A frequent argument advanced by public policy experts with degrees from the best Ivy League universities is that we (the little people they want to boss around) should be made to use public transportation — minus air-conditioning, of course.
I think the public policy elitists should be made to use public transportation themselves.
Detroit’s bedbug-infested buses would be a great place to start:
The union representing Detroit’s bus drivers has reportedly asked local lawmakers to put pressure on the transit agency to help stop the spread of bedbugs on buses.
The Detroit News reports that roughly 50 Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) drivers have said they’ve seen bedbugs on buses, and some have been bitten within the past year, according to Henry Gaffney, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 26.
After receiving a letter from Gaffney in May, DDOT chief executive Ron Freeland said Thursday he asked a maintenance crew to investigate and sent a letter to the union later that month saying any infested bus would be cleaned.
The union’s complaint is probably the main reason this story got picked up by the media.
Naturally DDOT executives are trying to deny that there’s a problem. I think the union president makes a good point:
“If this continues to get bad, you can’t force anybody to work in those types of conditions,” Gaffney told the newspaper. “It’s not fair to the citizens either. Somebody’s got to care somewhere in this city.”
Someone in the Detroit bureaucracy caring? Let’s not get too fantastic.
At the risk of sounding like a cruel fascist, I find myself wondering whether the people who run the DDOT (along with the public policy people who want to force us to ride these things) should have their parking places taken away and be made to ride what they administer.
Perhaps then someone would care.
UPDATE: Many thanks to Glenn Reynolds for the link, and a warm welcome to all.
Comments appreciated, agree or disagree.
(As to Al Gore’s and Tom Friedman’s mansions, I wouldn’t go so far as burning them down, but don’t they at least deserve public transportation? Establishing bus routes with stops in front of their mansions would mean more inclusivity and sustainability — goals they favor, right?)
Comments
12 responses to “A bug or a feature?”
You know, that’s a very similar comment to something I heard long ago – that those who start wars should be forced to go to the front lines and fight with the troops.
I think, in both cases, it would reduce the problems faced by the rest of us…
Bedbugs on the buses? Man, as Moe Sizlack said, them people ARE living in Mad Max times.
Kathy, why not go full Heinlein and require military service to vote, period?
Just to cover the point, in ‘Starship Troopers’ military service wasn’t required, it was some term of federal service, of which being a troop was one option.
‘lanched
http://pjmedia.com/instapundit/145908/
As construction on the new light rail project continues to destroy the main thoroughfare in my neighborhood of Saint Paul, my automatic response to anybody offering praise toward the project is, “Really? And which stop will you get on at?” I really don’t want to hear the opinion of somebody who wants to feel good about supporting transportation alternatives without having any appreciation for just what it is they’re consigning us city folk to live with.
I beg to differ, Firehand. In ‘Starship Troopers’, you had to complete *military* service. If you weren’t fit for combat, or whatever technical specialty you volunteered for, you would find yourself in whatever duty the military chose for you.
Or you resigned, permanently consigning yourself to non-voting status.
The Colonel’s monologues in the story on the topic were pretty clear: you had to volunteer to risk your life for your fellow citizens to earn the right to vote.
Phil –
You are a bit off – you had to volunteer for federal service, and could list your preferences in order.
The federal authorities were under no obligation to pay any attention to them, but did seem to take them into account for pragmatic reasons.
Why stop with public transit? I think that all government employees and their families should be forced to adhere to all regulations that forced upon the rest of us. Congress will have all the light bulbs replaced with fluorescent lighting as well as requiring every government vehicle to meet current CAFE standards. No more SUV on the taxpayer dime, it’s Smart cars all around!
Don’t forget though, in the Starship Trooper universe military service ‘was made as hard as possible, on purpose’. People would die in basic training to ensure whoever graduated would be someone you’d want to have at your side. Presumably there were easier gigs than mobile infantry, but if you didn’t have the skills for more advanced occupations, you’d end up in MI. But hey “Mobile Infanty IS the army” right? 😀
No income, social security or medicare tax exemptions, or gross-ups, for folks working in the government or parastatal organizations, such as the UN (and its sundry agencies and committees), World Bank, International Monetary Fund, USAID, OECD, various export-import banks, IFC, ADB, etc. receiving US treasury funds, should be allowed, for a change. Tim Geithner received the gross-ups and didn’t even remit the amounts to the government until he was caught and even then only did so in part. No telling what other mischief he’s up to but the state of government finances gives a picture.
Such folks should also be made to stop advocating increases of such taxes, and imposition of other and new taxes such as VAT, on us. OECD, in particular, does this. See Dan Mitchell (self-starting video): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVr8R41nZJU
While we are on starship tropers, remember also that they didn’t get the vote until fed service was completed, and they were private citizens again, to avoid the troops voting themselves raises or soft duty.