MBTA losses

The MBTA has been running at deficits for years, now the recent article “Discount fares, Chinese-built cars on track” illustrates even more losses. Sixty thousand low-income riders will receive half-off tickets and passes. I understand low income and assistance but it just shows another loss. The contract with a Chinese company for new cars was updated, for huge losses and more time waiting. The T will now pay the company $148 million more…on a bid!? They will also forgive $90 million, and another $37 million in damages spelled out in the bid may be forgiven.

Why wasn’t there rebidding when the Chinese company defaulted? Are there any US companies who bid and were within $275million of the awarded company? Why aren’t these questions being raised for an agency hemorrhaging money away?

John Cerulli

Salem NH

Biden fundraising

Pull back the curtain and you will see why Biden had the biggest fundraising event in history. The total net worth of the top 1%, defined by the Fed as those with wealth over $11 million, increased by $2 trillion in the fourth quarter.  All of the gains for the elites came from their stock holdings.  Super rich Democrats love Biden, while working class Democrats struggle to put food on the table.

Biden couldn’t draw a crowd by headlining the event himself.  He had to share the stage with Bill Clinton and Barack Obama and they were hawking photo shoots with the former presidents.  Second row seats were going for $500,000. Did anyone reading this attend the fundraiser?  I doubt it, because Bidenomics doesn’t work for working-class people.

Donald Houghton

Quincy

Baltimore bridge

t’s refreshing to hear that our governor has pledged to help Maryland Governor Wes Moore with support in the Key bridge disaster.  It’s great news to see intergovernmental cooperation between states. Now if Gov. Moore was a Republican, would Healey be so quick to offer him any kind of help? A huge tragedy has been taking place on our southern border, here in Massachusetts, Healey has only admonished Texas Governor Greg Abbott and former President Donald Trump. When will Gov. Healey call and extend the same courtesy to Gov. Abbott? A tragedy has been occurring at our southern border for over 3 years and yet Gov. Healey hasn’t even attempted to extend any support or assistance to stop it.

Democrats help Democrats and Democrats suffer cognitive dissonance and continue to  blame Republicans, Trump and MAGA for the disaster on our southern border.

Mark Howland

Weymouth

Timeless adage

A long time ago, an elder from the Greatest Generation told me that “You can’t beat City Hall.” Now that I have become an elder, I can see that government is trying now to make that an absolute fact. If we allow that to become the absolute truth with our votes being negotiable to tax- and-spend politicians, then democracy will, or perhaps already has been lost.

Al DePaoli

Woburn