State income tax to drop, edging closer to 5 percent, meanwhile the state is projecting to lose millions in revenue
“Rejoice, Massachusetts taxpayers. You’ll have a bit more money in your paychecks come January, and, if state assumptions are correct, another long-awaited reprieve — with potentially bigger budget ramifications — could follow…….. Chip Faulkner, associate director of Citizens for Limited Taxation, which pushed the ballot question. “Either you win or you lose. But this one...
What People Are Saying
More important than ever – positive policy change on the state level. Here’s what professional and volunteer lobbyists and organizers are saying about the newly-released 2018 edition of Lobbying on a Shoestring, by Judith C. Meredith and Margaret E. Monsell: Making effective and lasting change is harder than ever but doable. Activists must go on...
New! 4th Edition of Lobbying on a Shoestring Is Here!
Lobbying on a Shoestring offers a common-sense, practical approach to political action. Premised on the idea that real people should have a real impact on the development of public policy, this powerhouse of a paperback conveys truths about the legislative process and hard-won, strategic insights. The 2018 Revised Edition gets you and your clients up and...
Michael Forbes Wilcox – One Man’s Mission: Bring much-needed assistance to autistic adults and others who are not now served.
Of course the campaign to bring much needed services to autistic adults and others is not just one man’s mission. In fact the effort is being led by The Asperger’s Association of New England (AANE) and they have taken the lead in drafting and promoting two bills to implement the highest priority recommendations of the...
A First Look at the Governor’s Proposals on Education, Transportation, and Revenue January 18, 2013
Just enough for you to know from the venerable Mass Budget and Policy Center: An (actually easy to read) analysis of the Governor’s proposals: Watch here for a detailed report when the Governor files his budget on January 23. In recent days, the Governor has introduced three major policy initiatives. 1) Increased funding for...
Taxes for Transportation — Human Services Chopped Liver?
News : Nearly six years after a bipartisan commission sounded the alarm about a transportation system in a crisis so severe that it carried a shortfall of nearly $1 billion a year, Governor Deval Patrick will ask lawmakers to solve the problem with a plan that includes higher taxes. Comment: Are we serious about fulling funding...
New Coalition: We Need Quality Schools in Every Boston Neighborhood
All parents can agree that they want their children to attend quality schools. But while there is strong sentiment by some for neighborhood schools, many neighborhoods do not have access to quality schools. Parents and community leaders have asked for Boston education officials to focus on improving quality. Will Boston finally respond to parents’ demands...
Speak Up to Protect Children Experiencing Homelessness: Participate in Public Hearings in Springfield and Boston!
The Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) has adopted “emergency” regulations barring most homeless families with children from emergency shelter unless they first sleep in a place “not meant for human habitation.” Families are being left with no safe place to stay as a result of this restrictive policy. AcrossMassachusetts, families are sleeping in...
Organizing for Change – Reorganizing Your Internal Resources
I bet you can think of 10 MORE reasons why your organization might not want to spend the time and energy to reorganize you existing resources in order plan and implement a campaign to promote positive policy change in your town, in your county or in your state. I can hear the groans from here–...
Renee Loth on the Value of Public Sector Jobs
In an excerpt from her excellent op-ed in the Sept 1 Globe Renee Loth reported If public employment had held steady during the recovery period, according to some estimates, today’s unemployment rate would be 7.8 percent instead of the current 8.3. Why is a tennis pro at a private club any more useful to the...
A Model Memo to Grassroots Activists
It doesn’t have to be fancy with a constant contact layout or on a letterhead, but it does need to be clear and specific. Please find here in its entirety a memo from from Lew Finfer to his grassroots activists working on youth development, violence prevention and youth jobs. There are 2 main asks to...
Do you have Real Clout?
There’s no secret for how to win the policy change you’re looking for, just a series of planning and organizing activities that add up to a campaign. Start by learning how the policy-making process works: the Real Clout textbook was written to serve as a how-to manual for community activists who, for one reason or another,...
