I can't wait to read this report...

The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy released a report on PILOT programs.  Here's the money quote: 

 "However, PILOTs are often haphazard, secretive, and calculated in an ad hoc manner that results in widely varying payments among similar nonprofits." 

 I wonder if there's a section on using off campus drinking to force PILOT payments?   

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Haphazard is the perfect description for Worcester, a place where the City Council requests that city colleges ban Four Loko after the state already restricted the product.  

Interesting questions...

The beauty of our democracy is out ability to question it.  I recommend Glenn Greenwald's latest piece about the recent Christmas terror plot. 

Rest in peace, Jeff Barnard.

One of Worcester's great voices passed away.  Jeff's blog introduced me to the Worcester blogging scene and enriched all our lives with his warped, wonderful view of Worcester.  He will be missed.

Do Not Stand At My Grave And Weep- Mary Elizabeth Frye

"Do not stand at my grave and weep,

I am not there, I do not sleep.

I am in a thousand winds that blow,

I am the softly falling snow.

I am the gentle showers of rain,

I am the fields of ripening grain.

I am in the morning hush,

I am in the graceful rush

Of beautiful birds in circling flight,

I am the starshine of the night.

I am in the flowers that bloom,

I am in a quiet room.

I am in the birds that sing,

I am in each lovely thing.

Do not stand at my grave and cry,

I am not there. I do not die."

Please vote tomorrow, otherwise this might happen.

When Spell Check Fails....

From today's T&G:

The real Marty Lamb

I just had the misfortune of watching Marty Lamb's infomercial on Channel 3.  Here's what you might have missed if you didn't realize it was a half hour long paid commercial:

-Marty's a on again, off again Tea Partier.

-Marty's a anti-bailout candidate, except whenever he needs the bailout.

-Marty believes in a balanced budget and limiting government spending to the rate of inflation, yet if he wins, he will be a freshman Republican congressman and will vote lockstep with the same Republican party that historically violates these principles.

-Marty believes in budget busting tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.

-Marty is running as a pro-business candidate, and accuses Jim McGovern of being anti business.  But when asked to detail how McGovern is anti-business, he can't point out any specifics.

-Marty can pack debates with some hecklers, but when faced with a debate he considers biased, he has other 'commitments'.

-Marty's biggest contributor is a Nevada based PAC, Western Representation PAC.

-Western Representation PAC is also supporting Senate candidates Joe Miller (R- AK), Sharron Angle (R- NV), and Congressional candidate Sean Bielat (R- MA).

-Western's founder is Dustin Stockton, who is also a member of the Tea Party Express, which will be coming to Worcester on November 1st, 2:30 pm (location TBD).

-Dustin Stockton's fundraising appeal had this to say about Jim McGovern:

"Barney Frank isn’t the only radical Massachusetts liberal who can be defeated. Congressman Jim McGovern wrote the bill that raised the debt ceiling, selling our children and grandchildren into debt. As chairman of the House Rules Committee, he changed the rules to allow Nancy Pelosi to push Obamacare through in the middle of the night. He is friends with many socialist third-world dictators in our own hemisphere and he has been linked to narco-terrorists in Colombia. Jim McGovern has been arrested twice while serving in Congress. We are the only national group opposing Jim McGovern and you can help us defeat him by making a contribution.  With so many races across the country, this race almost slipped through the cracks. Scott Brown overwhelmingly won this district in January and it is a great opportunity to win another seat from a radical socialist liberal."   (source: http://christiangunslinger.blogspot.com/, owned by Donald Vance.)

-Western Representation PAX boasts Rusty Humphries, conservative radio host as a speaker and contributor.  For those of you who aren't familiar with Rusty's work, here's a clip:

Privatization.

Of course the market always works, and benefits everyone, while the government is evil and must be stopped.