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Highways and airports are paid for by those that use them through gasoline tax, car tags, car property tax, airport landing fees, airline tickets taxes, etc, etc.
If those that want to use the bus want to use it, then great, but they should pay for it / pay their fair share. It should not be a handout from those that do not use it.
I believe in transit and I ride public transit where it meets my need. I wouldn't mind paying much higher fares to ride.
The poor can't afford paying much higher fares to ride and if you think all of the expenses of building and maintaining roads and airports are covered by use taxes, I have some expensive swampland for you.
The poor can't afford paying much higher fares to ride and if you think all of the expenses of building and maintaining roads and airports are covered by use taxes, I have some expensive swampland for you.
Then turn all roads into toll roads and raise airline ticket prices by 500%. I'll happily pay more....oh, but what about the poor? We would then have to give them money to drive on toll roads, right?
The welfare mentality in the U.S. needs to stop. People are free to work hard and achieve wealth so they are not poor. People are NOT free to help themselves to money hardworking individuals have made.
Taking money from hardworking people through additional utility fees and paying for bus transit that services less than 1% of the population is simply legalized robbery. The citizens of Richland County spoke on the transit issue when they voted AGAINST increased taxes to keep it running. Remember that vote?
Last edited by gsupstate; 12-12-2010 at 03:11 PM..
gsupstate, the general public in America and especially in SC is stupid. What do you expect? Do Greenville's bus riders' fares pay for the system? How big is the Greenville system? Call up the transit system up there and see. Or do you already know? If so tell us. I know this is about Columbia's bus system, but a little comparison never hurts. I mean, MARTA in Atlanta made drastic cuts recently; I wonder why that happened? Do you know? If so tell us.
Then I guess Columbia should just allow the bus system to go under .....then there will be a higher unemployment rate because those without a car will not be able to get to work. Oh yeah and let us not forget where people who don't have jobs end up...the welfare office where everyone's tax dollars will still end up paying for it!!
What about increasing the taxes on things like alcohol and cigarettes to keep the buses running? All those things do is kill people anyway!
Whoever doesn't understand that "public" transit is to be paid for with public funds in one form or another has got to be a Libertarian in the truest sense of the word, meaning that they believe nothing should be funded except by monies paid directly for goods and services by the people using them, meaning they don't think we should have much of a society. With that philosophy we would have to pay for entrance to all of our state parks, probably about $25 a shot just to pay for our share of the upkeep. If bus riders could afford to pay a high enough fare to pay for their part of the upkeep of the system and replenishment of the bus fleet, they wouldn't be standing in the cold at a bus stop; they could buy a car and pay for the property taxes and insurance on it.
Last edited by Charlestondata; 12-12-2010 at 03:19 PM..
Reason: choice of word
Whoever doesn't understand that "public" transit is to be paid for by public funds in one form or another has got to be a Libertarian in the truest sense of the word, meaning that they believe nothing should be funded except by monies paid directly for goods and services by the people using them, meaning they don't think we should have much of a society. With that philosophy we would have to pay for entrance to all of our state parks, probably about $25 a shot just to pay for our share of the upkeep. If bus riders could afford to pay a high enough fare to pay for their part of the upkeep of the system and replenishment of the bus fleet, they wouldn't be standing in the cold at a bus stop; they could buy a car and pay for the property taxes and insurance on it.
I think everyone understands "public". Additional funding for the bus system was VOTED on AND it was voted DOWN. For the city council to ignore the vote and the will of the citizens, and now add a tax in another form to fund the bus system is simply robbery. A government body that does NOT understand the will of the majority of citizens, seriously needs to be voted out of office.
Closed minds close down public transportation systems. The increase in public utility charges won't be as high as the penny sales tax would have been. The penny sales tax would have been for a lot more than just the buses. The city can do what it proposes to do, no vote necessary. The public said no to the penny sales tax by a slim margin. They don't get a say on the utility increase, thank goodness.
And Columbia will have a jam-up bus system I might add. It already has 37 routes, several of which go far and wide, and it will only get much better. Go, City of Columbia!
Last edited by Charlestondata; 12-12-2010 at 03:53 PM..
Reason: addition
Closed minds close down public transportation systems. The increase in public utility charges won't be as high as the penny sales tax would have been. The penny sales tax would have been for a lot more than just the buses. The city can do what it proposes to do, no vote necessary. The public said no to the penny sales tax by a slim margin. They don't get a say on the utility increase, thank goodness.
And Columbia will have a jam-up bus system I might add. It already has 37 routes, several of which go far and wide, and it will only get much better. Go, City of Columbia!
37 routes of buses that run mostly empty (look at the low ridership numbers). Not smart or logical at all, but yeah, go Columbia go! LMAO!!!
Have you been down to see them or are you going on what others who are against public funding for public services have had to say? When I see the buses at peak hours they are full. Most people who are always hitching rides from others would be riding the bus if the system had more money for advertising.
Anyway, this thread was started only as another venue for bashing Columbia. Maybe linicx will close it, too.
Last edited by Charlestondata; 12-12-2010 at 04:28 PM..
Reason: clarity
Have you been down to see them or are you going on what others who are against public funding for public services have had to say?
If you need to find ridership numbers, some of the links previously posted in this thread list ridership numbers. You can review them for numbers of riders for the bus system.
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.....then there will be a higher unemployment rate because those without a car will not be able to get to work. Oh yeah and let us not forget where people who don't have jobs end up...the welfare office where everyone's tax dollars will still end up paying for it!!
