How much did the State aid the Harvard Pilgrim Turn-Around?

Megan Woodhouse has an interesting piece in the Boston Globe relative to how much the state helped in the turn-around. The article argues that a $58.5 million "accounting error" back in 2000, shortly after Baker took over at Harvard Pilgrim had the insurer teetering on the brink of insolvency. It was Democratic Attorney General Tom Reilly who rode to the rescue, argues the article, by petitioning the Supreme Judicial Court to put Harvard Pilgrim into receivership, thereby granting the organization protection from creditors.

Baker still gets credit in the article for his astute leadership of Harvard Pilgrim -- but the point of it is that the state and it's willingness to intervene should also be credited.

Pledge on No New Taxes

Joan Vennoichi has a story in the Boston Globe relative to newly-minted Gubernatorial candidate Charlie Baker making the George H.W. Bush pledge on "read my lips: no new taxes." I got to go with Joan on this one: this isn't the smartest pledge to make. Even for the Governor's who ostensibly didn't raise taxes (see Mitt Romney) they ended up closing "tax loopholes" and raising fees through the roof. I don't think that really ends up saving the average taxpayer a lot of money.