In a quick session designed to give the city council staffs raises councilor Murphy testified that the city has 10.8 million dollars left over from fiscal 08 so there is plenty of money to give raises to all the city council staff. Approximately $350,000.
That should leave 10 million for the money the schools need, right?
Or maybe they will issue homeowners tax refund checks?
Watch it here: http://www.cityofboston.gov/citycouncil/cc_video_library.asp?id=577
Amazing to me in these tough times that the city has 10 million it doesn't know what to do with, although granted this is not a huge amount percentage wise.
kevin
Friday, August 22, 2008
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Update on Open Meeting Law case McCrea v. Flaherty
Believe it or not, the McCrea v. Flaherty case is still going on, the City has spent about $100,000 of taxpayer money fighting it with no end in sight.
We have been trying to negotiate a settlement with the council on the remaining counts that they have not already been found guilty of. Our offer to them was to admit that the prior meetings had been in violation of the Open Meeting Law, and to work with them to establish a Sunshine Commission similar to the one in San Francisco to make sure that Boston had a best in the country policy towards transparency. In other words, we gave them a chance to really look good and to enact policy which would improve the interaction between the elected officials and the public. Here is their response from their attorney Mary Harris:
Dear Mr. McCrea, Ms. Devine, Ms. Kressel,
I write to inform you that the Council has met to consider your settlement proposal, and declines the terms you propose.
I am out of the office, returning on August 25. Perhaps we can speak to see if the area of disagreement can be narrowed, although any resolution that would include a requirement that the Council undertake commitments beyond which the court may impose after a hearing would be unacceptable to the Council. We believe your demand to establish a "Sunshine Ordinance Task Force" aimed at development of a San Francisco-like local law to be such a requirement.
We do remain willing to reach a compromise, if one can be agreed to within the parameters of the existing law.
Best regards,
Mary Jo Harris
We have been trying to negotiate a settlement with the council on the remaining counts that they have not already been found guilty of. Our offer to them was to admit that the prior meetings had been in violation of the Open Meeting Law, and to work with them to establish a Sunshine Commission similar to the one in San Francisco to make sure that Boston had a best in the country policy towards transparency. In other words, we gave them a chance to really look good and to enact policy which would improve the interaction between the elected officials and the public. Here is their response from their attorney Mary Harris:
Dear Mr. McCrea, Ms. Devine, Ms. Kressel,
I write to inform you that the Council has met to consider your settlement proposal, and declines the terms you propose.
I am out of the office, returning on August 25. Perhaps we can speak to see if the area of disagreement can be narrowed, although any resolution that would include a requirement that the Council undertake commitments beyond which the court may impose after a hearing would be unacceptable to the Council. We believe your demand to establish a "Sunshine Ordinance Task Force" aimed at development of a San Francisco-like local law to be such a requirement.
We do remain willing to reach a compromise, if one can be agreed to within the parameters of the existing law.
Best regards,
Mary Jo Harris
Ward 9 Debate Sonia v. Dianne---Is there hope?
I attended the Ward 9 Debate on Monday night between Sonia Chang-Diaz and Dianne Wilkerson for our local State Senate seat. Neither candidate was particularly impressive from an objective point of view. A curt analysis would be Sonia saying "we need to do better" without specifying either what Dianne had not done well or what exactly she would do, and Dianne using the "these are the problems facing us" routine where she talks about everything that is wrong, while heads nod in agreement but she offers no solutions other than saying she will work hard.
Neither dog and pony show is particularly impressive to me. If Sonia wants to unseat an incumbent I think she should point out directly, not with innuendo, where her opponent has let the voters down. The obvious question for Dianne is if you know what the problems are, why haven't you fixed them in 15 years in the Senate and if someone is to blame, who is it?
Dianne is a master, like many politicians of taking both sides of an issue, and of saying one thing, meaning another, and denying something she just said. Some of her comments that left my head scratching are as follows:
"the Public Schools System doesn't work for the majority of its citizens", yet she is proud to be endorsed by Tom Menino who is responsible for those schools. If he isn't to blame, and she isn't to blame then who is responsible for those schools?
She said that 2/3 or our teachers are retiring in the next 3-5 years and we need to get new teachers and teachers certified in their subject areas. She then went into a tangent I couldn't understand about how parents can't teach their kids algebra. With her ongoing problems with the campaign finance people, I was thinking I certainly wouldn't want her teaching anyone algebara.
She repeatedly said she was the best person in the Senate to get to "20 plus 1" (a majority needed to pass) and said she was unhappy with the Governor about his campaign promises on CORI reform. So, the question is why hasn't she introduced the proper CORI reform and gotten it to pass if she is the most knowledgeable and most able to get it done. She is proud to be endorsed by Deval as well.
She said that the legislature was going to be called back into session to cut spending, and that she had "a hope and a prayer" that they won't cut education. I applaud her being very vehement on this point.
She also talked about economic development where she said "she won't miss any opportunity" to add jobs in her district. She didn't offer specifics but seemed to definitely be in the mode of "everyone is going to get some pork, and the system isn't fair, but I will work to get us some pork too" and that some pork for "women and people of color" is better than the no pork of the past, even though it currently isn't what it is supposed to be.
All in all, it was a night filled with a lot of words and not much substance and a soupcon of debate.
Who will save us, when we need fiscal responsibility, more transparency and renewed commitment to education.
Neither dog and pony show is particularly impressive to me. If Sonia wants to unseat an incumbent I think she should point out directly, not with innuendo, where her opponent has let the voters down. The obvious question for Dianne is if you know what the problems are, why haven't you fixed them in 15 years in the Senate and if someone is to blame, who is it?
Dianne is a master, like many politicians of taking both sides of an issue, and of saying one thing, meaning another, and denying something she just said. Some of her comments that left my head scratching are as follows:
"the Public Schools System doesn't work for the majority of its citizens", yet she is proud to be endorsed by Tom Menino who is responsible for those schools. If he isn't to blame, and she isn't to blame then who is responsible for those schools?
She said that 2/3 or our teachers are retiring in the next 3-5 years and we need to get new teachers and teachers certified in their subject areas. She then went into a tangent I couldn't understand about how parents can't teach their kids algebra. With her ongoing problems with the campaign finance people, I was thinking I certainly wouldn't want her teaching anyone algebara.
She repeatedly said she was the best person in the Senate to get to "20 plus 1" (a majority needed to pass) and said she was unhappy with the Governor about his campaign promises on CORI reform. So, the question is why hasn't she introduced the proper CORI reform and gotten it to pass if she is the most knowledgeable and most able to get it done. She is proud to be endorsed by Deval as well.
She said that the legislature was going to be called back into session to cut spending, and that she had "a hope and a prayer" that they won't cut education. I applaud her being very vehement on this point.
She also talked about economic development where she said "she won't miss any opportunity" to add jobs in her district. She didn't offer specifics but seemed to definitely be in the mode of "everyone is going to get some pork, and the system isn't fair, but I will work to get us some pork too" and that some pork for "women and people of color" is better than the no pork of the past, even though it currently isn't what it is supposed to be.
All in all, it was a night filled with a lot of words and not much substance and a soupcon of debate.
Who will save us, when we need fiscal responsibility, more transparency and renewed commitment to education.
