Ballot Questions 2022
I’m a No on 1, yes on 2, no on 3 and yes 4
Q1, the bottom line is that there’s nothing and I mean nothing that guaranties the extra tax collected will go to education and roads. If you need convincing, just think back at the sales tax roll back of 20 years ago that Beacon Hill decided to postpone for 20 years, and the tobacco tax money that has never gone to where the voters were told it would go (stop smoking programs) and the marijuana ballot question of 2016, that too was repealed and replaced for what we have now. I cannot in go faith trust Beacon Hill to do the right thing.
Q2 seems complicated but sounds like a good deal for patients in the long run. The dental industry should be on par with the medical community.
Q3 is even more complicated and expanding licenses for beer and wine is not necessary. We have plenty.
Q4 If the cops are in favor of this question, then that’s fine with me. Repealing a former ballot question just seems unproductive when we have so many un-licensed drivers.
posted by Jim Pillsbury @ 12:44 PM
6 Comments
6 Comments:
You were against the millionaires tax? Something about your financial status you want to share with the rest of us?
I'm not in the category and agree that the wealthy among us could afford to kick in a little extra. I'm merely pointing to the fact that the legislature can use the extra tax money any way it sees fit, any where they want. As the lead editorial from the Globe yesterday factual wrote,
"And every revenue dollar that comes in via the new surtax will be “subject to appropriation” — the phrase was even a part of the ballot question — by the Legislature. So while the money is supposed to be targeted to education and transportation, there is nothing to keep lawmakers from shifting funds currently devoted to education and transportation to other needs and then backfilling with the proceeds from the surtax.
Nothing, well, except the constant vigilance of voters and of those who proposed the measure in the first place.
And there will, no doubt, be a certain tugging and pulling among those varied interests for their “fair share” of the new monies. There is no set formula for how much will go to transportation vs. education, or even a precise definition of what qualifies in each bucket. Even within those two categories, will the MBTA get the lion’s share or will regional transit authorities get a piece of the pie? Will education money — and let’s not forget teachers’ unions were huge supporters of the ballot question — all go to K-12 public education, or will the state’s colleges, community colleges, and universities get a share? What about helping students directly?
jim the No group made the mistake of not simply explaining the issue of targeted money. They only had to explain that right now the state spends X dollars for education. The new tax of Y dollars would be forced for education. But that doesn't stop the state from then spending the X dollars on something else. Classic money shell game. They should have done a commercial showing a shell game.
Voter's don't always remember how Beacon Hill plays that game, but I'll bet 1 billion dollars or two in new revenue from the rich will be closely monitored by the Globe o where it goes. .
You have not posted here in a while but did see your LTE on cops wearing body cameras and then your post on Frambors about that. I also saw you talking to Chief Baker about this at the Veterans Day event at city hall. Glad to see that even though you and Steph are no longer the leaders of the LWV you still show up at all these events around the city as I saw you also at the Indigenous People's day event and the protest at the Court House after the overturning of Roe V Wade. No other LWV members at either of these events and and no current mayor at Indigenous People's day. Actually you never see any of the LWV officers anywhere.
You are a well informed and involved member of our community who is involved because you have cared and been involved in serving Framingham for more years than I can remember. Keep doing that and I hope you get back to posting here soon.
Happy thanksgiving to you and your family. Looking forward to your holiday show again this year now that the pandemic is more in control.
Thanks so much for the kind words.
We both feel it's important to advocate for justice whenever we can.
The Holiday show is no longer. When covid hit, we just couldn't do the show in 20 and 21. The stars of the show (my grand kids and others) are now teenagers who have different priorities.
Along with my ET (essential tremor) and bad back, doing a live show unscripted hour long show is very stressful. Perhaps AF TV will re-run the 2019 holiday show in December.
It's disappointing about the League and it's lack of community involvement.
I will continue to try to make Framingham a better place to live work and play and hold those in power accountable to the residents.
Happy Thanksgiving to all who stop by.
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