Question 1

Campaign roundup: Charlie Baker's smoking memo?

adamg — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 11:12:35 +0000

Associated Press uncovers a memo from Baker to then boss Paul Celllucci, urging him to sit on news of escalating Big Dig costs until after Cellucci beat Scott Harshbarger back in the day. Tony ponders:

Baker advocated that the financial mess the Big Dig was causing for the state be hidden from the public until after the election in November 1998. Yes, Charlie Baker advised Governor Paul Cellucci to hide important information from the public, the taxpayers, the citizens, the voters of Massachusetts to assure the the reelection of his boss. This is a condescending, insulting attitude and a perfect example of the politics of lies.

The Herald reports the two major candidates for governor are dogged by questions in the final week of the campaign: Baker by Jeff Perry, Patrick by job losses.

Kitty Dukakis takes on beer distributors

adamg — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 16:05:30 +0000

Kitty Dukakis, who has had a well publicized battle with addiction, spoke this morning at a Government Center rally calling for a "no" vote on Question 1, which would repeal the sales tax on liquor enacted by the legislature last year. Money from the tax helps pay for addiction recovery services. The repeal effort is heavily funded by beer distributors and package-store owners.

When no means yes

adamg — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 15:17:20 +0000

One Massachusetts is a group seeking a "No" vote on all three of this year's ballot questions, which would cut the sales tax in general, repeal the sales tax on booze in particular and eliminate a state requirement that communities ensure a certain percentage of their homes are "affordable." The group's Harmony Blakeway makes the case that "No" votes would actually be saying:

YES for our communities. YES, we want stable, healthy communities with opportunities for recovery. YES, we believe that all of our friends and neighbors deserve safe homes and neighborhoods. YES, we understand that our shared investment is essential to expanding economic opportunity and prosperity in Massachusetts.

Meanwhile, Dan Kennedy explains why he's inclined to vote "Yes" to repeal the affordable-housing provision, also known as Chapter 40B, because it can encourage overdevelopment, but also makes a request to the state's media:

Over the next few weeks, as we move closer to Election Day, I hope news organizations will take a good, hard look at Chapter 40B and whether it really deserves to be retained. What are the success stories? What are the failures? How could it be improved?

I would just as soon not vote against affordable housing, but right now I don’t see any reason to keep this law on the books.

Ballot questions

adamg — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 02:26:02 +0000

Woof! Paul Keleher photographed this Question 3 supporter.

Channel 5 is projecting:

No income tax repeal.
Yes pot-possession changes.
Yes on banning dog racing.

Dissatisfied with MA Voter Guide?

Anonymous — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 00:29:21 +0000

Here's a guide to the 3 referendum questions on the ballot Tuesday, with pro's con's articulated by the experts who are supporting and opposing the measures. It's surprisingly concise.

Q1 Would reduce the state personal income tax rate to 2.65 percent for the tax year beginning on or after Jan. 1, 2009, and would eliminate the tax beginning on or after Jan. 1, 2010.

Q2 Would replace the criminal penalties for possession of 1 ounce or less of marijuana with a system of civil penalties, and would exclude information from the state's criminal record system.

Q3 Would prohibit any dog racing or racing meeting in Massachusetts where any form of betting or wagering on the speed or ability of dogs occurs.

The rest is here.

Question 1 pro/con

adamg — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 03:03:55 +0000

What Would You Cut? - Budget simulation game from the Globe.

Pro:

The Committee for Small Government
BostonMaggie: Send Beacon Hill a message.
Garrett3000: You deserve the money a lot more than a bunch of pols and their pals
Jay Fitzgerald: Beacon Hill will never let the thing go through, but a yes vote could force them to make needed reforms
Shirley Kressel: Why this liberal supports Question 1.
Steve Forbes Maybe (Mass. pols)'ll wake up when you whack them with a 2-by-4.
Barbara Anderson supports it.

Con:

Vote No on Question 1 Committee.
Gene Koo: We're all responsible to contribute to the costs of civilization. We’ll all pay the price if we don’t.
Margalit: Renters would get hurt by Question 1.
Chris Lovett looks at what a yes vote might mean.
Matt O'Malley: Snow removal in New Hampshire sucks, do you want that here?
Tim Jarrett: An idiotic response to crisis.
Philip Matthews: The Definition of Fiscal Insanity.
Paula Woolley: Vote no one One for the sake of our schools and city.
Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce: Would devastate Mass. economy.

