Declare Your Curiosity

Do Lawmakers Need A Break?

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:34:29 GMT

Written by Peg Rusconi

At the end of the day, state legislators end their formal session for the year, with a lot of business (bills on elderly driving, texting, health care payment reform) left unfinished. They’ll return in January.

Under legislative rules, formal sessions in non-election years must end by the third Wednesday in November.

Governor Patrick wants lawmakers to waive those rules to stay in session and finish work on an education reform bill. The Senate passed it earlier this week, and it awaits action by the House.

Should lawmakers stay in session to get more accomplished?

Lawmakers vs. School Bullies

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:14:23 GMT

His first school dance and a 12 year old autistic boy on the Cape was dancing his heart out and having a blast. A classmate using her cell phone video tapes his moves and posts them on Youtube. He becomes the targets of taunts and teasing. The school’s response, a teacher told him to “suck it up and move past it.”

A Springfield 11 year old repeatedly teased at school for what he was wearing comes home and hangs himself with an electrical cord. He left a note telling his family he loves them and gave his Pokemon games to his 6 year old brother. His mother tried getting school administrators to help.

Are school districts doing enough to stop bullying? Today the State Legislature’s Joint Committee on Education will be looking at House Bill 483. It defines bullying and requires all schools to create a policy to effectively deal with it. 37 states already have this kind of legislation.

Is it long overdue for Massachusetts to get on board with this kind of legislation? Or is this a situation where schools should decide for themselves how to handle bullying? Will a law make a difference?

Tell us what you think and we'll talk about it today at 5pm on WBZ News.

Best Chance to Win or Blown Call?

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:31:06 GMT

If you're expecting an apology from Bill Belichick over last night's 4th down play call...you may want to pack a lunch.

Coach Belichick stood by his decision during a press conference this morning saying:

"I thought it was our best chance to win. I thought we needed to make that one play and then we could basically run out the clock and we weren't able to make it."

The Pats failed to convert on 4th-and-2 from their own 28 with 2:08 left to go in the game.

The Colts stormed down the short field. Peyton Manning hooked up with Reggie Wayne to ice the game with just seconds to go.

Coach Belichick conceded there is room for improvement saying:

"From a coaching standpoint...there's always a lot things that could have been done better by me and the players and everybody else."

"We all gotta do a better job starting with me and find a way to win those games"

But again no apology.

There's nearly universal agreement that it was a bad call -- you've certainly made that clear in our Conversation Nation discussion. Do you accept Coach Belichick's explanation for the call? Does he deserve a pass? He's led the Pats to three Super Bowl Championships and a perfect regular season.

Let's hear your game plan and we'll talk about today on WBZ News at 5pm.

A White Elephant At The State House?

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:45:48 GMT

Two more days to discuss important topics that affect all of our lives. Lawmakers at the State House won’t be discussing what to do with elderly drivers, or the dangers of texting behind the wheel, or even the need for alimony reform. Issues that affect so many. No, lawmakers instead are taking up Senate Bill 1870, the Treatment of Elephants.

Think I’m kidding…come on, I couldn’t make this up. This is what our lawmakers will be debating in the final days before their break. The treatment of elephants. No, not the indigenous population of elephants to Massachusetts, because there isn’t one. This has to do with the circus elephants that march into town once a year.

Nobody wants to see elephants hurt, abused, or mistreated, but a senate bill? Is this the best use of lawmakers' time? Or should they take up one of the many issues that affects so many?

Share your opinions and we’ll talk about it today at 5pm on WBZ News

The Price Of Smoking

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:10:02 GMT

‘Tobacco kills more people each year than car crashes, AIDS, homicides, suicides and poisonings combined’. How’s that for a headline? This is from Massachusetts Health and Human Services. Today the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) say for the first time in 15 years more people are smoking. Nearly 21% of adults.

So you would think the State is aggressively fighting to keep people from smoking, and helping smokers quit. Not so much. The CDC says Massachusetts ranks towards the bottom of states spending on programs to deter people from smoking.

Between taxing smokers and collecting settlements the state brings in 847 million dollars, but only 1.6% of that is going towards prevention programs.

Should the State being doing and spending more to keep our kids from ever starting. Should the state being doing more to help adults quit.

