Rabid Ransom. Reports say that Colonial Pipeline Co. paid nearly $5 million to the Russian hackers, DarkSide, hours after the hackers shut down the vital U.S. pipeline. The claim is that the company paid the ransom in the form of hard to trace cryptocurrency. Today House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, “ransom should not be paid by companies that are the victims of cyber-attacks.” Do you agree?
Opioid Deaths on the Rise. According to a recent Massachusetts Department of Public Health report on opioid-related overdose deaths among Massachusetts residents, the state saw a 5% increase in deaths last year. In 2020, the state saw a total number of 2,104 opioid deaths. The state also released numbers for the first quarter of 2021, and it shows continued increase. Has COVID distracted us from other pressing health issues like opioid abuse? Is it time to turn our attention to the other epidemic?
Guaranteed Minimum Income. Programs to help Massachusetts families with food and basic necessities during the pandemic are now being looked at as more permanent weapons against poverty and income disparity. One idea being floated is a guaranteed minimum income. One group of people targeted for this largess is illegal immigrants. What do you think of the idea?
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