Because the State is it's own distinct entity, recognized by the Constitution. This is part of the US being set up as a Representative Republic, not a Democracy.

I think it’s a big generalization to say that all rural people are hostile towards government. I would challenge you to look at town-level election results in MA and back that statement up. What I do think it is fair to say is that it is more difficult to deliver government services in rural areas, and rural people understand this. The police response time for the farm where I grew up is about 20 minutes, so when my mom thought she heard footsteps outside her window, she didn’t call the cops. She called the bikers down the street, who were there almost immediately. Turned out to be nothing but the point is, you get used to the idea that certain sorts of government services (public safety, public transit, water/sewer, etc.) might not be available. That said, I think there are areas where the government could take actions that would really benefit rural people, but they won’t take those actions unless they understand those communities.

If I recall correctly tax sources are roughly 1/3 property tax, 1/3 income tax and the other 1/3 are things like sales tax, corporate taxes, and excise taxes. Massachusetts has a population of a little over 7 million and about 2/3 of those live in the greater Boston metropolitan area. We can remove property taxes from the equation due to those taxes going directly to the cities and towns to fund services such as education, police and fire. That leaves us with the other 2/3 that comprise mostly of income, sales and corporate taxes. Considering that 2/3’s of the population and a large portion of the major corporations being located in the Boston metro it’s safe to say that a majority of income, sales and corporate taxes are coming from the Boston Metro area.

No, just one vote each. How's that not fair?

Do you have a source for this? I'd like to see how the towns break down on local funding vs redistribution from Boston as you say.

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If you bothered to read the comments in this thread there is a link that would give you access to every paper for free for the rest of your life, but you couldn’t be bothered because you probably think we’re communist groomers.

Around Thor Worcester area the MAGA crowd is large and vocal.

NIMBY people in your towns are pushing those laws on you. Don’t blame the state.

I wonder if this will change due to the shift in people leaving areas closer to the city and moving further out. Although I am not sure that would impact Western Mass, it could impact areas right outside the 495 belt.

I recently moved to western Mass from the Burlington area. I have yet to meet anyone who is openly hostile to the government. This isn't rural red Texas, in many ways much of western Mass is more liberal than a lot of the areas inside 495. Except maybe the close Springfield suburbs, that's just a weird area.

https://www.wbur.org/news/2020/11/03/2020-massachusetts-election-map

Greater Boston is the economic driver for the state and generates a majority of income for the state in terms of taxes so it’s actually the other way around.

Greater Boston is the one paying for the infrastructure in rural Mass, so a town 2 hours outside Boston of a few thousand is not paying to maintain the roads in the city of Boston or fund the T; they are actually receiving more for the $1 in taxes they contribute than someone living in Boston, Worcester or Springfield.

They should actually be championing for more investment in the infrastructure of greater Boston, because that investment improves the economic output of the state which generates more taxes which results in more funding for them.

Hey Troll, you already got blown up in the first post by me and nothing more needs to be said. Accept it and move on. Rural folk have representation….and that’s the simple fact of it. Anything else is gibberish and ignorance. Learn how the government works….come back when you do.

What you want is MORE representation than the rest of us. Our government doesn’t work that way. See game over, insert quarter and try again.

PS it’s “ad hoc” not box. Another phrase you do not understand

I work remotely and recently moved from the Burlington area out to Western Mass. I can confirm that trying to find a primary care physician out here is an exercise in futility. I've had a couple of places tell me to check back in 2024 in mid 2022

For now, it's easier just to drive back to my old one by Boston.

Weirdly specialty care can be a little easier, but you better not have an HMO that requires a referral.

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Drawing a parallel to exemplify the consequences of democracy may have been an uncomfortable realization, but it’s not “gross”.

Obviously I understand how separation of powers work, that is mot the topic of conversation. Nice straw man though.

Not confused, bitter, or rural. I don’t know what kind of complex discussions you think I’m misinterpreting, but basically every message I’ve received has been ad hoc and has had nothing or little to do with rural politics. You pretend to care about working class people while ignoring their perspectives in lieu of supporting the business class in Eastern Massachusetts while grifting as some kind of anti-systemic activist.

You’re on a real high horse for someone who can’t even ride a pony.

Keep up the revolution brother, I’m sure you’ll get far from your keyboard.

You continue with ad box attacks yet you can’t even engage with any substance. It sounds to me like I presented you with a conundrum in your perspective of democracy and you are having some kind of meltdown dealing with it. Have a good day man, I hope 2023 will be better than 2022 for you.

You're overthinking it. Drivers will just continue to do what they (mostly) already did. If they need to pass a cyclist, or a person walking along the road, or whatever, and there isn't enough room in the lane, they will cross the centerline when it's safe to do so. In fact, the first part of this bill is changing the existing law so that this behavior is now explicitly legal:

>If it is not possible to overtake a vulnerable user, as defined in section 1 of chapter 90, or other vehicle at a safe distance in the same lane, the overtaking vehicle shall use all or part of an adjacent lane, crossing the centerline if necessary, when it is safe to do so.

The state capitol should be Worcester or Springfield. Some place central that better represents the economic realities of more Massachusetts residents. As someone who used to live in Western Mass, it's like Beacon Hill forgets we exist, and the only realities are inside of 495. Living in Boston, I had access to world class hospitals and doctors. Meanwhile, the only hospital in North Adams closes because "it's not profitable" and all we got in return is a glorified urgent care center.

Where does most of Boston's drinking water come from? From a reservoir that destroyed towns in central Mass in the 1930s. We're a Commonwealth - not an empty forest for Boston to use when it has needs.

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And what was the fix to this problem?

I have far more sympathy and will to cooperate with rural folks than I do suburban folks. Suburban towns cosplay as the country while adding nothing of actual value.

I think it annoys people that rural folk are openly hostile to government… until they need it.

I appreciate what you wrote and we should do better, but I think if rural folks want more from their government then they should start with more belief in our society to begin with.

The virtue signal law is live now. Good luck getting the cops to enforce anything other than overtime construction details.