You think its bad for PAT now, it's about to get A LOT WORSE! (Liberty: lawyer, rating)

[gg]

Originally Posted by Lobick

The Governor.

Why? He was voted in because "the people" are tired of new and more taxes to throw at failing business models. We can't afford PAT's style of business. Sometimes change if VERY hard, but it needs to be done. Get a new company in there for transit and make it more streamline. Subsidize the new company with the same funding and you will most likely have a winner. If nothing else, there will be less of a deficit. PAT has too many fat cats from top to bottom. We are talking bus drivers folks, not a super highly skilled job. Sorry, but most people can drive a bus. Stop making it out to be some huge deal. Tons of people would do the work for far under $50K a year.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by greg42

Me, I'm mostly selfish. I don't give a crap about PAT's practices; I just don't want more traffic in my way in the morning or more cars in before me at the parking garage. In addition to the selfish bit, I care much more about the workers and businesses the cuts would affect than I care about how poorly PAT was managed in the past or the present.

I suspect most people are pragmatic in that way, which is part of why I haven't given up hope that Corbett will eventually agree to some sort of workable (if far from ideal) compromise.

In fact, I'll admit I now question the sincerity of many of the people who claim that our region needs to suffer through massive service cuts and the resulting social and economic harms as a necessary means of achieving management reforms at PAT. It is a common refrain, but the tell is that such people often don't seem very interested in exactly what PAT's management has been doing lately, or in the issue of how exactly such a reform process could lawfully be carried out. Such a manifest lack of curiousity on those issues is not consistent with the notion that management issues should be given top priority in these discussions.

[gg]

Originally Posted by greg42

If you (meaning anyone) think the service cuts won't affect you because you never use transit, you (meaning anyone who believes that) are stupid.

If I was totally selfish, I would no doubt want PAT gone because I don't deal with traffic on my bicycle and when I drive my commute is off peak, but I am not looking at this in those ways at all. I am looking at it as a business that is draining on the people of our county. It is draining! That makes us less competitive as a whole. Something needs to give and that IMHO is the current administration/unions that put us in this mess. We already have a new tax in our county that Butler/Westmoreland/Washington don't have. Seems people want more new taxes that our neighbors don't have to pay. I don't want that. Should the state pay? Seems Pittsburgh usually gets the short end because Philly has more voters. We don't get our fair share and probably never will, so why wish for something that isn't going to happen?

[Lobick]

Originally Posted by h_curtis

Why?

If you read, or even glanced at the report of his own commission (which has been linked multiple time in this thread) you wouldn't ask that particular question.

[gg]

I don't want people to get the wrong idea about my view. I do feel it is catastrophic that our public transit is going to be cut and cut more. It is very bad for Pittsburgh! I look at it differently though. I feel there will be a need and that need will be filled one way or the other. Yes we might have several years that Pittsburgh is not servicing people well in public transit, but at some point I feel we will make a turn with a new company or something will work its way out. I have faith in the people of our region to make something good happen. Nothing good ever seems to come out of PAT.

[Lobick]

Originally Posted by h_curtis

Seems Pittsburgh usually gets the short end because Philly has more voters. We don't get our fair share and probably never will, so why wish for something that isn't going to happen?

It's not Pittsburgh vs. Philly, it's urban vs. rural. The cities subsidize the countryside with regard to transit. Is there a healthy city in the Commonwealth? The answer to that question illuminates the failure of State politics.

[gg]

Originally Posted by Lobick

It's not Pittsburgh vs. Philly, it's urban vs. rural. The cities subsidize the countryside with regard to transit. Is there a healthy city in the Commonwealth? The answer to that question illuminates the failure of State politics.

Sometimes I wonder if the Pittsburgh region would fair MUCH better as a separate state.

[BrianTH]

Because I HAVE FAITH in the people of this region, I believe that soon magical flying ponies will show up to whisk everyone everywhere they need to go. And since the ponies are coming, I don't need to bother learning anything about the actual issues at hand--no matter how badly we screw things up in our ignorance, the ponies will take care of everything, don't you worry!

[gg]

Originally Posted by Lobick

If you read, or even glanced at the report of his own commission (which has been linked multiple time in this thread) you wouldn't ask that particular question.

Unlike you, the first thing I look at is expenses. If the state/local or federal side is out of money, which they are, expenses are where I look. Why? If I don't look there the only other option is MORE TAXES for a failing business. How many more taxes do we need? I get tired of new taxes. I don't go out much because I just don't want to pay that drink tax. It makes me sick. I tend to go to the state store and buy a few bottles, then I go out after I have a drink or two. Don't worry, I walk to places these days and don't drive drunk. Getting too old for such nonsense. Anyway, I am only one person that doesn't want to pay that tax anymore. No idea if anyone else thinks about it or not?

[gg]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

Because I HAVE FAITH in the people of this region, I believe that soon magical flying ponies will show up to whisk everyone everywhere they need to go. And since the ponies are coming, I don't need to bother learning anything about the actual issues at hand--no matter how badly we screw things up in our ignorance, the ponies will take care of everything, don't you worry!

Don't you ever look on the expense side of anything? Do you just want to put another bandaid on this issue, so we continually have to try and come up with more money to pay these people that are clearly overpaid and have huge pensions? Expenses mean nothing to you? Just blame the taxing bodies because they haven't raised taxes enough to keep the bandaids coming? We just have different views that is all. People all want to find one big magic pill and all will go away. That pill would be some huge tax increase to pay for this. It is the only huge pill. I break it down and look at all sides. Expenses are the first order of business. The way to cut that, is rid PAT and start over.

It is clear, my view of cutting expenses isn't popular in this forum, so I think I made my view clear. I don't care for all these bandaids. If they are going to look for a new tax, hope it is on Marcellus Shale.