Oh Darryl. You never cease to amaze. Now it's the inability to comprehend fractions.
http://www.citypaper.net/blogs/nakedcity....html?&c=n
Quote:Funding for SEPTA and other public transit is "subsidizing a minority of our population’s bus fare, which is just more welfare," said state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R-Butler), according to an e-mail discussion obtained by the Capitolwire news service (subscription only).
Metcalfe's comments were sparked by an e-mail sent out by Rep. Tom Killion (R-Delaware) citing "a new report [that] showed 27 percent of the state’s transportation funding went to southeastern Pennsylvania – Bucks, Philadelphia, Delaware, Chester and Montgomery counties – while that region had 32 percent of the state population and 40 percent of the state’s economic activity."
So wait let me get this straight... for a region that consists of 4 counties that has 40% of the economic activity in all of PA, we only use up 27% of PA transportation dollars while we have 32% of the state's population?
That means the Delaware Valley is subsidizing transit for the rest of the PA, not sucking it.
P.S. all but 2 board members of SEPTA are from the suburban counties based on its state charter. The Philadelphia mayor only gets to pick two and the governor of PA is de-facto chair. But I guess the Loser From Butler County wouldn't know that because you know... facts.
Tell me... if we build or repair a 20 mile road that ultimately serves no purpose but to reach a community of 50 people in the hinterlands that costs 20 million to build... isn't that welfare?
And why SEPTA isn't privatized.... everyone who knows this history up-close is most likely dead because this happened so long ago, but all the rail systems in Philadelphia were once private expect for the Market Street Subway which the City of Philadelphia originally paid to build. Every other railroad through town was all privately-owned. There were no less than 20 different rail and streetcar companies at the time. They were all demolished by the massive government subsidization for the automobile, which rail couldn't compete with for convenience.
The Pennsy (PRR) and Reading Railroad Companies folded into Conrail, and then from that the passenger service lines where continued as SEPTA while ROW's were set up for Conrail to sell back to long haul freight carriers seeking to reach the port terminals and to carry cargo through the area.
The Norristown High Speed Line was once the Red Arrow Company; that was folded under SEPTA too. So are the Kawasaki Subway-Surface trolley lines. And the two light rail trolley lines going to Media and Sharon Hill. All originally private.
All of it died thanks to the car.
And if you turn off SEPTA you're talking no less than 200K extra cars on the road every day all day.... but that's in a region that Darryl Metcalfe couldn't give a shit about because he never has to drive through here or put up with the Schuylkill.
When will this fatass get a coronary and die and save us all from his synaptic misfires? I'm embarrassed that THIS human being is supposed to be the champion of gun rights in PA and is justifying the right to the ill-informed.