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Health & Fitness

Jobs, Business, and the State Senate Race

How citizens vote in November can have some important economic implications for the Middlesex Worcester District.

Of the utmost importance in the current state election cycle is the state's business climate. While recent growth has been above the national average, the figures can be somewhat misleading, because all positions are considered equally. Underemployment is very common in Massachusetts right now, as extremely qualified individuals have little choice but to take whatever position they can get. Also common are individuals being hired on a temporary basis, which, while it is a form of employment, is still unsatisfactory. Due to the economic uncertainty that continues to plague this country and this state, few employers seem willing to commit to full-time, permanent positions. While a good portion of this uncertainty can only be ameliorated through actions taken by the Federal government, the state government also has a role to play.

 

The State Government has failed to establish an equitable and stable climate for businesses to grow in recent years, as granting large tax credits to a select few businesses have been chosen over creating more competitive tax rates for all businesses. Unfortunately, yet unsurprisingly, this strategy has delivered lackluster results. Fidelity Investments has been moving jobs out of the state for years, and the credit granted to Evergreen Solar, which received enthusiastic support from Senator James Eldridge, was a complete failure.

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Even if we examine Senator Eldridge's support of the tax credit without the benefit of hindsight, his policy seems misguided. His tendency to put the environment first undoubtedly made bringing green technology to the state a very appealing concept, but to give one business a very large tax credit seems to contradict his progressive personae. One would expect that, as a progressive, Senator Eldridge would have supported sharing the tax break among many companies, rather than a single one, as such a strategy would have been more balanced and incurred far less risk. Dividing a $60 million tax credit among several smaller companies would have most likely resulted in more job growth in the state. Furthermore, job growth would have been more evenly distributed throughout the state, putting more money into the hands of more people. Such a distribution is entirely consistent with a progressive ideology.

Find out what's happening in Marlboroughwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

 

Senator Eldridge has since recanted his support of Evergreen Solar's tax credit. Of course, this change of heart only after seeing this handout and others like it fail, leaving states with wasted money and wasted opportunities. It is admirable for a politician to admit when they've made an error in judgment, and perfectly permissible for a politician to change their opinion, but Senator Eldridge's change in policy seems to be driven more by politics than by a fundamental change in understanding the relationship between the state government and local businesses. Being proven wrong, he seems to be retreating in order to save face. He calls for an end to the power of corporate lobbyists, but still supports other labor and environmental lobbyist groups, essentially creating a situation where he accepts third party involvement in government so long as he agrees with their agenda.

 

Above all, what I seek to show is that, come November, voters will have the choice between two very distinct economic policies. Given the economy's precarious position, it is even more imperative that the people making policy decisions have an understanding of economic issues, and how best to help the Massachusetts economy grow even stronger.

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