[PLUG] WOT: Pub trans

[guy1656]

: The other option is regular, reliable, cost
: effective, fast public transportation system
: out to Scappoose and St. Helens, but that's not
: likely to happen anytime soon. ...

... Um, no thank you. Public trans brings a change in the political 
demographics of a region, diluting the opinion of the rural, mostly 
independent-minded (Linux?!?) folk by filling the area with people more 
dependent on government services. These people then vote to expand the role 
of municipal services at the expense of digging deeper in to the wallets & 
savings of the original denizens, who moved out here because we want and need 
fewer public services in the first place.

The other question is that I haven't heard of too many public trans projects 
which are wholly funded by the ridership alone. Therefore, such projects are 
dependent on grabbing some amount of revenue from people who don't use the 
service but just happen to live unfortunately close to the system. This is 
essentially relying upon a sort of theft - the locals who pay but don't use 
the system are being robbed, and for that they get an influx of transplants 
who don't understand the self-reliant culture: "Wanna go somewhere? Buy your 
own car." Also: Paying more money ( to private capitalist business or private 
person) to buy a 4x4 and mongo tires allows you to save tax money no longer 
needed for road maintenance (so you vote down the road repair levy.)  You are 
now more impervious to potholes & washouts, which themselves serve to screen 
out the wimp-mobiles. :-D

Almost on-topic: By contributing to the local private sector and starving the 
local public sector, isn't that the same as avoiding bloatware?

- GLL