Flocking to Public Transit

I wonder if the Bush administration will let out a resounding, "Seeeee? We were just trying to help." Only after prices continue to inch closer to $4.00 a gallon are people starting to acknowledge a need to change their behavior. While it's fucked up that this was brought on for no reason other than profit, I am glad that people are realizing that there are other things in life than your car and a shitty daily routine that includes your daily necessary dose of Chet and the Bird, or some other horrible morning drive-time show (or your stupid phone glued to your stupid head). Doesn't anyone like to be alone anymore? I have no problem with the price of gas going up if rural daily travelers are given subsidies and/or county tax breaks, and independent truckers are given a break, I just have a problem with where the money is going.

We do have a fairly solid bus system here, but this city could really use a light rail system, or combination (like Boston), something other than nothing. It's been proposed several times for as long I can remember, and the reason why it won't even be considered? Because it'll cost too much and no one will use it. Yet, everyone I know would use it, eventually. Our taxes here are already absurd for the cost of living (you get a little break on your rent/mortgage, that's about it for "cheapness", and the wages are not great), but why not have toll roads? That could not only help to pay for it (shifting the budget so that the tolls help with the roads, road tax helps pay for light-rail, right?), it gives incentive for people to not drive. They're building that ridiculous new bridge for a few rich assholes in Northern Oldham, that we're all going to have to pay for, why not scrap that and work on fixing public transportation? I don't know, maybe I don't know what the fuck I'm talking about, but I've always thought with the way this huge city is laid out, now extending further into Oldham County, it makes no sense to me to not have some sort of alternative public transportation. Abramson has done a great job with the bike lanes and other cheap 21st century perks like public WiFI, but it simply isn't enough. This is a time to expect more, do better, especially from a consistent mayor like Jerry. A time for big thinking and big balls.

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