The Boston Globe‘s investigative report on the Massachusetts military bond bill, “State Pushes to Keep Mass. Military Bases Open“, quotes Massachusetts Peace Action’s executive director Cole Harrison as the key spokesperson against the bill. The legislation, proposed and signed by Gov. Deval Patrick, created a $177 million kitty that state officials can use to spruce up the state’s 6 military bases in the hopes that the DoD will be dissuaded from targeting them in a future round of base closings.
The authors, Bryan Bender and Michael Kranish of the Globe’s Washington bureau, reported that defense industry lobbyists and retired generals have almost unlimited discretion to spend the money with little accountability or transparency. Their piece was the first in a series to be titled “The Business of Influence”.
Mass. Peace Action called on legislators earlier this year to vote against the bill. Two state senators, Jamie Eldridge of Acton and Pat Jehlen of Somerville, did so, and Eldridge was also quoted in the Globe article.
You can use our online tool to write a letter to the editor protesting this misallocation of taxpayer money.