Quote Originally Posted by Johnnny5 View Post
This proposal offers no service whatsoever to the community where I live. My income is totally independent of the local economy, so my "return on investment" will be negative since I'll be spending upwards of $300 per year for services that I won't be able to use. There's also no mention anywhere of a proposed service link from Metro from my city.

As I mentioned, I'm in favor of increased mass transit in the metro area. What I'm not in favor of is a vague plan that benefits some communities, but totally skips over others while charging them more.
Your "return on investment" on your measly $300/yr would have consisted at a minimum of the appreciation of your homestead attributable to the regional economic benefits generated by the creation of an actual working regional mass transit system. That appreciation would have far exceeded $300/yr. It's not a coincidence that regions with mass transit have median home values far in excess of home values in SE Michigan. And that's not just for homes right around the corner from the transit stop. Folks who never use the system get the benefit too.

The "there's nothing in it for me because I'll never ride it" crowd carried the day though. Another example of folks voting against their economic interest. [[A lot of that going around yesterday given what happened at the top of the ticket.) Thankfully, given that childless households far outnumber households with kids, the selfish nothing in it for me crowd usually doesn't carry the day when it comes to school millages.