Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray has announced he won't be a candidate for governor or any other statewide office in 2014. We're thus spared the media obsession with his peculiar early morning driving accident in 2011, never explained to the satisfaction of many in the Commonwealth. And we can leave it to the court system, rather …
Obama takes first step toward gun safety
How effective the President will be on gun safety remains to be seen, but today he took a first step in the right direction by laying out an agenda to minimize future gun violence. He sounded like a leader. We eagerly await his action. To many, the recommended measures are a no-brainer: universal background checks wherever guns …
Facing up to 2 1/2 override
Newton is one of many communities in which the Prop 2 1/2 chickens are coming home to roost. For the last 30 years, that 1980 tax limit referendum has held a community's total tax levy to two and a half percent annual increases, not counting growth through expansion of the tax base. Having the cap on the …
WGBH ignores local classical music lovers
A Boston Business Journal headline last week piqued my interest: "WGBH sending out strong signals." This was very exciting. Was the station finally heeding the complaints of classical music lovers deprived of classical music when WCRB FM, which WGBH owns, moved from 102.5 to 99.5 on the dial? WCRB, of course, stands for Classical Radio Boston, …
Frankly, Barney’s best for interim senator
Wanted: Smart, courageous, savvy individual for temporary posting. Location: United States Senate. Experience: track record of experience in complicated political settings with record of success in achieving goals. Education: longtime immersion in complicated policy challenges with particular expertise in military budgeting and entitlements. Skill sets must include ability to work collaboratively with people across the …
Fiscal cliff deal a puny effort
That clanking sound you hear is that of the proverbial can getting kicked down the road. That can is the much-needed solution to the federal debt. This week's "solution" was not a solution at all. At least initially, the financial markets responded with enthusiasm to the idea that Bush era tax rates would become permanent for 98 …
Hope for the future
Watching dysfunctional Washington is profoundly, naggingly depressing, leaving one having to work hard to count our blessings, of which there are assuredly many. Typically, those blessings are related to home, hearth and health, family and friends. Against the backdrop of consistently gloomy national news, an occasional story comes along that does lift the spirits and is important …
And they’re off and running
Long-term Congressman Ed Markey's announcement that he'll run in a special election to fill Senator John Kerry's Senate seat (once Kerry is confirmed for Secretary of State) starts the new campaign season (did the old one ever stop?) with a splash. The dean of the Massachusetts delegation is highly accomplished, and he is said to …
NRA achieves its purpose
The NRA's Friday press conference revealed the powerful organization to be utterly tone deaf when it comes to how to reduce violence and protect children. Do we need any more evidence of that than NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre's comment that "The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is with a good …
Fiscal cliff debate looking more like Thelma and Louise
When it comes to the fiscal cliff, President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner are looking more and more like Thelma and Louise. And John Boehner seems incapable of stopping the plunge. President Obama has shown he is capable of compromise. Buoyed by his election results, he had said that an increase in the tax …
Continue reading Fiscal cliff debate looking more like Thelma and Louise
Marjorie Arons-Barron 