Commentary & Opinion

“This government wants Perdicaris alive or Raisuli dead.”  So said Secretary of State John Hay in 1904 during the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt.

The centerpiece of Governor Cuomo’s State of the State address was the call for voters to approve an environmental bond act.  Dubbed the “Restore Mother Nature Bond Act,” the governor’s plan proposes that the state borrow $3 billion to address serious environmental problems tied to global warming.

The US trade deficit is tumbling, the obvious cause being a decline in Chinese exports to the US as a result of the tariffs, rather than an increase in US exports narrowing the gap. Are our trade strategies working; it would appear not if our exports are not increasing.

“Something’s rotten in the state of Denmark” says Marcellus in Act 1 of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, and many people feel similarly about life now, here.

In 2008, the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (CEC) was created to help develop the solutions, markets and companies to help solve climate change. The hope was Mass would capture the economic benefits of reducing our impact on climate change. The CEC has done just that, supporting the growth of the clean energy industry to 111,836 jobs and helping Mass begin to meet its climate goals. Despite these successes, the future of the CEC is in question, while its mission is more important than ever. 

Lots of people believe their countries are best. We do too. Caring for one’s country is good. Economic objections to admitting refugees don’t justify brutality. Strategic disagreements about Iran’s objectives don’t require going to war. But demonizing people changes the stakes. Treating them as nothing but vandals and killers, unworthy of concern, drives the ugliest implications of both the refugee and Iran crises, and threatens everyone in a chorus of hate.

In many ways, Governor Cuomo’s 2020 State of the State address last week was like many that have preceded it.  In modern times, the state of the State address mimics the pomp of the national State of the Union address: lots of rhetorical flourishes, calls for actions on important issues, with little in the way of real details. 

China in 2020. As we move into the new decade, the First Phase Deal, as it has been described, leaves on the table most of the important issues to American business and those are unresolved including the Chinese requirement to provide technology in order to do business in China, its currency manipulation practices, and a more subtle but less well known issue is of course its vast army of subsidies which it provides to its businesses. This tilts the table in a way which dramatically effects any number of industries, but its particularly problematic in the technology sector. We will have to watch very carefully what occurs, but it appears that the First Phase was merely an attempt by Mr. Trump to satisfy the AG Sector by purportedly increasing purchases which appear to be largely an illusion.

Your childhood neighborhood shouldn’t determine your future success. The American Dream is predicated on the belief that anyone, if they work hard enough, can succeed and lift themselves beyond the circumstances of their birth. We’ve seen time and again that talent and ambition exist in every zip code, yet opportunities are not as liberally distributed.

Reactions to the killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani are troubling. Some media and political figures are seizing upon Iran-backed narratives and legitimizing an incredulous Iranian talking point that that nation is merely a victim of a disproportionate American attack. The responses reek of as much partisanship as the recent impeachment hearings. This is a critical moment for the world to unify against a longstanding opponent. Instead, we see partisanship and equivocation.

The holiday season is a time of joy and goodwill.  We join in celebration with friends and family in the presumably safe havens of our homes and houses of worship.

What’s wrong with Trump’s approach to Iran? Let me count the ways.

There are two things on the horizon that will change the landscape of American sports forever. The first is sports gambling. As states legalize and regulate it, the money flooding the system will change the way American games are broadcast and consumed. 

The 2020 legislative session gets underway this week with the governor’s “State of the State” address.  The big issue casting a shadow over the session will be the state’s looming budget deficit.  The budget shortfall has been projected to exceed $6 billion and how it gets addressed will drive the policies for the budget and, most likely, the remainder of the session.

The impact of Chinese tariffs on US consumers is being thwarted by what is known as the de minimis rule under the US Customs law. I have written about this previously, describing the movement of a package valued at less than $800.00 which is processed under this rule and thus, no duty is paid. This is particularly problematic if it avoids the 25% tariff on Chinese goods. Contrast it with a product purchased by a US merchant from China who pays the duty and obviously must either swallow the duty as part of the purchase price or tack it on to the purchase price, thus increasing it over the amount that the Chinese merchant is selling it in the US for.  A convenient loophole the Trump Administration missed.  

I assume most listeners have heard of Bret Stephens.  He is a conservative columnist for the New York Times and recently he has appointed himself the chief adviser to Democrats on how to defeat Trump.  Stephens’ column on December 26 introduced an interesting metaphor.   What we need to defeat Trump, he opines, is SOAP.   His point is we don’t need to make any major changes to our economy and society --- such as a wealth tax, Medicare for all, a Green New Deal.   (No surgery needed!)   All we need is to have a Democrat running for President who promises to wash away the “dirt” of the Trump presidency and leave us Americans, clean (and pure?) again.

Recently, Governor Charlie Baker celebrated the decline of Massachusetts income tax to 5%. Twenty years ago, Massachusetts taxed income at 5.95%. Through ballot initiative and legislative compromises, over time it dropped to the current rate. Unfortunately, neither the final reduction, nor the total decrease, will make Massachusetts fairer or stronger. Rather, the reduction of the fairest statewide tax benefits the top 1% of earners and makes it that much harder for the rest to prosper. The reduction in the income tax hampers our ability to make investments needed to reduce inequality, combat climate change and revitalize economies outside of Greater Boston. It might look like good politics, but it’s bad policy and all of Massachusetts is weaker for it.

“I solemnly swear that in all things appertaining to the trial of the impeachment of President Donald John Trump, now pending, I will do impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws: So help me God.''

I’ve been recording commentary on WAMC for approximately 15 years. Christmas and New Year’s are always different. It doesn’t feel like a time for argument, for praising some and condemning others. So I and many in similar positions usually talk about the joys of the holiday season and individual plans for the New Year. I tend to do it a bit multi-culturally but it really doesn’t matter; we all share the same dreams.

There are two economic concepts that get little public attention but make a significant difference on our lives when our domestic policies embody them. If as voters we used these two concepts as standards for judging the policy proposals of candidates, we would find marked improvement in our daily lives.

As the decade comes to an end, one disturbing trend has been the accelerating loss of local newspapers and other media outlets.  Over the last 15 years, local newspapers across the U.S. have lost more than $35 billion in advertising revenue and shed half of their staff, and at least 2,000 news outlets have closed during that time.

Students don’t get a do-over when it comes to their education. They only have one chance to prepare for future success -- whether that means entering college or the work force.