Boston Globe Editorial: "Seizing home equity over unpaid taxes is unfair to homeowners"

State Representative Jeff Roy has co-sponsored legislation to avoid this and is mentioned in the article. 

"After Deborah Foss fell behind on property taxes on her two-unit house in New Bedford, the city sold her debt to an outside company, which pursued the $30,000 the retired grandmother owed.

But rather than simply recouping the debt, according to her lawyers, Foss fell victim to an overly punitive state law that cost her the entire house, valued at $241,600 — far more than was needed to settle her debt — and left her temporarily homeless last winter.

Massachusetts is one of a dozen states that allows a practice critics refer to as “home equity theft.” If a home is foreclosed on due to unpaid property taxes, the municipality — or a company that buys the tax debt — can sell the home and keep the profit, even if the sale price is more than the taxpayer owes.

The system often disproportionately and unfairly punishes elderly homeowners. Of course, people need to pay taxes. Municipalities should be allowed to recoup the costs they incur in collecting those taxes if a homeowner is delinquent, including by seizing a home."

Continue reading the Editorial by the Boston Globe (subscription may be required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/02/12/opinion/seizing-home-equity-over-unpaid-taxes-is-unfair-homeowners/

Read the PDF version of the editorial here -> 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fjTngwbzsrnpJHduQiXzMjh84N1fEYvk/view?usp=share_link

BOSTON GLOBE; BAURKA/CANDY1812/ADOBE

Auchincloss Op Ed: Afghanistan can be stabilized and America's first step should be with mining

As we mark the one year anniversary of the troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, please see the below oped from Congressman Auchincloss. Congressman Auchincloss commanded infantry in Afghanistan and special operations in Panama. In Afghanistan in 2012, he led patrols through villages contested by the Taliban. In Panama as part of the Marines' elite reconnaissance branch, his team trained local units to stop the drug trade. He's now a major in the reserves.

Key Point:

"Without boots on the ground, we have more resources to counter Russia and China, while maintaining the capability to take terrorists off the battlefield. Afghanistan, though, is struggling. But there is a path forward that helps the Afghan people while further strengthening America. Western mining can do what Western militaries never could: put Afghanistan on the path of self-sufficiency. Afghanistan has vast mineral wealth. Mining could bootstrap economic development for the Afghan people. It could also secure for the United States the raw materials necessary to boost semiconductor and clean energy production, as intended by the blockbuster Chips and Science Act and Inflation Reduction Act....The American people owe this support to the Afghan people as we work to stabilize the region. Our greatest gift, though, will not be assistance, but economic empowerment. Mining is the first step."  

FOX: Afghanistan can be stabilized and America's first step should be with mining

By: Congressman Jake Auchincloss 

America can use mining partnership in Afghanistan to force human rights improvements

One year after ending the failed war in Afghanistan, the United States is in a stronger position. Without boots on the ground, we have more resources to counter Russia and China, while maintaining the capability to take terrorists off the battlefield. Afghanistan, though, is struggling. But there is a path forward that helps the Afghan people while further strengthening America.

Western mining can do what Western militaries never could: put Afghanistan on the path of self-sufficiency. Afghanistan has vast mineral wealth. Mining could bootstrap economic development for the Afghan people. It could also secure for the United States the raw materials necessary to boost semiconductor and clean energy production, as intended by the blockbuster Chips and Science Act and Inflation Reduction Act.

We can't delay. Days after the United States left, the Chinese Communist Party started ramping up its decade-long designs on Afghanistan's $1 trillion of mineral deposits. The Chinese see 20 years and $2 trillion of American blood, sweat, and treasure as the groundwork for their own extractive industries. Their designs include a tenuous contract with the Afghans to mine copper at Mes Aynak, near Kabul.

The Chinese offered a power plant and a railroad as part of the contract. They work well with the Taliban's allies in Pakistan. And, they do not hold the Taliban to account for its human-rights abuses and drug trade.

There is an opening for the United States, though. The Chinese are not delivering economic development. They reneged on building the railroad. They also balk at establishing copper processing on site. Instead, they want to transport the raw ore out of the country, preventing Afghan industry from climbing the next rung of the value chain. The Taliban's Minister of Mines and Petroleum is reported to prefer American to Chinese miners; this year, he had a virtual meeting with a few American companies, inviting them to invest in Afghanistan.  

