In this episode, Rachel Miselman discusses the state of the Massachusetts Republican Party, challenges the notion of voting based on personal acquaintance, and offers her views on political figures and the bike lane controversy in Boston.
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Bostonian Rap
>> Hello, and welcome to Bostonian Wrap. My name is Rachel Meiselman. You are listening to me on WPCA LP 102.9 FM Boston. This is Boston's Community Radio Station. Before we jump into tonight's show, we're going to go to a quick disclaimer, and then we're going to come back, and we're just going to jump right on in. >> The preceding commentary does not necessarily reflect the views of the staff and management of WPCA or the Boston Neighborhood Network. If you would like to express another opinion, you can address your comments to Boston Neighborhood Network, 302-5 Washington Street, Boston, Massachusetts, 02119. To arrange a time for your own commentary, you can call WPCA at 617-708-3215 or email radio at bnnmedia.org. >> Hello, and we're back. Again, my name is Rachel Meiselman, and you're listening to me, Bostonian Wrap, and this is station WPCA LP 102.9 FM Boston, Boston's Community Radio Station. I got to say that I'm feeling a little low energy today. This weather is just horrendous. I'll just say this. This is why you'll never hear me complain during the winter, because our summers are just increasingly, like year after year, it just becomes more humid, and it's just the heat sometimes almost feels oppressive. So it really just zaps you, it completely innovates you. So not that I'm normally jumping off the walls, bouncing off the walls rather, but I just, yeah. I had to say that I'm definitely not high energy tonight, but that's okay. We're still gonna have a good show. So I was watching some of what's going on in New York, the political scene there, and well, first of all, I have to say that there are some very active Republicans, there are some very active Republican organizations. Here in Massachusetts, it's not what we have. In Suffolk County, we are now at 4.36%, which is absolutely pathetic. In this part of Massachusetts, the Republican Party is on the verge of extinction, and it really is shameful, and it's funny because after elections, people reach out to me, and I'm just gonna start making myself less available. It's going to really depend on who is trying to connect with me because I tell people, like for instance, concrete example, the state committee man for the Third Suffolk district is Paul Wernicitis, originally from East Boston, married a Winthrop girl, he's been there now forever and a day. And speaking of forever and a day, that's how long Paul Wernicitis has been the state committee man for this particular Senate district. So he's been in office since 2004, and if someone has been in office for 20 years, and one of their primary responsibilities duties is to grow the bench, if you will, of the party, yet the numbers continue to drop. Now, I'm not gonna place this entirely at the feet of Paul Wernicitis, that wouldn't be fair, but he has been in office for 20 years, he just got elected to another four-year term, and I don't think he deserves it, I really don't. It's, if you're not doing your job, then there's no reason why you should have the job. It doesn't make any sense, and I think that's why so many people are frustrated with politics, because politics is one of the few industries, if I can phrase it like that, we're not expected to be held accountable, or people go into it, not wanting to be held accountable, not thinking that they should be held accountable. And I have a huge problem with that, because I think it's one area, one arena where people should be held to, ah, you're standard. So, especially as Republicans, if you wanna stand up and be looked at as the leader, then you have to deliver, or you release have to make efforts to do that. So people who voted for Paul Wernicitis, I don't, I mean, respectfully, and the thing is, is obviously I respect the vote. You have to respect the vote. The people spoke and that's beginning and end of it. But right after the election, people started complaining and reaching out to me. So I guess that's what I'm kind of responding to. That's what I'm kind of addressing, because I'm not saying I'm just gonna shut myself off, but really I am going to, as I said, I think I'm gonna be a little bit more selective, because again, if someone has been doing something for 20 years, and instead of any signs of improvement, there's been a, just the opposite, there's been, in this case, a decline in party percentage, the percentage of Republican voters in Suffolk County, I don't know, I mean, I don't understand then how Paul Wernicitis can make the argument to get four more years. And then you have Veracaducci, who is, yeah, I'm just gonna let it rip. Why not? (laughs) I can, and I can almost like hear some people now like, well, I thought this was supposed to be low energy. Oh yes, it is low energy, it is, it's very low energy. But no, let's talk about Veracaducci. So really, it's more like her husband, who is the chair of the Ward 1 Republican committee, who is the state committee woman. It's really him, because he's really calling all the shots, but she's the face, and I mean, because it's the position for the state committee woman, necessarily a woman has to hold it, so, you know. But whatever he wants, that's what she's gonna do. But he's another one, the two of them, they've been involved with the Ward 1 Republican committee, and while I'm glad that there is, that there is an active committee, it doesn't really do anything, it