Dear MASSPIRG member,
Most of us borrow money now and again. Whether you borrow $10 from your neighbor to dash to the grocery store, or $100,000 from the bank to buy your first home, few of us can get through life without incurring some debt.
But there’s a difference between borrowing money with a plan to stay solvent while you pay it back and borrowing money only to fall deeper and deeper into debt.
This fall, after studying the subject for months, we released “Derailed by Debt,” a report that shows how poor choices by state government have put Massachusetts’ biggest mass transit system deep in the red. Our findings: The MBTA cannot sustain its current level of debt—much of it forced on the agency as the result of the Big Dig.
We’ve got a choice to make—is a healthy transit system worth the investment it will take to get the MBTA out of its debt-spiral? Our answer is a wholehearted “yes.”
Of course, we’ll need the agency to be efficient and make smart choices (something MASSPIRG will no doubt watch). So we’re pushing for a long-term, ambitious plan to invest in a top-notch transit system for all. As we go along, I’ll keep you posted on our progress.
Sincerely,
Janet S. Domenitz
Executive Director
