The most powerful word in the free market is “no”.
With the simple word “no”, each individual consumer votes every day on the products and services they do or, vastly more often, don’t want to spend their scarce, precious resources on.
Were it not for the word “no”, cell phones would still weigh 2 pounds and cost $10 a minute; cars would still have two wheel drum brakes; VHS tapes would still rule the home-video market.
The lack of the term “no” – or, at least, it’s complete on importance to central planners, who are all about their various pet “yeses”,- is one of the great flies, if not the fatal weakness, and socialism.
Without the word “no”, there would be no free market. Also, no improvement in goods, services or, really, the entire human condition.
With that in mind – people are saying “no” in record numbers to government subsidized mass transit.
The Federal Transit Administration released June 2018 data revealing that the transit industry has now experienced four straight years of ridership losses. June 30 was the end of the fiscal year for most transit agencies, and ridership has fallen in every fiscal year since 2014.
Nationwide, the total decline since 2014 was 7 percent, but declines in many urban areas were much larger:
• 29 percent in Memphis;
• 27 percent in Charlotte;
• 26 percent in Miami;
• 25 percent in Albuquerque;
• 24 percent in Cleveland;
• 22 percent in St. Louis;
• 21 percent in Milwaukee, Sacramento, and Virginia Beach; and
• 20 percent in Los Angeles.
The article Dash by the excellent Randall O’Toole – notes that the feds are blaming a lot of factors for this tree fall Dash ride healing services for the middle class, and the simple fact that most poor people own cars, and most people can reach more better paying jobs in 10 minutes by car than an hour by transit.
But they all boiled down to one thing – people everywhere, nationwide, of all economic groups (except for a tiny fringe of “car free” middle class trend follower is) are saying “no” to being jammed into trains to go with the government has deemed they need to be.
Mitch, just say “no” to your voice recognition app; it’s not doing you any favors.
I don’t know about being “jammed” into trains; the stats suggest there’s plenty of room.
The consumer keeps saying “no” to socialism, too, but those who know best keep pushing it as a solution, despite all the evidence to the contrary.
“The dogs don’t like it.”
as someone who has been forced to use mass transit here for the past 18 months and until 2019, I am counting the days down until I can get in a car again. And I hope to never use it again, ever. And we were voted as the best transit system in the country in 2016. The left will never understand that we arent Europe, no matter how much they wish, and attempt to legislate us into one. Our population layout is, and will always be different and more spread out, thus the need for cars and not huge investments (a very loose term there) into local and national public transit. The Left just hates the idea that people can freely go wherever they want whenever they want. If they could they would kill Uber and Lyft because that doesnt further the goal to get people out of cars. Quite simply put, the Left will never admit iit but they hate freedom. Its why they hate this country so much and love Europe
It’s worth noting that even in Europe, people prefer cars. It is as if they don’t want to sit in, or near, a puddle of fluids of uncertain provenance left behind by bums or something. Transit is better there than here, but it’s still no great shakes.
Its why they hate this country so much and love Europe
I agree with that the left hates this or rather their own country (There are two things the left hates: 1. Patriotism 2. Having their patriotism questioned – ;-). But Europe is no utopia for leftists: Euro leftists hate their own countries too. They hate them so much, they’re trying to destroy them through immigration. Regardless of the state of the mass transit in any.
even in Europe, people prefer cars
This is so true.
Transit is better there than here, but it’s still no great shakes
Actually, it’s way better and it is great shakes insofar as the users are middle-class worker-bees going between home and work. I speak of the areas I’ve lived in, visited for extended periods, or simply knew people who live there. That said, however, I would assert that places like Hamburg’s main train station, an interesting place to visit in the 70s has gotten ugly and dangerous with lots puddles of fluids of unknown provenance, so I have only a mild disagreement.
When debating mass transit afficianados, don’t push the idea of autos as the preferred alternative. That’s what they want you to do. You can then be labeled as selfish and “against the environment.” Instead push the idea of buses.
Buses are a great choice for mass transit. Indeed, in the 1920s and 1930s, as the commuter rail tracks were being torn up in many cities (like Minneapolis) bus lines replaced them. Buses are far cheaper than trains, and the number of buses is easily scalable, and their routes changed to fit the growth patterns and changing demographics of a modern city. There is no rational reason for preferring trains over buses.
Unless you want to use commuter train routes to dictate where people should live and how they should get to work.
The problem with public transit is, the public.
In highly congested areas, you might be OK commuting to work, but between commute hours, busses and trains are the playthings of feral youth, drug addled bums and the insane.
If I’m being honest, I don’t really even like sharing space with honest, middle class working people. Who wants to be around the dregs of leftist society?
The only reason to use public transit is to practice your tactical combat skills.
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