The Phoenix article deserves some attention here, I think. Because the premise is, T-riders are being used as pawns of MBTA management and, ultimately, Governor Mitt Romney.

The question that David Bernstein asks is why is T GM Danny Grabauskas encouraging people to protest the fare hike, to the point of telling us that if enough do, the amount of the fare hike might be reduced? If you believe he had ulterior motives in the first place, then the outrageous increase in fares does seem like a provocation.

Why would Grabauskas want to provoke us? Maybe because many of us would express outrage not only over the price hike, but also over the perennially poor service. And many of us would point the finger (or at least a finger) at the unions, as I have. This might give him some leverage in upcoming contract negotiations with them.

Outrage might also give Romney an excuse to move against the unions, which would boost his conservative street cred. And as much as it hurts to say, in a grudge match between Mitt and the MBTA, I might actually have to side with Mitt. The horror, the horror.

Yes, he’s a fascist. But we all know fascists are good for one thing: making the trains run on time.