I imagine that most people, at some point in their lives, have wished that they had a crystal ball to see into the future. There are many moments where a little prescience would be useful, but it seems that it would come in especially handy when faced with a tough choice. It wouldn’t surprise me if my grandfather, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, longed for a sneak peek into the months and years ahead as he crafted the New Deal to pull America out of the Great Depression. Nor would it surprise me if the representatives and senators on Capitol Hill at that time lay awake at night wondering how it would all turn out. Would this plan create jobs? Would this new infrastructure lead to growth? Only history, not a crystal ball, would show that the New Deal would lead to the greatest expansion of opportunity and growth in the history of the world.
At the time it was impossible to know that, and legislators had to decide how to vote in an atmosphere that was filled with resistance to Roosevelt’s proposal. Naysayers were vocal and visible. Boldfaced names like Charles Lindbergh and William Randolph Hearst came out against the New Deal, and were joined by the heads of corporate giants such as General Motors, Sun Oil Company, and DuPont. They criticized my grandfather for overreaching and overspending. Even by the time of the Second New Deal, the opposition remained ardent. The Republican Party platform of 1936 said that the New Deal was “guilty of frightful waste and extravagance.”
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The New Deal was what made the American middle class great, that and strong unions. It's not right that Massachusetts continues with Romney's legacy of high taxes on the poor, in the form of sky-high state fees for everything and also to be burdened with a very high sales tax. A graduate income tax is the best way to insure the rich pay their fair share.
The problem is, of course, the corruption in Massachusetts. We need the real ability to primary out corrupt politicians and we need an independent press that does investigative journalism. And we need penny-pinching regulators who carefully watch the bottom line. Transparency would be a big help.
Something really does need to be done about the transportation system here. It's like living in a third world country. Whether you drive or take the T to work, you take your life in your ends in your daily commute.
LOL, "life in your ends", not enough caffeine this morning!
The graduated state income tax has gone before the voters five times, and it's failed five times, each time by an even greater margin than the last time. The people have spoken. And spoken. And spoken. And spoken. And spoken. It's over.
Ok, I'll take the bait. How much does the CEO of Tufts Health Plan make and what percentage of his income is affected by the potential rise in taxes proposed by Patrick compared to say, an average shmo like moi? With all due respect to your grandfather Mr. Roosevelt I'm of the opinion that health care insurance companies are, in a general sense, inefficient, expensive beyond all rationality, and in the end, unnecessary. You'll have to excuse me from being a bit skeptical here. With all due respect to your Grandfather. Single payer for all.
Who really cares what PERCENTAGE of someone's income is taxed? The total tax DOLLARS paid by that horrible CEO of Tufts that you refer to, and other "villains" of his/her ilk, pay the lions share of the entitlement benefits that average shmo's like you and me receive.
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I wonder how the Tufts HP board of directors would feel if Roosevelt's fiscal and management rack record had the same documented failures the governor has. Once again, government progressives miss the point. A progressive and activist role for government is undermined by the behavior exhibited by many of our public officials at all levels of government in the state. Roosevelt's position is undermined when one turns aorund and sees the underwhelming group of leaders, both elected and appointed, who manage our state.
The country is sadled with nearly $100,000,000,000 in unfunded future liabilties at this point, mostly from the social programs that started with the new deal. If we raise taxes now to expand the things the governor wants to expand, where will the money to sustain those come from as their on-going cost outstrip the initial tax increase? Unlike the Federal Government, Massachusetts doesn't get to print more money and devalue the currency when its spending habits catch up with it.
Very political... Massive tax increases referred to as "investments" in the state while the word "tax" is never mentioned even once in the column.
wow, maybe a fact could be included in your argument?
are schools are adequetly funded. get rid of the union overhead and it would be even better
Mr. Roosevelt, I honor the memory of your father F.D.R. I'm a life-long progressive, and I vote. However this is not 1934, our (U.S.) economy is now tied in to the world marketplace as never before, for good or ill. The advent of the worlwide web has changed everything. We have an economic/military, (and they are connected), intelligence capability F.D.R. could only dream of, and we use it. That's the National/International piece. Here in Boston, we have a State Legislature with a culture of corruption like one reads about in apocalyptic sci-fi. Voters have spoken time and again about what they do and do not want. We are ignored. Both Conservative and Liberal. Ignored. I understand what the Governor has in mind, but I just don't trust him or any other Pol. in the Commonwealth, and with good reason. That distrust is based on facts and history. The People are ignored here, and now we are expected to pony up again. I'm very sceptical and not afraid to say it. Real Progressives concern themselves with the wishes of their constituancies, not with cutting deals to enrich their own pockets and power.
"The governor is looking to fund early education, extend the school day in gateway cities, and make college more affordable for our young people so that Massachusetts will continue to have the brain power that has been our secret weapon for s"...Considering that Our Governor has done numerous things that he said he would never do (including raise taxes) Mr. Roosevelt, how about PROVING that what the Governor said is actually what he will be doing ? And why do we have to pay even more taxes for "Early Education"?. What are Parents for? And more likely "education funding" will wind up going to shore up the underfunded teachers union pension funds. ..Voters in CA were recently FOOLED into voting for higher taxes "for the kids and the schools". Money went to CA's general fund instead.
And actually, if you look at historical stock marked charts, you will find that the Great Depression continued well beyond 1928. And the reason was FDR's massive government spending and high taxes.
Imagine that, a Roosevelt promoting higher taxes. Who would have thought?
This plan is a loser brought to us by the biggest loser of them all. Devil can't and will never fix the problems with this state. That makes him the number one problem.
Gateway cities = slums as far as I can tell.
I would hope Mr. Roosevelt will do the honorable thing and increase employee pay by a percentage that will help reduce the tax burden Governor Patrick’s 2014 budget will impose on Mr. Roosevelt’s workforce. Who will pay more under the Governor’s plan? Individuals who earn more than $50,000 and families who make over $60,000 will pay for the tax hike. These are people who are already facing stagnating earnings and increasing federal tax burdens. Deval’s plan uses the only non-user revenue raising mechanism (income tax increases) to pay for the current MBTA’s operational deficits. Just try to use public transportation to get from Metrowest to Mt. Auburn Street in Watertown. The Governor’s tax plan cuts 45 Massachusetts tax payer credits while cutting only 3 corporate tax deductions. Who benefits the most from the Governor’s tax plan? If the goals are realized, the primary beneficiaries will be Massachusetts corporations via better educated and more mobile workforce. So if Massachusetts corporations support tax-for-growth leadership, they too should show leadership by helping those who will actually have to pay for it. Employees are the lifeblood of today’s successful corporations. Why are we insisting that current employees also pay for the future success of the corporation by burdening them with the cost of educating the future workforce? Aren’t families already doing their share by paying criminally high tuition rates to educate their children? There is only so much burden today’s business leaders can pass onto the workforce under the cloak of “Leadership”.