By: Diane Benjamin
When government thinks they are helping people they are really robbing the population – the ones paying the bills and the ones receiving goods or services.
Obviously if you are forced to give your money to the government for things you never use, want, or need your wallet is being fleeced. Many times you don’t even know where the stolen money is spent.
The receiver of not-worked-for items are also robbed. Dignity is non-existent while waiting for the next subsidiary check. Freedom of going where you want to go is stolen when public transpiration is late again. Health declines when government makes it easier to hop a virtually free bus instead of walking a few blocks or hopping on a bike, not to mention less-than-quality-care under Medicaid.
When government provides goods and services the citizens become slaves of government. Why are government programs rarely cut? Because the people got used to their free stuff. Government trained them to be dependents at your expense. Chaos becomes normal when the free stuff is late.
Frequent readers are aware of the hugely subsidized local bus service – Connect Transit. This is the latest story: https://blnnews.com/2016/05/14/taxpayer-theft-by-bus/
Readers may not know the County has their own bus service – Show Bus. Of course, it wouldn’t exist without subsidies either:
This is from page 139 of the April McLean County Board minutes: April-1
When did personal responsibility become government will handle it for you?
Is this what “best practices” means?
Is this “sustainable”?
Feel lied to?
Think this quasi-socialist government game continues forever?
It won’t. The people who will get hurt are the ones thinking government is there for them. Think no-budget-Illinois on a massive national scale.
Do some people deserve help? Of course. A better plan is badly needed. State’s that cut public aid of all types have suddenly found that the number really in need is greatly reduced overnight.
Complete collapse solves the problem fast. If reforms aren’t enacted soon it can’t be avoided.
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Just for information: There was talk of using Show Bus to provide for the “first mile”-“last mile” service to the outlying areas in B/N where the Connect Transit service will be discontinued. Not sure there will be any follow though.
At least they use small empty buses instead of huge ones.
Nonsense as always. We ALL pay for things we don’t use in our society.
Sometimes your obvious ignorance is really annoying.
Use the damn bus if you want value.
Oh I forgot you don’t even live here.
Do you bitch about everything?
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Just stupid government policies. Do you always hate conservative writers?
Tom is one of these big spending government advocates that thinks the world owes him something. However when it comes to earning things such as a living, he has problems. He is a typical Bernie Sanders supporter because he firmly believes in the propaganda, that there really is a free lunch. Of course considering he is not an earner he has no concept of having his money taken away from him by the big spending progressive liberals who thinks they no better than he does. It is really quite easy to be a progressive liberal, you are not required to work, think, or earn. Uncle Sugar government will pave your way in life.
Diane- I always appreciate your tireless work. “All that is needed for freedom to be lost is for good men to remain silent’ TAXES turn workers into slaves. Please keep up the good work, so of us care and try as well.
It would be cheaper to just pay for a taxi cab for each and every person who wants to ride a bus. Seriously. It would be much more cost efficient to just let every bus “patron” call his own cab and bill the city.
I doubt that! If we could all get a free ride on demand paid for by the city, then little use for spending my own gas money. Less people would own cars that way for sure. Just rent one when you go out of town. Wait, government will take care of that too. Surely there is a better way but I suggest deeper thoughts to achieve the goal. Vans instead of buses would make more sense to start off.
Some cities do bike sharing. How about car sharing?
Yes, I’m kidding.
Here I go. I have a daughter who has seizures. In most things in life she is super self-efficient, but she cannot drive. She rides the bus to work and when she can, she calls a cab, does uber, and we as a family pitch in, especially when the weather sucks. But, comment101 might be on to something. There is likely a cheaper way to do this. Uber is relatively inexpensive and maybe rather than punish people who do work, provide a subsidy. Cheaper than a whole bunch of buses that don’t fill. My daughter doesn’t want a handout, but she also needs a way to get to work without endangering herself and others. It can be complex.
I am sure it would be far more cost efficient to contract Uber or some other private sector company for hire, than the current public transportation center. After all look at how many school districts have finally decided to opt out their bus services to companies like First Student. The only reason I see for municipalities doing the same thing is all of those big dollars taken away from local officials to use as a private piggy bank.
Bus transit, roads, airports, light rail, highways, subways, multi-purpose paths, N2850East Rd in McLean County/Main Street through Ellsworth — they’re all subsidized! All for the public good — even to your benefit, Diane. The level of reporting on this blog just continues to disappoint. You’re better than this. Do your homework if you want more contributions.
Say that again when the economy collapses under crushing debt.
Oh, Diane. You’re funny. There wouldn’t be an economy at all with out an adequate transportation network. How do you propose airports, railroads, and highways be funded?
If the money collected for those purposes were being spent FOR those purposes, all would be good. Highway funds have been diverted to high speed rail – that isn’t high speed rail – because that’s what government wants. Not US.