3 ms·

I've noticed that the further you get away from downtown, the more likely the bus driver is just going to tell you not to bother with it and wave you back if yo

I've noticed that the further you get away from downtown, the more likely the bus driver is just going to tell you not to bother with it and wave you back if you reach for some dollar bills. But like you said, it'd be nice if it was just official policy for all bus rides rather than an ad hoc lottery based on the driver.

dsfyu404ed 4y ago
Pretty much everything in MA is like that. The jackboot of beacon hill is on the end of a short leg. Give-a-fucks about anything and everything expend rapidly the further from it you get (both physically and economically).
- thehappypm 4y ago
  You have it backwards — the further from Boston you get, the more the communities are mooching off the GBA money tree.
  - dsfyu404ed 4y ago
    That money comes with strings attached and that's the whole point. You could always stop paying and just let all that stuff that gets done with state money get done by the towns instead but you'd lose the ability to dictate terms and we all know that's a non-starter. Micromanaging a bunch of people who don't care about you or your values isn't cheap. You can either pay in dollars or in blood. The wealthy suburbanites and urbanites who want to see the brown folk in Fall River or the hicks west of Worcester march to the official state tune don't really have the stomach for an endless supply of "the tragic turn of events all began when State Trooper McFakeTimeCard pulled over Mr. Lopez, 36 of Springfield for an expired inspection sticker..." type news stories so it's no surprise that the "US in Iraq" approach gets chosen over the "Russians in Syria" approach. <shrug>
    - thehappypm 4y ago
      No, beacon hill sends money (via MassHealth for example) because it makes Massachusetts a better society. We don’t want Western Mass to be destitute.

3 ms·

I've noticed that the further you get away from downtown, the more likely the bus driver is just going to tell you not to bother with it and wave you back if yo

by jacobmartin 4y ago

dsfyu404ed 4y ago
Pretty much everything in MA is like that. The jackboot of beacon hill is on the end of a short leg. Give-a-fucks about anything and everything expend rapidly the further from it you get (both physically and economically).
- thehappypm 4y ago
  You have it backwards — the further from Boston you get, the more the communities are mooching off the GBA money tree.
  - dsfyu404ed 4y ago
    That money comes with strings attached and that's the whole point. You could always stop paying and just let all that stuff that gets done with state money get done by the towns instead but you'd lose the ability to dictate terms and we all know that's a non-starter. Micromanaging a bunch of people who don't care about you or your values isn't cheap. You can either pay in dollars or in blood. The wealthy suburbanites and urbanites who want to see the brown folk in Fall River or the hicks west of Worcester march to the official state tune don't really have the stomach for an endless supply of "the tragic turn of events all began when State Trooper McFakeTimeCard pulled over Mr. Lopez, 36 of Springfield for an expired inspection sticker..." type news stories so it's no surprise that the "US in Iraq" approach gets chosen over the "Russians in Syria" approach. <shrug>
    - thehappypm 4y ago
      No, beacon hill sends money (via MassHealth for example) because it makes Massachusetts a better society. We don’t want Western Mass to be destitute.