budget deficit

César Chávez used to tell his organizers in the middle of the grape boycott being carried out in far away liberal political circles --- "keep your eye on the grape".

He meant: keep working in the fields with the farm workers who pick the grapes and support their efforts to build a union capable of winning a living wage and safe working contitions. Say thank you to the glamorous movie stars and politicans who join us on our marches, but your primary attention should be directed to the folk in the fields.

Our message to local activists in the ONE Mass Networks working accross the state in their communities to rebuild and repar the public structures that educate their children, keep their air and water clean and their streets safe, protect their enviornment and strengthen their business community --- is similar.

It's  time to "keep your eyes on the revenues" that support our healthy communities, because we are facing two more rounds of cuts --9C cuts in October and FY 11 Budget cuts in January. What is this 9C stuff?

The State House News reports in the Globe that Secretary Kirwin's words to the Cities and Towns was pretty grim. Declining revenues, dwindling reserves and federal funds = more cuts.

Three, no four different newspapers in the ONE Mass News Roundup are publishing the same story covered by the AP in today's Herald.

Quoting Secretary Kirwan's memo to departments in the Executive Branch

“In the interest of prudence and sound fiscal management, Governor Patrick has asked us to take steps now to closely monitor and control spending and also to prepare for a possible downturn in revenues given the larger economic context nationally,” Kirwan wrote.

Questions for you dear reader. What is around the next corner? Clearly this looks like the Governor is laying the groundwork for some 9-C cuts. (Below the fold is the law on 9-C we got from Secretary Kirwan's website.)

Sounds like the "hard choices" faced by towns and cities every spring under 2 1/2 .  Cut if you can't raise revenues. 

Individual and corporate charity funds public education in Salem. What do you think of this quote in the Globe story? What would you say if you were in Mary Manning's shoes?

Mary Manning, principal of Collins Middle School, said she hoped more donations would come through so she could retain some of the seven teachers she will have to let go next Friday.

Governor Deval Patrick will propose a gradual reduction in the state's corporate tax rate from 9.5 percent to 8.3 percent when he unveils his budget next week, a bid to win business support and jumpstart his stalled plan to tighten what he calls corporate tax loopholes, administration sources said. The plan is an olive branch of sorts that Patrick is hoping will help revive a cornerstone of his legislative agenda that has failed to move in the face of strong opposition from the business community and House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi.............. "We are in a year where it's clear there's no easy way to solve the budget crisis," said Noah Berger, executive director of the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center. "And the idea that we continue to leave open half a billion dollars in corporate loopholes when there's a danger of cutting education or local aid or healthcare is increasingly difficult to defend.

We think the quote from Noah Berger in the next to the last paragraph should be the lead, because he articulates the "tough choice" the public and our elected and appointed policy makers face. How do we find the revenues to support the public structures that that enable our healthy communities to thrive?