May 20, 2010: Job growth and the governor's race

>> Emily: IF PEOPLE VOTE THEIR
POCKETBOOKS, THERE COULD BE
ENCOURAGING NEWS TODAY FOR
GOVERNOR DUVAL PATRICK FOR THE
SECOND CONSECUTIVE MONTH
UNEMPLOYMENT IS DOWN IN
MASSACHUSETTS, NEARLY 20,000
JOBS WERE ADDED TO
MASSACHUSETTS'S PAYROLLS IN
APRIL.
THE LARGEST MONTHLY INCREASE IN
17 YEARS.
THAT NEWS COMES AFTER THE NEW
ENGLAND ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP
FORECAST FOR THE STATE'S ECONOMY
IS RECOVERING QUICKER THAN
EXPECTED AND COULD GENERATE
220,000 JOBS OVER THE NEXT FIVE
YEARS.
HERE WITH ME NOW IS FORMER
LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR KERRY HEALEY
AND DEMOCRATIC ANALYST WARREN
TOLMAN.
HERE WE ARE, GOOD NEWS FOR
MASSACHUSETTS AND THE DROP OF --
BACKDROP OF THE HORRIBLE DAY IN
THE MARKET.
YOU KNOW, IT DROPPED ANOTHER 300
POINTS IN THE FACE OF SOME
HIGHER UNEMPLOYMENT THAN
EXPECTED NATIONALLY, BUT
MASSACHUSETTS, YOU KNOW, WHAT
MADE THE DIFFERENCE HERE?
>> WELL, GOOD NEWS SHOULD ALWAYS
BE WELCOMED.
I HOPE THAT THEY'RE CORRECT,
THAT THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING
OF A REBUILDING.
BUT UNFORTUNATELY EVEN IF WE
GAIN 200,000 JOBS IN THE NEXT
FOUR YEARS, WE HAVE 300,000
UNEMPLOYED HERE IN MASSACHUSETTS
RIGHT NOW AND THEY'RE NOT
EXPECTING THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE
TO GO DOWN BELOW 9% FOR ANOTHER
YEAR.
VERY HIGH.
ONLY A FEW YEARS BACK,
MASSACHUSETTS HAD UNEMPLOYMENT
RATES IN THE TWOS AND THE
THREES.
>> Emily: I REMEMBER THAT.
>> VERY CONSISTENTLY.
WHAT I'M HOPING IS HAPPENING AND
IT -- IS THAT PERHAPS OUR
ECONOMY IS TRANSITIONING INTO
NEW JOBS, AND WE SHED A LOT OF
MANUFACTURING JOBS DURING THE
MIDDLE YEARS OF THIS PAST
DECADE.
HOPEFULLY, WE'RE FINDING NEW
JOBS, THE MODERN JOBS THAT CAN
TAKE THEIR PLACE.
BUT WE'RE JUST GOING TO HAVE TO
WAIT AND SEE WHETHER OR NOT THIS
TREND HOLDS.
>> Emily: BUT IT'S -- IN AN
ELECTION YEAR, GOOD NEWS FOR
GOVERNOR PATRICK WHO JUMPED IN
TODAY, AND TOOK CREDIT FOR THIS.
>> YOU WAITED ABOUT 25 MINUTES,
YOU KNOW, 30,000 JOBS IN THREE
MONTHS IS VERY GOOD NEWS FOR THE
PATRICK ADMINISTRATION AND THE
OBAMA ADMINISTRATION NATIONALLY.
SEVEN OUT OF TEN SECTORS
INCLUDING MANUFACTURING,
FINANCE, SOME OF THE PLACES
WHERE THE GOVERNOR HAS INVESTED,
BIOTECH, GREEN TECH, THOSE ARE
GOOD SIGNS THAT SOME OF THE
LONG-TERM INVESTORS ARE PAYING
OFF.
THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT.
KERRY IS RIGHT, WE'RE NOT IN THE
POSITION WE WANT TO BE IN, BUT
THE TREND IS POSITIVE.
THAT'S AT THE END OF THE DAY,
WHEN ITS COMES TO THE ELECTION
PEOPLE, YOU KNOW WHAT, WE'RE
MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
AND THAT'S WHAT THE PATRICK
ADMINISTRATION IS HOPING.
