Under forward funding, the MBTA was supposed to receive a small portion of sales tax revenue, but with a “guaranteed minimum” to cover the Big Dig debt as well as other necessities like fuel, health care, repairs, etc.
The MBTA never did get the money.
via Why the MBTA Won’t See Any Money From the State’s “Forward Funding” Scheme | BostInno.
On Tuesday, the three-judge appeals panel in San Francisco ruled 2-1 that a lower court had properly declared the ban a violation of the American constitution.
via US court reverses gay marriage ban – Americas – Al Jazeera English.
The idea that a majority of voters could support legalizing marijuana may seem far out — but the polls say otherwise.
via Adam Cohen: Legal Recreational Pot Use Isn’t So Far Out | TIME Ideas | TIME.com.
Hong Kong is trying a different tack. Secretary of the Environment Edward Yau is proposing that the city charge people different rates for trash collection based on how much trash they throw out. If you’re in the habit of buying lots of stuff and tossing it without recycling or composting, you’ll pay more. If you want to save money, you’ll think about ways to send less to the landfill.
via Can Hong Kong Solve its Garbage Crisis? – Neighborhoods – The Atlantic Cities.
Massachusetts had been underfunding transportation through the Weld and Cellucci administrations, deferring maintenance of roads, bridges, transit and other vital infrastructure. Weld even proposed privatizing the MBTA, and actually put some of its bus routes out to bid; Cellucci managed to tie the Big Dig debt around its ankle, instead.
via MBTA Troubles Just a Symptom of Systemic Crisis | BostInno.
In fact, the two are both part of the great megalopolis that stretches from north of Boston down through Philadelphia and Baltimore to Washington, D.C. The concept of the megalopolis dates back to the 1961 book of that title by the great economic geographer Jean Gottmann. Home to more than 50 million people and two trillion dollars in economic output, Bos-Wash’s economy is larger than France’s or the United Kingdom’s, and twice that of India and Canada.
via New York vs. Boston: Which Is the Better Sports Town? – Arts & Lifestyle – The Atlantic Cities.
Overall, Menino calls the two proposals a “one-year band aid” to the larger issues facing the MBTA, and says the state needs to come up with a more dedicated source of revenue in order to stabilize the agency in the long-term. He expresses his support for an increased gas tax to help fund the MBTA.
via Menino to the State: #MBTA Fare Hikes are a “One-Year Band Aid” | BostInno.
He criticised the United States’ democratic system, which he said only concentrated power in the hands of the wealthy. He said that though Cuba had only one party, it sought the participation of all citizens through party and workplace meetings.
“We must promote democracy in our society, starting with the party,” he said, urging members to speak up when they disagree with something.
via Castro vows to limit Cuban political terms – Americas – Al Jazeera English.
The only other major public transit systems in the country that allow alcohol ads are those in New York City and Chicago, according to Michael Scippa, spokesman for California-based watchdog organization Alcohol Justice, which until last July was known as “The Marin Institute.”
via MBTA to bar alcohol ads on all property, including trains, buses – Boston.com.
“The view I had when I started this study, and that I think a lot of economists have today, is that if you just make information salient, if you explain fees, people will understand what’s in their own self-interest and act accordingly,” Laibson said. “I’m no longer a believer in that story. My belief now is that if you give people bad options, even if you explain the characteristics that make them bad, many people will still choose those options.”