麻州長派區克最後一年預算364億元 將徵糖果汽水稅

麻州州長派區克(Deval Patrick)排定在21日的州情咨文發表會，因風雪延期，昨（22）日下午改以記者會，公佈2015會計年度364億元預算，包括增撥教育經費二億餘元，徵收糖果，汽水稅，提撥一億七千五百萬元的儲備金來平衡預算等。

            派區克表示，這一總額較2014會計年度增加4.9%的新預算，是投資進麻州未來，要擴大麻州所有居民的成長機會。四大重點為增加就業機會，彌平學校內成就差距，確保醫療護理的可負擔，可獲得，並處理青年及市區暴力問題。

            將於今年七月一日起生效的這麻州政府收支預算案，將交給麻州參眾兩議會審議後，才能落實。

            麻州長辦公室的財務卿 Glen Shor 表示，派區克州長的財務管理能力記錄優良，和議會合作良好的結果，讓麻州獲得有史以來最高的債信評級。

        在教育上，派區克提議增加經費二億四百九十萬元，包括新撥一千五百萬元近高品質的早期教育項目，為四千名以上兒童提供幼兒教育；撥款三百一十萬元做補助款，協助還無全日幼稚園的社區，得以辦理這樣的教育服務；增加一億元的第70章（Chapter 70）地方教育補助，使得第70章的開支經費達到44億元，比派區克初任州長石，增加了34%。這筆經費將可保障每個學區的每名學童，多得25元經費。派區克還提議斥資四百五十萬元，來支持中學生延長在校學習時間；新撥三百一十萬元給那些自動參加以創新方式改善學生成績的學校，增撥一百廿五萬元額外經費，來支持門戶城市裏的學生，及其家庭。撥款十一億元給高等教育，其中包括六千八百萬元投資進高等教育校園。

            在交通上，麻州交通廳（Mass DOT）及麻州灣區公司（MBTA）的經費將增為一億四千一百萬元，已終結交通體系原有的無法維持的營運模式。派區克並打算在未來五年內，投資124億元，進行公共交通體系，高速公路，橋樑等的整修工程。

            在支持生命科學產業上，派區克政府提議從2014會計年度中的結餘，撥出二千五百萬元給麻州生命科學中心，以為研究者，初創公司等提供研究補助款，加速公司發展貸款等。

            在推廣更強壯，安全的社區上，派區克的預算包括撥九百五十萬元，辦理安全成功青年計劃，七百萬元辦理青少年正義為成功付費（Juvenile Justice Pay for Success Initiative）項目。

            在擴大人民獲得醫療護理上，派區克提議新撥一千六百九十萬元，來消滅耆英居家服務的等候名單，同時把支持性的住宅項目地點，從現有的31個增為41個。

            為因應未來的氣候變遷，派區克也提議擴大撥款五千二百萬元，做跨部會運作，其中包括撥款二百萬元給能源及環境事務辦公室來推動合作。

Budget Proposes Investments in the Commonwealth’s Future to Expand Growth and Opportunity for all of the Commonwealth’s Residents

BOSTON – Wednesday, January 22, 2014 – Governor Deval Patrick today filed his Fiscal Year 2015 (FY15) budget, a balanced plan that reflects the Governor's commitment to creating broad-based opportunity for all residents of the Commonwealth, managing state finances responsibly and making government work more efficiently. 

This budget makes a significant commitment to expanding early education opportunities for children in Massachusetts, and supports the Governor’s four key priorities of growing jobs throughout the Commonwealth, closing the achievement gap in our schools, ensuring that health care is as affordable as it is accessible and addressing youth and urban violence.

“This budget is a balanced, responsible budget that supports our growth strategy of investing in education, innovation and infrastructure to create jobs and opportunity in the near term and strengthen our Commonwealth in the long term,” said Governor Patrick. “I am proud of the progress we have made by working together and governing for the long term over the past seven years. Let’s continue this work, inspired by our shared commitment to leave to others a better Commonwealth than we found. In that spirit, I look forward to working with the Legislature on this budget.”