Friday, July 25, 2008
As Sam is to Deval, Deval is to Obama
At my housewarming party last weekend a Globe reporter said to a few of us "wow, Sam Yoon has been a big disappointment." I replied to this person who had interviewed Sam a number of times, "are you kidding?, he is exactly what he said he was going to be in his campaign. I can't believe you thought anything else. Your own columnist Sam Ellis wrote that Sam only put out 'nerfball bromides'". He has continued to emit these bromides. All I ever heard him promise is that he was going to do better, but since he had never been in office it is easy to do better than nothing. I think Sam has been very honest in that regard.
These same campaign bromides I heard again with Deval Patrick. Together we can, what??? And now we have Obama, who says we need change without any specifics. What I have seen is changing of positions to meet changing political needs. No profiles in courage to me.
To me, Deval Patrick is Sam Yoon on steroids, and Obama is Deval Patrick on steroids. Of course, to me, each of them would be better than the probable Republican opposite but they aren't saying anything specific, just putting out a feel good message. Until voters demand real facts, promises and policies from their politicians this country will continue heading in its current direction.
These same campaign bromides I heard again with Deval Patrick. Together we can, what??? And now we have Obama, who says we need change without any specifics. What I have seen is changing of positions to meet changing political needs. No profiles in courage to me.
To me, Deval Patrick is Sam Yoon on steroids, and Obama is Deval Patrick on steroids. Of course, to me, each of them would be better than the probable Republican opposite but they aren't saying anything specific, just putting out a feel good message. Until voters demand real facts, promises and policies from their politicians this country will continue heading in its current direction.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
response to Jacoby Globe editorial
Dear Jeff:
Nice article, but....
But, when will the Globe start doing serious journalism? When will the Globe stop endorsing these
guys such as Menino, Flaherty, etc.? The voters look to you, the press, for direction. I had a Globe reporter at
my house last night who when she interviewed my run for office asked fluff questions about who the Mayor's wife is,
and how far can a motorcycle be parked from a curb, when I wanted to talk about taxes, corruption and cronyism.
Look yourself in the mirror and tell it like it is. Without a serious commitment from the fourth estate, the other 3 get out of control. Why don't you write about how the firefighter pension issue is not the fault of the firefighters, it is the result of the person running the show: Menino and the City Council who should, as our elected officials be watching out for our dollars.
The same goes for the state legislature, the treasurer(s) and the governors(s) who oversaw the big dig, etc.
Sincerely,
Kevin McCrea
Nice article, but....
But, when will the Globe start doing serious journalism? When will the Globe stop endorsing these
guys such as Menino, Flaherty, etc.? The voters look to you, the press, for direction. I had a Globe reporter at
my house last night who when she interviewed my run for office asked fluff questions about who the Mayor's wife is,
and how far can a motorcycle be parked from a curb, when I wanted to talk about taxes, corruption and cronyism.
Look yourself in the mirror and tell it like it is. Without a serious commitment from the fourth estate, the other 3 get out of control. Why don't you write about how the firefighter pension issue is not the fault of the firefighters, it is the result of the person running the show: Menino and the City Council who should, as our elected officials be watching out for our dollars.
The same goes for the state legislature, the treasurer(s) and the governors(s) who oversaw the big dig, etc.
Sincerely,
Kevin McCrea
Friday, July 04, 2008
Giants Win!!!
The 7 to 10 year old team I have been with for the last 5 years has won again. The South End Giants played through a rainstorm and a tough Mets team, to win the championship 3 to 1. The Giants haven't been defeated in the playoffs for 4 years in a row now!
Congratulations to the team, coach Johnny and Mario, and all the kids who learned and grew all season long, were great teammates, and a pleasure for me to be around.
Congratulations to the team, coach Johnny and Mario, and all the kids who learned and grew all season long, were great teammates, and a pleasure for me to be around.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Mothers Day Baseball
A pitchers duel turned into high scoring run fest on Mother's Day at Roche Park.
It started out as a pitching duel between, Joshua Perez of the Giants and Dyvine of the Mariners.
A bases loaded walk to God scratched home the first run in the second inning by the the Giants. In the bottom of the third the Mariners were now facing Keson John and they took the lead with their patience at the plate scoring 4 runs despite just one ball being put into play.
In the top of the fourth the Giants put on their rally caps and erupted for 8 runs, led by a grand slam by Jason Pepin, backed up by a Ryan Hernandez home run. But the shorthanded Mariners, who were down to 8 players due to an injury, came back in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game at 9-9 again with patience at the plate but this time with a couple of run scoring singles by Dante and Dyvine. The Giants brought out Jason Pepin on the mound to get the final out of the inning.
As the sun faded away, the Mariners brought in Francisco in relief for the final inning. The Giants rallied again with Josh Perez getting the big hit, a triple to right. Jason came back in the bottom of the fifth to close the victory with two strikeouts and a nice play at the mound to throw a runner out at first.
On such a tension filled game, that was well played by both teams, it almost goes without saying that
GOD SCORED THE WINNING RUN!
BIG thanks to my mom for being my coach and getting me to all the games when I was a kid. And thanks to all the moms of my Giants who are so supportive of our team.
Love,
Kevin
It started out as a pitching duel between, Joshua Perez of the Giants and Dyvine of the Mariners.
A bases loaded walk to God scratched home the first run in the second inning by the the Giants. In the bottom of the third the Mariners were now facing Keson John and they took the lead with their patience at the plate scoring 4 runs despite just one ball being put into play.
In the top of the fourth the Giants put on their rally caps and erupted for 8 runs, led by a grand slam by Jason Pepin, backed up by a Ryan Hernandez home run. But the shorthanded Mariners, who were down to 8 players due to an injury, came back in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game at 9-9 again with patience at the plate but this time with a couple of run scoring singles by Dante and Dyvine. The Giants brought out Jason Pepin on the mound to get the final out of the inning.
As the sun faded away, the Mariners brought in Francisco in relief for the final inning. The Giants rallied again with Josh Perez getting the big hit, a triple to right. Jason came back in the bottom of the fifth to close the victory with two strikeouts and a nice play at the mound to throw a runner out at first.
On such a tension filled game, that was well played by both teams, it almost goes without saying that
GOD SCORED THE WINNING RUN!
BIG thanks to my mom for being my coach and getting me to all the games when I was a kid. And thanks to all the moms of my Giants who are so supportive of our team.
Love,
Kevin
Monday, May 05, 2008
Problems with management at Boston Public Schools?
The Budget Crisis That Wasn't
If you had read the papers in the early spring and had a child in the Boston Public Schools, you may have lost sleep worrying that the BPS was in desperate financial straits. Parents can rest easy. Unbeknownst to most taxpayers, Boston is now one of the wealthiest school districts in the entire United States based on expenditures per pupil.
According to the state's website Boston's school budget per pupil is the same as Weston's and thousands of dollars higher than "wealthy" districts like Brookline, Hingham, Newton, Wellesley and Winchester. For a full list of where Boston stands relative to other communities in Massachusetts, click here: http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/ppx.aspx and then click twice on the column headed "expenditures per pupil".
While the rest of the state lays off teachers, adds fees and cuts school services, thanks to additional staffing and salary increases, Boston's education budget will increase 5.7% next year and this is further complemented by an additional 1-2% drop in the number of students meaning that per capita expenses will increase in 2009 by roughly 7% or almost $50 million.
So whence the massive shortfall?
There are many problems in the BPS. It has become painfully obvious that more money is not the solution to these problems as Boston perennially ranks in the bottom 5% on statewide standardized test scores in spite of massive spending increases over the past 15 years.
If you had read the papers in the early spring and had a child in the Boston Public Schools, you may have lost sleep worrying that the BPS was in desperate financial straits. Parents can rest easy. Unbeknownst to most taxpayers, Boston is now one of the wealthiest school districts in the entire United States based on expenditures per pupil.
