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Regardless of his suggestions for Pittsfield, Charles Murray is a notable right wing hack. His main claim to fame is the incredibly ignorant book The Bell Curve. He also works for AEI which was one of the big cheerleaders that lied us into the Iraq War.
His work should be taken with a grain of salt. I can guarantee that every economic analysis he does will boil down to blaming poor people and giving the ruling class (unless they are Democrats, in which case they supposedly created the poor) a pass.
You've got the wrong Charles Murray dude. AIER's Charles Murray is Charles Edgar Murray,
Editor: Thanks for pointing that out. As a followup, Mr. Murray from AIER is a former professor of economics; the Mr. Murray who wrote "The Bell Curve" is a political scientist with the American Enterprise Institute. I could see how someone might be confused by similar names and institute acronyms. But if he had been the "The Bell Curve" author, we certainly would have mentioned it.
While you have politely and properly withdrawn your assertion, I will respectfully suggest that we do follow your advice and take all economic opinions with a "grain of salt", as you put it.
In many ways, I "feel" for Mr. Murray as economists must deliver a static forecast in a dynamic world.
Whie I am by no means pointing the finger directly or solely at Mr. Murray or AIER, I would imagine that he would agree that forecasts are based on a series of "if/then" statements. As the actual scenarios vary from those expected (and they could be less than material variations), then forecasts are subject to modification.
A year from now any (or all) predction(s) Mr. Murray made at this meeting could be completely wrong. And that's not a flaw of Mr. Murray specifically (the same could be said of any forecast I make), it's simply a flaw of delivering a set of one-time predictions and then leaving that information with a group of listeners that are not able to receive fairly regular updates.
My point? If whatever Mr. Murray said at this event (static forecast) turns out to be "wrong" a year or so from today, it is extremely likely that he, like any good economist, changed his mind somewhere along the line (dynamic world).
"When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir." - John Maynard Keynes
Lanesborough Town Meeting to Vote Budget, Bylaws & Vehicle Purchases
By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Tuesday's annual town meeting includes a $14 million operating budget, new short-term rentals, accessory dwelling units and sign bylaws, and free cash article appropriations.
Voters will gather at Lanesborough Elementary School on June 9 at 6 p.m. to decide on 20 warrant articles.
The fiscal 2027 budget is up a little over 10 percent. Some of the main increases are the Mount Greylock Regional School District and McCann Technical School: the McCann assessment is up more than 30 percent based on factors including enrollment and the school renovation project, and Mount Greylock's is up 11 percent.
Article 11 is for the town to vote to approve from free cash the sum of $16,298.48 for the McCann Technical School roof and window replacement project so as not to impact the budget. Article 3 is appropriate $7,586,284 for Mount Greylock Regional School assessment.
Another notable increase was in life and health insurance, showing an increase of about 26 percent.
Ambulance Director Jen Weber is planning 24-hour coverage, which means more staff and a hike in her budget. One of the articles asks the town to appropriate $234,100 to operate the Ambulance Enterprise Fund for salaries and expenses.
Many town departments are looking for new vehicles. The Fire Department is looking to replace its outdated 1996 fire engine. There are two articles related to the truck at a total of $813,366. Article 12 would transfer $225,000 from free cash into the Fire Truck Stabilization Fund; Article 13 would transfer $605,000 from the fund and authorize the borrowing of $208,366.08.
The total includes a $100,000 contingency cost to cover any additional costs if a 2026 model-year chassis cannot be secured before new emissions standards go into effect in 2027.
The board at its last meeting moved the $225,000 transfer to come before the borrowing article, changing the stabilization number. If the $225,000 is not voted on, then they will amend the next article's number on the floor, subtracting the $225,000. This shows the borrowing number significantly lower.
Article 17 asks for the transfer of $80,000 from free cash to replace a police cruiser.
Police Chief Rob Derksen's aim is to replace one vehicle every other year, meaning the oldest vehicle gets replaced about every 10 years.
He stressed that if delayed this year, the town may have to double up in a future year to get back on schedule, and that paying later usually costs more. The article will ask for $80,000 from free cash, the vehicles used to be funded by the BHRD.
Lastly, the Highway Department is looking to replace a 2014 International dump truck that will be a total of $330,000 and will take two to three years to receive.
Money will be used from last year's approval of $250,000 from free cash for the replacement of a 2012 highway front-end loader that was underspent $49,261. Town meeting is being asked to approve a transfer of $53,274.85 from free cash and the use of $227,464 from funds from the Sale of Town Real Estate to fund the balance.
Other free cash proposals include $1,200 to purchase software to support tracking and ongoing maintenance schedules of town-owned vehicles; $42,000 for the replacement of the Highway Department's storage shed roof, $200,000 to reduce the tax levy.
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