Is Boston A Hostile City To Outsiders?
The head of the T is out — marking the fifth leadership change at the ailing transit system in as many years. The
short tenure of Luis Ramirez, who moved to Boston from Dallas for the job, comes after a 15-month period that included signal problems, track derailments, crumbling infrastructure, and chronic delays.
But Ramirez isn't the only out-of-towner to struggle in Boston. Former Boston Public Schools Superintendent Tommy Chang came to the city from Los Angeles and stepped down from his post in June, two years into a five-year contract. During his brief tenure, the school system faced an IRS audit, an immigration lawsuit, racism at Boston Latin School, and widespread parent outrage over a plan to change school start times.
Writing in the Boston Globe today, columnist Adrian Walker claims the main problem is that Boston is too harsh on leaders who come from outside the city and are deemed "outsiders." Jim Braude was joined by Walker, as well as Evan Falchuk, a former candidate for Massachusetts governor and now CEO of care management company Village Plan.
Trump’s ‘Public Charge’ Rule Targeting Legal Immigrants
A new rule from the Trump administration would prevent legal immigrants who use certain government benefits, like food assistance and Medicaid, from receiving green cards. The draft proposal was first published in September, and the end of the public commentary period on the proposal was this Monday, resulting in more than 200,000 public comments on the proposal in just 60 days, many from critics.
Several states, including Massachusetts, have threatened to sue to keep the change from taking effect. This change is just the latest in a long list of President Donald Trump’s attacks on immigration, including his recent efforts to redefine asylum, his previous suspensions of the refugee program, and his various attempts in court to push through different versions of a ban on immigrants from primarily majority-Muslim countries.
Jim Braude was joined by Marion Davis, director of communications for the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, and Republican representative from Taunton, Shaunna O’Connell.
The Shaky Future Of Public Access Television
Public access television has long been a staple for many viewers. But now, its future is at risk. While it may not be quite as popular as "Keeping Up with the Kardashians," as Tina Martin reports, there is a lot that these stations bring to the table, and that people might miss once it’s gone.
IMHO: Make Public School Lunch Great Again
Jim Braude shares his thoughts on why we shouldn’t throw the school lunch progress made under former First Lady Michelle Obama out with the Trump steaks, especially with childhood obesity in America continuously on the rise.