According to the state's website Boston's school budget per pupil is the same as Weston's and thousands of dollars higher than "wealthy" districts like Brookline, Hingham, Newton, Wellesley and Winchester. For a full list of where Boston stands relative to other communities in Massachusetts, click here: http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/ppx.aspx and then click twice on the column headed "expenditures per pupil".
While the rest of the state lays off teachers, adds fees and cuts school services, thanks to additional staffing and salary increases, Boston's education budget will increase 5.7% next year and this is further complemented by an additional 1-2% drop in the number of students meaning that per capita expenses will increase in 2009 by roughly 7% or almost $50 million.
So whence the massive shortfall?
There are many problems in the BPS. It has become painfully obvious that more money is not the solution to these problems as Boston perennially ranks in the bottom 5% on statewide standardized test scores in spite of massive spending increases over the past 15 years.
Friday, May 02, 2008
Open Meeting Law victory
I heard from my sister while I was driving home that we won a victory in the Open Meeting Lawsuit victory. Since Mccrea v. Flaherty was appealed by the City Council it will now be case law that the way that Michael Flaherty and the City Council interprets the Open Meeting Law is illegal, and the way that Kathleen Devine, Shirley Kressel and I interpret it is correct.
Of course, the Globe and Herald had two horrible articles in the paper today about it, and they clearly did not read nor understand the ruling. We won outright on some matters, and on the other matters the court took the time to explicitly deny the arguments(excuses) of the council as to why they were violating the law.
What the appeals court did do was agree that the City Council should be allowed an opportunity to present more evidence as to why their meetings were legal, even though the council was the party that moved for Summary Judgment.
So far, the council has spent approximately $50,000 to $100,000 of legal fees to fight for their right to have 6 members go into a room to discuss matters, then have those 6 leave a room and 6 more enter a room to discuss matters. Then when they have sorted everything out, not in the public eye, they will rubber stamp a decision at a council meeting.
Of course, they have rejected all of our olive branches to stop the litigation and try and craft a progressive, country leading open meeting policy that would really include the public.
And they wonder why only 11 percent or so voted in the election.
Of course, the Globe and Herald had two horrible articles in the paper today about it, and they clearly did not read nor understand the ruling. We won outright on some matters, and on the other matters the court took the time to explicitly deny the arguments(excuses) of the council as to why they were violating the law.
What the appeals court did do was agree that the City Council should be allowed an opportunity to present more evidence as to why their meetings were legal, even though the council was the party that moved for Summary Judgment.
So far, the council has spent approximately $50,000 to $100,000 of legal fees to fight for their right to have 6 members go into a room to discuss matters, then have those 6 leave a room and 6 more enter a room to discuss matters. Then when they have sorted everything out, not in the public eye, they will rubber stamp a decision at a council meeting.
Of course, they have rejected all of our olive branches to stop the litigation and try and craft a progressive, country leading open meeting policy that would really include the public.
And they wonder why only 11 percent or so voted in the election.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Message on foreclosure from Sen. Wilkerson
April 11, 2008
Dear Community Leader:
As the State Senator for your district, I recognize you as someone who interfaces with many residents every day. As you know, we are in the midst of a housing crisis like never seen before across Massachusetts! I know from the escalating number of constituents calling and walking in to our office every day that our district has been especially hard hit. I want to let you know what we are working on in the hope that you could pass the information on and be supportive of our efforts. Just in the past several weeks, between February 15th and April 3rd :
There have been 5,960 foreclosure petitions filed across Massachusetts (730 in Boston)
There have been 4,215 auctioned properties in Massachusetts
The foreclosure crisis is destroying whole communities not just here in Boston, but all around Massachusetts. If we continue at this pace, we will far surpass the 29,000+ record-number of foreclosures in Massachusetts for 2007.
Recently, I filed three bills in the Senate to protect tenants, mandate judicial foreclosure and to create a six month moratorium on new foreclosures. In order for these bills to gain traction, I need your support around the community for this package of legislation and for you to serve as a resource for the families, homeowners and tenants whose lives are being devastated every day by this crisis. Here are the summaries of the bills I’ve filed:
An Act to Require Judicial Foreclosure – Sen. 2696
This bill will enable Massachusetts to join 29 other states in requiring that a court approve foreclosures. Homeowners should have a day in court and an opportunity to raise defenses before they are stripped of the biggest asset they are likely to own in their lives. If you've been reading the daily newspapers over the last several weeks, you know that homes are being auctioned and sold before foreclosures are even complete. Even if lenders violate the law or make errors in how much money is actually owed, borrowers currently have no rights. This must change.
An Act Relative to a Temporary Moratorium on Foreclosures – Sen. 2697
This bill will provide for a 6 month moratorium on foreclosures to keep homeowners from losing their homes while more comprehensive solutions are effected on the state level. During this moratorium, a commission will be established to make recommendations that will help residents of Massachusetts deal with the crisis. This time will also provide an opportunity for mortgage holders to work with borrowers and find solutions that will help them remain in their homes.
An Act Requiring Just Cause for Eviction in Foreclosed Properties – Sen. 2698
This bill would protect from eviction tenants who are current in their rent and otherwise occupying a property lawfully after foreclosure, in other words, requiring just cause for evictions. If the foreclosing lender does not have just cause to evict, the tenants can remain, paying reasonable rents and abiding by the standard rules of tenancies. This protection will also protect municipalities as they scramble to address vacant and unsupervised properties which can become public safety hazards through burst pipes, fires, vandalism, and disrepair due to neglect. This bill will keep people in their homes and help to stabilize neighborhoods during the current crisis.
I need your help to let others know that activity is occurring. These bills can only pass if we work together to make the case that we have to provide help to homeowners and tenants and not just the big lenders who are being bailed out on the federal level.
In the meantime, if you have clients, constituents, patients, neighbors etc, who need assistance with their mortgage and are dealing with pending foreclosure, I encourage you to put them in touch with either the City of Boston’s Foreclosure Prevention Initiative by calling 617-635-HOME (617-635-4663) or the Legal Advocacy Resource Center (LARC), which provides referrals on a case-specific basis to appropriate groups. You can contact LARC by calling 617-603-1700.
If you have any additional questions or would like any more information about bills that I have filed please don’t hesitate to contact my office.
Sincerely,
Dianne Wilkerson
State Senator
Second Suffolk District
Wesley J. Ritchie
Director of Policy
Office of Senator Dianne Wilkerson
Second Suffolk District
617-722-1673
Dear Community Leader:
As the State Senator for your district, I recognize you as someone who interfaces with many residents every day. As you know, we are in the midst of a housing crisis like never seen before across Massachusetts! I know from the escalating number of constituents calling and walking in to our office every day that our district has been especially hard hit. I want to let you know what we are working on in the hope that you could pass the information on and be supportive of our efforts. Just in the past several weeks, between February 15th and April 3rd :
There have been 5,960 foreclosure petitions filed across Massachusetts (730 in Boston)
There have been 4,215 auctioned properties in Massachusetts
The foreclosure crisis is destroying whole communities not just here in Boston, but all around Massachusetts. If we continue at this pace, we will far surpass the 29,000+ record-number of foreclosures in Massachusetts for 2007.