really, truly doesn't. And there should be 22 Republican Ward committees, just like there are 22 Democratic Ward committees. But we don't have most of ours set up, which is absolutely shameful. And again, the Ward 1 committee, which is all of East Boston, except for precinct 15, which is out in the harbor, it just doesn't do anything. And it really is, it's more than anything, it's like a fiefdom, you know. The chair, Joe Stefano, he's like a king, and that's his kingdom. And people might wanna try to present a counterpoint to that, and I welcome that, but here's the thing. Joe and his wife have been involved with this Ward committee at least since 2018. For the 2024 election, because state committee races and Ward committee races are held every four years. They're held when we go to vote for president. So when I looked at the ballot for the Republican Ward committee, there were only eight names, including mine. The other, of the other seven, three of the seven, were under one roof. That's Joe, his wife, and his wife's uncle. And I just, how can you justify being in charge, wanting to be in charge when these are your numbers? So you mean to tell me in six years? Because I wasn't recruited. I knew that there was an active Ward committee, so I reached out. So now I wasn't recruited. Of the remaining four, maybe one or two people were recruited. And I just, that's pretty damn sad. I'm sorry, but it is. I just, I don't understand that. So we have Paul Vernickitis, who doesn't do anything, doesn't run any candidate, doesn't recruit any candidates, doesn't hold any events, doesn't tell people what's going on. But here he is, he was gifted with four more years. And on top of that, he had the unmitigated gall to try to run to be the vice president of the state committee. And it's just, I don't even know what to say. I just, I simply don't. So it's just, I think that, I think that if people want a position, they have to be able to explain why they deserve another term. That is if they're, obviously, if they're already in that position. They have to be able to argue why they deserve another term. But that's not what we're seeing. I mean, and it's not just, I mean, I'm just giving examples on my side of the aisle with the state committee, the ward committee. But I mean, certainly, let's talk about the Boston city council. You can't vote because you know the name. That's lazy. You have to make sure that you do your due diligence. You have to do your homework. And that, how is that asking for too much? How, how is that, you know, something that is, is, is onerous. How is that a drudgery? It's, it's not really a big deal. It's really not. But a lot of people just vote based on name recognition. Now, I, I understand it to a certain extent, but again, I always operate, and I'm not trying to insult anybody. I'm not trying to disparage anybody, but I'm looking at it from the perspective of, I just have such a tremendous respect for the generations before us who fought so that we could all vote. And that's what I'm thinking of. And so I just think that all I have to do is show up. And how can I not? But if I show up, I have to be informed. I have to do my homework. And again, I don't think it's a big deal compared to what Americans before us went through, what they fought, how they fought, the challenges. I mean, there were some people who even died for the right to vote. I, so, I mean, really, is it really that big of a deal for us to show up consistently and know the names of all the people on the ballot and know a little something about it? I mean, is it really that big of a deal when we put it into that kind of context? Of course not. So it's, we really need to be better informed. We really, really do, I think. And I threw myself in there, you know? I do what I can, but I'll challenge myself to do more. Why not? You know, you can, you can always try to be more aware. There are always aspects of the process that you can understand a little bit better. Sure, I'll throw myself in there. But again, it's the least that I think that we all can do. But I do wanna get back to the political scene in New York. But first, we're gonna go to a quick break. And when we come back, we're gonna talk about Jamal Bowman, who is just, oh my gosh, she's dreadful. And Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, who, of course, is pretty despicable as well. But first, let's go to that break. As veterans, we're no strangers to helping others. That's what we were taught, service before self. But we do have one question for the veterans listening. When is the last time you reached out for help? If you or someone you know needs resources, whether it's for stress, finances, employment, or mental health, don't wait, reach out. Find more information at VA.gov/reach. That's VA.gov/reach. Brought to you by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs and the Ad Council. Let's take a moment to breathe. As you inhale, extend your spine, remain focused on what you're doing. If safe to do so, exhale slowly, leaning to one side. Inhale back to center. 