Category Archives: Government activism

New Massachusetts unemployment insurance employer Web site crashes and burns upon launch

(Simulblogged at universalhub.com.) The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has a convoluted(*) unemployment insurance system, under which employers are required to make various quarterly and annual filings and quarterly payments involving at least two different state agencies. This system is administered by the Department of Unemployment Assistance (DUA), who decided to replace their old, paper-based system with… Read More »

ER copayments put lives at risk

I’ve just sent the following letter, with minor variations, to Sen. Kerry, Rep. Capuano, State Sen. Tolman, State Rep. Honan, and Martha Coakley (who will almost certainly soon be Sen. Coakley). If you’re as fed up as I am with this state of affairs (the incident described below is not the first time we’ve been… Read More »

Hey, Congressman Robert Wexler: In the EU, this would be ILLEGAL!

November 21, 2009 Congressman Robert Wexler 2241 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Fax: (202) 225-5974 Dear Congressman Wexler, In May 2008, a letter from you to one of your supporters was forwarded to the Jews for Obama listserv with the introduction, “As you all know, Congressman Wexler has been a strong Obama supporter… Read More »

Mayor Menino, is it your policy to allow your staff to park city vehicles illegally?

It’s quite convenient that they label their vehicles “mayor’s office” so it’s easy to see when our mayor’s staff is giving us peons the finger, eh?

Where all those Boston real-estate agents get your name and address

(Simulblogged on universalhub.com.) Long-time readers of my blog know that I have been trying, for almost two years, to eliminate junk mail — the paper kind — from my mailbox. I’ve registered everyone in my family with the DMA’s MPS, tried out various Web sites that purport to help you stop junk mail, and most… Read More »

Now Google Maps is right, but MBTA Trip Planner is still wrong

I was delighted to discover a few days ago that the problem with the MBTA’s on-line route data that I’ve been trying to get the T to fix for over six years and almost got arrested over is now fixed in Google Maps. Alas, it’s still wrong in the MBTA’s own Trip Planner. Go figure.

Seat belt law opponents are either idiots or liars

To: letterstotheeditor@bostonherald.com To the editor: It has been painful to watch the avalanche of flawed statistics and discredited urban legends wielded by opponents of a primary enforcement seat-belt law in their foolhardy efforts to stop a law which would undeniably save lives. Jonah Goldberg informs us that since there are states with higher traffic fatality… Read More »

Better for city employees to work than take the T

To: letterstotheeditor@bostonherald.com 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… Read More »

FAA is investigating incident

I received email today from a Principal Operations Inspector at the FAA, who indicated that although “air travel by unaccompanied minors is a subject that is not regulated by the FAA… your complaint has caused us to look at other issues surrounding your daughter’s situation, and we are investigating those issues.” I asked him for… Read More »

Reported incident to DOT, TSA

I just realized that I misunderstood the initial response I got from my report to the FAA. I read it quickly (things were a little crazy the day after they lost my daughter!) and thought the FAA folks said that they had forwarded my complaint to the DOT and TSA. In fact, they hadn’t, so… Read More »