The idiotic Department of Transportation rule that's killings American cities

[Wesley Mouch]

The forces of evil are always chipping away at basic services. This from Transportation for America:

"A key House Committee is threatening to kill three decades of successful investments in mass transit — originally started under President Ronald Reagan — by ending the guarantee for dedicated funding for public transportation, leaving millions of riders already faced with service cuts and fare increases out in the cold. .."<snip>

I find it best to ignore sensationalist sentences such as the bolded above. The blame game is not serving us well. The public servants on this committee I trust are doing their best to represent the public, and balance competing needs in economically difficult times.

How about...

'A house committee is debating an end to a three-decade long subsidy for mass transit -- originally started during Ronald Reagan presidency -- by ending guaranteed funding for public transporation. Loss of federal support for mass transit will make it much more difficult to serve anticipated mass transit needs of America's cities. Similar to the way roads are funded, this support for capital investment in our communities is critical to our ability to create transit options in dense city centers.'

I don't agree with President Obama on mandatory funding of abortions by religious health-care providers, but I don't think he's 'evil'.

I don't agree with Senator Santorum on banning abortion, but I don't think he's 'evil'.

[antongast]

The public servants on this committee I trust are doing their best to represent the public, and balance competing needs in economically difficult times.

Well, they're not. They're fighting a culture war against transit because they see it as a proxy for city-dwellers, Democrats, and racial minorities. There's no conceivable economic justification for what they tried to do here, and I don't see how you can successfully fight back against things like this unless you're willing to recognize that sometimes people are just being assholes and are not acting in good faith.

I don't agree with President Obama on mandatory funding of abortions by religious health-care providers, but I don't think he's 'evil'.

What is President Obama's position on this issue? I don't think I've heard him express one, and Google didn't turn anything up.

[Wesley Mouch]

Well, they're not. They're fighting a culture war against transit because they see it as a proxy for city-dwellers, Democrats, and racial minorities. There's no conceivable economic justification for what they tried to do here, and I don't see how you can successfully fight back against things like this unless you're willing to recognize that sometimes people are just being assholes and are not acting in good faith.

You see 'culture war'. I see difference of opinion. Allow that other people may have different priorities than you do. Work to change their minds. Demonizing them is harmful, most of all to you.

What is President Obama's position on this issue? I don't think I've heard him express one, and Google didn't turn anything up.

Sorry. I mean 'contraception', not 'abortion'. See http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/15/us...catholics.html -- which btw, might suggest a 'culture war' against the Catholic Church.

[ghettopalmetto]

I find it best to ignore sensationalist sentences such as the bolded above. The blame game is not serving us well. The public servants on this committee I trust are doing their best to represent the public, and balance competing needs in economically difficult times.

Members of a House Committee are NOT public servants--they are elected political figures.

BUREAUCRATS--the professionals with technical know-how, analytical skills, and an agenda of objectivity--are public servants.

[ordinary]

BUREAUCRATS--the professionals with technical know-how,

Bureaucrats with technical know how sounds like an oxymoron to me.

[ghettopalmetto]

Bureaucrats with technical know how sounds like an oxymoron to me.

Hardy har har. We get it--you hate gubmint "just because". So you'll denigrate the thousands of:

lawyers
geologists
engineers
accountants
doctors
technicians
archeologists
scientists
historians
park rangers
meteorologists
and others who serve YOU

as incompentent simply because you have a political axe to grind.

How hilarious.

[Hermod]

Hardy har har. We get it--you hate gubmint "just because". So you'll denigrate the thousands of:

lawyers
geologists
engineers
accountants
doctors
technicians
archeologists
scientists
historians
park rangers
meteorologists
and others who serve YOU

as incompentent simply because you have a political axe to grind.

How hilarious.

Unfortunately, the ratio of competence to deadwood is pretty low. I was a supervisory engineer [[GM-15) working for the federal government and the number of zombies I had to surmount to get anything done was appalling. There are too many high graded people that are high graded because of bureaucratic infighting skills rather than technical or professional competence.

[ghettopalmetto]

Unfortunately, the ratio of competence to deadwood is pretty low. I was a supervisory engineer [[GM-15) working for the federal government and the number of zombies I had to surmount to get anything done was appalling. There are too many high graded people that are high graded because of bureaucratic infighting skills rather than technical or professional competence.

So how is that different from any private-sector outfit?

[Hermod]

So how is that different from any private-sector outfit?

Private sector businesses in theory can go broke and thus "thin the herd". You can't stop being a customer of and paying the freight for the government.