jikamens's blog

To: [email protected]

To the editor:

Councilor Michael Flaherty’s idea to slash the city’s motor pool by having workers ride the T is a brilliant strategy for doubling the number of employees on the payroll. How else does he expect to maintain the same level of productivity when workers are forced to spend half the day waiting for trains and buses that run infrequently and arrive late, if at all?

We've been living in Brighton Center for over a decade and until recently never had to worry about crime. The worst we had to put up with was drunken parties thrown by the BC students who rent on our block, and some years even that isn't a problem if the students are polite.

(A couple of years ago there were a couple of really talented guitar players renting across the street from us. They often jammed late into the night with their friends, but man, they were good, so we didn't care. Wish they'd stayed!)

John Houghton
Superintendent, Cabot Bus Garage
MBTA

Dear Mr. Houghton,

They say that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. If so, then I must be insane to rely on the T.

It’s not so much that many of the 5xx express buses were horrendously delayed for hours this morning. I understand that was caused by a problem outside the T’s control, in particular, a stuck railroad crossing gate out in Waltham.

blog.kamens.brookline.ma.us...daughter-on-the-wrong-plane/

I just sent this letter to the editors of several local newspapers:

To the editor:

Concerning the tragic, fatal car crash in Leicester, high school principal Tom Lauder said, "It's not like they did anything wrong." Unfortunately, he's wrong... dead wrong.

The speed limit where the crash occurred was 30 mph. Police believe that the driver was traveling as fast as 70 mph, over double the limit.

Got a ticket for improper passing on the right on Washington St. at the intersection with Waverly Ave. near Newton Corner. Contested the ticket. Spent hours preparing for the hearing. Punchline: The trooper representing the Commonwealth didn't have a copy of the citation, so I was found "not responsible" without saying a word in my defense.

The three people whose hearings were before mine were also found "not responsible".

NSTAR just notified all customers who had signed up for the E-Bill service to be able to pay bills online, but who did not opt to stop receiving paper statements, that they were going to no longer receive paper statements whether they like it or not.

Read all about it on my main blog.

In an ideal world, the treatment received by a private citizen calling 911 would inspire confidence in the ability of the police to protect people from crime and terrorism. In reality, it seems designed to inspire confidence only in the criminals and terrorists.

Read more about my recent unfortunate encounter with the men in blue (or at least their 911 dispatchers) here.

I just got a phone call with a prerecorded message about House BIll 4493, which you can read here. The message claimed that the bill was going to be passed "tomorrow" and that I should call the backer of the bill (Senator Jack Hart) and the director of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (James Rooney) to complain. The message directed me to visit the site mccabillexposed.com for additional information. But something's not right about this.