The Governor’s record of strong fiscal management, in partnership with the Legislature, has resulted in the Commonwealth receiving the highest credit ratings in its history. Governor Patrick continues his Administration’s commitment to strong fiscal and economic stewardship with his FY15 budget which proposes state spending of $36.374 billion, a 4.9 percent increase from FY14, in line with projected tax revenue growth of 4.9 percent.

“This budget invests in creating opportunity and shared prosperity throughout the Commonwealth,” said Secretary of Administration and Finance Glen Shor. “The budget reflects the Governor’s continuing commitment to governing for the long term to leave a better Commonwealth for future generations.”

EDUCATION

Governor Patrick is committed to investing in education because education is the foundation for opportunity and economic mobility.

As a result of the Administration’s strategic investments in education and innovation to date, the Commonwealth’s students perform at the top in national and international assessments of academic achievement. The FY15 budget proposes $204.9 million in increased education funding designed to make progress in providing a world-class education from the earliest ages through college. The FY15 budget invests in education by:

·         Recognizing Early Education as a Key to Student Success – The Governor will continue his commitment to expanding access to early education as a critical tool for closing the achievement gap by proposing a new $15 million investment in high-quality early education programs. Combined with similar investments in FY14, this funding will support quality improvements at early education centers across the state and provide over 4,000 children with access to early education programs.

·         Expanding Access to Full-Day Kindergarten – Governor Patrick proposes $3.1 million to increase and refocus kindergarten expansion grants to provide communities without full-day kindergarten classrooms the ability to offer such classrooms.

·         Supporting K-12 Education – Governor Patrick proposes a record $100 million increase in Chapter 70 local education aid.  This will bring Chapter 70 spending to $4.4 billion, the highest level in state history and 34 percent greater than when Governor Patrick took office. This level of funding will keep every school district at foundation levels of spending, guarantee an increase of $25 per pupil for every district, make significant progress on the Chapter 70 equity reforms of 2007 and eliminate the cap on the number of pre-kindergarteners included in Chapter 70 district enrollment.

·         Supporting Our Highest-Need Students – The Governor proposes targeted investments to improve student performance, including $4.5 million to support expanded learning time for middle school students, $3.1 million in new funding for schools that want to voluntarily engage in innovative approaches to improving student performance and $1.25 million in additional funding for comprehensive supports to students and their families in Gateway Cities.

·         Making Higher Education More Affordable – The Governor’s budget proposal includes $1.1 billion in higher education funding in FY15. This includes a $68.4 million investment in higher education campuses that will make a real difference to the thousands of families who worry about how to afford the quality college education their kids need to succeed in today’s economy.

JOB CREATION

The Governor’s FY15 budget includes investments that will increase employment opportunities, link job seekers with industries growing in Massachusetts and continue our record of success in leveraging education, innovation and infrastructure to grow jobs. 

Transportation - Governor Patrick understands that investing in a comprehensive and reliable transportation system for the Commonwealth creates jobs and opportunity for all our residents and is essential to our economic vitality. In line with the goals set out in the 2013 Transportation Finance law, the FY15 budget increases funding for MassDOT and the MBTA by $141 million to end the costly and fiscally unsustainable practice of paying for transportation staff on the capital budget and in turn creating more room for investments to build better roads, rail and bridges across the Commonwealth. It will also continue to eliminate the MBTA’s structural operating deficit and make modest service improvements for MBTA bus and subway service. The FY15 investments are based on the financial framework enacted by the Legislature, updated for new fiscal projections for MassDOT and the MBTA.

Through its capital plan, the Patrick Administration is funding a multi-year strategy to improve our roads, rail and bridges across the entire state. The Administration has planned for $12.4 billion in capital investments in public transit, highway, bridge and aeronautics programs over the next five years, pending legislative approval of a transportation bond bill.

Life Sciences - The Patrick Administration proposes $25 million in FY14 surplus funds for the Mass Life Sciences Center (MLSC) to provide research grants and accelerator loans to researchers and early-stage companies, and support workforce development efforts in the life sciences. This investment will continue efforts to promote Massachusetts as a global leader in all stages of business development in life sciences industries, from discovery to commercialization.

