Conservative editors/radio people starting to speak up against commuter rail (Atlanta: good credit, buying)

[ellisescara]

I'm all for commuter rail but building a mile of Marta can range anywhere from $44 million to $270 million based on if it's light or heavy rail.

Where's all that money gonna come from?

[LoufromNewYork]

I pay $56 for MARTA for unlimited monthly use. I take it at least 40 times a month. That makes it about $1.40 each way for me to use it instead of the $1.75 it would cost me usually. I'd be willing to pay $66 for the privilege. Assuming I still take it at least 40 times a month, I'd be up to $1.65 which is still cheaper than having to buy single rides.

The $10 per person per month would contribute greatly, especially since many places allow you to get your transit and parking using pretax dollars which makes it effectively 20-30% cheaper.

In New York, we were paying $81 for monthly Metrocards and $192 for monthly passes on LIRR. $66 is a value. I know in DC that they make you pay based on where you travel to, but looking at how old their cars are versus New York, I had to think that a raise across the board would be better, especially since the machines they have are already setup for that.

You can make the rest by forcing people to pay for parking. It shouldn't be outrageous but paying $1/day sounds about right. It would definitely be cheaper than any parking garage I know of.

I'm surprised that Atlanta hasn't done this already because NY, Chicago, and DC are all raising prices because other parts of the economy are slowing. If we pay the extra to actually get something out of it we'd be getting something that other cities haven't yet.

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by atlantagreg30127

It's not this state, it's a generational thing.

The 1980s was called the "me generation". It was composed of a generation of people who were entering and advancing in the job market who were considered to be very self-absorbed compared to previous generations. The "me generation" were much more focused on personal gain - accumulation of things - cars, homes, clothing, partying, vacations, etc etc. This is also the generation that started the surge in personal credit debt and poor spending vs. savings habits. They adopted the, "If it doesn't benefit me, I'm not interested", mentality.

I don't think Sociologists ever figured out exactly what the parents of the early 70s did that caused their kids to turn into the me-monsters, but that's apparently where it started. The supposedly free wheeling, pot smoking moms and dads of the late 60s and early 70s produced consumer me-monsters in the 80s. Then in the 90s, it appeared that people were getting a bit more mellow and starting to wise up a bit, and that there was hope for America and the 80s-mebees were just a bad passing phase.

On TV a few weeks ago however, they were talking about how this new emerging generation of 18-20 somethings are the NEW me-generation all over again. Excessive credit card use, a "I want it this instant" mentality, and a, "If it doesn't benefit me I could care less about it", thought process. Very much like the me-ers of the 1980s, and guess what? These are the KIDS of those 1980s mental misfits. It's happening all over again.

Makes sense. Kids aren't taught in school how to balance a checkbook, and the topics of credit card debt, interest rates, mortgages, and investing aren't given in mandatory classes in schools (or even offered as elective classes in most). Their parents are too busy to deal with them since they work so much to continue to accumuate stuff, and the new me-kid's social lives revolve around internet chat rooms, and texting on their cell phones. Their "me me me" parents are now voters and trying to grasp at collecting as much personal stuff for them and their kids before they retire. So now you have 40-somethings with kids in their late teens, all who have zero interest in anything at all that might benefit society as a whole - only stuff that directly benefits them and their personal lives.

A very small percentage of parents escaped this and TRY to teach their kids about recycling, giving back to society, and making the world better for ALL, but I'm afraid those people are still outnumbered 5-to-1 with the "me me"s. The bad part? The newest me-generation will start having kids in ten years, who will start turning into yet ANOTHER generation of me-ers when they enter the world around 2036. I'll be turning around 70 then. Those kids will control the country. I probably won't even be able to get a Senior Ride Van to go to the doctor or catch a train into the city if I need to because they and their parents kept voting them out a generation earlier because they didn't directly benefit their daily lives. Sad.

I read this post and I get very stressed out, saddened, and somewhat bitter, with some exhaustion. I think adults were more generous and caring during the 1990's than they are now. I thought teens were somewhat materialistic back then. Today I look at teens today and shudder. Sometimes they seem even more arrogant today. I will be 50 in 2036. I am less than halfway to 50, but I would hate to see what could happen by then.

This is how ATL should build a commuter rail line. It can be done. The budget needs to be balanced and we need to spend money on things that are actually helpful. Money can be found. It is the stupidity that scares me.

[ellisescara]

Originally Posted by pirate_lafitte

I read this post and I get very stressed out, saddened, and somewhat bitter, with some exhaustion. I think adults were more generous and caring during the 1990's than they are now.

