Last week Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick proposed half a billion in cuts to deal with low revenues and the "fiscal cliff."

Looking locally, legislators are awaiting what proposals will be come realities. 

State Rep. Ed Coppinger, D-West Roxbury, was asked by Patch about the expected cuts. "We are still waiting to hear exactly which programs will be cut. The 1 percent cut to local aid will hurt municipalities which have already been hard hit since the Recession," said Coppinger.

"We are starting to see good signs in the economy; cuts like these put our progress in a precarious situation. I hope the governor is able to target his cuts smartly and diminish the impact on communities and programs people rely on," said Coppinger.

"On a bigger scale, we're beginning to see the first impacts of the 'fiscal cliff' on Massachusetts and if Congress can't get its act together and compromise on a deal, these budget shortfalls will continue to be a problem," said Coppinger.

Coppinger spoke about the domino effect starting at the nation's capital. 

"Our budget deficit could quickly go from $540 million to $900 million if there
is no compromise in Washington D.C. At that point, we will see a significant impact on aid to seniors and programming for children. If people are concerned as I am, I hope they are reaching out to Congressman (Stephen) Lynch and Senators (Scott) Brown and (John) Kerry."