Dear Editor,
I was disheartened yesterday to read the article in the Free Press about welfare reform and Massachusetts’ alleged poor showing in a state-by-state comparison. Was your writer aware that the source of the report, the Heartland Institute, is a conservative and libertarian think tank that has also published reports attacking climate science and the medical implications of second-hand smoke? Did the reporter look carefully at the variables assessed in this report or understand what was meant by “incentivizing work”? The inclusion of thoughtful voices at the end of the piece was a positive note, but these were not experts who could also argue back against the Heartland Institute’s claims. Why is the Daily Free Press passing on to our community inaccurate and mean-spirited right wing propaganda?
Deborah Belle
Professor, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences
Boston University
