I don't like the idea of increased fees for metro transit users or cuts in service at a time when we have just recently had numerous air quality warning days and need to be including more people to utilize public transit- not less.
I do think that we need to try to wean our public transit system off dependency on fossil fuels as much as possible as this creates vulnerability of exposure to the most volatile of energy markets making it difficult to budget. This would also make public transit cleaner for both users and in terms of the air all of us in the community have to breathe. I'm not crazy about the metrowide sales tax proposal at the capital to help support transit either. Why must every possible tax proposed be as regressive as possible to gain a hearing? It seems that both a sales tax increase and rate hikes would fall disproportionately on those least able to pay. The national scope of the problem that Jason references is no doubt due to the federal governments reductions in subsidy of metro transit systems in favor of road construction projects over the last 30(yes 30!) years. It would be great to broaden the pretax deduction for metro passes to more people and employers. It seems that if an individual wanted to pay the full price for such a pass pretax that the metro transit system could find a way to make that available through just about any employer if the employee chooses to bear the cost so it would be available to individuals whose employers don't subsidize metropasses as a job benefit. David Strand Loring Park --- Jason Samuels <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > >> Transit fare hikes, service cuts on tap? > > Kevin Duchschere, Star Tribune > > March 12, 2005 TRANSIT0312 > > > > http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/5287121.html __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Small Business - Try our new resources site! http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/resources/ REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[email protected] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
