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New York, 1:28 PM
Sat Nov 21
39 posts in the last 24 hours

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    Dsmvwl  Admin  Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×
    Image of badasscat badasscat
    01:08 PM

    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 garbanzo314 garbanzo314
    10:40 AM

    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 Perhaps Not Perhaps Not
    11/20/09

    In reply to Obama Joins Truman, Reagan, and Clinton In "Immediately Failed Presidencies" Club
    Worth noting that Kennedy never had an approval rating below 50% and was arguably the second-worst president in recorded history, assassination or no assassination. Bay of Pigs FAIL.
     Reply
    Perhaps Not was starred Perhaps Not was unstarred
    Image of HilliardTortoise HilliardTortoise
    11/20/09

    @Perhaps Not: Preach it, brother. Kennedy was an awful president. The only reason my black grandmother had one of those velvet paintings of him on the wall is because he caught a bullet. I doubt he would have been re-elected (if he was elected in the first place).
    I know, blasphemy.
    Even though Lyndon B. Johnson was a jackass and dug us deeper into Vietnam because of his jackassery, I will always have a soft spot for him for the Great Society, especially the fact that a n-bomb dropping good ole boy from Texas could be the president who did the most to advance the cause of civil rights in this country.
    Sometimes I wake up in a cold sweat thinking Obama will turn out to be a Kennedy (not assasinated, please Lord 'cause I don't think this country would survive him getting killed) and we'll need Lyndon B. Johnson aka Hillary Clinton to fix crap. (Okay, maybe not her.)
     Reply
    HilliardTortoise was starred HilliardTortoise was unstarred
    Image of Han Valen Han Valen
    11/20/09

    @HilliardTortoise: LBJ's Great Society and civil rights push were cynically calculated political maneuvers. To quote the man himself: "I'll have those n***ers voting democrat for the next hundred years".

    And it worked perfectly. So there's something for democrats to be proud of, I suppose.
     Reply
    Cicada promoted this comment Han Valen was starred Han Valen was unstarred
    Image of Cicada Cicada
    11/20/09

    @Han Valen: Yes indeed. Almost as proud as the Republicans must be for Nixon's lovely "Southern Strategy".

    Yep, as LBJ predicted: the civil rights act cost the Dems the South for a generation. Or two. Or three. Good to know those Republican strongholds are there, though. Right?
     Reply
    Cicada was starred Cicada was unstarred
    Image of topsy topsy
    12:42 AM

    @Han Valen: So LBJ was an asshole? That's not exactly news. But he was committed to passing civil rights legislation and got it done. Unlike Kennedy who was too busy fucking anything that moved to accomplish much of anything. Long time liberal here but the best career move JFK ever made was getting assassinated. Democrats should always be proud of LBJ's Great Society. LBJ hated Martin Luther King but they worked together and brought about real change. LBJ was an asshole but he was committed to improving the lives of the poor Millions of Americans had their lives changed for the better thanks to LBJ, which should make ALL Americans with any sense of decency proud.
     Reply
    Edited by topsy at 11/21/09 12:58 AM topsy was starred topsy was unstarred
    Image of topsy topsy
    12:50 AM

    @HilliardTortoise: Vietnam was Kennedy's baby but LBJ gets all the blame. The Vietnam war was a tragic nightmare but I think one of LBJ's biggest mistakes was pissing off the baby boomers with privilege so completely. They were okay when it was just poor whites and black folks do the dying but when LBJ came after THEM, their outrage has tarnished his very REAL accomplishments to this day.

    I guess Kennedy and Obama have some things in common (youth, wives, hope) but Kennedy was a poser from the very beginning. He turned the White House into a brothel and brought the world to the brink of nuclear war. Obama is the real deal.
     Reply
    Edited by topsy at 11/21/09 12:51 AM topsy was starred topsy 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 Botswana Meat Commission FC Botswana Meat Commission FC
    11/20/09

    In reply to Obama Joins Truman, Reagan, and Clinton In "Immediately Failed Presidencies" Club
    The public is composed of 67 percent moran.
     Reply
    Botswana Meat Commission FC was starred Botswana Meat Commission FC was unstarred
    Image of momof3wildkids momof3wildkids
    11/20/09

    @Botswana Meat Commission FC: Moran?
     Reply
    momof3wildkids was starred momof3wildkids was unstarred
    Image of Kakapo Kakapo
    11/20/09

    @momof3wildkids: Long-running joke based on a humorous misspelling on a teabagger's sign.
     Reply
    Kakapo was starred Kakapo was unstarred
    Image of momof3wildkids momof3wildkids
    11/20/09

    @Kakapo: Thanks for the info...
     Reply
    momof3wildkids was starred momof3wildkids was unstarred
    Image of alboy2 alboy2
    11/20/09


    @Kakapo: et voila! This is what you call "ironic"...
     Reply
    momof3wildkids promoted this comment alboy2 was starred alboy2 was unstarred
    Image of Cicada Cicada
    11/20/09

    @Botswana Meat Commission FC: That just makes me sad. But it certainly explains the odd arguments you hear about how we need to reduce spending in order to create jobs. I guess people think the job fairy is just waiting for us to show fiscal discipline before she rewards us with a wave of her magic employment wand.
     Reply
    Cicada was starred Cicada was unstarred
    Image of fuckingoldman fuckingoldman
    11/20/09

    @Botswana Meat Commission FC: Remember that's the same public that elected Obama.
     Reply
    Cicada promoted this comment fuckingoldman was starred fuckingoldman was unstarred
    Image of momof3wildkids momof3wildkids
    11/20/09

    @alboy2: Note the shirt... it explains it all. He is a Cardinals fan.

