public safety

The MBTA plans to cut services and raise fares.  Does that seem backwards to you?  Usually consumers are willing to pay a higher price if we get more, not less.  Unfortunately the current situation is that our public transportation system doesn't have adequate resources to run as usual...the operating budget is strained.  We also have heard about the capital and maintenance budgets with a backlog for repairs and replacements.

This is not a good situation for riders dependant on lower costing fares, and more frequent service.  We don't want more vehicles on the road; we can't afford more vehicles on the road. Our road systems can't keep up with the current flow of traffic and the environment will surely suffer.  Besides, there's no place to park!

So, here's a couple of things you can do:

• Participate in MBTA meetings.  Follow this link to learn about the proposed changes and the meeting schedule.   [MBTA Fare Change and Service Guide]
• Learn more about the other issues in your community that are important to you.  We need revenues to maintain healthy communities, healthy people, good schools...(you insert what's important to your community)  Check out the Campaign for Our Communities. and then join the campaign!

Remember, the government is us!

The Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation issued its latest report on the state of municipal budgets [Full Article: The Boston Globe].  There are no real surprises...that is if you have been paying attention to the economy, discussions in the State House regarding revenues and budget cuts, and watching your own city or town lose employees.  The surprises may be the magnitude of the unfunded pension and health funds that were measurable and promised as part of employment...that's unconscionable.

Our families and our communities need investments in the services, schools, and infrastructure that make Massachusetts a great place to live and work.  How will this happen?  In order to make the necessary investments, we need to raise significant revenues.  Governor Cuomo in New York has taken the lead, as has Governor Brown in California...That revenue should come primarily from the highest income earners.

“The numbers demonstrate just how difficult this recession and fiscal crisis have been for cities and towns,’’ said Michael J. Widmer, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation. “Their revenues have been virtually flat, while their costs have grown, which has meant cuts in schools, public safety, and other basic services for most cities and towns.’’

“These are challenging times,’’ said Michael V. O’Brien, the Worcester city manager. “The global economy, the national economy, and the regional economy have all suffered in the downturn, so the revenues aren’t there for the state to distribute.’’

Now that the casino legislation has passed through the State House and the Governor signed it, it's time for implementation...and there's lots of details to get right from the beginning.

The law also requires the state police to set up their own gaming enforcement unit. The as-yet-unnamed five-member Massachusetts Gaming Commission will help coordinate the policing units. The commission will have its own investigation and enforcement bureau with the power to issue subpoenas and refer cases for civil or criminal prosecution.

An anti-casino group led by former Massachusetts Attorney General Scott Harshbarger has argued for even stronger centralized control, saying the fracturing of law enforcement oversight among multiple agencies creates a potential logistical and communications nightmare.

One of the more challenging tasks created by the casino law is enforcement of the state's liquor laws, in part because casinos will be able to serve free drinks on the gaming floors. No other business in the state is allowed to so serve free alcoholic drinks.  [Mass live.com]

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

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

Lt. Governors get the dirty jobs

In some towns, Halloween is postponed due to storm  reports Amanda Cedrone and Eric Moskowitz in the Globe this morning.

Citing the possible dangers caused by downed live wires, blocked streets, and debris, Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray at a news conference today urged local officials “to use discretion and common sense as to whether they should be going forward with Halloween or not.” “We just want people to use caution -- parents as well -- as to whether it makes sense,“ Murray said.

Secure Communities is the federal immigration criminal database program, that many states have problems with.  Boston so far is the only city in Massachusetts that has enrolled in the program, but Bristol, Worcester, and Plymouth are talking with the feds about joining.

Secure Communities works by tapping into a longstanding relationship between local and state police and the FBI. ..To activate Secure Communities, US officials say they first need enough federal agents, jail space for detainees, and vehicles to transport them to make it work.   [Full Article: The Boston Globe]

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

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

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

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

There seems to be a disconnect in our country.  We don't understand (or dare I say, appreciate) that it was federal agencies - FEMA, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and NOAA, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s , that helped save lives and protect property during this latest natural disaster Hurricane Irene.  If we continue to let Congress reduce funding of these necessary agencies, lives and communities will be destroyed...literally.

Tea Partyers who denounce Big Government seem to have an abstract notion that government spending means welfare programs and bloated bureaucracies. Almost certainly they aren’t thinking about hurricane tracking and pre-positioning of FEMA supplies. But if they succeed in paring the government, ... may be surprised to discover that they have turned a Hurricane Irene government back into a Katrina government.  [Full Article: The Washington Post]