Question 4: Results, Reactions, and the Future
On June 9, 2022, the Massachusetts legislature passed the Work and Family Mobility Act, which provides any Massachusetts resident, regardless of citizenship status, the ability to obtain a standard driver’s license. Governor Charlie Baker initially vetoed the bill, but the Massachusetts senate overrode it by a vote of 32–8. Only a few days after the […]
Should Massachusetts Let Undocumented Immigrants Drive Legally?
With Massachusetts’ November elections quickly approaching, tension surrounds the ballot questions. Question 4, in particular, asks voters to approve the Work and Family Mobility Act in a referendum. This act enables all qualified Massachusetts residents, regardless of citizenship status, to apply for a standard driver’s license while keeping the state in full compliance with REAL […]
Mass. and Cass: An Intersection of Roads and Crises
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu drafted a plan to relocate the homeless inhabitants living on the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard, colloquially known as Mass. and Cass. This plan will move Mass. and Cass residents to transitional housing units around the city by late December. While Mayor Wu’s plans aren’t novel, some praise […]
Go Global, Think Local: How US Immigration Policies Affect Massachusetts
After hurling his way into power using “build a wall” rhetoric, President Trump reduced the cap on national refugee admissions from 110,000 to 50,000 for the 2017 fiscal year. Despite this, 53,716 refugees were admitted. The following year, Trump decreased the cap to 45,000, seemingly to rectify this over-acceptance. Only 22,491 refugees gained entry. For […]
Bill Who? The Republican Primaries’ Significance in the 2020 Election
Despite President Trump’s approval rating sitting at 44 percent as of March 20, 56 percent of Americans—including 65 percent of independents and 93 percent of Democrats—disapprove of his administration. Even the number of Republicans supporting the president has fallen by two percent since January, when the president’s approval rating peaked at 49 percent. Yet toppling […]
Inside the Squad: Managing One of the Best-Known Offices on Capitol Hill
Two years ago, Sarah Groh was taken out of the Senate building in handcuffs. She had been arrested for protesting proposed new restrictions on the Affordable Care Act (ACA). She was fighting for her mother, who had recently been diagnosed with leukemia and was relying on the ACA to afford treatment. Today, Groh works in […]
Northeastern Administration and Its Investors
At the heart of the Israel-Palestine conflict at Northeastern sits Northeastern University administration. Though “administration” is a vague term, I use it to define the upper-echelon of the people at this university: the president, the vice presidents, and the bureaucratic maze of departments and offices that set the standards of the university. President Joseph Aoun […]