Most Boston-area commuters are intimately familiar with the iconic MBTA service map. So when thousands of T riders received a “Change of Service” announcement during rush hour this morning (pictured above), it took many by surprise.

Produced by Metro Boston Climate Defense (MBCD), the new map details what the MBTA might look like in 30 years as a result of rising sea levels and storm surge caused by climate change. With the Financial District, Logan Airport, East Boston, Back Bay and several other neighborhoods totally under water, ferries would have to replace the Red, Green and Blue Line service riders have grown accustomed to. And that’s only if the Eastern Massachusetts economy survives flood damage on the scale of post-Katrina New Orleans.

A natural disaster this big may sound like the plotline of a Hollywood blockbuster, but the crisis will be all-too-real for Bay State families if we don’t take serious action now. Sea levels are already rising fast, and we’ve seen more and more erratic weather just in the last two to three years. All it would take is one big nor’easter to push those flood waters into the streets of Boston. We need a real, aggressive effort, both from elected officials and industry leaders, to stave off the environmental and economic catastrophe that lies ahead.

Unfortunately, some members of congress – including our own Senator Scott Brown – are acting as significant roadblocks to the kind of preventative measures we need to stave off the crisis. This group of Washington politicians continues to ignore the warnings of scientific experts, dismissing the very existence of climate change. In fact, Brown is the only member of the Massachusetts congressional delegation to take this extreme view, leaving his constituents back home to wonder whose interests he really serves.

As it turns out, Brown’s position reads almost word-for-word from the script of his donors in the oil industry – many of whom are actively working to block effective action on climate change by muddying the understanding we have of the problem. These Big Oil companies are certainly more concerned with increasing their already-record-high profit margins than the flooded T stops near Copley Square – and it appears Scott Brown is more than happy to follow their lead.

There’s one thing we can be sure of in all this: if we don’t acknowledge the serious nature of this problem and take meaningful steps to address it, these MBTA ‘Service Changes’ will be only the beginning. Before things are too far gone, it might be worth calling Scott Brown’s office at (617) 565-3170. Tell him it’s time to accept the reality of climate change – because we’re not interested in hailing that Green Line Ferry any time soon.

What happens when a flash mob of dozens of shareholders and concerned citizens confronts General Electric’s notorious tax dodging practices? The “General Electric Slide” of course!

The lunch hour flash mob descended on GE’s Boston headquarters yesterday sporting blaze orange MASSUNITING hats to perform their own version of the 1976 Marcia Griffiths classic. You can see all the lyrics to the “General Electric Slide” here, but here’s a sample of the retooled tune:

GE pays no taxes! It’s pathetic!
Billions in refunds! It’s pathetic!
You know that ain’t fair – ain’t fair anywhere!

A new report by the non-partisan Institute on Taxation & Economic Policy and Citizens for Tax Justice reveals that General Electric is amongst the worst tax dodgers in America. Despite posting profits of more than $19.6 billion over the last three years, GE managed to draw in a federal tax refund of $3.7 billion. The resulting net-negative tax rate of -18.9% placed GE near the top of the non-profits’ “Dirty Thirty” list of corporate tax dodgers.

“As a shareholder, I’m saddened to see General Electric has been crowned a top tax dodger yet again,” said Bethanne Sullivan, a GE shareholder from Brockton. “GE brought in nearly $20 billion in profits over the last three years. No one in their right mind can say the company’s billion-dollar tax refunds are justifiable.”

In 2010 alone, General Electric’s federal tax subsidy cost Massachusetts nearly $100 million in federal spending and direct aid – including $15 million for Medicaid, $1 million for education programs and $981,000 in disability compensation for veterans.

“Every year, budgets get tighter and tighter – and every year, taxpayers have to come up with more money just to maintain the basic services we all depend on,” said Lesley Stafford of Boston, who joined Thursday’s flash mob. “If General Electric just paid their fair share like the rest of us do, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

General Electric shareholders plan to join hundreds of other Massachusetts residents Tuesday, April 17 for a Tax Day rally and march through Boston’s financial district. The day of action will highlight several of the hub’s most notorious tax-dodging corporations, including GE. Details available at www.TaxDayBoston.org.

