From Max Page of PHENOM (Public Higher Education Network of Massachusetts):

The Massachusetts Budget – A Work of Shame

Democrats all – the Speaker, Senate President, and Governor – are patting themselves on the back for passing a budget that had three main features: crushing cuts to virtually every aspect of state government that services regular people, a major attack on public employee unions and their collective bargaining rights, and – best for last – not a dime of “shared sacrifice” from the wealthiest in our state.

Yes, those “crazy liberals” from Massachusetts have for the third year of this recession failed to ask for a single dime of “share sacrifice” – the favorite phrase of the political class who seek to undermine government and its duty to enrich our public life and lift up the neediest in our society – from those who have the most in our society.  The last time the state raised taxes, what did it do?  It raised the wrong tax – the sales tax – the one that is most regressive, affecting the poor more than the wealthy.  And before the budget debate even began this year, those good Democratic leaders decided that no amount of cuts to libraries, schools, parks, services for the mentally ill would be painful enough to get them to violate the sacred commitment to the wealthy – no tax increases.

We have a bill to raise $1.4 billion a year, mainly from the wealthiest in our state. See ourcommunities.org.  Now we just need the movement to get our “representatives” to see the light.

-Max Page

P.S. Public higher education was cut by $60 million, and financial aid by another $2 million.  The catalogue of shame is detailed at our reliable friend, the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center.