By: Diane Benjamin
Connect Transit issued their 12 month UN-audited financial statements at their last meeting. Celebrate now – they didn’t lose as much as they budgeted:
Page 7: http://www.connect-transit.com/documents/July%2026,%202016%20Regular%20Board%20Meeting%20Binder1.pdf
They did lose more than $1 million in June bringing the year total to just short of $10 million.
Has ANY local press reported on this theft?
The Panatagraph did report over the weekend that Connect Transit’s General Manager Andrew Johnson believes the GOP Platform would be catastrophic because it states the Federal Government shouldn’t be involved in local transportation.
Digress for a minute to America’s founding.
Why are the Founding Fathers called “slave owners” (most weren’t) and guys who lived hundreds of years ago and are therefore immaterial?
They knew the future.
The Founders studied why civilizations rose and fell, everything they wrote was meant to limit government and put the power in the states and the people so America wouldn’t suffer the same fate.
Connect Transit doesn’t need to worry. Republicans have controlled the purse in DC for 6 of the last 8 years. THEY allowed the debt to reach $19.4 TRILLION. Limited government platforms are meaningless, in fact the GOP is busy purging any members who really believe their propaganda.
Government employees heavily vote for Democrats to protect their jobs, thus government keeps growing. Republicans only pretend to be fiscally responsible, especially while campaigning.
Mr. Johnson plans to show his DC reps the value of public transportation. I’d like to hear how losing $10,000,000 has value.
Maybe he can explain the value of:
- Stealing money from the people who earned it to subsidize buses
- ISU students paying higher fees so Connect Transit can get $529,750
- Local taxpayers fleeced more to cover part of the losses
Keep in mind subsidized public transit is happening across the country.
Johnson goes on to say that public transportation has a huge impact on the national economy. He claims it enables people to get to work, school, shopping, or wherever. Johnson must believe bus riders are incapable of determining any other way to travel, he must think they would never leave their house without a subsidized bus.
Johnson fails to realize this redistribution of wealth takes away the right of self-determination from all parties. Riders are limited to where buses go and when they go there. The money confiscated from taxpayers takes away their right to enjoy the fruits of their labors.
Public transportation does have a huge impact – it transfers power to government. This month bus riders will be subjected to new routes and stops which means Connect Transit controls a big part of their lives. Taxpayers have paid for paper signs marking new stops and will eventually pay for permanent signs.
More wisdom from Benjamin Franklin showing why the schools don’t study our Founder’s anymore:
Does the Republic survive?
It’s not looking good.
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It would be far cheaper to just give everyone a used bicycle. Why aren’t more people riding bicycles? It’s great exercise. C’mob, people get on your bikes and ride! Geesh where is the brain from Blo-No where you need him? Michael how come we’re not seeing any bike riders? Aren’t you concerned Michael about all this wasted fuel from these buses? If Bike Blo-No was worth a plugged nickel they’d be out there campaigning against this environmental concern.
According to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, transit buses use more fossil-fuel energy per passenger-mile than cars. How’s does that support the use of sustainable energy resources? It contradicts the political platform of reducing carbon emissions–at least be consistent!!!
The idea is that the buses are full and thus use less fuel per person per mile versus everyone driving cars. That works great in big cities where the buses are actually full.
I’m in favor of public transportation because it is a good way to give people the tools to get better jobs that they otherwise would not have been able to get to. What I’m not in favor of is buying new and bigger buses when the current ones run aren’t even half full. Connect Transit could switch to 15 passenger vans and provide better service at a fraction of the cost.
It keeps them from getting a better job if the bus doesn’t go there or at the right times. You seem to think government’s job is to make life easier. It isn’t since they must steal other people’s money to make a few a little better, or maybe even enslave them to the handouts.
There was no distinction made between full or half empty buses. The information was reported in the November 2015 issue of “National Geographic” on “Climate Issues.” I know this is not a “scientific journal” but it is a reputable source.
Good plan. Even though you may catch crap on here for it, I applaud your willingness to provide a solution than write off the people who depend on public transit.
You can bet the losses will be even greater going forward after the new routes go into effect. They have designed an unworkable bus system that most people will not be able to make use of, even if they wanted to use it.
The “first mile/last mile” service to Danbury Court and the other discontinued routes will be costing CT and additional $70K annually.