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New York, 8:09 AM
Wed Nov 25
49 posts in the last 24 hours

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  • posts about #parochialnews more →

    New York City Just Gives Up on Subway Service

    Is Missing San Francisco Mayor Secretly Sobbing with 'Life Coach?'

    San Francisco Braces for Gen. Tom Cruise to Move In (And Perhaps Lead Scientology Offensive)

    Baseball Contest Divides New York Congressional Delegation

    Introducing the David Paterson 2010 Campaign

    Pagan Wins Council Seat!

    Oakland Contributes Latest Misbehaving San Francisco-Area Mayor

    Gawker Endorsement: Don't Vote for Bloomberg

    Gavin Newsom Will Not Be Governor of California (This Time)

    Queens Dems Will Not Endorse Lady-Slasher Next Year
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    Dsmvwl  Admin  Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×
    Image of If_I_Had_a_Poodle If_I_Had_a_Poodle
    11/22/09

    In reply to New York City Just Gives Up on Subway Service
    Everything you said about the misallocation of resources (more highways, less mass transit) is true for schools, too

    Local funding of local transit and local schools with national funding of highways is a recipe for a big country filled with long roads driven by itinerant illiterates.
     Reply
    If_I_Had_a_Poodle was starred If_I_Had_a_Poodle was unstarred
    Image of badasscat badasscat
    11/21/09

    In reply to New York City Just Gives Up on Subway Service
    Fares are simply taxes—incredibly regressive taxes, just like the sales taxes that New York City residents suffer to fund our own transit while suburban New Yorkers bitch about the prospect of being charged to clog our streets with their cars

    Yeah, and we do that because if you think subway fares are ridiculous, look at LIRR or Metro North fares once in a while. And then look up how fast they've risen over the past few years.

    You guys in the city really don't know how good you've got it.

    You think $100 a month is a lot to pay for a monthly ticket? Try doubling it. For traveling the same distance in the same amount of time. And how about a 23% increase over the last 3 years?

    And you wonder why we want to drive?
     Reply
    badasscat was starred badasscat was unstarred
    Image of cassandra cassandra
    11/22/09

    @badasscat: seriously, the LIRR charges something like $8, one way, for destinations in the five boroughs - forget actual Long Island. How can anyone afford that on a daily basis?

    Pareene, I thought you were totally wrong about Bloomberg (and you are). But you are absolutely correct about the MTA.
     Reply
    cassandra was starred cassandra was unstarred
    Image of garbanzo314 garbanzo314
    11/21/09

    In reply to New York City Just Gives Up on Subway Service
    Can we also outsource all labor within the MTA to a non-union shop. The TWU has stood in the way of implementing new technology (they fought automated announcements in favor giving unintelligible conductors something to do), has made it impossible to fire workers for anything short of murder, and has hopefully featherbedded the system with way too much labor. And did we mention the sweetheart pension and benefit deals. In other municipal news, did anyone notice as part of the news about Bloomberg's city staff cuts that the benefits to salary ratio of city employees is 37% (in the private sector, it's less than 25% typically). Just goes to show that unions are bleeding the taxpayer dry.
     Reply
    garbanzo314 was starred garbanzo314 was unstarred
    Image of OMG! Ponies! OMG! Ponies!
    11/20/09

    In reply to New York City Just Gives Up on Subway Service
    $205 monthly LIRR pass plus $89 monthly Metrocard equals the reason I now drive.
     Reply
    OMG! Ponies! was starred OMG! Ponies! was unstarred
    Image of FitnessMadeSimple FitnessMadeSimple
    11/20/09

    In reply to New York City Just Gives Up on Subway Service
    Thank you for this, Pareene. This is my favorite post you've ever written.

    Also, MTA: everyone knows you are full of shit when you stall at the same stations every day for five minutes at a time and claim there is train traffic ahead.
     Reply
    Edited by FitnessMadeSimple at 11/20/09 3:15 PM FitnessMadeSimple was starred FitnessMadeSimple was unstarred
    Image of Mike Byhoff Mike Byhoff
    11/20/09

    @FitnessMadeSimple: I once heard that they were waiting for passengers to transfer from other trains and that there was train traffic ahead.