Recently, I filed three bills in the Senate to protect tenants, mandate judicial foreclosure and to create a six month moratorium on new foreclosures. In order for these bills to gain traction, I need your support around the community for this package of legislation and for you to serve as a resource for the families, homeowners and tenants whose lives are being devastated every day by this crisis. Here are the summaries of the bills I’ve filed:
An Act to Require Judicial Foreclosure – Sen. 2696
This bill will enable Massachusetts to join 29 other states in requiring that a court approve foreclosures. Homeowners should have a day in court and an opportunity to raise defenses before they are stripped of the biggest asset they are likely to own in their lives. If you've been reading the daily newspapers over the last several weeks, you know that homes are being auctioned and sold before foreclosures are even complete. Even if lenders violate the law or make errors in how much money is actually owed, borrowers currently have no rights. This must change.
An Act Relative to a Temporary Moratorium on Foreclosures – Sen. 2697
This bill will provide for a 6 month moratorium on foreclosures to keep homeowners from losing their homes while more comprehensive solutions are effected on the state level. During this moratorium, a commission will be established to make recommendations that will help residents of Massachusetts deal with the crisis. This time will also provide an opportunity for mortgage holders to work with borrowers and find solutions that will help them remain in their homes.
An Act Requiring Just Cause for Eviction in Foreclosed Properties – Sen. 2698
This bill would protect from eviction tenants who are current in their rent and otherwise occupying a property lawfully after foreclosure, in other words, requiring just cause for evictions. If the foreclosing lender does not have just cause to evict, the tenants can remain, paying reasonable rents and abiding by the standard rules of tenancies. This protection will also protect municipalities as they scramble to address vacant and unsupervised properties which can become public safety hazards through burst pipes, fires, vandalism, and disrepair due to neglect. This bill will keep people in their homes and help to stabilize neighborhoods during the current crisis.
I need your help to let others know that activity is occurring. These bills can only pass if we work together to make the case that we have to provide help to homeowners and tenants and not just the big lenders who are being bailed out on the federal level.
In the meantime, if you have clients, constituents, patients, neighbors etc, who need assistance with their mortgage and are dealing with pending foreclosure, I encourage you to put them in touch with either the City of Boston’s Foreclosure Prevention Initiative by calling 617-635-HOME (617-635-4663) or the Legal Advocacy Resource Center (LARC), which provides referrals on a case-specific basis to appropriate groups. You can contact LARC by calling 617-603-1700.
If you have any additional questions or would like any more information about bills that I have filed please don’t hesitate to contact my office.
Sincerely,
Dianne Wilkerson
State Senator
Second Suffolk District
Wesley J. Ritchie
Director of Policy
Office of Senator Dianne Wilkerson
Second Suffolk District
617-722-1673
Friday, March 28, 2008
Getting Inner City school kids motivated
Low-income urban students know they attend substandard, second-tier schools that lack the technology, resources and extracurricular programs commonplace in schools of more affluent communities. And yet we continue to expect these students to prioritize education when budgetary and funding inequities demonstrate that urban education is neither a local, state, or national priority. Why should students on the Westside of Chicago not have access to the same resources, technology, and programming that is certainly offered at our nation’s “Top 100 High Schools?” Engaging technology programs like Hoops High demonstrate that attendance and (thus) academic performance will greatly improve in urban schools that are able to offer a range of exciting extracurricular classes directed at both the needs and the interests of the students.
Although this is exactly what I've been saying for years, it was reiterated in the New York Times today.
Why should teenagers care about something, when the adults who tell them to care, don't care about it themselves?
Although this is exactly what I've been saying for years, it was reiterated in the New York Times today.
Why should teenagers care about something, when the adults who tell them to care, don't care about it themselves?
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Dance Crew from Dorchester area could win MTV contest, please vote!
A friend of mine, Kevin Barry, is helping this Dorchester Group maybe win this MTV award which could lead to great things. I really salute Kevin who is so concerned with the state of his neighborhood and the ineffective leadership, but who goes out and does what is really required to make a neighborhood 'awesome'.
“AMERICA’S BEST DANCE CREW”
Could live in Boston!
STATUS QUO Dance Crew
From Dorchester, Mattapan, and Roxbury
Competing in MTV’s Grand Finale – The Final 2 of
“Randy Jackson Presents America’s Best Dance Crew”
Let’s Represent Boston – Support Boston’s Youth by voting for Status Quo to win it all - bring home a Championship to Boston
Watch the Live Finale on MTV Thursday March 27th10pm
Vote for Status Quo to win the dance competition and represent Boston.
Vote as Often as you can. Vote! Vote! Vote Again!
Vote Now, until 9:00 pm Thursday, March 27th
1. Call toll free: 1-866-ULove01
2. Cell phone text message #1, 23882
3. Vote online: www.mtv.com
“The best tricks of any dance crew”
Vote from 11pm Thurs March 20th until 9pm Thurs March 27th
See www.cityofboston.gov for profile of Status Quo and contest
Again, another weekly reminder to vote for the hometown boys from Boston!! I thank you all for your efforts last week as Status Quo was #1 in amount of votes in the last round.
I hope you were able to catch them in their performances last night/Thursday; if not check MTV over the weekend. I am sure they will play the reruns!
Looks like it will be a tight race for the finals so try and remember to vote again this week. Information is below and attached for your convenience on how you can help bring another championship team to Boston!!!
“AMERICA’S BEST DANCE CREW”
Could live in Boston!
STATUS QUO Dance Crew
From Dorchester, Mattapan, and Roxbury
Competing in MTV’s Grand Finale – The Final 2 of
“Randy Jackson Presents America’s Best Dance Crew”
Let’s Represent Boston – Support Boston’s Youth by voting for Status Quo to win it all - bring home a Championship to Boston
Watch the Live Finale on MTV Thursday March 27th10pm
Vote for Status Quo to win the dance competition and represent Boston.
Vote as Often as you can. Vote! Vote! Vote Again!
Vote Now, until 9:00 pm Thursday, March 27th
1. Call toll free: 1-866-ULove01
2. Cell phone text message #1, 23882
3. Vote online: www.mtv.com
“The best tricks of any dance crew”
Vote from 11pm Thurs March 20th until 9pm Thurs March 27th
See www.cityofboston.gov for profile of Status Quo and contest
Again, another weekly reminder to vote for the hometown boys from Boston!! I thank you all for your efforts last week as Status Quo was #1 in amount of votes in the last round.
I hope you were able to catch them in their performances last night/Thursday; if not check MTV over the weekend. I am sure they will play the reruns!
Looks like it will be a tight race for the finals so try and remember to vote again this week. Information is below and attached for your convenience on how you can help bring another championship team to Boston!!!
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Back to the Blog
Well, Clara and I are back in Boston, now living in Fort Hill in Roxbury. We like it up here, quiet, nice neighbors, lots of parking. Plus, we have the same trash filled streets we were used to in the south end.
A few lines in the sand (as the Mayor of Newton would say):
1) I am opposed to casino's in MA. Disclosure: I gamble, Vegas, Ecuador, etc.
Especially in Boston. I could live with one resort casino in a remote area as a
compromise, but gambling is not the basis of a progressive economy.
2) There should be no agreement with the Fire Union without drug testing.
My moles have been sending me stuff as usual such as:
1) Why hasn't the new superintendent and her right hand man registered their car in
MA yet? Maybe Mayor Menino has already explained there are two sets of rules in this state: one for the taxpayers who have to register within 30 days, and one for the rest of the "in" crowd. Allegedly they still have their Tennessee license plates. She has found the time to write the Mayor a check for his campaign however.
