Hurst,
president of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts.
While many business owners had anxiously awaited the green
light, restaurant owners will be left scrambling. It will be
impossible to restock kitchens with only two days’ notice,
according to Bob Luz, president and chief executive of the
Massachusetts Restaurant Association.
“You can’t announce on Saturday and have us open on Monday,"
said Brad Fredericks, the owner of the Back Deck restaurant
in Downtown Crossing.
Fredericks added that he didn’t want to bring food into the
restaurant until he knew for sure that he had the go-ahead.
"We’ve donated and thrown enough food away the first
go-around,” he said.
Beyond the risks of greater financial pain for business
owners reeling from months of closure, there are real
dangers of returning to shops, cafes, and other workplaces
that have been largely shuttered since mid-March. Public
health officials have cautioned that a stray cough in the
wrong place could spark another outbreak that might send
people back into their homes for weeks or months.
In Phase 1 of the state’s reopening, houses of worship,
manufacturing facilities, and offices were allowed to reopen
on May 18, though in Boston offices were delayed until June
1. Construction was allowed to resume, and some restrictions
on health care providers were lifted.
On May 25, the state allowed hair salons, pet groomers, and
recreational marijuana shops to reopen, along with retail
stores offering curbside pickup.
When the state enters Phase 3, called “Vigilant,” which will
come no sooner than June 29, movie theaters, concert halls,
museums, fitness centers, and casino gaming floors will be
allowed to reopen, with strict rules on social distancing.
In Phase 4, called “New Normal,” many cherished seasonal
activities can resume, including parades, street festivals,
and organized outdoor group athletic events, while
nightclubs and amusement parks will be allowed to reopen.
That phase will begin no sooner than July 20.
Under Phase 2, employees at any restaurants able to reopen
will need to wear masks, as will patrons walking the floors.
But diners “don’t need to wear their face covering” while
seated so they can “enjoy the experience of dining out,”
Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito said recently.
Restaurants also should get diners’ contact information, and
in the event of a presumptive or positive case of COVID-19
in a worker, patron, or vendor, the restaurant must
immediately shut down for 24 hours to be cleaned and
disinfected.
For Fredericks, planning for reopening the Back Deck means
getting bodies in seats. Even if they’re just torsos.
Fredericks had seen pictures of bars and restaurants in
Europe deploying mannequins to help fill seats and encourage
social distancing measures, so he figured he’d get some of
his own. He reached out to the Downtown Boston Business
Improvement District to see if they had any on hand.
The BID found a stash in the shuttered Forever 21 down the
street, and now Fredericks has about 30 mannequins stationed
between three of his restaurants — dressed in wigs and
clothes, of course.
“We’re using them in the interim to draw interest to the
windows, and once we do open for indoor seating we will use
them for spacing," he said.
Even with those extra bodies on hand, he’s still not sure
when his reopening day will be.
He’s hoping to get the green light from the city to extend
his patio into the lot next to the Brattle Bookstore, where
he’s made a deal with the bookstore’s owner to place 30
additional tables.
But he says he’s still hesitant about how soon his patrons
will come.
After the violence and looting that followed last Sunday’s
peaceful protests demanding justice for Black Americans —
and the subsequent presence there of police in riot gear and
National Guardsmen in Humvees — diners may not be rushing to
Downtown Crossing for a burger.
“We don’t want to open up with two-thirds of the businesses
boarded up,” Fredericks said. This week while at the
restaurant, he said, “every corner had military personnel
with assault rifles. So hopefully that will quiet down.”
—Jaclyn Reiss of the Globe
staff contributed to this report.
The Boston
Globe
Saturday, June 6, 2020
Here’s what can reopen in Mass. during Phases 2, 3, and 4
By Jaclyn Reiss
Governor Charlie Baker on Saturday announced that Phase 2 of
reopening can begin in Massachusetts on Monday, June 8, as
key metrics of coronavirus public health data have been
trending in the right directions.
Phase 2 will open in two steps, the first of which begins
Monday, the second of which will be determined at a later
date.
Since the first reopening plan was released in mid-May,
officials have clarified what exactly can reopen come Phase
2. Here’s a look at what businesses and sectors fall into
that phase, as well as the two following it, according to
state guidance and public comments from officials.
Phase 2, Step 1: Cautious (June 8 at the earliest)
- Gatherings of 10 or more people will be prohibited in any
“confined indoor or outdoor space,” but gatherings of 10 or
more people *will* be allowed as long as everyone is in an
“unenclosed, outdoor space such as a park, backyard,
athletic field, or parking lot,” as long as everyone can
remain 6 feet apart and the type of gathering taking place
has not specifically been prohibited (for example, street
festivals and road races still are not allowed under Phase
2).