    #tips
     Reply
    momof3wildkids was starred momof3wildkids was unstarred
    Image of Cicada Cicada
    11/20/09

    @fuckingoldman: Actually, no. That poll is not based on people who voted, or even likely voters. But nice try.
     Reply
    Cicada was starred Cicada was unstarred
    Image of fuckingoldman fuckingoldman
    11/20/09

    @Cicada: Eh, I took a shot. *smile*
     Reply
    fuckingoldman was starred fuckingoldman was unstarred
    Image of Unsolicited Advice Unsolicited Advice
    11/20/09

    In reply to Obama Joins Truman, Reagan, and Clinton In "Immediately Failed Presidencies" Club
    It's not "fiscal responsibility" so much as "ensuring that paper money continues to have a value." The idea that it would be prudent, or even possible, to continue sustained deficits at these levels is ludicrous.

    But that FDR meme/analogy/point your friends must think is super strong is even weaker than you'd think. FDR didn't inherit his office with massive deficits - he was able to take them on to fund World War II. Considering there continued to be recessions throughout the New Deal until WWII wiped out the world's manufacturing base and population of working-age males in foreign, competing countries, the Keynesian approach is hardly ratified by FDR's enduring influence on American monetary policy.

    Of course, you're tired of hearing this argument, so let's just gleefully watch the dollar collapse a few years and see where it gets us. Okay? Then we can declare this stupid referendum over and start dealing with the unpleasant realities of a depleted planet with nearly 7 billion hungry humans on it.
     Reply
    Unsolicited Advice was starred Unsolicited Advice was unstarred
    Image of Botswana Meat Commission FC Botswana Meat Commission FC
    11/20/09

    @Unsolicited Advice: Yes, we should worry about theoretical inflation far in the future while ignoring the VERY REAL immediate threat of deflation and stagnant job growth.

    And Keynes did not urge governments to just run endless deficits. He said governments should build up surpluses when economic growth was strong and then use government spending to spur demand when the economy is stagnant.
     Reply
    Botswana Meat Commission FC was starred Botswana Meat Commission FC was unstarred
    Image of flossy flossy
    11/20/09

    @Unsolicited Advice: The idea that it would be prudent, or even possible, to continue sustained deficits at these levels is ludicrous.

    Agreed in principle, but it's a matter of timing, don't you think? Massive long term deficits will kill us, but the government had to run up massive short term deficits in order to prevent the economy from completely and utterly disappearing into the abyss, which was money well-spent even if it did postpone the comeuppance that a few asshole finance people so richly deserve.

    If federal largesse is the one leg propping up the economy at the moment, it seems incredibly counterproductive to kick that leg out in the name of fiscal responsibility before the private sector has come back strong enough, wouldn't you say? We committed (half-heartedly, I'm sad to admit) to a Keynesian approach with the stimulus. Since we have already spent or are committed to spending that money, don't we owe it to ourselves to let that program play out? Any drastic deficit-reduction measures we take will have the opposite effect of the stimulus, making those many billions of dollars a total waste (ironically, this would be supremely fiscally irresponsible).

    Besides, some of our current deficit will disappear simply as a result of higher tax revenues and expiring stimulus spending once the economy picks back up in earnest anyway, no?
     Reply
    flossy was starred flossy was unstarred
    Image of Cosmonautical Cosmonautical
    11/20/09

    In reply to New York City Just Gives Up on Subway Service
    it's difficult to properly express how happy i am that others are so pissed off about this.

    i live off the Morgan L, so i'm dealing with it constantly. getting home from manhattan on the weekend? surely you jest!

    dearest MTA: kill yourself (or disband yourself, whatever).
     Reply
    Seeräuber Jenny promoted this comment Cosmonautical was starred Cosmonautical 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
    12:55 PM

    @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 PaisleyPajamas PaisleyPajamas
    11/20/09

    In reply to Good Morning, Obama Wants to Rape You
    I thought "pocketbooks" was such an odd choice of verbage for Glenn Beck until I realized the alternative was "...pretty much raping the purses of the rich to give to the poor," which was probably too titillating for the Fox News audience as deemed by their overlords.
     Reply
    PaisleyPajamas was starred PaisleyPajamas was unstarred
    Image of Rhymenocerous Rhymenocerous
    11/20/09

    In reply to Good Morning, Obama Wants to Rape You
    You could legalize rape and call it the consumer something and it would pass?

    You could legalize rape and call it the Civil Rights Act of 2009, and it would probably pass?

    Um, what? Rush isn't just obsessed with rape, he thinks it should be legal. This is probably to get his friend Becky out of trouble for that now-famous 1990 incident.
     Reply
    Rhymenocerous was starred Rhymenocerous was unstarred
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