2) Why is Michael Flaherty and the City Council spending $600 an hour for attorney Rory Fitzpatrick to appeal the Open Meeting Law decision against them. The fine they received was only $11,000 but they may end up spending $50-$100,000 of taxpayer money to appeal the case. At the appeals court hearing Mr. Fitzpatrick told the panel of 3 judges that what Flaherty, Feeney, and Co. did wasn't right but it was legal. If it wasn't right, than why not just pay the fine and stop doing it as opposed to spending so much money defending something your own attorney says isn't right?
3) Does the head of the trash department really live in Boston, or does he just park his city car in Hyde Park and then take his own car home to Westwood or another suburb? Also, did he have anything to do with the Capitol Management waste disposal company which has come out of nowhere to be a huge player and receive maybe a 5 year contract??? Is that his son as a vice-president at Capitol?
Did I miss much while I was gone? Keep the cronyism, corruption and collusion tips coming.
A few lines in the sand (as the Mayor of Newton would say):
1) I am opposed to casino's in MA. Disclosure: I gamble, Vegas, Ecuador, etc.
Especially in Boston. I could live with one resort casino in a remote area as a
compromise, but gambling is not the basis of a progressive economy.
2) There should be no agreement with the Fire Union without drug testing.
My moles have been sending me stuff as usual such as:
1) Why hasn't the new superintendent and her right hand man registered their car in
MA yet? Maybe Mayor Menino has already explained there are two sets of rules in this state: one for the taxpayers who have to register within 30 days, and one for the rest of the "in" crowd. Allegedly they still have their Tennessee license plates. She has found the time to write the Mayor a check for his campaign however.
2) Why is Michael Flaherty and the City Council spending $600 an hour for attorney Rory Fitzpatrick to appeal the Open Meeting Law decision against them. The fine they received was only $11,000 but they may end up spending $50-$100,000 of taxpayer money to appeal the case. At the appeals court hearing Mr. Fitzpatrick told the panel of 3 judges that what Flaherty, Feeney, and Co. did wasn't right but it was legal. If it wasn't right, than why not just pay the fine and stop doing it as opposed to spending so much money defending something your own attorney says isn't right?
3) Does the head of the trash department really live in Boston, or does he just park his city car in Hyde Park and then take his own car home to Westwood or another suburb? Also, did he have anything to do with the Capitol Management waste disposal company which has come out of nowhere to be a huge player and receive maybe a 5 year contract??? Is that his son as a vice-president at Capitol?
Did I miss much while I was gone? Keep the cronyism, corruption and collusion tips coming.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Mayoral Poem
Taxes are too high,
Services are too low,
The Schools are terrible,
The Mayor has got to Go!
The outgoing Library chief says the Mayor is 'anti-intellectual'. The Mayor has no comment. I wonder if any Boston intellectuals will step in and defend the Mayor. Larry Dicara and Billy Bulger don't count, we'd like to see an independent person say that the Mayor has clothes.
Services are too low,
The Schools are terrible,
The Mayor has got to Go!
The outgoing Library chief says the Mayor is 'anti-intellectual'. The Mayor has no comment. I wonder if any Boston intellectuals will step in and defend the Mayor. Larry Dicara and Billy Bulger don't count, we'd like to see an independent person say that the Mayor has clothes.
Friday, October 26, 2007
The Greener World
My wife and I are taking a year to ride around the world by motorcycle for our honeymoon (motomoments.blogspot.com). One of the most disturbing and obvious
facts of the trip is how far behind much of the rest of the world the USA is when it comes to green living and energy independence. I would like to share some of our observations, and some suggestions as to how we might proceed to move forward.
Forget the empty promises of politicians to “be a leader” in Green Technologies. First we must play catch up. Virtually all of Central and South America use only fluorescent
light bulbs. Wind turbines are everywhere, from Costa Rica to Turkey, from the fertile fields of Luxembourg to the sacred green hills of Ireland. Go to a gas station in Rio de Janeiro and you can fill up with 5 types of fuel: diesel, bio-diesel, propane, natural gas and minimum 95 octane.
The SUV is virtually an ‘America only’ vehicle, which is seen only intermittently elsewhere, and even then the vast majority are of the BMW X-3 size, not the mammoth
Chevy Suburbans or Ford Excursions. We could count the number of Hummers we’ve seen on the toes of a foot of a two-toed sloth. Even on the German Autobahn, the BMWs and Mercedes are typically of the lower engine size classes. The vast majority of cars in the world are tinier 4 door Toyota Corola sized vehicles. The majority of motorcycles are 125cc types from Japan and China which approach triple digit miles per gallon.
Recycling is huge and mainstream in Europe. Kitchen cabinets come with drawers separated into 4 different compartments for green, brown, and clear glass and plastic.
Large recycling stations are on main streets in the cities and in parking lots of the Wal-Marts and other shopping centers. The mentality to conserve and recycle has clearly become standard, and people do it as naturally as we go to get a coffee in the morning. In fact, grocery stores actually charge a fee for bags and most people carry their shopping home in fold-out crates and re-usable sturdy sacks.
Public transportation is more prevalent, cheap, and easy to use in almost every corner of the world. Almost everyone knows about the trains and subways in Europe. But we also used the buses and subways in Mexico City, Istanbul, Buenos Aires and Caracas. They were all at least as clean, timely, and easy to navigate as the MBTA, and usually even better than that standard; and they were of course fully taken advantage of.
Toilets in Europe now come with two flush options. One option is for solid waste which uses the standard amount of water, and one for liquid waste which uses a reduced amount of water to do its job. Another way that resources are being saved around the world is with the prevalence of motion detectors in residential and commercial buildings which turn on and off not just lights, but also escalators and other electric appliances.
Hot water, which can account for up to 25% of a person’s energy use in the United States, is handled quite differently outside the USA. The typical solution, especially in poor regions and warm tropical climates, is, of course, cold water only. Obviously that won’t cut it in the developed world, but there are other options. In Turkey, there are hot water solar panels on virtually every roof, and this is common in many parts of the world. The most common solution is “on demand” systems which only heat water at the shower electrically, or by natural gas or propane for larger systems which provide hot water for a whole house.
The big box hardware stores like Lowe’s and Home Depot in Ireland and the UK carry wind powered electricity generators for a few hundred dollars for homeowners to install themselves. There are places as diverse as floating reed villages on Peru’s Lake Titicaca to Internet Cafés in Nicaragua which power their electrical usage using only solar panels; and many highway signs and roadside warnings are solar powered throughout the world.
Bicycle paths are common in most European cities which are older than Boston, and often have just as jumbled of a road system. In Amsterdam, which is world bicycle central, there is a parking garage next to the main bus and railway terminal with room for 80,000 bicycles. The folks we met said they use them year around, even in the snow.
On the positive side, thanks to the Clean Air and Water acts and other measures, the United States clearly has some of the best quality air and water in the world. It has been shocking to see some of the permanent smog over places such as Vienna, Lima, Budapest, and Sao Paulo to name just a few. Just the sight of these brown hazes hanging over any city is enough for me to question what, if any, real progress mankind is making. Don’t even get me started about all the polluted water ways we’ve found in our
travels.
What can be done? As the saying goes: Think Globally, Act Locally. I’ve mentioned things we’ve seen to pique people’s imagination as to how they might be more energy efficient, and to encourage them to see different solutions to energy needs, as we have done as a result of our trip. Thomas Friedman recently wrote in the New York Times that one of the best things we can do for the environment is to elect environmentally conscious leaders. In Boston and Massachusetts we need leaders who might do the following things:
1) Mandate that all taxi cabs be hybrid vehicles within 5 years (as done by Mayor Bloomberg in NYC).
