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Saturday, May 16, 2015
MBTA numbers do matter
Senate Democrats stood up to the Republican Baker Administration’s attempted power grab this week and introduced an alternative solution to fix the T that does not include cracking down on workers’ rights to collectively bargain or allow the T to raise fees on riders – many of whom are elderly and low-income – beyond the current 5% increase cap. Read more here.
After being pushed by Chairman Tom McGee to release the data and calculations used by the Baker administration to produce their slick powerpoint presentation justifying a crackdown on workers rights, the ability to limitlessly hike fees on T riders and implement a new level of bureaucracy at the MBTA among other measures, Commonwealth Magazine has found a number of claims by the Republican that are either sloppily false or willfully misleading. Read more here.
Bruce Mohl is the editor of CommonWealth magazine. Bruce came to CommonWealth from the Boston Globe, where he spent nearly 30 years in a wide variety of positions covering business and politics. He covered the Massachusetts State House and served as the Globe’s State House bureau chief in the late 1980s. He also reported for the Globe’s Spotlight Team, winning a Loeb award in 1992 for coverage of conflicts of interest in the state’s pension system. He served as the Globe’s political editor in 1994 and went on to cover consumer issues for the newspaper. At CommonWealth, Bruce helped launch the magazine’s website and has written about a wide range of issues with a special focus on politics, tax policy, energy, and gambling. Bruce is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He lives in Dorchester.
For us at CommonWealth, the debate over the numbers in the T advisory panel’s report isn’t about fear of a fiscal control board. It’s about understanding the very real problems at the T and figuring out the best way to address them. That process starts with good, accurate data.
The MBTA fiasco highlights the inability of this Administration to deal with a crisis, just like Romney, except at least Charlie Baker wasn't forced to return from campaigning for President elsewhere.
Although the events of this winter were catastrophic, the incompetence was clearly revealed and the inaction stunning. Typical of Republican incompetence: 'Let's appoint a committee.'
Who can defend hand shovelling of tracks and much else?
The problems are complex and long ignored, yet reveal the not so concealed intent of Baker et al.
Maybe or maybe not absenteeism is a problem, but if 100% of the workforce appeared during the winter storms, that would accomplish what? Roads and tracks were impassable.
The impact of the MBTA failures on traffic congestion highlights the importance of public transportation.
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