Category: Opinion
-
State Gives Homeless a Gift
The State House News Service recently released a brief news blurb that gave homeless people the greatest gift of all this Christmas season: hope. Just a few months ago, the Department of Housing and Community Development tightened the regulations of shelter providers, such that eligibility was restricted to only those made homeless through domestic violence,…
-
Affordable Housing for the Rich?
As Christmas approaches, it seems that Santa has left something under the tree for the top 2 percent in Boston. I ran across a story last week that was about micro-apartments. For those of you who are uninformed, micro-apartments are small units that are around 300 to 400 square feet. That’s enough room for a…
-
Occupy Sandy
Sand is still being swept out of open doors down the narrow church hallway when we arrive. I walk in a narrow file with six other medical volunteers, carefully balancing the box of glucometers and other supplies on my shoulder. “Where do you want us to put the clinic?” one of us asks the wiry…
-
Another Stupid Idea
Well, winter is here again. With it comes the annual homeless census, where people go around at night and look for people on the street and in shelters, add it all up, and tell us how many homeless people are in Massachusetts. I’ve always been skeptical of it, because the count is organized by advocates,…
-
marriage inequality, on the rocks
Opponents of same-sex marriage had won 32 state referendums in a row, but their winning streak came to a screeching halt on Election Day, 2012. Voters in Maine, Maryland, and Washington state added to the number of states where marriage equality is now the law, increasing the total to nine states and the District of…
-
Unlocking Democracy
As someone who writes and organizes around issues of imprisonment and detention, my work is often met with a certain type of resignation. Though many politically-conscious people are quick to lament our nation’s chart-topping incarceration rates, they’re justifiably overwhelmed by the complexity and magnitude of our so-called justice system. Many simply don’t know where or…
-
thanksgiving overload: food & family make a full community
Starting on November 20, I endured three Thanksgiving parties and four Thanksgiving dinners. The first party I went to was at the TD Boston Garden on November 20th, from 1 – 4 pm. They had their 17th annual Thanksgiving party for homeless people and low-income individuals and families. While hundreds of people were being served…
-
Are There Viable Possibilities Now for Student Loan Reform?
It’s hard to avoid the clichéd statement—and every pundit has been saying it over and over again—this was truly an historic election. Not only was President Barack Obama re-elected, but a number of very progressive candidates, such as Elizabeth Warren, seized seats in Congress as well. It seems clear: the values of the American public…
-
If You Are a Millionaire You Can Be a Presidential Contender
Barack Obama’s re-election revived the shock (conservatives) and awe (liberals) that our country actually completed the century-long transition from owning black people as slaves, to putting one in the oval office. His supporters like to believe that a (mostly) fatherless, urban minority who achieves such a high level of up-from-the-bootstraps success knows the value of…
-
What Obama and Romney Do Not Debate
With the quadrennial presidential election extravaganza reaching its peak, it’s useful to ask how the political campaigns are dealing with the most crucial issues we face. The simple answer is: badly, or not at all. If so, some important questions arise: why, and what can we do about it? There are two issues of overwhelming…