    WHICH ONE IS IT!?
     Reply
    Mike Byhoff was starred Mike Byhoff was unstarred
    Image of FitnessMadeSimple FitnessMadeSimple
    11/20/09

    @Mike Byhoff: Well, I take the 6 express to the Bronx, and they pull this crap all the time. They stop at Parkchester, where the 6 local stops across the platform. If a 6 local pulls in at the same time or just after the express, they'll hold the express there for the NEXT local, so they can also transfer. They tell us there is train traffic ahead, but it is clearly bullshit, as they're suddenly able to move as soon as the passengers board from the following local. It is infuriating.
     Reply
    FitnessMadeSimple was starred FitnessMadeSimple was unstarred
    Image of happymisanthrope happymisanthrope
    11/21/09

    @FitnessMadeSimple: More infuriating is when they use that announcement after you've been waiting 20 minutes for a train to arrive at the station.
     Reply
    happymisanthrope was starred happymisanthrope was unstarred
    Image of Unsolicited Advice Unsolicited Advice
    11/20/09

    In reply to New York City Just Gives Up on Subway Service
    I thought you loved centrally-planned bureaucracies? Good luck finding those "civil servants" by the way, that was good for a laugh.
     Reply
    Unsolicited Advice was starred Unsolicited Advice was unstarred
    Image of Pareene Pareene
    11/20/09

    @Unsolicited Advice: You're right! No one on earth has ever figured out how to competently manage a massive public transit system! Especially no one in Paris, or Tokyo, or London, where they had to cancel all the subways because there were no "civil servants" :(
     Reply
    Pareene was starred Pareene was unstarred
    Image of Unsolicited Advice Unsolicited Advice
    11/20/09

    @Pareene:

    I'd come up there and argue, but I think Septa's on strike again.
     Reply
    Unsolicited Advice was starred Unsolicited Advice was unstarred
    Image of allyzay allyzay
    11/20/09

    @Pareene: Last time I was in London, I got stranded at Euston at like 10 or 11pm with a pile of tarty, tacky MILFs - literally, hundreds of them - screaming out the lyrics to "Angels". Then I had to take a gypsy cab back, in which I found a cell phone, so I did the right thing and got in touch with the last person dialed to get the phone back to this person and they wouldn't leave for hours after coming to get their phone at a terrible barbeque restaurant, as if British people even understand the very concept of a barbeque! FUCK London's transit system.
     Reply
    allyzay was starred allyzay was unstarred
    Image of lobstr lobstr
    11/20/09

    In reply to New York City Just Gives Up on Subway Service
    It's so weird to sit in a smelly shitty subway station in Milan and yet look up and see a digital board telling me the next Linea A train is 2:01 away. I don't understand why NYC can't just strike a deal with SONY or Mitsubishi and let them brand some dumb monitors and get 'em down there already -- the technology exists, wtf.
     Reply
    lobstr was starred lobstr was unstarred
    Image of DTurkin DTurkin
    11/20/09

    @lobstr: Because that would mean actually investing in the network. As much as I hate London and it's Underground, you'll always know when the next train is due, and be able to phone someone to let them know you will be late.

    I feel sorry for those living outside of Manhattan on the weekends.
     Reply
    DTurkin was starred DTurkin was unstarred
    Image of daveyjonesisdead daveyjonesisdead
    11/20/09

    In reply to New York City Just Gives Up on Subway Service
    Pataki slashed state funding for the MTA in his first budget, in order to give tax cuts to corporations. So, yeah - go to hell workers: no wage increases despite higher productivity, the stock market and housing that were supposed to increase your wealth are just scams, and your formerly 24-7 transit system is about 6 to 10, Monday to Friday.
     Reply
    daveyjonesisdead was starred daveyjonesisdead was unstarred
    Image of daveyjonesisdead daveyjonesisdead
    11/20/09

    @daveyjonesisdead: Oh: and to keep up appearances while Pataki was Gov, they borrowed like hell to support construction and maintenance. Much of their present problem is because the payments on that have come due.
     Reply
    daveyjonesisdead was starred daveyjonesisdead was unstarred
    Image of Motoko Kusanagi Motoko Kusanagi
    11/20/09

    @daveyjonesisdead: I would gladly trade state funding for the MTA to get Albany and the rest of backwoods NY the fuck out of my city.
     Reply
    Motoko Kusanagi was starred Motoko Kusanagi was unstarred
    Image of DennyCrane DennyCrane
    11/20/09

