Press Release: 3/4/2026
They don’t like our work on Beacon Hill
On Monday morning, veteran political commentator Jon Keller devoted part of his column to criticizing MassFiscal.
Not for getting facts wrong, or misrepresenting policy, but for having the temerity to ask the House Speaker Ron Mariano direct questions as he left a public forum.
What question did he find so offensive?
When the voters vote to reduce the income tax, will you stand in the way of it like you did with the audit?
MassFiscal also asked him questions about the audit law controversy. You can view our exchange with the Speaker here. As you can see, we were asking the Speaker to answer fundamental questions about whether elected officials will honor the outcome of ballot initiatives when the results are inconvenient to the political establishment.
The reaction from insiders tells you everything you need to know.
In his column, Keller went even further. He described supporters of groups like ours as “gullible customers,” and suggested that citizens who question Beacon Hill have “internalized the easy stereotype” of leaders “as arrogant tyrants who contemptuously dismiss the ‘will of the voters.’”
But here is the uncomfortable truth: when legislative leaders refuse to clearly commit to honoring a voter-approved tax cut, and when they resist implementing a voter-mandated audit law that passed with 72% of the vote, they are in fact dismissing the will of the voters. That is not a stereotype. That is observable reality.
In his column, Keller suggested that groups like MassFiscal are part of the problem for challenging legislative leaders outside the comfort of moderated panels and carefully structured forums. But the reality is simple: when politicians avoid giving clear answers in formal settings, and ostensible “journalists” allow them to get away with it, citizens have every right to press them elsewhere.
Watch MassFiscal’s video reply to Jon Keller here: https://youtu.be/N8AxUiHgEQc
At the same time, voters overwhelmingly approved a law requiring greater transparency and independent auditing of the Legislature. Yet implementation has been slow-walked and contested at every turn. When leadership hesitates to fully comply with a voter mandate on transparency, it raises serious concerns about accountability and respect for the democratic process itself.
These are not abstract debates. They go to the heart of self-government. If ballot questions can be delayed, diluted, or sidestepped when they inconvenience powerful interests, then citizens are left wondering whether their vote truly matters.
Ballot questions exist precisely because citizens sometimes believe the Legislature is unresponsive to public demand. When leadership signals that voter-approved reforms may be reinterpreted, delayed, or diluted, trust in government erodes further.
MassFiscal is not here to apologize for politicians.
We are here to represent hardworking taxpayers who deserve straightforward answers. We are here to defend the principle that when voters speak, government listens. And we are here to shine light on decisions that affect your family’s finances and your confidence in state government.
Watch the full exchange with the Speaker for yourself here: https://youtu.be/Nf7dU5ugQ70
Watch MassFiscal’s reply to Jon Keller’s column here: https://youtu.be/N8AxUiHgEQc
If you believe elected officials should clearly commit to honoring the will of the voters…
If you believe transparency laws should be implemented as written…
If you believe taxpayers deserve direct answers, not lectures…
If you believe in the hard work the MassFiscal team is taking on asking the tough questions…
Please consider making a contribution of $25, $50, $100, $2500, $1000 or whatever you can afford today to help us continue asking the tough questions that others would prefer to avoid.
You can contribute to us directly by clicking here: https://www.massfiscal.org/contribute
The political class may be irritated by our work, but accountability is not harassment. It’s democracy in action