The United States and its Western allies should take him up on the offer, with strict conditions. The agreement could start with copper mining at Mes Aynak, a direct rebuttal to the Chinese. Cooperation might then expand to sites with lithium, iron, rare earth elements, gold, lapis lazulis, and other in-demand minerals or gems. Also, possible: oil and gas production in northern Afghanistan, where the China National Petroleum Corporation seeks to restart operations in the Amu Darya Basin, but where U.S. companies are also well-positioned.

In exchange for Western investment in the mineral extraction and processing, power generation, transportation, and workforce development necessary to build an Afghan mining industry from scratch, U.S. diplomats must require the Taliban to partner with one or several multilateral development banks (MLB), such as the Asian Development Bank or the U.S. Development Finance Corporation. The MLB would draft and enforce the contracts, especially royalty rates. It would also work to ensure that mining revenues support social and economic development, not narco-terror cabals. Funding should be a public-private partnership; unfrozen Afghan central bank funds and global aid could be first dollars in, starting with a feasibility study, to de-risk companies' long-term investments.

The challenges in this project are immense. The Taliban might lie, cheat, and steal. China and Pakistan might obstruct. Mining companies might drag their feet. But, we must do something to change the status quo. The Afghan economy runs on opium and meth. The only near-term alternative to drugs is minerals. So, let's try it. As a first step, I have a bill in Congress to direct the State Department to study a Special Economic Zone in Afghanistan for mining.

This project is also not an excuse for inaction on immediate crises. The United States, already the world's largest humanitarian donor to Afghanistan, must do more to improve food security, especially for children. To honor our commitment to allies, the administration should expand Operation Allies Welcome and Congress must pass the Afghan Adjustment Act. And, we must use every point of leverage to change the Taliban's most egregious behavior, particularly regarding the rights of women and girls and the release of Mark Frerichs.

The American people owe this support to the Afghan people as we work to stabilize the region. Our greatest gift, though, will not be assistance, but economic empowerment. Mining is the first step.  

Jake Auchincloss represents the Massachusetts Fourth Congressional District in Congress where he is Vice Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee.

Auchincloss Oped: Afghanistan can be stabilized and America's first step should be with mining

Dan Rather: We Should Not Become Inured to the Shock

After the affidavit  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

	Open in browser We Should Not Become Inured to the Shock Dan Rather and Elliot Kirschner Aug 26 The Department of Justice has released the affidavit it used to obtain permission to search Mar-a-Lago and seize files from Donald Trump. The document fills in some details but leaves many questions unanswered, largely because it is heavily redacted — as it should be. The sanctity of the investigation demands it. So does the security of the nation. What we knew before has been further confirmed — Trump absconded with hundreds of classified documents. We now know these were incredibly sensitive and included information on clandestine human sources and secrets not to be shared with foreign governments. We may never know the documents' exact contents — that's how sensitive this material is.  What is so striking, as many others have observed, is that as president, Trump was notoriously uninterested in details. He doesn't read. He certainly doesn't pore over policy details. He is famous (or infamous, depending on who is assessing) for "not getting into the weeds." So why these documents? Why did he care so much? What, if anything, do they have in common? Can they point to a motive? We can speculate on what that might be, understanding that he has long ago lost any benefit of the doubt.  The government said it gleaned the information it included in the affidavit from "a significant number of civilian witnesses." This detail will undoubtedly fuel Trump's paranoia, but it also suggests just how unsafe these national secrets were at Mar-a-Lago.  As we learn more, as we look for clues, as we wonder and question, we should be careful not to lose track of the big picture.  At the very minimum, this situation represents a major breach of national security. Do we really believe that any other citizen of this country, which is who post-presidency Trump is, would be walking free if found in possession of these documents? Rather than being persecuted, as Trump self-servingly claims, this affidavit makes it clear that the Department of Justice was extraordinarily patient — possibly to a fault. They gave Trump every opportunity to hand these over. And yet he didn't. Why not?  At this moment, around the world, women and men are risking their lives for our country. We have a system of secrecy that protects the most sensitive aspects of our national security. It is in place for a reason. Because the lives of Americans and the future health and safety of the nation depend on it.  That this saga has become "partisan" is not a reflection on the seriousness of these documents. Rather, it is a reflection of how unserious the Party of Trump is when it comes to our national wellbeing. As shocking as this episode is, we must not become inured to it. Shock like this should not wear off. It should propel us forward to ensure that justice is served and nothing like this ever happens again.  Note: If you are not already a subscriber to our Steady newsletter, please consider doing so. And we always appreciate you sharing our content with others and leaving your thoughts in the comments. Subscribed Share Leave a comment Thanks for subscribing to Steady. This post is public, so please feel free to share it. © 2022 Dan Rather 548 Market Street PMB 72296, San Francisco, CA 94104