    In reply to New York City Just Gives Up on Subway Service
    You would throw Paul McCartney's girlfriend off the MTA Board? For shame, sir.
     Reply
    DennyCrane was starred DennyCrane was unstarred
    Image of SpicyMeatball SpicyMeatball
    11/20/09

    In reply to New York City Just Gives Up on Subway Service
    Yep. Just found out today they just aren't running the N,W trains in Astoria during the day this weekend...at...all. Track work. Suuuuure. Would they ever pull that shit in Manhattan? There's no 4,5,6 train from 86th to 14th. People would lose their minds.
     Reply
    SpicyMeatball was starred SpicyMeatball was unstarred
    Image of jodru jodru
    11/20/09

    @SpicyMeatball: They do it all the time on the 1 north of 168th street. Can't tell you how many times I had to take shuttle buses when I was living in Inwood.

    Of course, that's terrain the MTA could give a toss about.
     Reply
    Seeräuber Jenny promoted this comment jodru was starred jodru was unstarred
    Image of Seeräuber Jenny Seeräuber Jenny
    11/20/09

    @SpicyMeatball:

    That's one reason I'm so parochial. The only time I would have to leave Manhattan is on the weekends and I'm afraid I'd get lost and never return. Trying to figure out what's running is a complete joke.

    Even in Manhattan, I've had terrible experiences in the last couple of years. Say, when the train decided to go Express with no announcement and I was left on a deserted platform in creepy neighborhood at three in morning. Wonderful.
     Reply
    Seeräuber Jenny was starred Seeräuber Jenny was unstarred
    Image of uptown uptown
    11/20/09

    @SpicyMeatball: FYI - They fuck with the 4,5,6 line almost every weekend. Remember ... Your enemy is the MTA .... not the people dealing with the same shit service problems as you.
     Reply
    uptown was starred uptown was unstarred
    Image of SpicyMeatball SpicyMeatball
    11/20/09

    @uptown: I lived on the 4,5,6 line in Manhattan for 7 years. There is no comparison. Not even close. Believe me. That said, I fully agree that the MTA is the enemy.

    #tips
     Reply
    SpicyMeatball was starred SpicyMeatball was unstarred
    Image of Airvault Airvault
    11/11/09

    In reply to Is Missing San Francisco Mayor Secretly Sobbing with 'Life Coach?'
    I bet he makes that face a lot. #gavinnewsom
     Reply
    Airvault was starred Airvault was unstarred
    Image of BullfightsOnAcid BullfightsOnAcid
    11/11/09

    In reply to Is Missing San Francisco Mayor Secretly Sobbing with 'Life Coach?'
    I imagine his Life Coach must spend at least an hour a day coaching him on his hair.

    "Repeat after me. Feel your follicles. Feel your fibers. You are your hair and your hair is you. Now repeat once again. Feel your follicles..."
     Reply
    Edited by BullfightsOnAcid at 11/11/09 7:53 PM BullfightsOnAcid was starred BullfightsOnAcid was unstarred
    Image of Conchie Birdie Conchie Birdie
    11/11/09

    In reply to Is Missing San Francisco Mayor Secretly Sobbing with 'Life Coach?'
    I was beginning to forget we even had a mayor. #gavinnewsom
     Reply
    Conchie Birdie was starred Conchie Birdie was unstarred
    Image of TheSometimesWhy TheSometimesWhy
    11/11/09

    In reply to Is Missing San Francisco Mayor Secretly Sobbing with 'Life Coach?'
    Does the phrase "Appalachian Trail" take on a new meaning after this revelation? #gavinnewsom
     Reply
    TheSometimesWhy was starred TheSometimesWhy was unstarred
    Image of ShanghaiLil ShanghaiLil
    11/11/09

    @TheSometimesWhy: If so, I'm hoping for photos. #gavinnewsom
     Reply
    ShanghaiLil was starred ShanghaiLil was unstarred
    Image of TheSometimesWhy TheSometimesWhy
    11/11/09

    @ShanghaiLil: You are one brave soul, ShanghaiLil.... #gavinnewsom
     Reply
    TheSometimesWhy was starred TheSometimesWhy was unstarred
    Image of raincoaster raincoaster
    11/09/09

    In reply to San Francisco Braces for Gen. Tom Cruise to Move In (And Perhaps Lead Scientology Offensive)
    I don't know why, but I find the idea of Larry Ellison as a Scientologist to be absolutely delicious. #tomcruise
     Reply
    raincoaster was starred raincoaster was unstarred
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