Special Projects
Pre-Election 2006
The Statehouse Program's special report for the Fall 2006 semester, is a special package of stories that
take a deeper look into the major issues of this campaign, including the balance between the income tax, property taxes and local aid; the issue of crime in the Commonwealth; immigration issues; the issue of Massachusetts' declining population and the real numbers behind Question 1, the wine license initiative.
CRIME
Finding the numbers that fit
Is crime going up or Down in Massachusetts? Are there more or fewer cops on the beat? Should some criminal records be hidden from employers to help ex-offenders re-enter society? Not only do the gubernatorial candidates have different opinions on these topics, they have also presented different facts. By being selective with statistics, candidates have tried to tell different stories and frame their successes or their opponents’ failures.
STOPPING THE EXODUS
A Cycle of Fewer Workers, Fewer Jobs
It’s an old story: Fed up with the high cost of living and doing business in Massachusetts, jobs, businesses and people are leaving the state. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Deval Patrick blames the present administration. Both he and Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey used the same rhetoric to outline plans for jobs and prosperity. But can any politician affect the larger forces of the economy?
TAXES
The Inevitability of Death and Property Taxes
The issue of taxes has provided plenty of fodder for the
gubernatorial candidates. Republican Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey has criticized Democrat Deval Patrick for not supporting a rollback of the state income tax. Patrick has claimed that local aid cuts during the Romney administration are responsible for rising property taxes. But the records show an inevitability about taxes that goes beyond the power of Beacon Hill. During the past two decades, property taxes have climbed even when local aid
has increased.
IMMIGRATION
Many Emotional Issues are Moot Under the Law
Illegal immigrants became a major topic in Massachusetts’ gubernatorial race as Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey raised such issues as in-state tuition, driver’s licenses and immigration law enforcement. Yet many facets of the debate over undocumented immigrants are moot. A prime example: Federal law now prohibits states from issuing driver’s licenses to those who can’t prove citizenship. Here’s a look at the realities behind the major immigration issues.
QUESTION ONE
A Battle of the Special Interests
Question 1, the ballot initiative that would allow supermarkets and
convenience stores to sell wine, has become an expensive and, at times, an emotional debate played out largely between large supermarket chains on one side and liquor distributors and package stores on the other. Although several dozen law enforcement officials have come out against the proposal, few other interest groups have weighed in. Mothers Against Drunk Drivers has
remained silent over the question. Other national traffic safety
organizations are skeptical about the alleged dangers.
VOTER REGISTRATION
Highest Number of Potential Voters for Governor's Race
Some have called the governor's contest one of the most negative
campaigns in memory. But the race may have a positive ranking. A final surge of voter registration has signed up more potential voters than has been seen in a gubernatorial election.