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So, before we went to that quick break, I was bemoaning really the almost indifference of the electorate, and it's just, we all need to snap out of it because just voting for someone because we know him or her, voting for someone because, well, I already know that name. So, even if you don't actually know the person, but you know the name, you figure it will save you time, you don't have to really do research. I mean, that's just, we can't afford to do that anymore. But let's talk about the New York political scene. So, I try to pay attention to as much as I can. It's, I mean, no one knows everything, and no one can be on top of everything all the time. But I try to stay fairly well informed not just locally, not just statewide, but nationwide and, of course, international as well. Now, Jamal Bowman is a member of the squad. He is running for a reelection, and the vote will be decided on Tuesday. So, we're not at the end of the day yet, so we don't know how it's going to go. But he really, he's just, he's dreadful. And it's really, really sad that he was even elected. He has been just combative. He's very dogmatic. He's very much an ideologue. He is an activist. And it's just, he's not someone who should be in office. He really, really shouldn't be. It's just, his constituency, rather, excuse me, deserves a lot better, so he was elected. He assumed office on January 3, 2021. So, you know, he won his election, you know, his initial race. He unseated Eliot Engel, who had served for 16 terms. He had been in the House, U.S. House. He'd been in office since 1989. And I understand to a certain point, you know, people, again, it's people, people are swayed by different things. So, I just got through saying we can't just go based on name recognition. We can't just go based on, well, I know that person. We met at a party or at an event, you know, some event, or I saw him here, we can't do that. But by the same token, we can't vote for someone just because he or she's different. Again, it just all comes down to change. And isn't it kind of funny that we're willing to give some people another term when they've done absolutely nothing to deserve it? But then others were ready to vote for someone else notwithstanding the fact that that person has delivered consistently. It's really, it's really kind of bonkers, crazy. But I certainly don't think that Eliot Engel deserved to be unseated, certainly not by Jamal Bowman. And so he's been a member of the squad. And he's just very, I just, like I said, he's been very combative. He's been very anti-Israel. He's made a lot of very anti-Semitic remarks. You know, he's right now, he's complaining how a lot of money has been pumped into his race, a tremendous amount of money. He and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, they're saying that it is dark money. And I just find that funny because I'm not going to call her AOC. I'm just simply not. I have so little use for representative Ocasio-Cortez. I'm not going to call her AOC. Like, I don't think she's cute. I don't think she's hip. I don't think she's cool. I think she's a moron. I think she's an idiot. I think she's mean-spirited. I think she's racist. I think she's anti-Semitic. And I think she's thoroughly, thoroughly incompetent. And I think she's thick as two-playing. So we're not going to play Cute C and call her AOC. So, but my point is that Ocasio-Cortez, when she was running for her second term, she had a lot of money. And it was very interesting to just kind of compare. And, you know, I remember thinking to myself that for someone who's just running, who's just been in office for one term, it was actually-- I don't want to say impressive, but it was quite something that she had so much money. You know, as much as, say, a seasoned politician, a politician who had been in office for quite some time, and over the years, over the election cycles had accumulated a war chest. So we think that for someone like her to be complaining about dark money, she's really got a lot of nerve. But, you know, Bullman has been blaming APAC, in particular, a nonpartisan pro-Israel organization. He is saying that he is being targeted just because he wants to cease fire. And that's not what it is. He's being targeted because he's not delivering for his consistency. He's being targeted because he is contributing to the unrest, and the polarization, and the victimization of certain groups. He's being targeted because-- targeted, air quotes, because he's not-- I mean, someone is running against him. I mean, targeted. I mean, does he think that the sea belongs to him? I mean, come on. But he has an opponent because it's just-- yeah, he's just not getting the job done. And so there was a video that's made its way around the internet. And he's there with Bernie Sanders. And Bernie Sanders should be so ashamed of himself. But, you know, it's just Bernie is-- I mean, what can you say about Bernie Sanders? It's just he-- it is what it is. Bernie Sanders and Alexander Ocasio-Cortez and Bowman is swearing. And, you know, first of all, he's dressed-- he's dressed scruffy. I shouldn't say scruffy, but it's-- you're running-- you're a congressman. You are running for reelection. I appreciate it's hot. No one's saying that you should wear a three-piece suit and that you should be sweltering. But it's-- I just-- a little bit of professionalism. He could have dressed casually, you know, maybe to convey the informality of the event. You know, it's a bunch of friends. You know, I guess that's the message. You know, we the people. I can get all that. But still, he-- he's still a congressman. And he's running for reelection. And to show up, not dressed professionally, I just-- you know, already. But yeah, I just-- it just-- really, he was profane. He was vulgar. There was a stool. He was slamming it on the stage. Sees fire now. Sees fire now. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, it was so bizarre. She ran on to the stage. She had her hair pulled back. And I guess a ponytail, she took her hair out. She's, you know, swinging her, you know, pushing her hair over. She's, you know, jumping up and down. I just-- it's-- it was ridiculous. And it was offensive because I sincerely doubt that either one of them would have pulled that in another part of the district. