Some local politics for Eliot (who once again tells me that my lack of politics in this blog is disappointing):

Background: Bus strike here lasting ~48 days. Our only form of mass transit. This makes it very difficult for those of us who cannot/do not drive to get around. People lost jobs, businesses lost money. It kinda sucked.

Original letter in today's Star Tribune ("newspaper of the Twin Cities"):
A waste of money
With the buses up and running again, it is clear we need to reevaluate the public funding of these buses.
Does it really serve the community as a whole to subsidize the limited ridership of the few who ride the buses? Wouldn't that money be better spent on repairing and expanding roads for all to use?
While it may have been painful for a small number of people, it became apparent that business went on as usual in the metropolitan area during the strike.
Jason Breyer, Brooklyn Park

My response:
Jason Breyer’s April 21st letter about the bus strike was hurtful and narrow-minded. Businesses did lose money, and people lost jobs. The only reason the effects were not felt more is because people scrambled to find temporary ways of getting to places they needed to be – not reliable, long-term or affordable transportation.
I fail to see how using mass transit money to instead repair and expand roads would be for the good of all. I am disabled, although you would not know it by looking at me. I cannot drive and most likely never will. There are many people like me in the Twin Cities – relying during the strike on favors from family and friends to get around, and losing our independence in doing so. Many in the Cities cannot afford cars, and take the bus instead. Road expansions would obviously not be for the good of “all” but for the good of the privileged. Isn’t this what our government is supposed to prevent?


I also meant to put in a sentence about what big asshole he was for not thinking that disable people are as important a part of society as he is, but I forgot. Oh well.

Bye!