Social Welfare & Budget Concerns

In an article today in the Boston Herald talks about the $28 billion dollar budget put through by Governor Patrick that will reduce human services, and boost taxes on candy, soda, and smokeless tobacco products. These tax slashes come at a time where he is in a re-election year and people throughout Massachusetts are criticizing his every move to see if he is worthy of re-election.

For our concerns in social welfare policy, the reduction of human services comes at a time when many people need them more than ever. In the article it stated, "The budget includes $797 million in cuts, including $56 million in adult dental services under MassHealth, $5 million for a program paying police officers for earning a college degree, and a $3.2 million cut to state parks". It is always important when these budgets come out, to see what they are targeting and where the cuts will come from.