PUBLIC SAFETY

Stronger and safer communities begin with efforts to prevent youth violence and provide supporting services and opportunities for the most vulnerable. Governor Patrick is committed to providing the tools needed to build a positive future for the Commonwealth’s youth that will save in the long-run on unnecessary costs and negative outcomes.

Criminal Justice and Reentry Reform – The Governor’s plan for reentry will dramatically improve inmates’ reentry into their communities, increasing opportunities for formerly incarcerated individuals and enhancing public safety. The budget includes $2.1 million to support evidence-based reentry programming for the Department of Correction (DOC) that includes a state-to-county facility step-down program and appropriate addiction treatment in the least restrictive environment to all individuals who are involuntarily committed to state custody due to substance abuse. It also addresses the lack of post-release supervision for a targeted group of high-impact inmates.

Promoting Strong, Safe Communities – The Governor’s FY15 budget makes significant investments to promote strong and safe communities for our youth and families. This budget includes $9.5 million for the Safe and Successful Youth Initiative, $7 million for the Commonwealth’s landmark Juvenile Justice Pay for Success Initiative to prevent youth recidivism in our adult criminal justice system while paying only after results are achieved, $9.2 million for capacity building and operational improvements at the Department of Children and Families to better serve families in need and $15 million to implement “Raise the Age” legislation signed by the Governor in 2013 that changes juvenile jurisdiction laws to support the rehabilitation of young people through age 18. 

STRENGTHENING OUR SAFETY NET AND EXPANDING ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE

The Governor’s FY15 budget continues to protect our state’s safety net, which provides vital services for our most vulnerable residents. 

·         Supporting Human Service Workers and Those They Serve – The Patrick Administration is committed to supporting human service providers, which employ nearly 200,000 people and serve the Commonwealth’s most vulnerable residents. The FY15 budget provides for a $163 million increase over FY14 to recognize human service providers for the work that they do.

·         Expanding Access to High Quality Health Care – Consistent with Governor Patrick’s leadership in implementing the state’s historic health care reform and cost-containment initiatives, the FY15 budget expands and streamlines access to health care for individuals and working families. The FY15 budget maintains last year’s restoration of coverage for dental fillings for adult members in MassHealth, and restores coverage for dentures in the second half of the fiscal year.

·         Expanding Elders Services - The FY15 budget provides new investments of $16.9 million that eliminates the waitlist for the statewide Elder’s Home Care Program and also expands the Supportive Housing program from 31 sites to 41 sites.

GOVERNING FOR THE LONG TERM

Governor Patrick remains committed to governing for the long-term to leave a better Commonwealth for future generations. Consistent with that goal, the Governor’s FYI5 budget includes funding for key initiatives that help change and improve the way government does business. 

Climate Preparedness

The Patrick Administration will expand its climate change efforts through a $52 million cross-Secretariat investment using operating, capital and trust resources. Of the $52 million investment, the Governor’s FY15 budget includes $2 million for the Executive Office of Energy and Environment Affairs to collaborate with Secretariats in determining the investments that will have the most effective, immediate and long-lasting impact on our climate change preparedness. The preparedness strategies that will benefit most from enhanced collaboration relate directly to the Commonwealth’s infrastructure, specifically transportation, energy, our communities and public health.

Effective and Accountable Government

The Patrick Administration is dedicated to making state government more effective, efficient and accountable. This year, through the MassResults initiative, each Secretariat is publishing Performance Reports outlining how it has performed on a series of previously announced measurements – promoting accountability for achieving real results on the public’s behalf.

For the second consecutive year, the Governor’s budget will be published in program format to provide comprehensive information on how taxpayer dollars are being spent. This year, there will also be over 700 performance measures linked to programs in the program budget, with over 300 providing data on performance trends to date.