I sadly agree. Today, you have teens buying multiple $500 designer purses and expecting to receive more from their parents. Though I do think guys are a little less materialistic than girls in general.

Actually, I think all the media/commercials doesn't help either--they literally breed materialism. If someone's been watching TV since he/she were little, he/she basically gets brainwashed into thinking that he/she needs a certain product. Seeing how most commercials are geared towards women explains why females are more stuff-obsessive. (I don't mean to offend anyone--I'm a female after all).

Have you noticed that if two people have the same income, the smarter/more intellectual person is more frugal?

[JPD]

Originally Posted by ellisescara

I sadly agree. Today, you have teens buying multiple $500 designer purses and expecting to receive more from their parents.

Look at the houses kids grow up in these days. The average new house is FAR larger than what the vast majority of us grew up in. Of course kids are going to expect more. Kids aren't born with inflated expectations. Their expectations are learned and are based on what they have already been given.

[atlantagreg30127]

Originally Posted by JPD

Look at the houses kids grow up in these days. The average new house is FAR larger than what the vast majority of us grew up in. Of course kids are going to expect more. Kids aren't born with inflated expectations. Their expectations are learned and are based on what they have already been given.

In the 1950s the average size of an American home was 1500 square feet. Today, it's 2400 square feet+. Young people buying their first homes now want it all - granite counters, 2.5 baths, 2 car garage to fit their two new SUVs in... and this for their FIRST home. Teens today are more concerned about their latest version of Xbox and iPod than anything else, and they'll grow up to be adults who won't care about things like transit or public help services - only things that benefit them personally, in their 2400 square foot starter homes.

[wxjay]

Originally Posted by atlantagreg30127

In the 1950s the average size of an American home was 1500 square feet. Today, it's 2400 square feet+. Young people buying their first homes now want it all - granite counters, 2.5 baths, 2 car garage to fit their two new SUVs in... and this for their FIRST home. Teens today are more concerned about their latest version of Xbox and iPod than anything else, and they'll grow up to be adults who won't care about things like transit or public help services - only things that benefit them personally, in their 2400 square foot starter homes.

I think the house size issue specifically is a regional thing. In New England, these same young people (who are materialistic and still want everything for nothing, etc.) are confined to 800 sq ft. two bedroom apartments that are in older homes, etc. The housing market differences between the northeast and the southeast are incredible. The lack of new space in cities like Boston and New York force people into older properties (not saying that newer condos, townhomes, etc., are nonexistant, but just not to the magnitude of Atlanta).

[gt6974a]

Originally Posted by atlantagreg30127

In the 1950s the average size of an American home was 1500 square feet. Today, it's 2400 square feet+. Young people buying their first homes now want it all - granite counters, 2.5 baths, 2 car garage to fit their two new SUVs in... and this for their FIRST home. Teens today are more concerned about their latest version of Xbox and iPod than anything else, and they'll grow up to be adults who won't care about things like transit or public help services - only things that benefit them personally, in their 2400 square foot starter homes.

Interest rates were also 18%

[netdragon]

Originally Posted by JPD

Look at the houses kids grow up in these days. The average new house is FAR larger than what the vast majority of us grew up in. Of course kids are going to expect more. Kids aren't born with inflated expectations. Their expectations are learned and are based on what they have already been given.

I think it depends on the person. I grew up in a 3250 sq ft house in CT, and I didn't become spoiled. I knew kids who had parents with much less money who were spoiled.

[south-to-west]

Originally Posted by atlantagreg30127

In the 1950s the average size of an American home was 1500 square feet. Today, it's 2400 square feet+. Young people buying their first homes now want it all - granite counters, 2.5 baths, 2 car garage to fit their two new SUVs in... and this for their FIRST home. Teens today are more concerned about their latest version of Xbox and iPod than anything else, and they'll grow up to be adults who won't care about things like transit or public help services - only things that benefit them personally, in their 2400 square foot starter homes.

I totally agree with you, except the part about teens. Yeah they care about their Xboxes--but then again, they're teenagers. Younger people are a helluva lot more open to the idea of alternative modes of transportation and sustainable land use/development patterns than Baby Boomers or older folks. People in the 50s, 60s, and 70s grew up with the image of the suburban lifestyle being the ideal choice with cheap gas, new freeways, and abundant space in the suburbs. Younger people today are growing up seeing images of people enjoying a more urban lifestyle on TV and they are also faced with higher energy costs and the threat of climate change.