- Retail stores, including those inside shopping malls, can
reopen for browsing — with restrictions. Stores can only
allow eight people (including staff) per 1,000 square feet
of indoor space, or 40 percent of the store’s maximum
permitted occupancy. Everyone should remain six feet apart
and wear face coverings.
For those shopping for makeup and clothes, be warned: There
can be no “sampling or application of personal goods (i.e.,
make-up, perfume, lotion),” and fitting rooms for trying on
clothes will be closed.
- Restaurants: Restaurants will be able to open for outdoor
dining; indoor dining would follow in Step 2 of Phase 2,
though exactly when that will be has yet to be determined.
Tables must remain six feet apart or be separated by walls
or by six-foot-high plexiglass dividers, according to the
new guidelines. Parties will be capped at six people, and
diners will not be allowed to sit at the bar. Menus must be
disposed of after each use or otherwise be put on display or
be accessible on customers’ phones.
Tables and chairs must also be sanitized after each party,
and utensils should be rolled or packaged.
Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito said last week that while
employees will have to wear face coverings and patrons will
have to do the same when moving about restaurants, customers
“don’t need to wear their face covering” while seated and
they can “enjoy the experience of dining out.”
Restaurants also should get diners’ contact information,
whether they make a reservation or walk-in for a table,
according to the guidelines. In the event of a presumptive
or positive case of COVID-19 in a worker, patron, or vendor,
the restaurant must immediately shut down for 24 hours and
be cleaned and disinfected before reopening.
- Beer gardens, breweries, wineries, and distilleries have
gotten the go-ahead to open under Phase 2 if they are
“providing seated food service under retail food permits
issued by municipal authorities.” However, those that do not
provide seated food service wouldn’t be able to reopen until
Phase 4, which could start July 20 at the earliest.
- Lodging: While hotels, motels, inns, and other short-term
lodgings are currently open to essential workers and
vulnerable populations, they will be allowed to reopen to
other guests during Phase 2, with a bundle of restrictions.
All function rooms — including ballrooms, meeting rooms, and
any indoor or outdoor event facilities — must remain closed,
and weddings and business gatherings are not allowed. The
businesses must also tell guests the state’s policy urging
travelers to self-quarantine for 14 days when arriving from
out of state.
Within the rooms where guests stay, hotels must take out
pens, paper, and any magazines, directories, and brochures.
They are also required to sanitize all hard surfaces “at a
minimum each time a guest checks out and before the next
guest is admitted,” as well as launder all linens,
bedspreads, and covers. Operators should also “consider
leaving guest rooms vacant for 24 hours as part of cleaning
protocol to allow for deep cleaning, disinfectant and
cleaners to dry, and reasonable air exchange.”
- Day camps and child care facilities will be allowed to
reopen in Phase 2 once they have met several requirements
for keeping children and staff safe, Baker said Monday. The
new safety guidelines call for children and staff to have
their temperature checked every day before they enter.
Parents will also have to answer a series of questions about
the health of the child and all others in their household,
including specifics on individual symptoms, before the child
can enter a day care space.
Children will be restricted to groups of 10 and must remain
with the same staff and the same children throughout the
day. Staff and children over 2 are also encouraged to wear
masks whenever 6 feet of physical distancing is not
possible. The health requirements cover all programs serving
children and youth, including recreational summer programs,
camps, home-based child care, and center-based child care.
Overnight camps will not be able to reopen until later this
summer.
- Limited organized youth and adult amateur sports programs
and activities can resume under Phase 2. Adults can only
play outdoors; supervised youth programs and activities can
be held indoors. (Under Phase 3, all ages can play both
indoors and outdoors.)
- Casinos: The actual gaming floors won’t be able to open
until Phase 3, but the hotels and restaurants attached to
them can reopen under Phase 2 — although they must follow
safety guidelines for each sector.
- Libraries: You can start perusing the stacks during Phase
2, albeit with restrictions, which apparently have not yet
been released.
- At the start of Phase 2, health care providers can
incrementally resume in-person elective, non-urgent
procedures and services, including routine office visits,
dental visits, and vision care, as long as they comply with
public health and safety standards. All other in-person
medical, behavioral health, dental, and vision services may
also resume on Monday, except for elective cosmetic
procedures and in-person day programs, which will be
included in Phase 3.
State officials recommend to continue using telehealth
services “to the greatest extent possible, whenever feasible
and appropriate.”