Reforms in the FY15 Budget

The FY15 budget continues the Patrick Administration’s unprecedented commitment to changing the way government does business by proposing and implementing numerous reforms and savings initiatives across state government. Reforms for FY15 include enhanced verification to prevent fraudulent eligibility claims which is estimated to save $20 million in FY15; implementation of integrated facilities management to protect our capital investments and achieve operating cost savings for state buildings; and reforms to ensure the Commonwealth is more strategic in selecting, procuring and implementing IT projects. The Administration is also filing a legislative package of transportation reforms with this budget that will save approximately $6 million on an annual basis.

Fiscal Responsibility

Once again, the Governor’s FY15 budget proposal is balanced and sustainable. The budget minimizes the use of the state’s Rainy Day Fund with a draw of $175 million, half of what was required to balance last year’s budget. This will leave the Rainy Day Fund with a projected $1.2 billion balance at the end of FY15, one of the highest balances in the country.

The Governor’s FY15 budget proposes to utilize only $334 million in gross one-time resources, down from $667 million in FY14. The Governor’s budget also responsibly funds our long-term fiscal liabilities. The FY15 budget includes a $1.79 billion pension appropriation which is part of an updated and accelerated pension funding schedule recently announced by the Secretary of Administration and Finance and the Legislature. This represents a $163 million increase over FY14 and a $65 million increase over the previously adopted pension schedule. The Governor’s FY15 budget also includes an $82 million deposit into the State Retiree Benefits Trust Fund to address the Commonwealth’s unfunded retiree health benefit (OPEB) liability.

Commitment to Municipalities

Governor Patrick’s FY15 budget maintains the Administration’s commitment to building strong partnerships with cities and towns and supporting their efforts to operate more effectively and efficiently. Governor Patrick continues support in FY15 for programs, such as the Community Innovation Challenge Grant Program, that cities and towns are using to change the way local government does business at an unprecedented pace, with the overarching goal of preserving local services for residents and taxpayers. 

The FY15 budget also proposes a total of $ 5.6 billion for local aid, including $4.4 billion for K-12 Chapter 70 education aid – an increase of $100 million from last year and the highest level in state history.

Other FY15 Local Aid funding includes:

·         Unrestricted General Government Aid at $920 million, maintaining last year’s $21 million increase;

·         The Special Education Circuit Breaker will maintain funding of $252 million directly to municipalities, after an increase of $11 million in FY14;

·         Veterans Benefits are funded at $50.1 million, an increase of $1.75 million over FY14;

·         Regional School Transportation is level funded at $51.52 million;

·         Charter School Reimbursement is level funded at $75 million;

·         School Food Services Program is level funded at $5.42 million;

·         Municipal Library Aid is funded at $6.96 million;

·         Regional Library Local Aid is funded at $9.72 million.

Revenues in the Governor’s FY 15 Budget

The Governor’s FY15 budget includes new resources to support the investments made in this budget:

·         $57 million in new tax revenue derived from applying the sales tax to candy and soda purchases to be dedicated to supporting public health services and infrastructure in the Commonwealth; and

·         $40 million in tax revenues by proposing to close loopholes that the Governor has supported closing in previous fiscal years, including imposing the room occupancy tax on the mark-up that room resellers like online travel websites receive as well as applying the room occupancy tax on transient rentals, and applying the corporate tax rate to pass-through entities owned by insurance companies and security corporations.

Other resources in FY15 include: approximately $203.5 million more from refining our policy on settlements or judgments in excess of $10 million to more closely align with our capital gains provision, which sets a threshold above which capital gains collections are unavailable to support budgetary expenditures and instead must be dedicated to the Commonwealth’s Rainy Day Fund; $20 million of operating tax revenue collections from the launch of the first Massachusetts gaming establishment at the end of calendar year 2014; and $24.2 million from modernizing the state’s existing bottle redemption law to include non-carbonated beverage containers such as bottled water and sports drinks.

For more information on the Governor’s FY15 budget, please click here.