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, I think sound the broad-- let me just-- let me look, because I actually-- there was an issue. Let me just see what his district is, because I don't think that's not even in his district. I'm not even sure that's in his district, so I have to-- I have to double check that. But what I can tell you is that I-- what I can assert with a fair amount of confidence is I sincerely doubt that he would-- he and Ocasio-Cortez would be acting, like, basically, like animals, like clowns, like fools. They wouldn't be doing that in front of other audiences. So I don't know why they thought that they could get away with doing it in the South Bronx. It's just really-- it was just so offensive. And I just-- again, I don't really know what to say. And I think it comes back to this idea that, first of all, go vote. It's so unbelievably important. But people have to stop worrying about-- people have to start doing the homework, yes. But another consideration seems to be, as I implied, with this part of the show program, that people like change before the sake of change. And it's just-- stop. I understand when people are frustrated with someone. But I personally-- I'm not going to vote for someone new if I can see that the challenger is not up to the job. That's-- I don't see the point in voting for someone who would be a disaster, just to have someone new. I don't agree with that. I can't get on board with that. I also don't care about making history. Look, maybe I shouldn't phrase it like that. I don't care about making history. Look, I can understand why people want to make history. I understand that people-- a lot of variety of people want to show that we have evolved as a nation, that there's room for everybody, that we are intolerant people. I get all that. But again, we can't vote for someone just to make history if the person doesn't have the goods. Any way you look at it, when we go to vote, we have to be informed. And we have to-- to the best of our abilities, to the best of the possibilities that are before us, we have to make decisions that are going to be in our best interest, that are going to be in the best interest of our community. And we just-- I don't know. We can't throw our votes away anymore. We just can't. We just can't. And I'm going to underline this, because I think I really need to. I'm going to stop taking people's calls. And I love people who they'll say things like, well, Rachel, we want you to run. OK, you're going to help? It's-- whether it's me or someone else, people, they'll say that you're good, but then they don't want to help. If they think you're going to win, then they'll jump aboard, as if they have been there all along. It's just-- we're a constitutional republic. But our government really is-- we're very unique in what we have in this geographical space. I mean, a lot of people think, well, listen to me talk. I know what I'm talking about, because I know that we're a constitutional republic. And it's-- I'm sorry, but it's a little bit more than that. You know, we have placed our faith in a document, a very special document. And we are a government. It's all about us. It's made up of us. It's for us. It's by us. So we just-- we have to take care of our space. I guess that's the best way to put it. We have to take care of our space. We have to participate. We have to show up. And a lot of people make up excuses. Well, my faith-- because of my faith, I don't vote. I don't really understand that. I'll be respectful, because I try to be respectful of different people, and different points of view, and different perspectives. But I don't understand not participating at all. And so a lot of times-- or I shouldn't say a lot-- well, yeah. A lot of times when I have encountered people who might say something along those lines will be because of my faith. I don't know what faith that is, but again, I try to be respectful. But these same people are not showing up at meetings. They're not-- if I were to ask these people who their elected officials are, who their city council-- who represents them on the Boston City Council from talking local, who are their state reps, state senators, they wouldn't be able to answer you. And I just-- I just-- I don't get it. I really, really, really don't. We're going to go to another quick break, and then we come back. We're going to jump into another topic. As always, people can find me online, but more important than finding me or anyone else online. I really want to encourage people-- my closing remarks on this part of the show. I really want to encourage people to do their homework. Find out about the different races that are going on each election cycle. Find out who the candidates are, if not much is known, if you, someone-- whatever, you don't know much about a particular office, and you don't understand the purview. We'll take the time to educate yourself, reach out to the candidates, see what they have to say about the different issues. Find out what their experience is. Would they be able to do the job? Would they be able to carry out the responsibilities of the office? It's-- I just-- that's what I'm going to urge people to do. That's what I'm going to highly encourage people to do. Take a leading role in your community. Take an active role. Take a participatory role, because it's just-- on every level of government, it's all about us. And we just-- as I said, we have to take care of our space. But let's go to that quick break, our last break of today's show, and then we're going to come back and delve into another topic. I always had to be so good no one could ignore me. Carve my path with data and drive. But some people only see who I am on paper. The paper ceiling. The limitations from degree screens to stereotypes that are holding back over 70 million stars. Workers skilled through alternative rocks, rather than a bachelor's degree. It's time for skills to speak for themselves. Find resources for breaking through barriers at TaylorPaperSilling.org, brought to you by opportunity at work and the Ad Council. People won't give you the real talk on drugs, but it's time we know the facts. 