Tom Conroy for State Representative

“How to Pay for Infrastructure Improvement”

State Rep. Steve Walsh, Co-chair of the Health Care Finance Committee at the State House, corralled some supporters from Lynn and met me at the Capitol Diner in Lynn, one of those warm, friendly, local diners with great food and coffee. 

Steve and others in Lynn, such as State Senator Tom McGee, have a vision for Lynn that could be spectacular.  We discussed the potential for a large mixed use real estate development on the waterfront of Lynn, on the dozens of acres of undeveloped land east of the Lynnway (Route 1A).  Prime location for a set of residential, retail, commercial buildings to attract new tenants, businesses, and local tax revenue to the area.  And if the blue line T could be extended from Wonderland in Revere just another couple of miles north to Lynn, the T could be a short walk from the waterfront too.  It would all work well together.  But that T extension is a $500M project, and local, state, and federal funds would be needed to make it happen. 

Where would the federal funds come from, given the $30+ billion in other infrastructure projects needed in Massachusetts?  The answer is coming increasingly from Republicans and right-leaning independents:  raise taxes on the super rich.  Over lunch in Lynn at Brothers Deli, I met with Gordon, who is in the real estate development industry, and he acknowledges that income taxes are historically low in the U.S. right now.  His comments were indicative of what I’ve been hearing over the past week or so from nearly everyone, liberal and conservative, and perhaps in reaction to the Warren Buffett article about taxing the super rich more.  The folks I am meeting say that people making over $1 million a year, or maybe even those making over $500k a year, should have that upper echelon of their income taxed at a higher rate than 35%.

Meanwhile, I helped feed over 100 homeless and impoverished folks at My Brother’s Table.  Many have had bad luck in life, not necessarily any fault of their own.  Some are fighting substance abuse demons.  Others with mental health issues are getting counseling.  They need help, and I applaud everyone at the homeless shelters and counseling organizations and My Brother’s Table and all the others for providing it.  Unfortunately, there’s not enough charity flowing from the super rich to help the thousands of these folks around Massachusetts.  And that’s partly why the cost of civilization is taxes.

Cheers,

Tom

Miles:   8.6

Total Miles:   596.4

Encounters with Voters: 153

Total encounters with voters:    2,623