More importantly, failing to fund these measures would make the tax cut unaffordable and harmful to the state. Over the next year, the MMA and many others will be calling for adequate and increased funding for Chapter 70 education aid, restoration of Chapter 90 cuts, and full funding for all discretionary and targeted local aid accounts and programs. The income tax cut will be affordable only if our economy remains strong and our expansion continues. Even the most conservative economists agree that these government investments in schools, infrastructure and basic services are essential for our continued economic strength. If our education system, our public roads and buildings, and our essential services are weakened, then our underlying regional economy will sag.
Healthy communities are the foundation of a healthy economy.
By rejecting questions 5 and 6, and adopting Question 4, Massachusetts citizens sent a message calling for both investment and savings. This is classic middle ground. This means that steady progress should be the result, not radical change. Now is the time for local and state officials to work together to implement this agenda. The federal government may be divided down the middle.