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Hello, and welcome back to Bostonian Wrap. Again, my name is Rachel Meiselman, and you are listening to me on WBCALP 102.9 FM Boston. This is Boston's Community Radio Station. So, for the last bit of this show, I want to talk about bicycles and bicycle lanes. I just, well, not even just bicycles, the scooters, because the scooters, I feel like the scooters, that could be its own topic, that could be its own show. I understand, again, I always try to be tolerant. Even if I don't agree with something, I do try to listen. I do try to understand the other perspective. But right now, I'm kind of at a loss. So, there's been a big push to encourage other forms of transportation. And part of the push has come from the fact that Boston has been consistently ranked as either the city with the worst traffic in the nation, or it ranks like second or maybe third. But generally, it's like one or two. And so people, people, elected officials, politicians, they're encouraging, like really pushing for the modes of transportation. And honestly, they're just making the situation worse. And I just, I get so tired of that because people, an issue arises. And because we don't have people who always know what to join, again, that's where we, the people come in. (laughs) We need to vote, you know, smartly, intelligently. But because we have people who don't always know what they're doing, instead of addressing an issue before it is an issue, especially before it becomes a crisis, they give a diagnosis that just makes everything worse. They give a diagnosis that just makes everything worse. Right? And then they suggest a solution based on that diagnosis, and you say to yourself, you can't be serious. So with the traffic, I don't know how to break this to the politicians, but a lot of it is Uber and Lyft. Now, in full disclosure, my family is in the taxi business, but Uber and Lyft, they can pick up and drop off regardless of where they start. So let me explain that a little bit more. If you're a Boston taxi, you, in principle, you cannot pick up and stow them, or you can't pick up in Newton, or you can't pick up in Brookline. You're a Boston licensed taxi. You, you know, for the most part, I mean, this is what you need to do. You need to pick up in Boston. That's where you're licensed. And then of course, you can take your customer anywhere, but in terms of point of origin, there are regulations in place. And you have, you have laws, you have regulations. And when it comes to Uber and Lyft, it's just, they can pick up anywhere they want and they can drop off anywhere they want. Now, because Boston is a busy, busy city, we have a lot of people coming from other parts of Massachusetts, and they're picking up in Boston. We actually have people coming from other states and they'll, you know, they'll Uber and Lyft, you know, they'll, they'll drive an Uber, Lyft right here in Boston, they'll go home and, they'll go home, it could be in Hampshire, Rhode Island, Maine, Vermont. Do we already see where there might be an issue? And so we're wondering why there's so many cars. Well, this is one of the reasons. This is one of the reasons. This is a big reason. Am I saying that it's the only reason? No, but it's certainly a very big one. If we started to crack down on Uber and Lyft and have drivers for those companies abide by the same regulations, the same laws, as cab drivers, as the taxi industry, there would already be a significant difference in the traffic situation in Boston. Now, let's talk about the push for bikes. We'll start with that. It has nothing to do with our size. It has nothing to do with our streets. I mean, it would, obviously, if we have wider streets, that's helpful, but it's just more down to, we're not, the city wasn't designed, it wasn't designed for bike riding. We are a walking city. Boston's a fantastic city to walk in. The walkability quotient is very, very high. But for bicycles, no. And it, depending on where you live and where you work, you can make it work, possibly. But in principle, it's just, we're not a bike city here in Boston. And a lot of surrounding suburbs are not bike cities either. And tearing up Boston throwing in all these bike lanes, and not just in Boston. Again, these different surrounding municipalities like Cambridge, like Somerville. It's not making, it's just, it's not making sense because we're not, what people honestly trying to propose, whether or not they realize it, is if we can push a large number of people to ride their bicycles, then we'll get people out of cars. But if the city isn't designed for bicycles in principle, how are we gonna do that? And are we gonna tear up, are we gonna tear up the roads to make it more bikeable? I just, why can't people on a municipal level, here in Boston, work with their partners on state level, take their concerns to their partners on state level and say, look, we need Uber and Lyft to abide by the same regulations by the same laws as taxi caps. Why can't we do