Senator Creem on Common Ground Earth Day Special Tonight

State Senator Cindy Creem, Alderman Deb Crossley, Parent Activist Emily Norton, and Architect Mark Sangiolo will be the panelists on a speciial Earth Day edition of Common Ground tonight. Tune in at 8:00 PM to learn what you can do to save the world!

Mark Fiore Wins Pulitzer

One of my favorite cartoonists, Mark Fiore, just won the Pulitizer Prize! Here's a recent sample of his work:

Warning: This is Not a Game

With the House of Representatives vote yesterday to create two casinos and to allow slot machines at race tracks in Massachusetts, I want to take the opportunity to vent about one of my pet peeves: lying though choice of words. You can easily identify lying politicians by the way they talk about things: do they use real, honest words to describe things, or do they use words that destort reality?

Case in point: whatever you think about legalized gambling, you should beware of politicians who refer to it as "gaming." I like games. I play chess frequently, enjoy scrabble from time to time, and will never pass up the chance to participate in a classic like Monopoly. I like computer games, too. I play chess on my phone and have enjoyed various strategy games over the years. Putting money into a slot and pulling a lever is not a game. There is a word for it: gambling. Other activities that take place at casinos like playing cards are games if they are not played for money. When played for money, however, they are more accurately described, as gambling.

Gambling. We have a word for it. Don't trust anyone who calls it gaming. They are gaming you and should not be trusted with your tax dollars.

House Ways and Means Proposes $1 Million Cut to Newton Local Aid

The House Ways and Means Committee released its proposed state budget today. They propose to cut about a million dollars (5%) of Newton's local aid package. Governor Patrick had pretty-much proposed level funding at about $20 million. Hopefully, the full House of Representatives and Senate will restore at least some of the proposed cut, $800 thousand of which is in the form of Chapter 70 School Aid. The cut can be restored without cutting other programs, since the House Ways & Means Budget simply by closing sime tax loopholes, as proposed by Governor Patrick. (I'm picking up the phone now to call my state representative and state sentator asking them to work for the restoreation of the cut.)

The good news is that local forecasts in Newton had been based on an assumed $2 million cut, so our Fiscal Year 2011 budget is likely to be in better shape than previously expected, especially if new construction and hotel occupancy rates pick up during the recovery.