It would have been appropriate for Bostonians from all walks of life to call an even larger rally this week than last year’s to take up an old slogan, “Never Again,” in memory of the honored dead of Pittsburgh.
STOP BAKER’S ‘MORE SCHOOL COPS AND SURVEILLANCE’ PLAN
Why the Mass budget surplus is better spent on infrastructure needs
GRAND SCHEME
Mass legislature helps, harms workers in “deal” with labor and business lobbies
CAPITALIST VETO
Popular “millionaires’ tax” referendum question blocked by a pro-business SJC
THE HURRICANE CONTINUES
Naval Aircrewman (Helicopter) 2nd Class Nicholas Glass of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 22 (HSC 22) leads residents to an MH-60s Sea Hawk helicopter for evacuation following the landfall of Hurricane Maria. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Sean Galbreath/Released) The perils of being ‘foreign in a domestic Continue Reading
WAITING FOR RECIPROCITY
Nurses, teachers, other Puerto Ricans in Mass struggle to get professional licenses When Hurricane Maria devastated her area of Isabela, Puerto Rico, 52-year-old Brenda Trujillo traveled to Holyoke in search of a more stable life and employment. Trujillo has been a nurse for nearly 30 years, but since arriving on Continue Reading
THE VERTEX SHELL GAME
Vertex Headquarters. Photo ©2015 Derek Kouyoumjian Pharma’s Donation to Boston, Other Cities Converts Public Funds to PR Gold October 24, 2017 BY JASON PRAMAS @JASONPRAMAS Vertex Pharmaceuticals made a big PR splash last week with an announcement of a significant donation to Boston and other cities where it does Continue Reading
TOWNIE: A WORM’S EYE VIEW OF THE MASS POWER STRUCTURE+
Students at rally at Boston City Hall by NewtonCourt (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons From the guy that brings you Apparent Horizon October 18, 2017 BY JASON PRAMAS @JASONPRAMAS The rich and powerful interests that control Massachusetts politics and the state economy have their fingers in Continue Reading
WHEN SLOGANS REPLACE BIRTHRIGHTS
How corporate ed reform threatens democracy April 25, 2017 BY JASON PRAMAS @JASONPRAMAS Over the last couple of decades, it has become fashionable for Americans to attack our public education system. Behind these attacks is that most un-American of attitudes: elitism. This is problematic for a number of reasons — the main Continue Reading
THE LONG GAME: SANCTUARY CITIES FIGHT POINTS TO NEED FOR GLOBAL LABOR PROTECTIONS
Original flag image by Adbusters. Or Betsy Ross, depending on who you ask March 7, 2017 BY JASON PRAMAS @JASONPRAMAS Immigration enforcement is the responsibility of the federal government. Yet Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and related federal agencies often rely on local police to help round up undocumented immigrants Continue Reading