Globe: Vote no on everything

GarrettQuinn — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 23:24:40 +0000

Hear Ye! Hear ye! Morrissey Boulevard has issued a proclamation that the citizens of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Vote No on Questions 1, 2, and 3.

To clarify: the Globe wants to continue the state income tax because they have a huge sexytime crush on Mike Widmer, send pot smokers to Guantanamo Bay forever, and run Greyhounds directly into the ground.

Got that?

Poll: Income-tax repeal losing 2-1

adamg — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 20:47:46 +0000

Poll results from Rasmussen Reports; show 59% against repeal, 33% in favor and 8% unsure.

Via PolitickerMA.

Pro-tax group gets straight cash homey from Big Labor

GarrettQuinn — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 22:21:57 +0000

Worth noting that the people opposing Question One are backed almost entirely by Big Government Unions.

The MTA and SEIU gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to the pro-tax movement.

No one should be shocked that government employee unions are fighting Question One to the death. If it passes they will lose their superhuman benefits and government perks that no one except the CEOs of AIG get.

Coaliton for Our Communities report 1

Taxing coverage

adamg — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 15:40:37 +0000

The Globe covers yesterday's anti-income-tax rally in Boston (only 250 people?), while Yvonne Abraham heaps scorn on Carla Howell and her made-up figures about waste in state government.

A Proper Bostonian comes up with Swiftian reasons to vote for the measure (as in Jonathan, not Jane).

Should Mass voters get rid of income tax?

rsiasoco — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 14:44:06 +0000

It's a wild idea that I've been giving serious consideration to: abolishing income tax for Massachusetts residents. How would saving "the average taxpayer about $3,600 a year" a loss of about $12.5 billion a year, "roughly 45 percent of the state's budget of about $28 billion" actually affect Massachusetts? Would schools suddenly shut down, hospitals and police crumble? Or would those things that make our state function-unnecessary jobs and wasteful goods-be organically pared away?

Who's funding the anti-tax movement in Massachusetts

adamg — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 11:53:24 +0000

The Herald takes a look at the people paying Carla Howell's salary as she tries to convince people to repeal the state income tax:

The push to scrap the state income tax - billed as a grassroots movement - is heavily bankrolled by an odd-ball collection of libertarians who don't even pay taxes in Massachusetts, including a crackpot who’s likened Homeland Security to the "Gestapo" and a "Biblical capitalist" who thinks paper money should be eliminated. ...

Anti-tax backer 'intellectually dishonest'

adamg — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:52:39 +0000

Rick Holmes, opinion editor at the Metrowest Daily News, explains why he isn't buying Carla Howell's effort to repeal the Massachusetts income tax in November:

Carla Howell, the leader of the income-tax-repeal effort, came in to see me last week. I have an editorial here about the question I keep asking: Is the point of the referendum to "send a message" or enact a law?

Howell says it's about enacting a law, one that would remove some $12 billion from the state budget. Fine, but if you are going to ask the voters to make decisions on the budget, you ought to be able to provide some details, and Carla appears to have decided not to. ...

Perfect storm could lead to end of state income tax

adamg — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 16:16:18 +0000

On the heels of the MBTA pay-raise story comes the news that people are paying more in property taxes on houses that are worth less. The Outraged Liberal, who predicts disaster if Question 1 passes, hopes:

... Hopefully those folks who plan to speak out against Question 1 are hard at work for a campaign that will launch right after Labor Day -- you know about the same time the Democratic convention ends, the Republican convention begins and the political media's focus on the presidential race obliterates all other discussion?

Deval Patrick gets tough

adamg — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 14:14:30 +0000

First state pensioners, now detail-lovin' police, but there's an endgame in mind here and it's not necessarily Washington:

... Make no mistake, Patrick has an election in mind all right. It's the November referendum on Question 1, the income tax repeal. Polls suggest voters are unhappy enough that they could vote their wallet and not their best interests. Sacred cows need to fall.

If that means dealing with upset pensioners and police officers angry because they've been asked to do some dieting along with the rest of the state budget (and there will be a lot of that in the months ahead, particularly if the federal Medicaid waiver is slashed) that drama may only help convince fence sitters that Question 1 is a recipe for disaster. ...