MANY PEOPLE ACROSS the United States are devastated by the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs, which overturned a half century of precedent and abolished the federal constitutional right to abortion. For years, many activists have channeled that despair into fighting for change at the federal level, for instance, by pressing Congress to pass laws that […]
Opinion
Posted inOpinion
Bike stats contradict safety claims of Cambridge officials
AMID AN OUTCRY over how the implementation of Quick Build bike lanes will all but eliminate street parking in front of local businesses, the Cambridge City Council has smacked down residents’ concerns with false and outdated information. No matter which side of this debate you stand on, everybody should be able to deliberate based on […]
Posted inOpinion, State Government
On Beacon Hill, it’s last-minute business as usual
AS THE MASSACHUSETTS LEGISLATURE slogs to the finish line, having once again ceded its super Democratic majority, this time to a lame duck governor, it’s fair to ask how does this keep happening. As someone who has observed the crazy rush at the end of session as both a reporter and a legislative staffer, I […]
Posted inOpinion
Pass ebike legislation, reward car-lite living
THE STATE Legislature and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation need to keep their eye on the real transportation goal for the state – maintaining and increasing the number of people and households that are living car-independent lives – as we sort through the T’s long-predicted crisis, The state’s economy, the people’s daily welfare, and the […]
Posted inOpinion
Legislative staff union raises some important questions
I HAVE BEEN following efforts to organize the legislative staff at the State House and I have some concerns. As a former legislator, Chair of Ways and Means and Senate President, the work I was able to accomplish for my constituents and for the Commonwealth was in no small part due to the talented, dedicated […]
Posted inEducation
Don’t compound the problems of student loan debt
AT THE BEGINNING of 2022, Zero Debt Massachusetts set as legislative priority passage of a bill to block any state agency or board of registration from denying or revoking any license or professional or occupational certificate, registration, or authority based on an individual’s default on an educational loan. This legislative amendment, filed in the House […]
Posted inOpinion
Rep. Day and Sen. Eldridge belittle our stories as victims
A “WELL-CRAFTED public relations tour?” For over eight months, more than a dozen survivors have gathered the courage to tell the public how we survived being beaten, threatened, and harassed by the abusers in our lives, and how those horrible crimes could have been prevented had legislation like the Baker-Polito administration’s dangerousness bill been law […]
Posted inOpinion
Merging MBTA with DOT is a bad idea
THE JOINT COMMITTEE on Transportation seems to want to have its proverbial cake and eat it too. At its recent oversight hearing, House Committee Co-Chairman William Strauss suggested that the MBTA be further folded into MassDOT; while Senate Committee Co-Chairman Brendan Creighton inquired if the governor’s office interfered in reporting of derailments. The Transportation Committee […]
Posted inOpinion
MBTA service levels need to be restored asap
LET THIS SINK IN for a second: The MBTA this week announced that it won’t be able to return the subway system to regular service frequencies before Labor Day, and probably not until sometime in 2023. This is because the Federal Transit Administration directed the T to solve the problem of understaffing and excessively long […]
Posted inOpinion
Period poverty is a reproductive justice issue
IT ISN’T JUST abortion: period poverty is a reproductive justice issue. In the wake of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, people are looking to state legislatures to further protect (or restrict) abortion access. While protecting the right to health care, privacy, and individual liberty is essential, lawmakers have to do more than enshrine […]