Dan Rather: Echo Chamber of Extremism

A legitimacy in tatters  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

	Open in browser Thank you for joining the Steady community. A gentle reminder that paid subscribers help fund our effort, allowing us to produce more content freely available to all. Subscribe now Echo Chamber of Extremism A legitimacy in tatters Dan Rather and Elliot Kirschner Jun 24 Photo: Douglas Rissing A day at the Supreme Court that shakes America to its core. What to say that hasn't been said but needs to be said again, and again, and again: This is not a court of humble jurists who are bound in any way by fidelity to precedent, the law, or common sense. There is nothing "conservative" about these damaging decisions, or the men and woman who have imposed their extreme views upon the American populace.  Right-wing politicians decry "elitism," but what is more elitist than unelected and unaccountable activists using the language of legal argumentation as a fig leaf for their naked exercise of power? There is no way that these decisions would pass a vote of the American public. Indeed, a majority of the justices were installed by presidents who lost the popular vote. And the polling on the issues these rulings tear asunder suggests that what these justices are doing is unpopular — in many cases, very unpopular. But they sneer from their echo chamber of extremism. They are emboldened by a system that has been fixed, with the complicity of Mitch McConnell and others, to advantage minority viewpoints by leveraging a branch of government not designed to be a political actors' stage in order to circumvent the legislative and executive branches. Where to begin, and where will it end? The Supreme Court has further cemented its role as a reactionary force in American life. Today it was abortion, on top of recent decisions on gun regulations, public funding for religious schools, and Miranda rights. Soon they will likely gut environmental regulations, and we can guess at what comes next — gay marriage? Contraception?  We can't let this moment pass without recognizing what a horrific decision today's is, and how it will relegate women to second-class status in decision-making over their own bodies. This will lead to a host of suffering and likely death. It will imprison women where control will be imposed by the state. It is the opposite of freedom. It is a right that existed — and still should.  The Supreme Court depends on its legitimacy, and today that is as tattered as the constitutional rights on which it has trampled. The Roberts court will be marked as a cabal of intemperance that made America far less safe and far less free. It will be noted for its zealotry and its cynical embrace of the ends justifying the means.  But as with all chapters of history, how our present is ultimately viewed depends on what comes next. Will these rulings lead to outrage-fueled activism that upends the political system, or apathy and defeatism? Will the majority mobilize? Will there be reforms? Will there be a recalibration of the current balance of power?  One of the few things I have learned with any certainty over the course of my life is not to attempt to predict the future. I have seen unimaginable change come about. I have seen long odds overcome.  I leave you today with the words of Sherrilyn Ifill, civil rights lawyer and president and director-counsel emeritus of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. She has experienced the fight from the trenches of justice, and her perspective mirrors my own. I could not have expressed it better.  Sherrilyn Ifill @Sifill_LDF Remember that we have never seen the America we've been fighting for. So no need to be nostalgic. Right on the other side of this unraveling is opportunity. If we keep fighting no matter what, take care of ourselves & each other, stay strategic & principled, & use all our power. June 24th 2022 5,132 Retweets20,393 Likes Subscribe now Share Leave a comment Like Comment Share You're on the free list for Steady. For those who are able, please consider becoming a paying subscriber to support our efforts. Subscribe now © 2022 Dan Rather 548 Market Street PMB 72296, San Francisco, CA 94104

Editorial Statement: For Crying Out Loud (audio)

FM #802 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 802 in the series. 

This session of the radio show is an editorial statement. Something I don’t do often, in fact rarely do but given the circumstances of this week, I feel compelled to share this. 

The recording runs about 7 minutes, so let’s listen.

Audio file -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-802-for-crying-out-loud-05-25-22

--------------

The text 

“For crying out loud”

For, crying out loud

We’ll begin with a moment of reflection, take a deep breath, centering where we are in the present

The headlines yesterday were all over DESE going after Boston Public Schools for insufficient progress on a “myriad of problems”. In their 120+ page assessment, the litany of errors, shortfalls, discrepancies out outlined in detail with a particular focal point, rather myopic in that, DESE is the same organization that throughout the pandemic struggled to generate timely and accurate guidance. Those who live in glasshouses should not throw stones!

