Massachusetts - lET'S dO bETTER!

What follows is some of our thinking on a number of important issues.  

BUT, we are NOT going to tell you what to think. 

 That's up to you and we will provide a forum for your views to be heard.  Our understanding of issues will be heavily influenced by what our fellow Allies share with us.  

The Alliance Party is about a good approach to governing, not about some extreme, rigid, all-or-nothing agenda.

We are NOT doctrinaire.  We just want to solve problems.  Sometimes we'll have BIG ideas, but, mostly, with a lot of small ideas we want to solve the hundreds of small problems we face every day.  

Can't get anyone to speak with at a state office?  We will fix that.

Tired of paying "processing fees" when buying a sports or concert ticket?  We want to eliminate all of those?

Wondering why you drive 5-7 miles an hour over the speed limit but others are driving aggressively and never paying the consequences?  We want to fix that too.

Wondering why politics has become so disheartening, so hateful, so useless?  Well, we will ABSOLUETLY FIX THAT!

We want the best schools in the nation.  It has been 30 years since the Ed Reform Act of 1993 and its beneficial reforms.  We can't rest on past accomplishments.  Time to Invest, Innovate, Strive for Excellence.

1.  Parent should have easy on-line access to information about their children's school day, curriculum, and classroom work.  Parents are the best allies for teachers and administrators in helping keep students on track to success!

2.  Part of the academic success is a safe environment for students.  Parents and Students will commit to a Code of Responsibility.  Disruptive students have no place in our classrooms.  

4. Schools will not be allowed to fail.  Assessments like the MCAS are diagnostic tools  to help understand where there is chronic underperformance. That when state performance teams jump in with needed expertise and additional resources to improve learning.

5.  We will except nothing less than the best state high education system in America.  We will invest on our state colleges and universities, focus on instructional excellence and cutting-edge research.  We will provide affordable pathways for Massachusetts students to benefit from these great institutions. 

Massachusetts has a lot going for it.  A talented workforce, high growth industries, and high quality of life.  But, we need to be a more affordable state, for families and businesses.  Here are some ideas.

1.  We will slash taxes on businesses and affordable home construction in areas in the state needing greater economic investment. 

2. We will eliminate the sales tax on products that are manufactured in Massachusetts and spur the growth of employers making products in the Commonwealth!

3. We have the highest Unemployment Insurance costs for employers in the nation. Time for sensible, cost-cutting reforms to UI.

4.  We will double the funding for the Workforce Training Fund, which will make the state an ally with employers in providing new skills training to Massachusetts workers.

5. We will identify large acreage sites across the Commonwealth and ready them with robust infrastructure to be ready for the industries of the future.

6. No unfunded mandates upon communities.  From now on, the state and municipalities will be allies for growth, planning and investing in new housing that will lower costs for housing across the state.

We can't take for granted the relative low crime we have in Massachusetts.  We want to preserve and increase this critical element in our quality of life.

1. We must maintain high standards in law enforcement by supporting investment in professional development.

2. Community policing works and we should redouble support for municipal level CP programming.

3. Attack the epidemic of illicit drugs with additional funds for drug interdiction and anti-gang initiatives, coupled with aggressive school-based and general public education programming and robust drug treatment programs. 

4. Too many lives are lost at the hands of aggressive or drunk drivers.  In addition to license suspension or revocation, as well as other existing prosecution, we support seizure of vehicles owned by the criminals who cause injury and death on our roads and highways while driving aggressively or impaired. 

5.  We support law-abiding citizens, sportsmen and those needed personal protection in dangerous jobs to have access to firearms. We also support the continued Massachusetts prohibition of high-capacity magazines and guns. Restrictions on high-capacity weaponry simply makes common sense.

We love our state!  From the Berkshires to the Atlantic, our Commonwealth enjoys incredible beauty.  We have incredible natural assets.  We will preserve these and battle the potential effects of climate change.

1. Municipal and state policies should value and support the development of green, energy efficient buildings through incentives. 

2. Net-zero emissions renovation and construction is enviable, but not always attainable. 

3. State policy should continue to support homeowners and housing developers, as they make investments in renewable energy systems.

4. We support the development of wind, geothermal, photovoltaic energy generation systems throughout the Commonwealth. 

1. Massachusetts has the greatest percentage of residents with health insurance in the nation!  We will keep it that way. 

2. Our research hospitals are the envy of the world, but our community and regional hospitals struggle.  The state will support the economic health of these hospitals by releasing their nurses and physicians from paying state income tax.  This will enable these hospitals to more effectively attract and retain talent, without incurring the costs of competing with larger, more well-funding research hospitals. 

3.  An overwhelming majority of Massachusetts residents believe that abortion should be legal, safe, with restrictions, except when the mother's life is in danger, after 24 weeks of pregnancy.  This largely mirrors national sentiments.  A past president once said that "abortion, should be safe, legal, and rare."  We believe this as well and support health and wellness programming that promotes responsible decisions and avoids unwanted pregnancies.

In fact, Massachusetts depends on immigration to grow economically.  We are a gateway state, with talented people from around the world attending our colleges and seeking employment in our cutting-edge industries.  Immigration to Massachusetts for these contributors is essential to our future success.   There are no free rides, but for those who seek the American dream, the doors should be open to Massachusetts, as they always have been.

But, the sheer volume of illegal immigration nationally is a problem that needs to be solved. 

Illegal entry to Massachusetts from beyond our national borders is just that - illegal.  We do support legal entry and the increase in work visas for foreign nationals who which to contribute to our economy.  We need them!

At the national level, the work to be done isn't just at border crossings, it's with the countries from which migration begins - Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Haiti, and Venezuela, as recent examples.  The migrant crises will slow and end when the U.S. can engage these nations and support public and private sector investment that will raise their social, political, and economic well-being and curb migration.

At one time in Massachusetts there were signs stating, "Irish need not apply."   

Among the definitions of an Ally, verb or noun, is "a person or organization that cooperates with or helps another in a particular activity" and "a person or organization that actively supports the rights of a minority or marginalized group without being a member of it.

That says it all.   We ally with others to cooperate in sharing a common cause and creating a greater good.  That is the meaning of Commonwealth.

Can hyphenated or acronym groups be extreme?  Sure.  But, these are the exceptions.

We want a Commonwealth and nation that, as Martin Luther King Jr. said, will recognize each of us " not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."  

The same holds true for ethnicity, religion, or sexual identity.   Actions speak louder than words.

Let's always look for the content of one's character first. 

For decades, The Fairness Doctrine required broadcasters to air contrasting views regarding controversial matters and required contrasting viewpoints be generally presented. 

Today, "news" outlets more often present agenda driven commentary of one extreme or another.  Rather than informing Americans on the broad range of views on important issues, too many media organizations exist ONLY to present one point of view.  The result is the polarization of viewers.  It contributes to the divisions that exist in political discourse.

We want to bring back the Fairness Doctrine to require all news outlet to present balanced commentary on issues, by presenting contrasting viewpoints to issues that are presented.