Share your thoughts and we’ll talk about it today at 5pm on WBZ News.

Alimony For Life?

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:35:06 GMT

-A married couple divorce and go their separate ways. He remarries and his ex moves on. 25 years later his ex-wife falls on hard times and rather than go on welfare she sues her ex-husband for alimony and wins. He now has to pay her every month for life.

-A married couple divorce after four and a half years. They have three kids. Both the husband and wife work. The husband pays child support till all the kids are grown and out of the house. Now 23 years later he’s still paying his ex-wife alimony for a marriage that didn’t last 5 years.

Welcome to Massachusetts where these cases are real, and there are dozens more like them. A state with laws that many argue are unfair, outdated, but have not been changed in years. This is a State where you can be awarded alimony for life.

Lawmakers many of which are attorneys haven’t been tripping over themselves to change these laws since those people going through divorces will spend thousands in legal fees to fight. Now a grass roots effort is underway to change the laws and limit the amount of alimony paid to a maximum of 12 years.

Should the spouse making more have to pay the other alimony for life, or should these laws be changed immediately?

Tell us what you think and we’ll talk about it today at 5pm on WBZ News. And watch the full report Tuesday night at 11pm.

Pension in Prison?

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:53:25 GMT

You see him on video unlocking a copy machine and taking money from it. Very clear video catching Former Middlesex County probate register John Buonomo red handed. In addition to stealing thousands from those machines, he’s also accused of stealing $102,792 in campaign donations. If convicted on all counts he could wind up with a 302 year prison sentence.

Today he finds out his sentence, but he’s fighting to keep his pension.

Should someone who pleads guilty to a host of serious crimes be entitled to keep his pension? Here is an elected official who’s been on the job and paying into his retirement for years, but now should he forfeit his claim on all he’s paid in? Even though he could wind up in prison does that disqualify him from getting the pension taxpayers will help pay?

Tell us what you think and we’ll talk about it today at 5pm on WBZ News.

Blowing In The Wind

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:23:16 GMT

It has been a battle every step of the way. Cape Wind has been trying for eight years to install 130 wind turbines off the Cape in the Horseshoe Shoal and Nantucket Sound area to produce three quarters of the enough energy for cape and islands. Some on the cape are not in favor and have fought against it.

Over the years many hurdles have been dealt with, and just when things were looking good for this project to get started another hurdle. This time Massachusetts Historical Commission executive director Brona Simon sent a letter to the U.S. Minerals Management Service He wants the area to be a listed as a historic site given its ties to the Wampanoag.

Those wanting this clean energy and in favor of the wind farm are beyond frustrated at this point. Why wasn’t this issue brought up two, three, even six years ago? Those who don’t want the turbines to go up at all might be celebrating yet another delay.

What do you think? Is this power and influence buying delay after delay? Or should turbines be going up in the ocean off the shore of the cape at all?

Share your thoughts and we’ll talk about it today on WBZ News at 5pm.

Mickey Mouse Goes Mean?

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:24:24 GMT

What is going on at Disney? Cute, lovable Mickey and Donald, who have thrilled kids for years, are now getting a scary makeover. Mickey is going maniacal, and the new Donald is going to scare the hell out of young kids. What are they thinking? (images by Disney)

The folks at Disney swinging the pens want to reinvent the image of their long time staples for a video game. Characters with an edge? Is this a smart idea?

What are your thoughts? We’ll talk about it today (not for too long) at 5pm on WBZ News.

And We Are Paying For This?

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:52:03 GMT

Your train is late, last month it was late, and three months ago it was involved in a wreck. Sounds like a bad movie, but this is the reality of mass transit in and around Boston. The MBTA operating budget is 1.1 billion dollars, but really what are we getting for our money. Efficiency, safety, a clean safe environment to get from point ‘a’ to point ‘b’? The ‘T’ cries poverty, and now we find they may be neglecting safety issues which could endanger passengers.

What is wrong with the ‘T’? What would you like to see happen to this agency? Should the agency be gutted and start over? Should it get a big taxpayer bailout to fix the issues? Where should the money come from?

Tell us your thoughts and we’ll talk about it today at 5pm on WBZ News.