STUPID MATH PROBLEM #1
If you had a heart attack, and your Doc says you have a blockage in your arteries, would you spend your money on:
a.) heart bypass surgery
or
b.) a boob job
Duh. It's simple economics that anyone understands – buy bread and milk before steak. Fix the roof before you install a pool. Winter coats for the kids come before vacations to Miami.
Try telling this math word problem to the Massachussets Department of Transportation. When the MBTA needed money to repair the mass-transit system they had, the DOT decided to saddle the subway system with upgrades that were required for the Big Dig project.
Let's be clear on this; the MBTA did not need to bury the Green Line, remodel Haymarket, rebuild North Station, or engage in any of the beautification projects of the early 2000's. Those costs were imposed on the subway system by the DOT to satisfy loan requirements for the remodeled highway system.
Now the T is out of cash and wants to drastically raise fares and cut bus, commuter rail and ferry service.
STUPID MATH PROBLEM #2
If the bank gives you half the money to remodel your house, do you
a.) scrape together the other half of the money yourself
or
b.) rob your neighbor at gunpoint for the rest of the money?
Yeah, I know – another Duh. But the MBTA and its riders are currently being forced to pick up nearly 50 million dollars of expenses from Department of Transportation mismanagement of the Big Dig project.
Subway riders are now subsidizing automobile drivers, leaving no money for essential services. This makes fare hikes and service cuts inevitable.
So what do you think? Should T riders pick up costs pegged to the Big Dig?
Sound off and let us know what you think.
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