麻州牛頓元極舞聯誼會慶六週年

美國麻州牛頓元極舞健身會上週末在波士頓僑教中心慶祝成立六週年，頒獎狀感謝熱心幹事，發鑽石獎座，鼓勵夫妻攜手服務。三、四十名會員，嘉賓歡聚一堂，享用擺滿一長桌的美食，還唱跳，抽獎，氣氛極之熱絡。

            會長鄭玉春和司儀勞少儀這天統籌大局，先把駐波士頓台北經濟文化辦事處副處長陳銘俊，波士頓僑教中心主任郭大文，新英格蘭台灣商會會長許炳煌，紐英崙客家鄉親會會長陳裕逢，台灣同鄉聯誼會會長林展輝等嘉賓邀上主席台，再逐一頒發獎狀，感謝幹部。

            獲獎幹部包括陳玲雪，曾秀梅，何成金，甄瑞蘭，曾建斗，蘇琼珠，麥石楠，劉豔儀，余潔芳，余鳳子，梁慧玲，勞少美等人。

            麻州牛頓元極舞會這天還別出心裁地頒發夫妻服務獎，藉以提倡夫妻攜手相隨，增進家庭和諧。包括會長鄭玉春，曾正泉夫婦，以及陳義雄和林錦雲，曾政明和鄭雪卿，劉良恩和勞少儀這四對獲獎人，都是從該會六年前創辦起，就攜手在會內服務的夫婦。

            該會秘書長勞少儀表示，美國麻州牛頓元極舞健身會其實包括牛頓市與昆士市兩個分會，共有會員八十多人，平日各自活動，有大活動才一起參加。當天的六週年慶，本來要兩會一起舉行，但天氣預報會下大雪，才改為以牛頓市地區會員為主的聚會。

            波士頓僑教中心工作人員張小慧指出，麻州牛頓元極舞會成員不但熱心，還個個一身好手藝，每次僑教中心有活動，只要有他們，場面就一定打點得很周到，逢有聚會，例必菜香四溢。

慶祝六週年這天，曾正泉親手做的蚵仔麵線，就讓每個吃到的人都讚不絕口。

            根據互動百科，元極舞是依照元極學理論創編，融合舞蹈，醫學，音樂，武術於一體的一種健身舞蹈運動。元極功法源起於金、元朝時期，被忽必烈封為國粹的“太一道”，當年只有宮廷裏的上層貴族，才能演練，到了近代，經舞蹈，武術，醫學，氣功各界參與演繹，重新編出動作簡單，形式活潑，藉音樂及舞姿，來達到調和人身心，腑臟，脈絡的功能。

            大波士頓地區演練元極舞的風氣，近年也越來越盛，已從最早的波士頓元極舞聯誼會，發展到牛頓市，昆士市各有元極舞團，甚至還有社團在自己的社團體內開闢一個元極舞小組，加起來有不下五，六個元極舞團體。

圖片說明：

        右起，何成金，僑教中心主任郭大文，曾秀梅，經文處副處長陳銘俊，麻州牛頓元極舞會長鄭玉春，秘書長勞少儀，台商會會長許炳煌，台灣同鄉聯誼會會長林展輝合影。（菊子攝）

            第一排右起，林展輝，許炳煌，勞少儀，陳銘俊，鄭玉春，郭大文，曾秀梅，何成金，曾政明，曾正泉等人和會員合影。（菊子攝）

            美國麻州牛頓元極舞健身會會長鄭玉春（前右一），頒發感謝狀給熱心幹部。（菊子社）

            滿滿一長桌的佳餚，讓美國麻州牛頓元極舞健身會的活動總是最吸引人。（菊子攝）

            左起，鄭玉春，曾正泉夫婦獲夫妻服務獎。旁為勞少儀。

台青商"ＷeMeet"談音樂 說鋼鼓

新英格蘭台灣青年商會（TYCCNE）上週在哈佛醫學院舉辦“我們會晤（ WeMeet） 講座”，邀來五名音樂人，以「音樂與下一步？」為主題，與三十多名出席者探討音樂家生涯概況。