>> Emily: BUT THE ARGUMENT IS
GOING TO BE THIS.
IT'S NOT ARE WE MOVING IN THE
RIGHT DIRECTION WHICH THANK
GOODNESS WE ARE.
BUT IT WILL BE COULD WE BE
MOVING FASTER, COULD WE BE
MAKING MORE PROGRESS THAN
200,000 JOBS WHEN WE HAVE
300,000 UNEMPLOYED.
AND THE ARGUMENT WILL BE MADE
AND I THINK STRONGLY BY CHARLIE
BAKER AND PERHAPS OTHERS THAT IF
YOU HAD LOWER TAXES, IF YOU
HADN'T BEEN RAISING TAXES INTO
THE RECESSION, BOTH THE SALES
TAX, CORPORATE TAXES, EVERY
KIND -- EVERY YEAR THE BUDGET
CONTAINS MORE TAXES.
THAT DEPRESSES JOB GROWTH.
>> MASSACHUSETTS IS TRACKING
BETTER THAN OTHER STATES, I
WANTED TO MAKE THAT POINT.
>> Emily: WELL, YOU COULD SAY,
YOU COULD BE MAKING MORE
PROGRESS.
I THINK IT'S REALLY AN IMPORTANT
POINT TO BE MADE, THAT, YOU
KNOW, IF YOU ARE SCARING A I
WAY -- AWAY EMPLOYERS, IT WILL
BE HARDER TO GET BACK DOWN TO
THE 2% AND 3% UNEMPLOYMENT RATE
WE WERE USED TO FOR A LONG TIME.
>> THERE'S A THEORY OUT THERE,
IF YOU KEEP CUTTING TAXES MORE
JOBS WILL GROW.
I DON'T SUBSCRIBE THAT.
YOU KEEP CUTTING TAXES AND IT
RESULTS IN DECREASED REVENUES.
>> Emily: BUT WE'RE NOT YEAR
THAT POINT YET.
>> WE CAN HAVE TEN ECONOMISTS
AND HAVE TEN DIFFERENT VIEWS ON
THAT ISSUE.
IT'S HARD NOT TO SUBSCRIBE TO
THE VIEW, KERRY, WHEN YOU HEAR
ABOUT THE TEACHERS GETTING LAID
OFF AND ALL KINDS OF
MUNICIPALITIES ARE LOOKING AT
VERY SIGNIFICANT CUTS.
IN MY OWN TOWN OF WATER TOWN,
THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT CUTTING
MIDDLE SCHOOL SPORTS.
THAT'S A SIGNIFICANT THING FOR
MY DAUGHTER WHO PLAYS THE MIDDLE
SCHOOL SPORT.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
THERE ARE THINGS THAT THE UNIONS
COULD DO THAT WOULD BE
REASONABLE CONCESSIONS.
SIMPLY, FOR EXAMPLE, BUYING
THEIR HEALTHCARE THROUGH THE
STATE AS OPPOSED TO NEGOTIATING
IT INDIVIDUALLY.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> IT MAKES A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN
TERMS OF THE MUNICIPALITIES
BEING ABLE TO AFFORD --
>> IT'S ALL --
>> I WOULD ACTUALLY SAY THAT
THE -- THAT THAT IS TRUE.
I THINK --
>> IT'S NOT TRUE.
>> THERE ARE A LOT OF POINTS
THAT -- WELL, TAKE THE
FIREFIGHTERS.
>> Emily: BUT I WANT GOVERNOR
PAT RICK TO JOIN WITH ME AND SAY
THEY SHOULD NOT -- WE SHOULD NOT
PASS THIS INCREASE.
>> WELL, I'LL TELL YOU ONE --
>> THAT'S WHEN THE CUTS ARE
GOING TO HAPPEN IN BOSTON, IF
THE FIREFIGHTERS CONTRACT GOES
THROUGH.
>> Emily: DO YOU THINK IT SHOULD
GO THROUGH?
>> I DON'T KNOW IF IT SHOULD GO
THROUGH.
I HAVE SERIOUS PROBLEMS WITH
GIVING THEM THE SIGNIFICANT PAYS
TO DO SOMETHING WHICH THEY
SHOULD BE DOING IN THE FIRST
PLACE.
IF YOU SHOW UP TO WORK WITHOUT,
YOU KNOW, ANY ALCOHOL OR DRUG
ISSUES.