Limited reopening of visitation will also begin, but will be
subject to infection control protocol and social distancing
requirements, including wearing face coverings. “Given the
diversity of facilities and programs, there are specific
timetables for visitation, and congregate care programs will
be reaching out to families with specific details on
scheduling visits,” a statement from Baker’s office said
Saturday.
- Car dealers: Customers can begin browsing showroom with
restrictions.
- Home installations and renovations: Non-construction
related activities can resume under Phase 2, such as the
installation of carpets, home theaters, and security
systems.
- Driving schools: Although driver’s education organizations
are currently allowed to offer instruction online, Phase 2
means behind-the-wheel training or the observation of
another student driver can resume.
- Photography, window washers, career coaching, and other
personal services that don’t require close personal contact
can reopen in Phase 2.
- Flight schools can reopen under Phase 2.
- Non-athletic instructional classes in arts, education, and
life skills can reopen to youths under 18 years of age, in
groups of fewer than 10, under Phase 2; they can reopen to
all ages in Phase 3.
- Funeral homes can reopen under Phase 2, as long as they
are under a 40 percent capacity limit. Only one service will
be allowed at a time in the facility.
- Warehouses and distribution centers can reopen under Phase
2.
- Golf facilities, including outdoor driving ranges, can
reopen under Phase 2.
- Professional sports practice and training programs can
resume under Phase 2.
- Outdoor recreational facilities such as pools,
playgrounds, spray decks, mini golf, go karts, batting
cages, and climbing walls can reopen under Phase 2.
- Outdoor historical spaces and sites can reopen.
- Occupation schools can reopen for the limited purposes of
permitting students to complete a degree, program, or
prerequisite for employment, or other similar requirement
for completion.
- Professional sports practices, although no games or public
admissions will be allowed.
Phase 2: Step 2
- Indoor dining at restaurants.
- Close-contact personal services, with restrictions,
including:
Hair removal and replacement
Nail care
Skin care
Massage therapy
Makeup salons and makeup application services
Tanning salons
Tattoo, piercing, and body art services
Personal training, with restrictions: Appointment-only
training with only one customer — or two from the same
household — will be allowed in a facility at a time
Phase 3: Vigilant (June 29 at the earliest)
- Casino gaming floors can open, while their theaters and
arenas can reopen sometime in either Phase 3 or 4, according
to state guidance.
- Horse racing tracks and simulcast facilities can resume —
without spectators.
- Fitness centers and health clubs can open, except for
saunas, hot-tubs, steam rooms. Parts of fitness businesses
that can reopen include:
cardio/weight rooms/locker rooms/inside facilities
fitness studios (yoga, barre, cross-fit, spin classes,
general fitness studios)
locker rooms/shower rooms
indoor common areas
indoor swimming pools
indoor racquet courts and gymnasiums
- Movie theaters can open at “moderate” capacity under Phase
3, though specifics have not yet been released on what that
means. They can reopen under Phase 4 at a “large” capacity.
- Museums and aquariums can reopen under Phase 3.
- Indoor historic spaces and sites can reopen.
- Theaters and performance venues, such as concert halls, of
“moderate” capacity — both indoor and outdoor — can open
under Phase 3, though specifics were not provided on what
such a capacity would look like. Large performance venues
will open in Phase 4.
- Weddings, events, and large gatherings of “moderate”
capacity can be held in parks, reservations, and open spaces
under Phase 3.
- Indoor recreational and athletic facilities for general
use — not limited to youth programs — can reopen under Phase
3.
- Other indoor recreation such as batting cages, driving
ranges, go karts, bowling alleys, arcades, laser tag, roller
skating rinks, trampolines, and rock-climbing can reopen
under Phase 3.
- Sightseeing and other organized tours, such as bus tours,
duck tours, harbor cruises, and whale watching, can resume.
- Fishing and hunting tournaments and other amateur or
professional derbies can be held under Phase 3.
- Motion picture, television, and streaming production can
begin under Phase 3.
- Health care: Elective cosmetic procedures and in-person
day programs can resume under Phase 3.
Phase 4: New Normal (July 20 at the earliest)
- Street festivals, parades, and agricultural festivals can
be held.
- Road races and other large, outdoor organized amateur or
professional group athletic events can be held.
- Dance clubs, nightclubs, and bars that can’t reopen under
restaurant guidelines can resume operations.
- Saunas, hot-tubs, and steam rooms at health clubs, gyms,
and other facilities can reopen.
- Amusement parks, theme parks, and both indoor and outdoor
water parks can reopen.
Previous Globe reporting was used in this story.
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