Don't pay more for business as usual
THE PEOPLE of the Commonwealth want to change the way Beacon Hill does business. So do I. Over the past two years, working with the Legislature, we have made a lot of progress. But now is hardly the time to let up.
One of the first changes we made was to begin governing for the long term, instead of for the next day's headline or sound bite. This change will allow us to come out of the economic downturn stronger and better prepared to create the good-paying jobs of the new economy. We invested in life sciences and biotech, and stimulated a nation-leading clean energy and efficiency industry, all designed to expand job opportunities in the growth sectors of the future. Faced with declining state revenue, we made the tough choices that allowed us to maintain our commitment to public education from early education to college, and also to healthcare reform, through which more than 400,000 adults and children who once had no insurance are covered today. And we introduced civilian flaggers to construction sites and competitive pricing to auto insurance, saving residents millions of dollars.
Many of these issues have been on the minds of residents for decades, and have been considered politically impossible. But change is what people voted for in 2006, and it is what we have been working to deliver. Now is no time to let up.
The national economic downturn has hit Massachusetts hard. Tax receipts have dropped over $5 billion, making it difficult to deliver many basic services. While we have to cut spending - just as families and businesses are having to do in communities all across the Commonwealth - we cannot cut our way out of this crisis. The Legislature is right that we need new revenue. Whether that is through the targeted tax measures I have proposed, or the sales tax increase supported by the House and Senate, the need is the same.
But before we ask taxpayers for more revenue, we need more change in the way Beacon Hill does the public's business - in three key ways. We need to reform our pension system, our ethics and lobbying rules, and our transportation network. Without that, I will veto any tax package the Legislature sends me.
The good news is that legislation in all three areas is making its way through the Legislature. Only a handful of issues remain, but they are important.
On pension reform, the Legislature and I agree on eliminating past abuses like getting one full year of service for serving only one day in a calendar year, and ending special pension enhancements for well-connected state employees. But these new rules must apply to those of us in public service today, not just future state officials and employees.
On ethics and lobbying reform, there is also much agreement on what improvements to make. But I want to close a critical loophole by making clear that gifts given to public employees because of their official position are illegal. I also want to strengthen the enforcement authority of the Ethics Commission, not weaken it, and provide our oversight authorities the tools they need to enforce our ethics and lobbying laws. The final legislation should also include a strong campaign finance reform component.
On transportation reform, we need to seize the opportunity to consolidate our transportation agencies, reduce pension and healthcare costs, and deliver real savings. Otherwise, we just continue hurting our ability to make needed repairs to our roads, rails, and bridges.
Over the past two and a half years, I have met thousands of people and have heard wonderful stories of communities coming together and families helping one another out during these difficult times, as well as the struggles of people trying to find a job, or pay for their home or their children's education. To ask them to dig deeper into their pockets for higher taxes without first adopting meaningful reforms is something that I cannot in good conscience do. Together, let's seize this opportunity to change the way Beacon Hill works, and say goodbye to the status quo.
Deval Patrick is the governor of Massachusetts. 