For crying out loud

The headlines were all about Boston and DESE until word came on yet another shooting, another elementary school, lives young and old cut short by someone misguided at best, armed unnecessarily, who likely had cried for help and the yet system did not respond. You can say it starts at home. He did. He shot his grandmother first.

For crying out loud

Perhaps lost among the other news headlines, was one that 12 students at FHS received the Commonwealth seal of biliteracy, achieving proficiency in two languages. It had been 11 when I created the headline Tuesday. It was raised by one more to 12 as another confirmation of a student award was received. Not unlike the initial reports or 14, then 18, 19… where will it end

I recall a poem by Robert Bly

“Let's count the bodies over again.

If we could only make the bodies smaller 

The size of skulls 

We could make a whole plain white with skulls in the moonlight!

If we could only make the bodies smaller 

Maybe we could get

A whole year's kill in front of us on a desk!

If we could only make the bodies smaller 

We could fit

A body into a finger-ring for a keepsake forever.”

Written during the Vietnam war, and the repetition of body counts the news broadcast daily.

For crying out loud

We’ll come back to FHS. There are more than 20 languages heard within the halls of FHS and these 12 students have mastered a couple. Maybe, there is hope. Maybe, among the halls of students, mastering language, they can lead us to a better place. Maybe they can bring a cracking (some would say breaking) system to its senses.

I hope so, I am tired of crying out loud

We’ll end with a moment of reflection, take a deep breath, centering where we are in the present. If we don’t use the past lessons to foster change, what will our future be?

For crying out loud

I’ll close with my own poem written in the pandemic

sherku: fear knot

I wake fearful

take a breath

realize

it is a

new day, we

can do this!

 

For more about Robert Bly -> https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/robert-bly

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We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial.  

This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.

How can you help?

• If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors

• If you don't like something here, please let me know

Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.

For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/ or www.franklin.news/

If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com

The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana"  c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.

I hope you enjoy!

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You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

 

Editorial Statement: For Crying Out Loud (audio)

CommonWealth Magazine: transparency needed in evaluating correctional expenses and with Globe sponsored content

"MASSACHUSETTS SPENDS MORE than $1 billion a year to incarcerate roughly 13,000 people in its state prisons and county houses of correction, but a lot of the details of that spending are shrouded in mystery and uncertainty. 

As part of the recent wave of attention to criminal justice reform, the Legislature recently formed a special commission to try to make sense of correctional spending in the state. The call for a commission was driven by a steep drop in the state’s inmate population – the total is now roughly half the peak of recent decades – that has occurred with no corresponding reduction in corrections spending. Meanwhile, per inmate spending varies widely among the state’s 14 sheriffs who oversee houses of correction, and there is widespread concern among those outside the system that inmates are not receiving adequate rehabilitative services while behind bars. 

A big takeaway from the commission’s recently issued report, said its two co-chairs, Sen. Will Brownsberger and Rep. Michael Day, on this week’s Codcast, is the need for much clearer information on spending and inmate programming in order to assess what changes are needed.  "

Correctional Funding Report -> https://correctionalfunding.com/commission-report/ 

Continue reading the article online

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/the-download/making-sense-of-correctional-spending-2/ 

"THE BOSTON GLOBE is facing a growing chorus of criticism from public health advocates and media critics for working with Philip Morris to create and publish stories featuring interviews with prominent scientists, many of whom say they were never told the true purpose of the interviews – for inclusion in Philip Morris ads.

A coalition of six leading public health organizations sent a letter last month to Globe owner and publisher John Henry in an effort to persuade him to get rid of the tobacco ads. He did not respond.

To be sure, the Philip Morris ads in the Globe today are nothing like the tobacco ads of the past. Gone are the Marlboro man and his ilk. Instead, the tobacco ads in the Globe nowadays take the form of what’s known as “sponsored content” articles, a type of advertising that looks similar to Globe news stories with headlines, bylines, and even the same font the paper uses. The ads run under the heading “From our Partners” on the Globe’s website."

Continue reading the article online

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/media/scientists-object-to-inclusion-in-globes-philip-morris-ads/

CommonWealth Magazine: transparency needed in evaluating correctional expenses and with Globe sponsored content