2) Mandate that all non-essential city or state vehicles also be hybrid.
3) Mandate dual use toilets in new housing developments; and, make a deadline of perhaps 10 or 15 years for subsidized housing and public buildings to be retrofitted to do the same.
4) All replacement lights in public buildings and subsidized housing to use fluorescent lighting. Within 5 years all lighting to be fluorescent or other high efficiency equivalents.
5) Increase gas taxes. with the money raised to go directly into public transportation projects, such as extending the Green Line and other rail projects in the State and the Region. Gas is $8 a gallon in Europe, $5 a gallon in Brazil, and almost $10 a gallon in Turkey. The cost has not stopped driving or traffic jams, we need to make public transportation a viable alternative to cars. Perhaps a group from New England and New York could get together to impose a similar tax across the region to invest into a real regional rail system. This will help in many ways to make the region a more competitive place economically.
6) Mandate that new hot waters systems, especially in public buildings and subsidized housing be more efficient.
7) Mandate that shopping centers and parking lots of a certain size provide recycling stations for the public use. Provide similar recycling stations on public property.
8) Make bicycling part of the solution, not just a way for bike messengers to earn a dangerous living.
9) Eliminate school busing in Boston for environmental reason and move to neighborhood schools. (I realize this is a much bigger issue, but the City of Boston spends around 90 million dollars a year on transportation. That is a lot of fossil fuel. We also need better and diverse schools but that is another subject). At the least, convert buses to bio-fuel as is being done in many municipalities.
10) Insist that the MBTA provide professional service. If Mexico City and Istanbul, let alone Europe, can provide fast, clean, reliable, and timely trains and buses then we can do it in Massachusetts as well.
11) Get Wind Power moving! We’ve seen wind turbines in the Oceans near the Netherlands, in farmer’s fields through the flatlands of Europe, on mountains in Scotland and South America. There is a lot of wind in New England, and our energy costs are high. We need to do this and do it Big!
I believe that by taking steps such as these we will foster a sense of being environmentally conscious, that will hopefully move us from just taking advantage of these tried and true methods to using our innate Yankee Ingenuity to refine these existing technologies, and coming up with new ones so that we can become world wide environmental leaders.
facts of the trip is how far behind much of the rest of the world the USA is when it comes to green living and energy independence. I would like to share some of our observations, and some suggestions as to how we might proceed to move forward.
Forget the empty promises of politicians to “be a leader” in Green Technologies. First we must play catch up. Virtually all of Central and South America use only fluorescent
light bulbs. Wind turbines are everywhere, from Costa Rica to Turkey, from the fertile fields of Luxembourg to the sacred green hills of Ireland. Go to a gas station in Rio de Janeiro and you can fill up with 5 types of fuel: diesel, bio-diesel, propane, natural gas and minimum 95 octane.
The SUV is virtually an ‘America only’ vehicle, which is seen only intermittently elsewhere, and even then the vast majority are of the BMW X-3 size, not the mammoth
Chevy Suburbans or Ford Excursions. We could count the number of Hummers we’ve seen on the toes of a foot of a two-toed sloth. Even on the German Autobahn, the BMWs and Mercedes are typically of the lower engine size classes. The vast majority of cars in the world are tinier 4 door Toyota Corola sized vehicles. The majority of motorcycles are 125cc types from Japan and China which approach triple digit miles per gallon.
Recycling is huge and mainstream in Europe. Kitchen cabinets come with drawers separated into 4 different compartments for green, brown, and clear glass and plastic.
Large recycling stations are on main streets in the cities and in parking lots of the Wal-Marts and other shopping centers. The mentality to conserve and recycle has clearly become standard, and people do it as naturally as we go to get a coffee in the morning. In fact, grocery stores actually charge a fee for bags and most people carry their shopping home in fold-out crates and re-usable sturdy sacks.
Public transportation is more prevalent, cheap, and easy to use in almost every corner of the world. Almost everyone knows about the trains and subways in Europe. But we also used the buses and subways in Mexico City, Istanbul, Buenos Aires and Caracas. They were all at least as clean, timely, and easy to navigate as the MBTA, and usually even better than that standard; and they were of course fully taken advantage of.
Toilets in Europe now come with two flush options. One option is for solid waste which uses the standard amount of water, and one for liquid waste which uses a reduced amount of water to do its job. Another way that resources are being saved around the world is with the prevalence of motion detectors in residential and commercial buildings which turn on and off not just lights, but also escalators and other electric appliances.
Hot water, which can account for up to 25% of a person’s energy use in the United States, is handled quite differently outside the USA. The typical solution, especially in poor regions and warm tropical climates, is, of course, cold water only. Obviously that won’t cut it in the developed world, but there are other options. In Turkey, there are hot water solar panels on virtually every roof, and this is common in many parts of the world. The most common solution is “on demand” systems which only heat water at the shower electrically, or by natural gas or propane for larger systems which provide hot water for a whole house.
The big box hardware stores like Lowe’s and Home Depot in Ireland and the UK carry wind powered electricity generators for a few hundred dollars for homeowners to install themselves. There are places as diverse as floating reed villages on Peru’s Lake Titicaca to Internet Cafés in Nicaragua which power their electrical usage using only solar panels; and many highway signs and roadside warnings are solar powered throughout the world.
Bicycle paths are common in most European cities which are older than Boston, and often have just as jumbled of a road system. In Amsterdam, which is world bicycle central, there is a parking garage next to the main bus and railway terminal with room for 80,000 bicycles. The folks we met said they use them year around, even in the snow.
On the positive side, thanks to the Clean Air and Water acts and other measures, the United States clearly has some of the best quality air and water in the world. It has been shocking to see some of the permanent smog over places such as Vienna, Lima, Budapest, and Sao Paulo to name just a few. Just the sight of these brown hazes hanging over any city is enough for me to question what, if any, real progress mankind is making. Don’t even get me started about all the polluted water ways we’ve found in our
travels.
What can be done? As the saying goes: Think Globally, Act Locally. I’ve mentioned things we’ve seen to pique people’s imagination as to how they might be more energy efficient, and to encourage them to see different solutions to energy needs, as we have done as a result of our trip. Thomas Friedman recently wrote in the New York Times that one of the best things we can do for the environment is to elect environmentally conscious leaders. In Boston and Massachusetts we need leaders who might do the following things:
1) Mandate that all taxi cabs be hybrid vehicles within 5 years (as done by Mayor Bloomberg in NYC).
2) Mandate that all non-essential city or state vehicles also be hybrid.
3) Mandate dual use toilets in new housing developments; and, make a deadline of perhaps 10 or 15 years for subsidized housing and public buildings to be retrofitted to do the same.
4) All replacement lights in public buildings and subsidized housing to use fluorescent lighting. Within 5 years all lighting to be fluorescent or other high efficiency equivalents.
5) Increase gas taxes. with the money raised to go directly into public transportation projects, such as extending the Green Line and other rail projects in the State and the Region. Gas is $8 a gallon in Europe, $5 a gallon in Brazil, and almost $10 a gallon in Turkey. The cost has not stopped driving or traffic jams, we need to make public transportation a viable alternative to cars. Perhaps a group from New England and New York could get together to impose a similar tax across the region to invest into a real regional rail system. This will help in many ways to make the region a more competitive place economically.
6) Mandate that new hot waters systems, especially in public buildings and subsidized housing be more efficient.
