Also see OPTINSTL'S ACTION PLAN:
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/p/optinstls-action-plan-to-change-metro.html
This page is a reprint of the post:http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/04/why-political-activists-and-occupy.html
I named this blog "Occupy" because I thought Occupy Wall Street was a good idea, even if its' time hasn't come yet.
But I don't think that starting at the top, at a national level, is the best way to get things done.
In
less than two weeks since I started this blog and began investigating
Metro, I have learned how powerful public transit agencies are.
Public transportation is a microcosm for how government and business
work hand in hand to make sure wealth flows into the hands of only a
small percentage of the population.
They are a funnel for receiving government funds.
They contract local police departments.
They own A LOT of real estate.
They
supply a necessary service for low-income people, but, at least in
Metro's case (and the Los Angeles Metro) that is not what they are
really about, or their primary function.
"Incarceration
by lack of decent public transit" is used to keep poor people in poor
neighborhoods. People that will work for any wage and in any
conditions, and be willing to travel 4 hours a day to get to those
substandard jobs.
Moreover, anyone interested in
making their city more "green" and eco-friendly does not need to be told
that decent public transportation will help save the environment.
If you are political activist, please consider working with OPTINSTL to investigate and change public transportation.
Please read this first: http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/04/what-metro-is-doing-with-your-money-and.htm
Especially
if you are lawyer or accountant. To change things might require legal
action- against Metro and the agencies that fund them.
And
Metro definitely needs to be audited by the public. They get audited
to make sure they are spending federal funds as directed, but there is
no one investigating if their budgets could be changed to better serve
the public (instead of business owners).
Consider requesting all the information available through the Sunshine Act. I am going to:
From an email from Metro: These
are the answers I can provide for you without requiring that you file a
Sunshine request for research and compilation of documentation. If you
need such documentation, please contact Shirley Bryant in the agency’s
Legal Department at sbryant@metrostlouis.org.
(From this post: http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/04/metro-responds-to-my-first-round-of.html)
If you are a
social worker or philanthropist, investigate setting up programs to fund
low-income and unemployed people with discounted or free transit
passes.
I will be adding more as I learn more, but I
hope I have convinced you that taking on Public Transit is as effective
as going after Wall Street. The "Local 1%" is much easier to reach.
OCCUPY PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION FOR CHANGE!
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SHOULD BE PUBLICLY OWNED. ROUTES SHOULD SERVE THE PEOPLE WHO NEED IT MOST, AND NOT THE "PARK AND RIDE" CROWD OR TO REDUCE TRAFFIC CONGESTION. ELECTION DAYS AND FOURTH OF JULY SHOULD BE FREE FARE DAYS. EVERY SINGLE CITIZEN SHOULD HAVE A PERSONAL TAP PASS THAT MAXES OUT AT $78 EACH AND EVERY MONTH. SHELTERS FOR WEATHER, BATHROOMS AND DRINKING FOUNTAINS SHOULD BE REQUIRED. DISCOUNT PASSES SHOULD BE AVAILABLE TO ANYONE THAT IS LOW INCOME OR ON PUBLIC ASSISTANCE.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment