A-Infos (en) US, Boston, Anarchist newsletter BAAM #15 - No Bailout for Massachussetts by Jake Carman

Just one week after a $38 billion, tax-payer-funded bailout of American 
International Group (AIG), the company's executives spent $443,343 on a luxury 
resort vacation at Monarch Beach, California. The government rewarded their 
unabashed greed by giving them another $38 billion, and the rest of us are 
holding our breath as those in power cut into the few services that actually 
benefit the people. ---- Here in Massachusetts, Governor Deval Patrick recently 
announced a $1.4 billion reduction of the state budget. This move will cut into 
healthcare, education, social services, and at least 1,000 government jobs, but 
probably will not affect the Governor's salary. $340.2 million will be cut from 
our compulsory healthcare, and $101.5 million from funding for education.

   According to a November 17 Associated
Press article, Governor Patrick defended
his plan, saying, "The chance to bring real
and lasting reform for our schools, our
economy and our communities is right in
front of us. All that is missing is our will-
ingness to put aside the tired, cynical habits
of Massachusetts public discourse..." He
will have to understand if the people of the
Commonwealth don't see our diminishing
public services as positive reforms.

----------------------------------------------------------
   Does anyone else feel like we're on a sinking ship, and
   the captain and his wealthy friends made off with the
   life-boats and all of our money?
----------------------------------------------------------

On Martha's Vineyard for instance, preschool care took
a huge blow. According to Lauren Martin's article for
the Vineyard Gazette, "no new Island chil-
dren are being funded; as of Nov. 3, even
eligible working parents are being placed
on waiting lists indefinitely...the state de-
partment that handles early childhood edu-
cation has unilaterally frozen child care as-
sistance for low-income families." All 24 of
the state-run community colleges and uni-
versities will lose 5 percent of their fund-
ing, which will mean more tuition-hikes
for students. As Jennifer Zaldana writes
in her November 7 article for the Party for
Socialism and Liberation paper, "Several
elementary and secondary schools are on
the verge of being shut down, potentially
leaving hundreds of workers and teachers
without jobs."
    In Boston, $2.25 million will be cut from
the Fire Department's training budget. Ac-
cording to Jessica Van Sack of the Boston
Herald, Fire Commissioner Roderick J.
Fraser Jr. has had to cancel 75 percent of
trainings scheduled for this year. Van Sack
writes, "Hazardous materials training is on
hold starting next week - an especially grim
prospect given an influx of biological labo-
ratories to the Hub, including Boston Uni-
versity's controversial Level 4 Biolab."
    The Mass Turnpike Authority, accord-
ing to Noah Bierman's article for the
Boston Globe, has proposed to finally
address its enormous debt by increasing
tolls...again. Bierman writes that the hike
would "increase the charge at Weston and
Allston-Brighton to $2 from $1.25 and at
the tunnels to $7 from $3.50." Fast Lane
users will get a break, paying only $1.50
and $6 respectively. Taxi-drivers, however,
will be hit the hardest, with cab tolls leav-
ing Logan Airport rising from $5.25 to $9.
Meanwhile food prices are soaring, and so
is unemployment.
    Does anyone else feel like we're on
a sinking ship, and the captain and his
wealthy friends made off with the lifeboats
and all of our money? The rich screwed
up, proved that capitalism is a terrible sys-
tem, and then further proved it by bailing
themselves out and punishing us with slow
starvation. It's about time we kicked out
these professional bureaucrats whom
we feed, house, and clothe. All we have
to do is figure out how to feed, house
and clothe our communities and our-
selves instead, and let the AIG execs
and politicians figure that all out for them-
selves. That'll be a day at the beach.
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S  N E W S  S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://ainfos.ca/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/a-infos-en
Archive: http://ainfos.ca/en