By: Dominick Jones

Dominick Jones — Sun, 13 Jan 2019 22:10:06 +0000

Order #10. Real Estate Transfer fee. While taxation of property transfers may have a sound basis (reducing the gambling element in the supply of shelter, a basic need), earmarking the resulting revenue stream is not necessarily appropriate for the earmark, and prevents political debate over what IS appropriate. If the tax be a means of raising revenue for a pet project, how high a tax would be determined by the needs of the project, not the need to discipline naughty developers. If it proved ineffective for the latter purpose, supporters of the former would attempt to keep it in place. That is, earmarking reduces the sovereign powers of government, in particular, control over the budget. This is a well known problem at the federal level where entitlement programmes leave little room for allocating resources differently.

By: Peter Dane

Peter Dane — Mon, 07 Jan 2019 23:06:52 +0000

Dear Mr. Winters,

Thanks again for hosting this valuable site. On the idea of being a Cantab, my observation would be a caution that principles espoused by Marx (Groucho), Schrodinger and Heisenberg all apply. Isn’t it a better idea in this day and age to seek something rather than to resemble it?

In that same vein, with regard to public endorsement of the arts, as in #7, is it possible that that ship sailed off a very long time ago? Prior to 1860 or so, the fairly public French institution, L’Ecole des Beaux Arts, produced notable Prix de Rome winners like Delacroix, for example. After 1860 the list of Prix de Rome winners became a public embarrassment.. in May of 1940 as the German army approached Paris, Matisse asked Picasso what just happened. Picasso said: “ C’est L’Ecole des Beaux Arts”, which might have been his way of saying another club that you shouldn’t want to join.

Isn’t what defines CAMBRIDGE at large the simple idea of creativity coupled, perhaps, with a bit of disruptiveness? When last, on the other hand, did you hear a truly creative thought from our government? One hates to say it, but my suspicion is that the arts in Cambridge would currently benefit from benign neglect.

Regards,

Peter

Comments on: Kicking Off the New Year – Jan 7, 2019 Cambridge City Council Agenda Highlights

By: Dominick Jones

By: Peter Dane