Keller @ Large: How To Start Fixing The MBTA

BOSTON (CBS) - The appalling collapse of the MBTA is topic number one around here. How many more nightmare commutes can people take?

And at the T board meeting Wednesday, which turned out to be a pep rally for T General Manager Beverly Scott held just before she quit, a parade of activists took turns reciting the same mantra – the T must have a massive infusion of new revenue, which – because ten dollar fares don't seem like a good idea, means a ton of new tax revenue, fees or both.

The Globe quotes former insurance executive David D'Alessandro, who co-authored one of a string of reports on the T's sorry financial condition awhile back, saying: "Do I think it can be done without a rise in fees or taxes? Not a chance."

But after House Speaker Robert DeLeo gave a speech Wednesday seconding Gov. Baker's motion that new taxes and fees are off the table, it appears other measures will have to be pursued after all.

So, what might those be?

For starters, we could try going to the T's debt-holders and tell them hey, sorry, we can't pay off in full, so let's discuss how much of a haircut you're willing to take.

Then we could turn to the T worker unions and say hey, sorry, your salaries, pensions and retiree benefits have proven to be unsustainable, so let's talk. Could you maybe chip in a few dollars more for that health coverage?

The it's off to the courts to say hey, sorry, all those promises we made about T expansion can no longer be honored, how do we make a viable compromise?

Once we've done all that, then maybe we can turn back to Baker, DeLeo and the taxpayers and say hey, sorry, we've done all that and still need more from you.

Listen to Jon's commentary:

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