7) Mandate that shopping centers and parking lots of a certain size provide recycling stations for the public use. Provide similar recycling stations on public property.
8) Make bicycling part of the solution, not just a way for bike messengers to earn a dangerous living.
9) Eliminate school busing in Boston for environmental reason and move to neighborhood schools. (I realize this is a much bigger issue, but the City of Boston spends around 90 million dollars a year on transportation. That is a lot of fossil fuel. We also need better and diverse schools but that is another subject). At the least, convert buses to bio-fuel as is being done in many municipalities.
10) Insist that the MBTA provide professional service. If Mexico City and Istanbul, let alone Europe, can provide fast, clean, reliable, and timely trains and buses then we can do it in Massachusetts as well.
11) Get Wind Power moving! We’ve seen wind turbines in the Oceans near the Netherlands, in farmer’s fields through the flatlands of Europe, on mountains in Scotland and South America. There is a lot of wind in New England, and our energy costs are high. We need to do this and do it Big!
I believe that by taking steps such as these we will foster a sense of being environmentally conscious, that will hopefully move us from just taking advantage of these tried and true methods to using our innate Yankee Ingenuity to refine these existing technologies, and coming up with new ones so that we can become world wide environmental leaders.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Great thoughts on Global Warming from Vaclev Havel as I head to Prague
As we have been traveling around Europe we realize how far ahead they are in conservation, green technology and recycling. We also realize how far America is falling behind the EU everytime we go to pay for anything. America must wake up and realize that we can't rest on our laurels and must move forward.
Hope everyone is well, and that they will vote in the fall elections even though there aren't many viable races.
OVER the past few years the questions have been asked ever more forcefully whether global climate changes occur in natural cycles or not, to what degree we humans contribute to them, what threats stem from them and what can be done to prevent them. Scientific studies demonstrate that any changes in temperature and energy cycles on a planetary scale could mean danger for all people on all continents.
It is also obvious from published research that human activity is a cause of change; we just don’t know how big its contribution is. Is it necessary to know that to the last percentage point, though? By waiting for incontrovertible precision, aren’t we simply wasting time when we could be taking measures that are relatively painless compared to those we would have to adopt after further delays?
Maybe we should start considering our sojourn on earth as a loan. There can be no doubt that for the past hundred years at least, Europe and the United States have been running up a debt, and now other parts of the world are following their example. Nature is issuing warnings that we must not only stop the debt from growing but start to pay it back. There is little point in asking whether we have borrowed too much or what would happen if we postponed the repayments. Anyone with a mortgage or a bank loan can easily imagine the answer.
The effects of possible climate changes are hard to estimate. Our planet has never been in a state of balance from which it could deviate through human or other influence and then, in time, return to its original state. The climate is not like a pendulum that will return to its original position after a certain period. It has evolved turbulently over billions of years into a gigantic complex of networks, and of networks within networks, where everything is interlinked in diverse ways.
Its structures will never return to precisely the same state they were in 50 or 5,000 years ago. They will only change into a new state, which, so long as the change is slight, need not mean any threat to life.
Larger changes, however, could have unforeseeable effects within the global ecosystem. In that case, we would have to ask ourselves whether human life would be possible. Because so much uncertainty still reigns, a great deal of humility and circumspection is called for.
We can’t endlessly fool ourselves that nothing is wrong and that we can go on cheerfully pursuing our wasteful lifestyles, ignoring the climate threats and postponing a solution. Maybe there will be no major catastrophe in the coming years or decades. Who knows? But that doesn’t relieve us of responsibility toward future generations.
I don’t agree with those whose reaction is to warn against restricting civil freedoms. Were the forecasts of certain climatologists to come true, our freedoms would be tantamount to those of someone hanging from a 20th-story parapet.
Whenever I reflect on the problems of today’s world, whether they concern the economy, society, culture, security, ecology or civilization in general, I always end up confronting the moral question: what action is responsible or acceptable? The moral order, our conscience and human rights — these are the most important issues at the beginning of the third millennium.
We must return again and again to the roots of human existence and consider our prospects in centuries to come. We must analyze everything open-mindedly, soberly, unideologically and unobsessively, and project our knowledge into practical policies. Maybe it is no longer a matter of simply promoting energy-saving technologies, but chiefly of introducing ecologically clean technologies, of diversifying resources and of not relying on just one invention as a panacea.
I’m skeptical that a problem as complex as climate change can be solved by any single branch of science. Technological measures and regulations are important, but equally important is support for education, ecological training and ethics — a consciousness of the commonality of all living beings and an emphasis on shared responsibility.
Either we will achieve an awareness of our place in the living and life-giving organism of our planet, or we will face the threat that our evolutionary journey may be set back thousands or even millions of years. That is why we must see this issue as a challenge to behave responsibly and not as a harbinger of the end of the world.
The end of the world has been anticipated many times and has never come, of course. And it won’t come this time either. We need not fear for our planet. It was here before us and most likely will be here after us. But that doesn’t mean that the human race is not at serious risk. As a result of our endeavors and our irresponsibility our climate might leave no place for us. If we drag our feet, the scope for decision-making — and hence for our individual freedom — could be considerably reduced.
Hope everyone is well, and that they will vote in the fall elections even though there aren't many viable races.
OVER the past few years the questions have been asked ever more forcefully whether global climate changes occur in natural cycles or not, to what degree we humans contribute to them, what threats stem from them and what can be done to prevent them. Scientific studies demonstrate that any changes in temperature and energy cycles on a planetary scale could mean danger for all people on all continents.
It is also obvious from published research that human activity is a cause of change; we just don’t know how big its contribution is. Is it necessary to know that to the last percentage point, though? By waiting for incontrovertible precision, aren’t we simply wasting time when we could be taking measures that are relatively painless compared to those we would have to adopt after further delays?
Maybe we should start considering our sojourn on earth as a loan. There can be no doubt that for the past hundred years at least, Europe and the United States have been running up a debt, and now other parts of the world are following their example. Nature is issuing warnings that we must not only stop the debt from growing but start to pay it back. There is little point in asking whether we have borrowed too much or what would happen if we postponed the repayments. Anyone with a mortgage or a bank loan can easily imagine the answer.
The effects of possible climate changes are hard to estimate. Our planet has never been in a state of balance from which it could deviate through human or other influence and then, in time, return to its original state. The climate is not like a pendulum that will return to its original position after a certain period. It has evolved turbulently over billions of years into a gigantic complex of networks, and of networks within networks, where everything is interlinked in diverse ways.
Its structures will never return to precisely the same state they were in 50 or 5,000 years ago. They will only change into a new state, which, so long as the change is slight, need not mean any threat to life.
Larger changes, however, could have unforeseeable effects within the global ecosystem. In that case, we would have to ask ourselves whether human life would be possible. Because so much uncertainty still reigns, a great deal of humility and circumspection is called for.
We can’t endlessly fool ourselves that nothing is wrong and that we can go on cheerfully pursuing our wasteful lifestyles, ignoring the climate threats and postponing a solution. Maybe there will be no major catastrophe in the coming years or decades. Who knows? But that doesn’t relieve us of responsibility toward future generations.
I don’t agree with those whose reaction is to warn against restricting civil freedoms. Were the forecasts of certain climatologists to come true, our freedoms would be tantamount to those of someone hanging from a 20th-story parapet.
Whenever I reflect on the problems of today’s world, whether they concern the economy, society, culture, security, ecology or civilization in general, I always end up confronting the moral question: what action is responsible or acceptable? The moral order, our conscience and human rights — these are the most important issues at the beginning of the third millennium.