Anyone watching Super Bowl XLVI last night was treated to a host of television ads singing the praises of America’s largest corporation, General Electric. The ad blitz, tied together under the umbrella/theme of “GE Works,” came complete with a website and ‘#WhatWorks’ Twitter hashtag.

The advertising campaign (~$10.5 million spent in one night, alone) would lead viewers to believe General Electric is single-handedly carrying our country out of the economic abyss by creating countless jobs and saving entire communities. In reality, #WhatWorks for GE is a longtime record of tax dodging that has lead to painful job cuts, service reductions and school closures – both in Massachusetts and across the country.

As the New York Times revealed nearly a year ago, General Electric has managed to avoid taxation altogether, despite the company’s incredible profitability. In 2010, for example, GE posted an enormous $11.6 billion profit, yet somehow managed to rake in a $3.2 billion federal tax refund. The direct loss in federal spending and aid totaled more than $140 million in Massachusetts alone – a figure that could have created or saved the jobs of thousands of construction workers, teachers, and firefighters.

Hundreds of demonstrators in Massachusetts, Wisconsin and elsewhere have already gathered to raise awareness of General Electric’s now-notorious tax avoidance. But with GE’s latest attempt to paper over its true record, we can expect to see much more citizen pushback on the company’s “#WhatWorks” campaign in the months to come. Stay tuned.

Take Back the Capitol was an incredible experience. I’ve been out of work for two years and I’m sick and tired of people like Scott Brown who would rather protect tax breaks for billionaires than help create jobs for the rest of us — the 99%. I wrote up a quick description of the action to keep everyone in the loop, but be sure to check out the video too!

Tuesday, December 6 — Occupying Scott Brown’s Office

On Tuesday, we hit the ground running and went straight to Scott Brown’s DC office. Since he hasn’t held a single public town hall or open forum since taking office two years ago, we thought we might try to catch him in Washington. Brown was on the Senate floor for votes all week, but he somehow couldn’t make the time to meet with the 100 unemployed constituents who came to see him. But we know first-hand how Brown continues to dodge our questions and meeting requests back home, so we occupied his office for nearly eight hours on Tuesday just in case he came back. No luck, unfortunately. That guy sure knows how to hide!

Wednesday, December 7 — Shutting Down the Lobbyists on K St

Scott Brown may have dodged the Massachusetts delegation in his office on Tuesday, but our crew was in hot pursuit the next day – searching for our senator amongst his corporate sponsors on K Street – where all the lobbyists hide. Joined by thousands of demonstrators from across the country, the crowd was so large that we literally shut K Street down, bringing corporate influence-peddling to a grinding halt. Activists put up large banners at each end of the protest, reading “This is 99% Street.” Still no luck finding Brown, but we did ask a few lobbyists how much campaign money we’d need to contribute to get a meeting with him!

Thursday, December 8 — Bringing it to House Speaker John Boehner

Our final day of action brought the fight directly to the doorstep of the guy who’s responsible for all the inaction on jobs and unemployment – Speaker John Boehner. A small group from Massachusetts and Ohio arrived at Boehner’s home early in the morning, greeting him with coffee and donuts in the hope of securing a constituent meeting later in the day. Of course, we were denied, so we brought 250+ angry unemployed Americans to his office a few hours later. Boehner’s staff locked the doors to their office, but we stayed in the hallway, shouting “We’re unemployed and we’re united. Tell the speaker we’re not leaving!” over and over until Capitol Police cleared the room. A crowd of thousands was waiting for us outside on the building’s steps, joining in our chant and rallying for the 99%.

Overall, it was an amazing and inspiring experience. I met people from across the country who are going through the same struggles I face every day. And while Scott Brown and his friends in Congress may not have met with us face-to-face, our physical presence and the amazing news coverage we got across the country made sure the voices of the 99% were heard loud and clear.