Cancel South Coast Rail

This week the MBTA announced the South Coast Rail project will cost $3.4 billion - a more than 50 percent increase over the original $2.23 billion estimate. The original completion date of 2022 extends to 2028.   If past is prologue, the cost estimate will continue to rise.  Governor Charlie Baker should cancel this project and refocus economic development funding directly in Gateway Cities.

The South Coast Rail project has been under evaluation since the 1980s.  It would restore old rail beds of the former Old Colony rail line to provide commuter rail service from New Bedford and Fall River to Boston.

The MBTA announcement points out several issues that should concern taxpayers in Massachusetts – MBTA incompetence, over regulation, and a cultural and economic mindset more fit to the 1900s than the 21st Century.

Rejecting Globalism

On May 5, 2016 Secretary of State John Kerry, in a commencement speech at Northeastern University said, "You’re about to graduate into a complex and BORDERLESS WORLD." [emphasis mine]  This is a profound statement, particularly from the Secretary of State of the United States.  It turns on its head a system of political organization in place since the 1600s in which each nation state has sovereignty over its territory and domestic affairs, to the exclusion of all external powers, within the borders of the state.  Kerry’s globalist viewpoint may be out of step with a nationalist moment in history.

Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders reject the notion of a borderless world through their condemnation of international trade agreements.  They revile a political, economic, financial, and media elite that have advanced a global economic system that increasingly operates outside of the controls of the state and the interests of U.S. citizens.  Large corporations move production to the lowest wage labor markets and shift headquarters to escape taxation.   The resultant loss of whole industry sectors like manufacturing in the United States or stagnation of wages in the middle class are the tangible experience of many citizens.

Trump as Mussolini?

Bob Woodward and Robert Costa of the Washington Post interviewed Donald Trump this week.  The interview was described as “very unusual” by Woodward.  The headline makers used that phrase to further validate a narrative that Trump is a kook.  But when you watch a video of the two reporters discussing the interview the impression is that “unusual” is not intended as “odd” or “strange” in a pejorative sense, but “different” from traditional behavior in presidential politics.   Framing Trump as a nut may be a mistake that his opponents use as a primary theme to their peril.

Trump v Clinton – likely, but not yet assured

The party nomination process for this year’s presidential election set a clear direction last Tuesday.  The probability is now very high that Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump will represent the Democratic and Republican parties respectively in November.   However, each faces threats to their nomination.  For both candidates these threats could end their pursuit of the nomination, and in Clinton’s case continue into the general election cycle.

Iowa Caucuses Result

Iowa is the first state in the nation to begin the party nomination process in presidential elections.  It has been that way since 1972.  It is a unique form in the nation using caucuses rather than primary elections.  As Iowa only awards 1% of the delegates it is rather inconsequential, except that it is first.  This brings a great deal of attention to the state.

Beyond being first, what does Iowa tell us?  Its track record in predicting the nominee for the Democrats is only 40%.  With Republicans it is slightly better, but still only 50/50.   So winning isn’t really predictive.  As Iowa is not a winner takes all state and the delegates are distributed based on the percentage each candidate receives its practical meaning in the race for delegates is also subdued.

NBC to Replace WHDH Channel 7: Southeastern Massachusetts Needs to Speak Up

NBC Universal, a subsidiary of Comcast, recently announced it will end its relationship with Boston’s WHDH-TV Channel 7 and substitute a network-owned station beginning in 2017. This change could have a major negative effect on households on Cape Cod and in Southeastern Massachusetts that now receive NBC network programming over the air using antennas, or may desire to in the future. Regional government representatives and community organizations need to understand the potential impact of the NBC change and attempt to influence the outcome.

Sunbeam Television Corp. owns WHDH. President Ed Ansin has said he intends to contest the change with the Federal Communications Commission. Ansin’s argument appears to be that Comcast made commitments as part of its FCC-approved purchase of NBC Universal. He may argue that if Comcast uses NBC-owned WNEU-TV Channel 60 in southern New Hampshire to replace WHDH, with the signal reaching half the audience, this may violate commitments Comcast made before the FCC.

Carly Fiorina on Planned Parenthood

Presidential candidate Carly Fiorina made an impassioned and forceful comment during the recent Republican presidential debate about fetal tissue harvesting by Planned Parenthood.  Many in the media assessed her statement the most effective and powerful moment of the debate.   Fiorina’s reproach of a moral transgression that “erodes at the character of our nation,” appeared heartfelt and sincere.