As negotiations continue...

I am delighted to see that so many people have shown up at the MBTA's town halls to voice their opinions about the upcoming fare hikes/service cuts (or T 2.0, as we will call it from now on).  It appears that most of the attendees have voiced strong opposition to 2.0, which does not surprise me.  Those who are most affected are most likely to show up, while those in favor of the T's plan don't want to risk their lives.

But there's a harsh reality that we need to look at: the T doesn't have any money.  It's running a $166m deficit and has a ton of debt.  One woman at a town hall called for "creative solutions."  Give me a break.  You don't think they've been looking for ways to get every penny out of costs?  Heck, they even opened a store to sell T memorabilia.  They're desperate.  With the sales tax not generating what the state expected, the state simply doesn't have the money to give to the T.  It isn't there.  It sucks, but it's the reality.

The cost side of the equation isn't changing.  I don't see the workers rushing to give back salary increases or benefits.  They already got hit with a switch to a cheaper health care plan.  Energy isn't coming down.  Repairs certainly won't get cheaper.  You get the point.

Personally, I'd rather see fare increases than service cuts.  We owe it to each other to maintain services for those who need it the most.  Those are often the people who live farthest from the city and would face the biggest cuts.  Likewise, shutting down several lines on the weekends is a non-starter.  The downtown economy is bad enough on the weekends; Let's not keep the students away.

If the American political system is any indicator, we're going to see half the cuts we need that will make nobody happy but still leave a significant budget deficit.  Hopefully, it won't come to that, since I don't want to be having this same conversation three years from now.

The solution won't make anybody happy but it will make for a financially stronger MBTA.  And frankly, we don't have a choice.  Routes will get consolidated, schedules will get cut back and fares will go up.  I'm still in favor of subsidizing those who need help.  But we have to accept the fact that somebody needs to be the adult around here.