>> WHY SHOULD ANYONE IN PUBLIC
SAFETY HAVE TO SUBJECT
THEMSELVES REGULARLY AND
VOLUNTARILY TO DRUG TESTING,
THEY SHOULD.
>> THEY HAVEN'T HAD A PAY RAISE
IN FIVE YEARS OR SO.
I DON'T THINK THEY SHOULD BE OUT
OF LINE --
>> 19%?
>> NO, SOMETHING LESS THAN THAT.
BUT, LOOK, THEY'RE THE GUYS THAT
ARE RUNNING INTO A BUILDING WHEN
EVERYBODY ELSE IS RUNNING OUT.
I GIVE THEM A LOT OF CREDIT.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
THEY ARE HEROES.
THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY HEROES, BUT
IF THEY INSIST ON THIS LEVEL OF
A PAY RAISE, TEACHERS WILL BE
CUT.
OTHER PUBLIC SERVICES WILL BE
CUT.
MILLIONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY
MAKING COMPROMISES THAT WE ARE
NOT SEEING FROM OUR UNIONS HERE
IN MASSACHUSETTS.
IN ORDER TO KEEP, YOU KNOW, THE
CITY OF --
>> Emily: NOBODY DARES ALIENATE
THEM.
DO YOU THINK CHARLIE BAKER
WOULD?
HAVE WE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS?
>> LOOK AT WHAT HAPPENED WITH
THE POLICE UNIONS, THE DETAILS
ARE GONE.
THE QUINN BILL IS GONE.
THOSE ARE THINGS THAT WERE
BARGAINED FOR MANY, MANY YEARS
AND UNILATERALLY OVER A COUPLE
OF YEARS GONE.
SO UNIONS ARE MAKING CONCESSIONS
AND HAVE MADE CONCESSIONS.
OR THEY WERE FORCED DOWN THEIR
THROAT.
GOVERNOR PATRICK DID SOMETHING
THAT GOVERNOR -- MANY GOVERNORS
HAVE TRIED TO DO FOR MANY YEARS
AND HE'S TAKING THE HEAT FOR IT.
YOU KNOW, YOU MAY NOT LIKE IT OR
LIKE IT, YOU CAN'T SAY THEY
HAVEN'T DONE SOME OF THIS STUFF.
>> BUT HEALTH CARE IS SINKING
THE BUDGETS OF MUNICIPALITIES.
>> IT HAS BEEN FOR MANY YEARS,
ABSOLUTELY.
>> IT'S INSIDE IN THE -- IT'S IN
THE DOUBLE-DIGIT INFLATION AND
ONE WAY TO CONTROL THAT IS THAT
THE STATE GETS A MUCH BETTER
RATE ON THE HEALTHCARE
INSURANCE, AND IF
MUNICIPALITIESER WERE ALLOWED BY
THE UNIONS TO BUY THROUGH THE
STATE, THAT WOULD BE GREATLY
TAKEN CARE OF.
>> Emily: THE LEGISLATURE CAN
MAKE THAT HAPPEN.
>> IF THEY HAD THE COURAGE TO DO
THAT.
>> BUT IT'S A UNION VOTE, WE'LL
PENALIZE YOU IF YOU TAKE THAT
VOTE.
IT'S AN ELECTION YEAR.
>> AND THAT DOES -- HAVING MORE
MUNICIPALITIES JOIN THE GROUP
INSURANCE COMMISSION MAKES
SENSE.
AND UNIONS HAVE BEEN -- NOT
UNIONS, IT'S THE MEMBERSHIP THAT
HAS SAID, LOOK, RIGHT NOW THEY
CAN JOIN IF 70% OF THE MEMBERS
IN A MUNICIPALITY WANT TO JOIN.
AND THEY CAN DO THAT.
>> BUT THEY DON'T WANT TO GIVE
UP THE POWER TO NEGOTIATE THEIR
OWN HEALTHCARE PROGRAM WHICH IS
BETTER THAN THE REST OF THE
OTHERS.
>> Emily: ALL RIGHT, MORE TO
COME ON THIS.
THANKS FOR COMING, WE'LL HAVE
YOU BACK REAL SOON.
WHEN WE CONTINUE, CUTTING EDGE
CHOREOGRAPHY AT THE BOSTON
BALLET.