Victoria Heller wrote:
A very large number of people, even in Minneapolis, do not want to become dependent on government - for anything. I'm included in this group because I find that government services cost way too much, end up hiring too many people with puffy paychecks and pensions, and ultimately offer inferior services compared to those found in the private sector. Keep in mind that we are paying more than ever to provide for our own security, buy palatable drinking water, provide an education for our children, and avoid the morass called "health care."
Ah, health care. And who provides health insurance? The private sector. The overhead of private insurers is something like 10-30x that of Medicare. The "government is inefficient" argument is a myth constructed over the last 30 years.
This group of freedom loving, independent people prefer to go wherever they want, whenever they want to. They like to choose which retailer or restaurant gets their money. Some like to go to a Casino in the middle of the night. You get the picture. They don't like to be herded like cattle.
Ah, the "liberals hate freedom" argument. Note that no one here is advocating one mode over another. There will always be a place for cars, buses, LRT, etc. We need a _system_, not a patchwork of lines put together as we can scrape up the funds. I'm an advocate for transit because transit is just a more pleasant way to get around, binds communities together and fosters the kind of development I want to see in our city. The Portland streetcar project is a good example of what can happen. I chose to live where I do because of the transit nearby.
We will always need personal vehicles. We will always need bikeways. We will always need sidewalks. The lack of sidewalks is, I think, the #1 problem and symptom of problems with many of the outer suburbs.
David Greene The Wedge
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