這天的“我們會晤“由波士頓大學藝術行政管理碩士畢業生洪意林主持。柏克萊音樂學院的教授李玫瑰博士、助理教授施永德博士（DJ Hatfield）和大提琴家林明慧博士、爵士鐵琴與鋼鼓音樂家王思雲、哈博諮商中心（Harbor Counseling Center）臨床心理師黃士弘等五名嘉賓，各從不同角度闡述音樂和他們的人生。

其中有心成為第一位台灣籍專業鋼鼓演奏家與調音師的王思雲，還現場演奏三段精采的加勒比海鋼鼓，包括「小美人魚」電影配樂「海底下（Under the Sea）」前奏，爵士名曲「我的方法（My Way）」以及日本歌手宇多田光的「初戀（First Love）」

王思雲在台灣土生土長，具古典音樂背景，有豐富表演經驗，到柏克萊音樂學院學爵士鐵琴音樂演奏時，意外愛上發源於加勒比海千里達( Trinidad)的鋼鼓（steel drum）。她指出，鋼鼓是用55 加侖空汽油桶，以手工製造的打擊樂器，形狀如深碗，表面有一個個代表不同音高的圓弧型音區。

她在畢業後追隨世界鋼鼓之父艾利曼雷特（Ellie Mannette），深造調音和製造鋼鼓。2013年世界鋼鼓演奏大師安迪奈瑞爾 (Andy Narell) 邀她到千里達參加一年一度的全國鋼鼓馬拉松大賽，讓她見識到為期將近一整個月，有多達千萬人出席朝聖的盛況，被千里達人的熱情，感動到決心要加入推廣鋼鼓音樂行列。

曾經在台灣從事教學工作的王思雲覺得，當老師的生活太平凡，單調，她想要看世界，才來到柏克萊，闖進鋼鼓世界，當上一名有不錯待遇，可到處旅遊的專業鋼鼓調音師。只是長期奔波，難與人建立穩定關係，結婚成家變成一大挑戰。

王思雲希望政府及大眾，能更用行動來支持，重視音樂家。

當晚出席的音樂人，各自抒發了他們與音樂攜手走來的經過。

來自台灣嘉義的黃士弘從小喜歡音樂，也愛科學，但在台灣的教育體系中，他只能二選一。一直到他進入大學後，社團活動才給了他學吉他與音樂理論的機會。大學畢業後，出乎意料，他找到結合藝術與科學的助人專業——音樂治療。他說，「平衡興趣與現實是最難的，我很幸運」。談及台灣音樂時，他認為雖然台灣音樂融合了日本，中國，美國元素，十分獨特，但父母親那輩熟悉的閩南語歌曲，最能代表台灣文化特色。

曾經在鹿港、泉州、都蘭等地點進行田野調查多年的施永德博士（DJ Hatfield）則認為，台灣是「音樂人類學家的樂園」，音樂背景十分多元，包含不同國家，以及漢人、原住民的在地文化元素。

研究傳統亞洲音樂的李玫瑰博士指出，南管等等是非常獨特而且優美的台灣傳統音樂，不過面對著後繼無人的危險。她認為，儘管音樂是世界語言，但就像每個人都有自己的母語一般，各地方，各族裔也各有屬於自己的特色音樂韻律或樂器。她希望藉由自己的努力，能讓更多人了解，喜愛台灣音樂。

彈奏大提琴的波士頓大學音樂藝術博士林明慧，創辦了新英格蘭弦樂四重奏，經常應邀上演奏廳，進錄音室。她坦言，音樂是她與人群交流，為人群提供服務的媒介。也許為了練琴，和親朋好友相聚的時間少了，距離遠了，但在大眾面前演奏時，就有如把那距離又縮短了。她為自己曾有緣和奧斯卡音樂獎提名人以及葛萊美獎得主合作，感到幸運。