that? Why? Look, I like riding a bicycle as much as most people who like riding bicycles. But the point is, it's just not necessarily very safe because again, that's not how a lot of different cities where there's such a big push for these bikes, it's not how these cities were laid. They weren't designed with this type of, transportation in mind, and then we have scooters. Oh, and the last couple of points on bicycles. And again, it's just, I have to wonder sometimes like we can make our points, but we also have to use some common sense. So, for instance, if we're gonna push for people to ride bicycles, then we need to push for people to observe etiquette, too. We have people who ride bicycles and they're just kind of, it's just willy-nilly and a lot of cyclists they get up on sidewalks. And for people like myself, I don't drive. I don't drive, so I can hardly be accused of, oh, you have five cars, and if I did, so what? So bloody what, right? But I don't have a single car, in fact, I don't even know how to drive. But I support people being able to get around if they want in a car. And if it's feasible, sure, bicycles, but again, it's, that's not hard, a lot of different municipalities were designed. And now we're at a point where we have pedestrians and cyclists competing for space on sidewalks, and people are gonna get hurt. And we also have people on scooters. So it's just, we have to be respectful of, there's only so much space, and we have to be respectful for all going to share it. And I would argue that instead of pushing so hard for these bicycles and these bike lanes, I think we need to address the Uber and Lyft not abiding by the same regulations and the same laws as the taxi industry. I would also, I would also, you know, say that there needs to be, it needs to be made clear that cyclists need to respect drivers. They need to respect pedestrians and people on scooters too. It's just, I mean, we have people like just kind of doing whatever they want at this point. And I feel like it's a free for all. And that's not really comfortable for me. So it's just, we just, we have to, we just have to do so much better. And I've spoken about bicycles before. It's, but it's, you know, increasingly it's become a hill that some people want to die on, and I just don't get it. I mean, if we don't have the space, we can't just be dropping lanes, you know, here, there, and everywhere. Let me give you an example, listeners. (laughs) There is, for those of you who might be a little less familiar with the geography in Boston, the, you know, the, yeah, the geography of Boston, we have an area called Method O Mile. Now, there's some people who object to me using that name that is too bad. I am not gonna call it Mass and Cass. You know, Massachusetts Avenue, Melnia Casa Boulevard. Melnia Casa Boulevard, of course, named after Melnia Casa, the civil rights icon. I'm just not gonna do it because it's over time. The area's just gotten increasingly worse. It's a scary place to be. Nothing has been done to improve things, you know, substantively, and the same people who bristle at the idea of that area being called Method O Mile, are the same people who have not dropped a single idea as to how things can be improved down there. So I just, I don't wanna hear it. So Method O Mile, it's basically an open-air drug market. And just continue to tune in if you're new because I've talked about it a lot on Bostonian rap and I'll continue to, but it's an area where it's just, it's not very safe. And the city has put bike lanes there. And I'm just like, I, just like with other parts of Boston in general, including that area too, I would focus on working with partners on Beacon Hill so that we can cut down on the number of Uber and Lyft drivers who just come into the city and do business and then go back to another state or go back to another part of Massachusetts. I would, I think the bigger issue in that area is not putting in bike lanes, but making it safe because I don't, you know, if I were a driver, I wouldn't even feel comfortable driving through there. Nevermind being on a bicycle. I mean, it's just, it's just, I just don't get it. So encourage different modes of transportation for sure. But be realistic, listen to people and take into account the space where you would like to put the bike lanes. Is it feasible? Would it cause an uptick in traffic? Would it hurt businesses in the area? Because, you know, with an uptick in traffic, people would be less likely to visit those businesses. We just, we have to just look at something, an issue holistically. And again, we need to take into account different stakeholders. And it's just, it's very frustrating that I would have to say something so elementary, something so fundamental. But I think with something like this, we see that it's just, it's important. So that's a high of time for this week. Unfortunately, there's always so much to talk about. And because people don't do what they need to do, whether we're talking about elected officials, activists, so this, that, there's always something to talk about. But again, that's all I have time for. Thank you so much for listening. And I look forward to hanging out with you next week. - The preceding commentary does not necessarily reflect the views of the staff and management of WBCA or the Boston Neighborhood Network. If you would like to express another opinion, you can address your comments to Boston Neighborhood Network, 302-5 Washington Street, Boston, Massachusetts, 02119. To arrange a time for your own commentary, you can call WBCA at 617-708-3215 or email radio@bnnmedia.org. or email radio at bnnmedia.org. [BLANK_AUDIO]