Economy

IS THERE AN OPTION THREE, MBTA?

Submitted by James Shearer on Fri, 2012-01-27 01:58

James Shearer
Spare Change News

In my last column I spoke of the fare increases on the MBTA, which take effect in July. Even though I wrote that the increases and service cuts were unfair, I thought to myself later that if I’m wrong about all of this and it’s not that bad, I would apologize.

Well I’m here to do just that. It’s really not that bad, folks: It’s worse.

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T Riders Union Speaks at Rosie’s Place

Submitted by Beatrice Bell on Fri, 2012-01-27 01:46

Beatrice Bell
Spare Change News

On Jan. 18 at Rosie's Place, Lee Matsueda of the T Riders Union came to talk about MBTA proposed fare hikes. The MBTA wants to reduce service to most bus routes, increase the RIDE base fares, increase the CharlieCard fixed route base price, and institute a $5 premium fare for non-ADA (outside of fixed route service area, before/after hours, or same day) trips.

Lee and the ladies at Rosie's had a few suggestions for the T.

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Learning from the Sixties: A Talk with John Maher

Submitted by Tom Benner on Fri, 2011-11-18 06:45

Tom Benner
Spare Change News

A new book, Learning From The Sixties: Memoir Of An Organizer, is intended to pass on the lessons learned along the way by anti-Vietnam War activist and political organizer John Maher, a longtime Cambridge resident, to a new generation.

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SOMEONE'S GOTTA LOSE: Does the Mass. Lottery Target Poor People?

Submitted by Tom Benner on Thu, 2011-09-22 23:38

Tom Benner
Spare Change News

A public interest group believes state lotteries use marketing strategies to target low-income communities, where residents tend to spend a larger percentage of their incomes on lottery tickets than do the wealthier segments of society.

But a public records request for the Massachusetts Lottery’s internal advertising documents so far has gone unfilled.

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MBTA OUTLINES STEEP FARE HIKES, PREDICTS SERVICE REDUCTIONS

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 2012-01-03 18:15

By Matt Murphy
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE

STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, JAN. 3, 2012….The MBTA over the next several months will consider a mix of sharp fare increases and service reductions that would eliminate some bus routes, cancel weekend commuter rail service and spike the cost of a subway ride to $2.40 in order close the agency’s latest budget gap, according to two proposals unveiled Tuesday by transportation officials.

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When the best answer to life’s problems is a steady job

Submitted by Liam Cunningham on Fri, 2011-10-21 01:25

Liam Cunningham
Spare Change News

As many recent college graduates can tell you, finding a job in the current economy is no walk in the park. This process is exponentially harder when you are a person who has struggled with homelessness, incarceration, mental illness, and/or substance abuse issues.

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Mortgage Modification to Save Thousands of Mass. Homeowners from Foreclosure

Submitted by Robert Sondak on Mon, 2010-04-12 12:36

The Warren Group web page recently published a series of statistics from the Massachusetts Land Court that showed foreclosures initiated by lenders grew at an alarming 28% from 21,000 in 2008 to 29,000 in 2009. This increase in foreclosure activity can be attributed to a deep national recession accompanied by a 10% unemployment rate and a real job growth rate forecast of only 9%.

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