查詢新英格蘭台灣青年商會詳情，可上網https://www.tyccne.org。

圖片說明：

            與會專家合照。右起：新英格蘭台灣青年商會王力遠、施永德、黃士弘、王思雲、林明慧、李玫瑰、洪意林。（圖由新英格蘭台灣青年商會提供， 張煜杰攝）

            右起，施永德、黃士弘、林明慧等人談「音樂與下一步」。（圖由新英格蘭台灣青年商會提供， 張煜杰攝）

            王思雲現場講解並演奏鋼鼓。（圖由新英格蘭台灣青年商會提供， 張煜杰攝）

波士頓首名華裔市議員吳弭有心消弭社區文化隔閡

            波士頓市有史以來的首名華裔市議員吳弭（Michelle Wu)，十八日晚以流利國語做開場，在大波士頓中華文化協會年會中申論藉由文化，外展及參與，把社區連接起來。

            父母來自台灣的吳弭，因為父母有心，努力，既保有中華文化，也深明西方社會。她坦率敘述做為移民後代，在美成長所感受到的學校與家裏是兩個世界的文化差異，界限及成長過程，讓文協許多家長，青少年都有“那也是我的故事”的感覺，對吳弭也感到更加親切。

            吳弭當晚是應牛頓市首名華裔市議員馬惠美（Amy Mah Sangiolo）的邀請出席。她因此指出，自己為能成為波士頓市的首名亞裔女性市議員感到震撼，因為那實在是有諸如馬惠美，談繼欣等前輩的努力，她才得以順利步上後塵。她希望自己將來也能為後輩，社區，打開許多融入主流社會的大門。

            在主題為“連接社區”的講話中，吳弭指出，波士頓市有人口63萬餘，周遭鄰接不下450萬人。在競選途中，她很快就發現波士頓市可以分劃成無數個小社區，即使亞裔社區，都還可以再細分為東亞，南亞，華裔，韓裔或日裔社區，甚至只是在華裔社區之內，還可以再分成講廣東話的，講國語的。更不要說，這些劃分還可以把各人職業，宗教，居住地區等區別加進去。但真正定義這些社區的是文化，而形成文化的是價值觀。

            她認為，當所有的社區越有聯繫，越了解彼此的文化時，大家的生活就能更豐富，城市與州才會更強壯。

            吳弭說自己就是中國文化價值觀的產物。她是家中四兄弟姐妹中的老大，27時才從台灣移民來美到芝加哥的父母，很重視中華文化，每週日都要他們上中文學校，每週六開車一小到芝加哥版的大波士頓中華文化協會買雜貨，吃午餐。在車裏，她父母會播放民謠及故事，教他們諺語及歷史。

            多年以後，那時學來的忠於家庭，尊敬長輩，勤奮工作，重視教育，要仁慈，做好事等價值觀，一直都影響著她的行為。是這些價值觀導致她從小就很努力讀書，申請到獎學金進哈佛大學，也是這些價值觀讓她在母親生病時，挑起照顧弟妹，扶養家庭的責任。她的選擇成為公僕，想幫助各家庭獲得每日生活所需資源，也是由於這些價值觀與文化傳承的影響。

        吳弭坦言，她還記得成長時感受到的文化界線與其侷限性。她上的學校，沒幾個華裔學生，幾次經驗下來，她很快就知道，海苔，酸梅，豬耳朵，這些東西不適宜帶到學校當午餐。在她看來，這種文化界限與侷限性也影響了亞裔對未來的規劃。在她成長時，周遭見不到任何亞裔政界人物，比較知名的華裔女性之一，是關穎珊，於是勸她去學花式溜冰的遠比勸她從政的多得多。

            鑑於這些經驗，她深信打破界限，連接社區，是提升整體社會的必要行動。她指出，當年儘管她家不富裕，鮮有機會出席正式場合，或進豪華餐廳，但她母親卻很有遠見的，在她五歲時，不惜斥資讓她去上用餐禮儀課，期盼著她能真正的融入美國社會，了解美國社會的文化，習俗。

            吳弭說，中國文化價值觀是作為一個好公民的基礎，但她要挑戰座中的每一個人，把這些價值觀和外展，參與連接起來，鼓勵下一代，不只是要做個好醫生，工程師或律師，也要知道關於政治的事，在社區內活躍，直接參與社區活動。“只要她不是最後一個，她會很高興做為第一個波士頓市華裔市議員。”