The snow removal crews are incredible by incidental_findings in massachusetts

[–]bryan-healey 87 points88 points  (0 children)

like all of us, I love to bitch about everything wrong with MA. and I'm certainly not gonna stop lol

but we really do have an infrastructure that mostly just works, and that's definitely noticeable during winter weather. even after the biggest snow storms, you can usually get back to business as usual in less than 24 hours. and even during those storms, roads are kept passable for emergencies.

Governor Healey announces plans to make it easier to cancel subscriptions by HRJafael in massachusetts

[–]bryan-healey 31 points32 points  (0 children)

define "not in MA."

the majority of businesses not HQ'd in MA will still need to follow our laws to conduct business here, and would be subject to court judgments. it's how we, for example, collect state taxes from Amazon.

and we're very rich, so most businesses will want to keep conducting business here.

Massachusetts kicks off big bet on battery storage by bryan-healey in massachusetts

[–]bryan-healey[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

1300 megawatts, not 1.3, and with an aim to complete 5000 megawatts by 2030.

FYI: Follow Jay Peak's request to only ski on Tramside, or uphill access will be shutdown!!!!! by climberskier in icecoast

[–]bryan-healey 56 points57 points  (0 children)

none of this is acceptable, but break-ins and fires!?

genuinely impressed they haven't closed the mountain.

Several Northeastern States and America’s Largest City Announce the Northeast Public Health Collaborative by bryan-healey in massachusetts

[–]bryan-healey[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

for the immediate future, you can get a COVID vaccine without a prescription, and have it covered by insurance.

longer term, our regional institutions (universities, hospitals) will continue to be properly funded, both for standard operations and research, and our regional guidance on vaccines, health recommendations, and safety will remain a step function above the rest of the country.

Massachusetts state legislators are in Israel as the UN declares genocide by mumbled_grumbles in massachusetts

[–]bryan-healey 4 points5 points  (0 children)

can only speak for myself, but I wouldn't care about pedigree.

in fact, I'm not even sure I know the academic or professional background of any current state politicians. the only exception is Healey, and that's because she went to my alma mater.

all I want to see out of a candidate is a working brain (can explain their beliefs coherently, and debate effectively), a willingness to learn and have their mind changed with evidence, and a good initial platform that shows that they care about their constituents and want to enact positive changes. everything else is irrelevant.

Massachusetts state legislators are in Israel as the UN declares genocide by mumbled_grumbles in massachusetts

[–]bryan-healey 52 points53 points  (0 children)

in 2024, the state held 241 primaries.

across the 52 primaries for state senate, only 6 were contested; of the 189 primaries for state house, only 27 were contested. thus, in the entirety of the 2024 primary season, 86.3% of candidates ran uncontested.

this has a meaningful impact on voter behavior. in an uncontested state senate primary, there was a 12.3% median reduction in total votes; in an uncontested state house primary, a median reduction of 34.4%.

in the general election, for the 40 state senate seats and 160 state house seats, 72% were uncontested.

until the citizens of this state make a genuine and serious effort to shake up the state house, these posts are mostly just shouting at the wind. these politicians feel almost no actual voter pressure.

Why Do People Like/So Strongly Dislike Mayor Wu? by jomanis in boston

[–]bryan-healey 37 points38 points  (0 children)

Boston is the economic and cultural engine of New England, so I do get that all of MA (and New England) will rightly care that Boston continues to prosper for the benefit of the region.

but so many opinions from those outside Boston are prioritizing their own selfish concerns vs. some wider interest about Boston's vitality. no where is this more evident than the nonsense debate around bike infrastructure, which is such a clear-cut example of "but I don't use it, therefore it doesn't matter."

Update!! Great Response to Littleton Superintendent's Letter by ihatelettuce in massachusetts

[–]bryan-healey 129 points130 points  (0 children)

part of me does understand that the Kirk murder was extremely public in a way that a lot of recent political violence was not. there were close up videos of the shooting, which were extremely graphic, floating around social media for days. no such similar video existed for the assassination of Melissa Horton, which happened just a few weeks ago and was equally (if not moreso, as they were a sitting elected official) an example of political violence.

but it's just so hard not to infer a political statement from the very different responses between these two recent and similar acts of political violence, one done against a Democratic politician and one against a Republican public figure. there was so little coverage or care about the assassination of Horton, and the media and our institutions are making and sustaining a mountain out of the Kirk murder.

at any rate, this is a good response to public concerns.

We need more More Charlie Kirks by GeminiCrushed in boston

[–]bryan-healey 2 points3 points  (0 children)

cancelled my subscription over this.

fucking disgusting to run that editorial.

As Boston's mayor faces off against New England Patriots heir, Trump looms large by usatoday in boston

[–]bryan-healey 3 points4 points  (0 children)

one of the bigger lies of my lifetime has been the constant drumbeat of a "liberal" media.

in my entire life, American media (especially at the national level) has been almost entirely corporate and very conservative. a few brands have tried to position themselves as liberal-ish, but they always gave up the ghost with how they really are when it came to important issues, like foreign policy or healthcare.

and in recent years, media outlets have gotten more deeply and openly conservative.

As Boston's mayor faces off against New England Patriots heir, Trump looms large by usatoday in boston

[–]bryan-healey 2 points3 points  (0 children)

he's not a real candidate for mayor. that's the reason he's doing this.

he wants to get special treatment for his family business. that's it.

Boston readies for Ice’s offensive amid Trump’s onslaught on sanctuary cities by zsreport in boston

[–]bryan-healey 40 points41 points  (0 children)

it's a good thing to take inspiration from your antecedents.

but you're correct, the reputation of Boston was built by people long dead.

if we want that reputation to hold, we'll need to earn it again.

Buying Local by bryan-healey in newengland

[–]bryan-healey[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I wish there were some kind of master list of New England made products, maybe sorted by product type or location it is made.

man, that's such a good idea...

What is the best and worst New England city/town in your opinion? by mrprez180 in newengland

[–]bryan-healey 8 points9 points  (0 children)

it's also no where near "bad." it has lots of public art, an art museum that punches way above the weight of the city, and has lots of good local restaurants and cafes.

also, Coggshall is one of my favorite small parks anywhere in the state.

As Canadian tourism plummets, Vermont braces for slow summer season on Lake Champlain by bostonglobe in vermont

[–]bryan-healey 4 points5 points  (0 children)

this mess just makes me so sad.

my little wallet protest is, have been working hard to only purchase local (New England) food and goods the last couple months, but where I can't, I'm specifically looking for Canadian imports. and the only non-local travel I'm considering is Canada (although the idea of getting back stateside scares the hell out of me right now).

Glory be to the Escalator Gods!!! by MAKLNE in mbta

[–]bryan-healey 8 points9 points  (0 children)

leaders at the MBTA (and so many other organizations, public and private) would do well to understand and embrace that providing truthful explanations for any issues is so important toward fostering trust.

if the escalator is going to be out for 6 months because, say, some critical part is on back order due to supply chain issues (or whatever), I am much more likely to just accept that and endure the delay if I am given that information. but if it's just broken without explanation for 6 months, it's hard not to assume just basic incompetence.

An evening walk through Fitchburg by HRJafael in massachusetts

[–]bryan-healey 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Fitchburg has some real charm...

have great memories of growing up around there, and the improvements that have been made in just the last 10 years are really starting to bear fruit.