Funding Shortage or Misuse of Funds?

How the state of MA is getting it wrong

Oct 29, 2025

I think the lack of Federal funding being given out to states in need is a terrible & tragic thing. I hate that the Government isn’t doing everything in it’s power to help drive the country forward & support those who need more assistance than others. With that being said, I’ve been trying to figure out where the funding from each state is going & why can’t they subsides some of the financial issues we’re facing? I’ve starting to think that the budget planning on a state level is all messed. Let me explain…

State budgets are in place to help divert funds & coordinate a paper trail. The Healey-Driscoll Administration in Massachusetts is approving & funding all the wrong things. For example, in October 2025 their administration approved $12 million to local parks & environmental concerns around the state. Sounds good right? Yes, until you realize in that same breathe they approved $45 million to the Defense Sector in the state. Citing that the Defense Sector makes up 7% of the overall economy in the Bay State. With $45 million, the state should be ordering new technology & weaponry to defend the state’s borders right? Wrong, they are funding bond funds & local tax initiatives for the city of Lowell. $11.4 million of that $45 million will be sent to Army Center in Natick & to Hanscom Air Force Base to develop ways to protect service members. Isn’t that a federal funding thing? If SNAP benefits can’t be received due to federal funding cuts, shouldn’t the military have to suffer that same funding shortage?

The report on 22 News was so vague, it stated 9 organizations will receive grants, only naming 1. Which is the Berkshire Community College that will receive $202,000 to develop a workforce program for mechatronics. What even is “mechatronics”?

Google’s Ai stated the following “Mechatronics is a multidisciplinary field that integrates mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer science, and control engineering to design and manufacture intelligent systems and products. It creates “smart” systems by combining these fields to produce more efficient, complex, and automated products. This synergy allows for the seamless integration of digital and physical components, enabling everything from advanced robotics to automated assembly lines”. Sounds like more Ai taking over jobs that people could do to help ends meet. Similar to how Amazon is firing or “cutting” 14,000 workers due to their generative Ai that is set to take over jobs inside of the warehouse. They’re investing $10 billion into a campus in North Carolina to expand their cloud computing & artificial intelligence infrastructure, but that’s a story for another time.

Governor Healey even signed an executive order “tasking state agencies with identifying ways to support defense sector initiatives & creating a task force to advise her administration”. To me, this sounds like legal jargon for using state & local funds to aid her own conquest of cementing her footing in the upcoming Governor elections in 2026. Personally, I’ve never been a fan of Maura Healey & how she claims to be the People’s lawyer, but has steadily increased restrictions on the 2nd Amendment & the lack of policies regarding student loan debt.

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To her defense, I will say that her environmental & civil rights policies have been positively impacted by her laws & reform. She’s a big supporter of the reproductive care & fighting for the rights of immigrant students within her state.

She has tried to make MA more safe, but studies have shown quite the opposite is happening. She expanded the definition of assault weapons, banned all magazines with more than 10 rounds, increased Red Flag Laws, banned several types of guns including the AK, AR, Tec-9s, cylinder shotguns, AUGs, FN/FAL, Uzis, Galils, Beretta Ar70s, & many more. From 2014 to 2023, the overall gun death rate has increased in MA by 16%. The gun homicide rate rose by 38%. Gun suicide rate has increased by 12%. Hampden County, (My county) has had the highest rate of gun deaths at 8.5 per 100,000 people. While our state’s average is lower than the national average, our state average went from 3.7 deaths in 2023 to 3.9 deaths per 100,000 people in 2024. This is after the newly installed Sweeping Bill in July 2024 that is meant to crack down on ghost guns.

But what about Public Health? That budget was also cut for the 2025 fiscal year from $35 million to $32 million. This cut in funding is reducing the testing, prevention, & treatment for various infectious diseases such as HIV/ADS & hepatitis C. School nutrition programs have been cut. According to Masslive.com, there is a stark contrast from this administration’s spending in other areas, such as emergency shelter programs. Maura Healey is blaming Donald Trump for not providing aid to their SNAP program, but they somehow found billions of dollars to help shelter, feed, & transport migrants around MA. I agree that migrants should receive help too, but to spend the taxpayers money on programs that don’t directly benefit the people paying into those funds, it’s a blatant misuse.

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I say all of this to point out the fact that her administration doesn’t quite know how to positively impact our communities. They’re spending a large portion of the state’s budget on the defense sector & things that will not improve the quality of life for the average citizen residing in the state of Massachusetts. What we really want changed is the cost of living. The cost of housing is through the roof & many people can’t afford basic needs like electricity & water. With all of those funds getting put to future technology, why haven’t we received more housing units? Low-income homes? More buildings for apartments & more space for homes? Due to the high costs of groceries & housing expenses, many MA residents have a strong desire to move to another state. Many residents have went to Vermont & Rhode Island. If they are going to be paying vast amounts in housing, might as well move out of the hood into a place with a better view. While many people who were surveyed on the quality of life in MA ranked the state “good to excellent” a majority of those people also claimed it has either stagnated or worsened over the last 5 years. (Study)

What does this have to do with street art & graffiti? Nothing really, but as a voice in my community I want my words & actions to be of signifance & importance. These are issues plaguing our cities & communities on a day to day basis. If no one speaks up, nothing will ever change for the better. We have to hold each other accountable & give reality checks once in a while. Being in a position for a long time can cloud your reason & judgement. People who have been painting for a long time feel as though they know everything & can do no wrong. But we find often times that our favorite writers aren’t the best people or personalities. It’s a rare find to meet another graffiti writer that isn’t a total washup. I realized one time watching a documentary on hobos & moniker artists, that we are idolizing & fantasying about literal homeless people. People who rode the railroads & scavenged for food. I got nothing against these people, but I don’t want to be like them. I enjoy a roof over my head & a bed to sleep in. I like having a stone that can be turned on with electricity. I enjoy the fact that a paycheck hits my account bi-weekly. It gives me a sense of security for the future.

A wise writer once told me, “Appreciate your response & thoughtfulness around this. Too many people just wanna put a name out there without making a statement. I think it’s important to consider”.

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