Citizens Speak Out!

Obviously I'm taking your calls from 9am-noon today on the Government Gridlock Goof-Up, but the emails are already pouring in (michaelgraham@969wtkk.com ):

I am a nurse and spent 5 hrs getting to work last night. It was the worst trip into the city in any weather I have made in more than 15 yrs of my nursing career. I listened to you most of the way in. You kept me laughing and sane... I really resented the way the DOT rep made it out to be our fault we were stuck. Many of the folks on the roads ARE EMERGENCY PERSONNEL...I had no choice in coming.. My shift needs to be filled and I left very early, and was still late. Anyway enough crabbing, thanks for the laughs and keep giving the "politicians" heck! – Karie

Michael, there are approximately. 20 children still stuck at a daycare center in Canton because there are tractor trailers stranded on 138 and no one is doing a damn thing. My husband sat in 4 hours of traffic to go 3 miles to pick our 18 month old daughter up tonight. The children are eating frozen pancakes while three teachers try to take care of them. WHERE THE HELL ARE THE POLICE??? Canton police laugh when you call and ask for an update. -- Gretchen

HI Michael: I’m so glad you got stuck in that crap last night. All I could think of the whole 5 hours I was in it trying to get home from Charlestown to Jamaica Plain was "how the hell are we going to get Deval Patrick out of office". This guy is an incompetent ass. I don’t think most people remember but the same thing happened just shortly after he took over at the beginning of the year. I think most people have forgotten about that but I haven’t, because I work in the traffic as a courier. Now that I know your involved maybe we can get some answers. Anything you need me to do to get the asses out of office, I will gladly help.. Please don’t let them off the hook for that [stuff]! Last night endangered lives. Cars abandoned everywhere, school busses with school children stuck in the snow, spinning their wheels. For what I ask? A few inches of snow? It has never been like that the entire 17 years I have been here and I have seen it allot more snow than that. I also know it never happened when Romney was here. People need to be fired and removed from Please get them Michael. I will be listening.– Paul.

Hi Michael, My 13 year old daughter goes to Boston Latin School, and lives in Jamaica Plain (distance of about 3 miles). Boston public schools did not let out early today, so when the kids were released at 2:15 pm, the city busses that usually transport them to JP just weren't moving. My daughter, with a group of friends, walked the entire 3 mile distance in the storm and it took about 2 hours! It was very dangerous for them to walk in the storm, but I don't see how they had a choice. We just received a call from three of her friends who chose not to walk to JP, and they are still on the city bus in Boston proper! It was ridiculous for the Boston Public School system not to either shorten the day or to cancel school altogether. By not doing so, children were endangered. Also, two more points: 1. The transportation commissioner did not provide any valuable information regarding why the traffic conditions are so incredibly horrible, except to blame the state police and state transportation authorities. How lame! 2. I live at the end of a dead end street in Jamaica Plain and, strangely enough, the plow has been here three times since already! I'd gladly send him into the city if I could. Best of luck!---Erin

With debacles like the Big Dig, and Lite-Brites on bridges,
Is it any surprise that Boston is not the most organized city? Even
when there has been prior knowledge? Heaven forbid Boston gets
attacked. We'd be so screwed.—Rama.


Michael, I heard you Thursday evening talking about the traffic gridlock. I left my house in Ashland around 12:30 p.m. to go to work in Boston (Brigham and Women's Hospital). I arrived at 9:30 p.m., a mere 9 hours later! I never saw one truck out sanding or salting and only 2 plows the whole way into Boston. What I did see were a lot of stupid people out trying to drive. I was exhausted by the time I arrived at work. It's a good thing you didn't try to drive home. I wonder if and when Jim Braude made it home. – Sherry


So where were the cops! Drove from Youville Hospital in Cambridge to pick up my wife at Childrens, left at 1:30, after two hours had her walk over and meet me at Brookline Ave, turned around to head back to Cambridge, didn't get back until 6:30 (about 7 miles usually about 40 minutes at peak). Entire way no cops directing traffic. At Commonwealth my wife got out to direct traffic so we could cross! Main issue for us was gridlocking. Where was the planning? – Bruce