We must return again and again to the roots of human existence and consider our prospects in centuries to come. We must analyze everything open-mindedly, soberly, unideologically and unobsessively, and project our knowledge into practical policies. Maybe it is no longer a matter of simply promoting energy-saving technologies, but chiefly of introducing ecologically clean technologies, of diversifying resources and of not relying on just one invention as a panacea.
I’m skeptical that a problem as complex as climate change can be solved by any single branch of science. Technological measures and regulations are important, but equally important is support for education, ecological training and ethics — a consciousness of the commonality of all living beings and an emphasis on shared responsibility.
Either we will achieve an awareness of our place in the living and life-giving organism of our planet, or we will face the threat that our evolutionary journey may be set back thousands or even millions of years. That is why we must see this issue as a challenge to behave responsibly and not as a harbinger of the end of the world.
The end of the world has been anticipated many times and has never come, of course. And it won’t come this time either. We need not fear for our planet. It was here before us and most likely will be here after us. But that doesn’t mean that the human race is not at serious risk. As a result of our endeavors and our irresponsibility our climate might leave no place for us. If we drag our feet, the scope for decision-making — and hence for our individual freedom — could be considerably reduced.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Funny happenings in Chinatown
Frank Chin, the power broker in Chinatown who was behind the Mayor's guy Linehan getting into the final of the may 15 special election is back at it.
Reports are that he was recently at the Election Department in City Hall. What was he doing there? Well getting hundreds of absentee ballots of course.
Nice to know old school city politics of voting for what your ward boss tells you about is alive and well.
What does Frank Chin get from the Mayor to elicit such loyalty?
Reports are that he was recently at the Election Department in City Hall. What was he doing there? Well getting hundreds of absentee ballots of course.
Nice to know old school city politics of voting for what your ward boss tells you about is alive and well.
What does Frank Chin get from the Mayor to elicit such loyalty?
Thursday, April 19, 2007
City Budget nicely summed up
Although I am in Ecuador, a financial professional friend of mine took a look at the
proposed City Budget. Here is the summary:
here's the bottom line
Income:
Maxed out on Prop 2 1/2 and dipped into reserves a little
Counting on some extra from the state
Expenses:
Pay the 10% hike in health care that we got across the board
$7 million for a few extra cops
Send the rest to the school system - we have 4600 teachers for 54,000 students and 5000 other employees in the school system. That's one adult (all with health care) for every 6 students. One teacher for every 12. If a class size is 25 kids - that means the average teacher only spends half the day in a classroom.
Everything else is little more than inflation.
The globe calls this "strategic" - only if "strategic" is the new bloated!
proposed City Budget. Here is the summary:
here's the bottom line
Income:
Maxed out on Prop 2 1/2 and dipped into reserves a little
Counting on some extra from the state
Expenses:
Pay the 10% hike in health care that we got across the board
$7 million for a few extra cops
Send the rest to the school system - we have 4600 teachers for 54,000 students and 5000 other employees in the school system. That's one adult (all with health care) for every 6 students. One teacher for every 12. If a class size is 25 kids - that means the average teacher only spends half the day in a classroom.
Everything else is little more than inflation.
The globe calls this "strategic" - only if "strategic" is the new bloated!
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Thoughts from Central America
Today is the last day in Central America for Clara and I. We discussed at dinner last night what our biggest surprises were. Mine was how easy it was. It was not dangerous, it didn't ever feel dangerous (aside from a crackhead neighborhood in Panama City). Clara has happily surprised at how many tourists we saw in all the countries, for example in Nicaragua which receives a lot of bad press.
People everywhere were friendly, did not hate americans,
(although they think George Bush is an idiot and they can't understand why we elected him), and on the whole were positive about the future. In almost every country there is deep cynicism about government and corruption. A park ranger in Guatemala told us the people believe every penny of foreign aid goes into the politicians back pockets, and guide at the presidential palace in Mexico(!) told us that the Mexican congress is full of rich guys who vote themselves raises, give themselves tons of perks, don't do any work, and have no responsibilities. Talk about an honest government worker.
The recurring themes of politics here are similar in each country. The rich abusing the people and the land to maintain control. The deforestation across the region is obvious, and the trash and environmental damage are all too prevalent. I am convinced that it is no mistake that Costa Rica is clearly head and shoulders above the rest of the whole region. They have a stable, democratic government, they abolished the military in 1948, and they spend that money instead on schools and social welfare. They have protected the land, the flora and the fauna with a huge network of national parks. In response the people are happy, successful, and clearly are proud of their country and take care of it. It seems so simple, and the good news is that other countries are starting to see the light. We could do it Boston as well.
I intentionally was not keeping up with the news in America. I would catch snippets here and there about the Iraq war and the British hostages. I've received emails about some of the violence in Boston. The answers seem to be simple, hire more cops (as our lawsuit requests), and give kids and families hope for a future by providing good schools, and ending the corruption, nepotism, and racism that bars access to the valuable assets of the city. We just need the leadership to do it.
A quick note about District 2. Mary Cooney, Ed Flynn and Susan Passoni are 3 very good candidates. I believe either one of them will provide a beacon of responsibility if elected to the council, and I encourage voters to check out what they (and the others) have to say and make an informed choice. I'm a bit glad I'm not in their district so I don't have to choose between them!
We dropped off our bikes at the shipping company yesterday at the cargo terminal in Panama, we are getting on the plane today and will reacquaint ourselves with the bikes in Quito, Ecuador!
Hope Easter was good for everyone, and Go Sox!!!
People everywhere were friendly, did not hate americans,
(although they think George Bush is an idiot and they can't understand why we elected him), and on the whole were positive about the future. In almost every country there is deep cynicism about government and corruption. A park ranger in Guatemala told us the people believe every penny of foreign aid goes into the politicians back pockets, and guide at the presidential palace in Mexico(!) told us that the Mexican congress is full of rich guys who vote themselves raises, give themselves tons of perks, don't do any work, and have no responsibilities. Talk about an honest government worker.
The recurring themes of politics here are similar in each country. The rich abusing the people and the land to maintain control. The deforestation across the region is obvious, and the trash and environmental damage are all too prevalent. I am convinced that it is no mistake that Costa Rica is clearly head and shoulders above the rest of the whole region. They have a stable, democratic government, they abolished the military in 1948, and they spend that money instead on schools and social welfare. They have protected the land, the flora and the fauna with a huge network of national parks. In response the people are happy, successful, and clearly are proud of their country and take care of it. It seems so simple, and the good news is that other countries are starting to see the light. We could do it Boston as well.
I intentionally was not keeping up with the news in America. I would catch snippets here and there about the Iraq war and the British hostages. I've received emails about some of the violence in Boston. The answers seem to be simple, hire more cops (as our lawsuit requests), and give kids and families hope for a future by providing good schools, and ending the corruption, nepotism, and racism that bars access to the valuable assets of the city. We just need the leadership to do it.
A quick note about District 2. Mary Cooney, Ed Flynn and Susan Passoni are 3 very good candidates. I believe either one of them will provide a beacon of responsibility if elected to the council, and I encourage voters to check out what they (and the others) have to say and make an informed choice. I'm a bit glad I'm not in their district so I don't have to choose between them!
We dropped off our bikes at the shipping company yesterday at the cargo terminal in Panama, we are getting on the plane today and will reacquaint ourselves with the bikes in Quito, Ecuador!
Hope Easter was good for everyone, and Go Sox!!!
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