Make completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) a requirement for high school graduation in the Commonwealth.
Andy Vargas
Posted inOpinion
It’s time to protect gig workers and consumers
Gig economy companies like Uber and Instacart are exploiting workers by misclassifying them as independent contracts and not employees, which limits the employment protections they deserve to have.
Posted inOpinion
Why the MBTA is key — to easing the housing crunch
MASSACHUSETTS IS EXPERIENCING a severe housing crisis. Talk to anyone who has tried to purchase a home in the past few years or tried to find an affordable apartment and you will hear the frustration of people who are just trying to find a place to live. The average price of a home in the […]
Posted inOpinion
Let’s make school meals free for all kids
LIKE MANY PARENTS in Massachusetts, Rebecca Wood was getting by on a tight budget that left her struggling with school meal debt, among other costs, well before the pandemic hit. The mother of an 8-year-old child, Rebecca describes her situation as feeling like she’s in a boat with a small hole in it. Then came […]
Posted inOpinion
Schools need to sign up now for fed food program
REGARDLESS OF HOW schools approach reopening in the fall, many Massachusetts schools face a choice right now that could affect nutrition and local economic stimulus in 2021 and beyond. That choice is whether to take advantage of a federal option to provide universal free school meals to all children. Many school districts and individual schools […]
Posted inPolitics
Vote-by-mail a must for Massachusetts
THIS PANDEMIC CONTINUES to challenge our systems in ways that require new solutions. Last month in Wisconsin, without any clear guidance from their state leaders, millions of voters were forced to choose between risking their lives or letting their voices go unheard. The lack of available poll workers led polling locations to close across the […]
Posted inOpinion
It’s time to bring ranked-choice voting to Mass.
DURING THE SUMMER of 2002, Sen. John McCain delivered a recorded phone message to the citizens of Alaska, asking them to adopt “instant runoff voting that will lead to good government because Alaska will elect leaders who have the support of a majority of voters.” The senator was one of the earliest supporters of ranked-choice […]
Posted inEducation
Time to end food insecurity among Mass. children
WITH THE HOLIDAY season upon us, many of us find ourselves enjoying quality time with family and friends, often spoiled with delicious food. Yet, many of us can remember a time when food was not so readily available because we were in between paychecks, cash-strapped during college, faced with a medical emergency, or in between […]
Posted inOpinion
Strengthen, don’t scrap, the ACA
MASSACHUSETTS IS A LEADER in health care and caring for our most vulnerable citizens. But even as we drive groundbreaking research and unprecedented care, nonstop efforts to undermine our health care system threaten every one of us and heighten our anxieties. Our health care system served as the foundation for the Affordable Care Act. Since […]