Dear State Representative Matthew Patrick: I used to spend a lot of time in Worcester. Over the years, something called the Asian long-horned beetle has been eating the place, one tree at a time. There are parts of Worcester that, once sylvan, now look like the unforested steppes of Europe and Asia. Hence, your crusade against the winter moth down on the Cape (it has already damaged other parts of the state) finds a sympathetic audience here. However, your budget item has drawn the ire of local Republicans, who are now squarely on the side of bugs that eat trees. A whole party that's soft on blight, they're apparently bothered that you want to spend $150,000 to control and eliminate the winter moth on the Cape, and that you've also voted for some tax bills. This occasioned some snark from across the aisle, possibly because, among the brainless carbon-based life-forms indigenous to the Commonwealth, trees generally make more sense -- and are usually much better spoken -- than Republicans, who (to be fair) do have a marginally greater representation in the Legislature. This may have occasioned some jealousy. Don't despair, though. I see a way out. The winter moth came here from Europe. Pitch it to the talk-show crowd as an immigration issue. And as a bonus, having declared the moth an illegal immigrant, you could have some fun putting a bunch of them to work on Mitt Romney's property.

Charles P. Pierce

cpierce@globe.com

Article was first published in Globe Sunday Magazine, May 17th, 2009

Published on this web site with permission of the author, Charles Pierce

This is a very difficult time for state and local governments but we have survived bad times before and we will survive this downturn.  The economic downturn and background budget pressures that have been growing for a decade are placing unprecedented challenges before us. But it is important to remember that we have survived bad times before.   It is equally important to remember the constructive role that government has played in helping us weather past recessions paving the way toward recovery.  In the midst of the current crisis it is easy to forget the essential role that our public systems play in the quality of life we enjoy in Massachusetts.   We must keep in mind that our state and local governments provide the services and infrastructure that we couldn’t create as individuals. 

I think most of us would agree that the Commonwealth provides a fairly good life for our citizens.  It’s not well known but Massachusetts leads in most quality of life indicators when compared to other states.  For example, we rank in the top five in levels of education because we have more high school and college graduates than most other states.  We rank in the top five in terms of income.  We have a lower divorce rate, lower unwed mother rate and lower teen pregnancy rate than most other states.  We provide more care for our needy citizens.  We also have one of the more healthy populations in the country and more than 93% of us have health insurance.

Yet when you compare our total state and local tax burden as a percentage of our income, we rank only 24^th in the nation in 2008.  Why use total tax burden as a percentage of income?  It’s a fairer gauge because we earn a lot more than most other states.  Using a per capita tax ranking is like putting a light weight in a boxing ring with a heavy weight.  Comparing us to the southern states is not fair to them because they earn less and pay a larger percentage of their income in taxes greatly reducing their spending power.  In addition, our sales tax is the 44^th lowest of all states and the current gas tax is ranked even lower and hasn’t gone up in 16 years. 

Rep. Patrick's testimony before the Cape Cod Commission 3/30/09

Regardless of all the planning, regulations and laws, a good deal of any project's potential approval is left up to the judgment and subject to the prejudices of you, the people on the Commission. In the end, most of our elected and appointed boards' decisions are subject to the perspectives of the people on the them and the frame of mind they have been given by local media and adopted as their own before really hearing the other side fully with an open mind.

Framing the issue in a negative light is exactly what the right wing does on talk radio. They made us believe that "liberal" is a bad word and that all Democrats are all "tax and spend" Democrats. That's framing issue and if you read, "Don't Think of an Elephant" you will get a better picture of it. Nothing has received more negative framing than Cape Wind.

One needs only to look at the Cape Cod Times editorial today to be reminded of their constant drum beat of opposition for seven years. Early on the Cape Cod Times framed the issue for most Cape Codders in terms of "Industrial Wind Farm" in "pristine" water, "land grab" etc. They and other anti wind farm groups appealed to base emotions with fictional information and grossly distorted depictions of the prospective wind farm to arouse opposition.

The wind farm has gone through the CCC's EIR right along with the State's and the Fed's EIRs and 13 other entities. They have found nothing damaging to the environment or the economy that cannot be mitigated. The review has lasted seven years and taken longer to approve than most nuclear power plants. This current issue is over the cables and the irony is the CCC just approved putting down more cables to Nantucket.

“It’s what they do,” said Governor Patrick in a fitting response to a question from the press about what he thought of the critical comments made by Republican leaders regarding the proposed gas tax. The Republicans want you to believe that the Governor and Democratic legislators are too lazy to look for efficiencies in government and will tax you because it’s easy to do.

It’s not easy. It’s a lot more difficult to raise taxes than it is to cut budgets even in what people think is a liberal legislature, which it isn’t. The majority of the Democrats in the legislature consider themselves fiscally conservative and even liberals don’t casually suggest taxes. Senate Minority Leader Richard Tisei is showing his party’s desperation with his broad brushed critique of the Governor and Democrats in the legislature. He’s only got four Republican colleagues in the Senate and sixteen in the House.

The extreme example is the pill popping, multi-millionaire, right wing, radio entertainer Rush Limbaugh who proudly says he wants President Obama to fail when he knows full well that he is saying he wants America to fail. The irony is he accused Democrats of being unpatriotic or worse for disagreeing with the former President but I never recall hearing a Democrat say they wanted the President to fail. As Robert F. Kennedy said, “The sharpest criticism often goes hand in hand with the deepest idealism and love of Country.” You may disagree with the President but nobody says they want him to fail, except for rightwing prima-donnas.