T chief vows no repeat of last winter's meltdowns

Subway fares have more than doubled in the last 15 years. In the meantime drivers have seen the gas tax effectively go down because of inflation and efficiency mandates. Anyone who voted against raising the gas tax has no right to complain about the condition of the roads and can safely put part of the blame on themselves the next time a tunnel falls apart or a bridge collapses.

The voters voted only against indexing a gas tax to inflation, not to an increase in the abstract. That's not even close to the same, and it was the point on which those who opposed the ballot initiative focused.

The tolling prohibition is not long for the world, either, because there is a burgeoning alliance of state's rights red state types and those who see the need for more revenue for transport who are building significant support for repeal of that law.

For years, drivers entering Boston via Route 1 have had to pay a $3.00 toll. There's no excuse for not putting similar tolls on Route 2, Route 3 (north and south of the city), Route 24, Route 99, Route 60, Route 128 (where it's not I-95), Storrow Drive, the Cape bridges, etc., etc. — all state roads.

Some people won't like it, but at least it would make things more fair — while, of course, raising millions of dollars to improve transportation infrastructure for everyone.

     ^{... it's too bad jobs like that don't exist anymore.}

I tend to take a pretty dim view of kids these days, but they can surprise even a coldhearted cynic like me sometimes. Who knows? Some of them might be civic-minded, and jump at the chance to help public transit while earning a couple of bucks (which they can then use to buy a new case for their iPhone, of course). Besides, some school societies (the National Honor Society - at least back when I was in it, sometime in the Regency Era) require community-service extracurriculars. It just might work, and - assuming it's just a day or two per week, for six hours or so at a time - not likely to break any child labor laws.

It's all neither here nor there at this point, but I would certainly support a plan like this. Angsty little teenage Malcolm Tucker probably would even have been interested in participating, back in the day.

Do you know any teens? You can't pull most these kids away these days from their iphones, ipads, and video games especially on a snow day. Very few teen shovel for fun or money anymore. (and I know there's SOME that still do but its very far and few between)

I have a feeling the truth is more complicated than that. The kids you're talking about sound like they live in affluent suburbs and get all the spending money they need in return for nothing. Those kids couldn't find the work even if they wanted it -- the average suburbanite doesn't have a sidewalk and needs his/her driveway cleared first thing in the morning so they can get to work -- that's why they own snowblowers. They're not gonna hire the yout's. And in cities, landlords are responsible for getting things cleared, and a lot of them job it out to the same maintenance companies they use year-round. On the other hand, there are plenty of teenagers who don't get handed everything and who would indeed like to pick up some bucks and wouldn't mind doing some shoveling to earn it.

Apparently not. Last winter, we had roving packs of them shoveling out houses and driveways in our neighborhood.

My boys were roped in to a tie down and climbing the roof shovelling out the ice dams. They were also picking up community service hours digging out elderly people's homes and clearing hydrants and storm drains. When they weren't taking a turn shoveling out our home, that is - or plowing through enormous mounds of honors and college homework.

You just have to pay them enough to get their attention - and pay more than the food places do to bus tables and scoop ice cream. I can't remember the last time we ate out locally and my son didn't run into one of his classmates busting his or her tail in the restaurant.