The Illinois Department of Transportation has the right idea. We definitely need a high-speed rail line from St. Louis to Chicago.
http://www.kmov.com/news/talkers/100-million-being-invested-in-St-LouisChicago-rail-project-273409391.html
But WE, THE PEOPLE need to take over the railroads in the same way we need to take over public transit. Trains-- local commuter, state, and national-- are the future, not more buses, and not more cars and highways!
http://www.eia.gov/countries/index.cfm?view=consumption
http://www.citylab.com/commute/2014/07/how-parking-spaces-are-eating-our-cities-alive/374413/
http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/does-uber-mean-the-end-of-cars--134641160.html
http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/19/opinion/iraq-war-oil-juhasz/
As with public transit, railroads should be communally owned and operated by the public-- Amtrak is government owned-- and only leased to private, for-profit, companies, freight or otherwise.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_transportation_in_the_United_States
And safety of the public should be the first priority, not down the list after profits and corporate convenience.
http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/who-is-shaping-the-nation-s-railroad-safety-rules/article_87cfc631-3db4-595f-b0f1-a3e02058820f.html
The first step is to learn more about current railways in your region, and to begin questioning elected and transportation officials on what is being done to develop them.
Railway is not "other transportation", it is our first priority as a forward thinking nation.
http://www.modot.org/othertransportation/rail/documents/MAPrail_passenger_dated11_15_07.pdf
OPTINSTL
OCCUPY! PUBLIC TRANSIT Image by Eric Drooker for Occupy Wall Street, click on image for Drooker's website
Showing posts with label department of transportation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label department of transportation. Show all posts
Monday, September 1, 2014
Monday, April 7, 2014
WILL THINGS GO BACK TO NORMAL?
I missed the news tonight and didn't see the coverage of the Metro Blue Flu.
I found this video http://youtu.be/s_qm4eUrqqo
(The person that posted it is mostly whining about how the drivers "pulled this crap" and made everyone late for work.)
Bus drivers take the brunt of the riders' hatred for Metro. But for the most part they don't deserve it.
I understand it is an inconvenience. But as I've said before, no change comes without inconvenience.
You know who was inconvenient? Rosa Parks. No one on that bus got home on time that day.
The people of this city deserve a decent transit system, and that means taking care of the drivers.
And if you make less than $15 an hour, maybe you should consider striking, too. A job should pay enough to live on. All the countries that pay a livable minimum wage had people that were willing to make the sacrifices and suffer the inconveniences necessary to make society better for everyone.
I don't understand why every single profession doesn't have a union.
Tomorrow, if there is another blue flu or a full out strike, let's be clear that as much as Metro executives whine that they have to follow ALL the federal guidelines to the letter, they WILL bring in people to drive the buses that don't have the proper driver's license or DOT certification.
Metro is (currently) not about Public Transportation. That is just the way they funnel funds for "business development." I think that is about to change.
I hope the bus drivers strike, and if they do, I hope it goes citywide.
Saint Louis, you get what you ask for, but you have to ask.
And sometimes that means you have to be inconvenient.
EDIT: This state needs to abolish "right to work". Right to work means "an employer has the right to fire you for any reason, offer any wage and any condition, and destroy the labor unions". Citizens of this "greatest country in the world" are not even granted the right to a bathroom break, except in five states. (The federal government only regulates how breaks are paid, if an employer decides to give them. The government does not provide for any breaks. Not a lot of state offer meal breaks that are legally enforceable, Missouri is not one of them. )
An employer can check your credit and background, record you, track you, but an employee is not allowed to check out an employer. Do they handle their money responsibly? Do they have adequate knowledge and training in business to manage payroll and other responsibilities of owning a business? As I said, all jobs should have unions, and minimum wage should be $15. That amount is not random. It is the basic need. And bus drivers deserve at least $25.
I found this video http://youtu.be/s_qm4eUrqqo
(The person that posted it is mostly whining about how the drivers "pulled this crap" and made everyone late for work.)
Bus drivers take the brunt of the riders' hatred for Metro. But for the most part they don't deserve it.
I understand it is an inconvenience. But as I've said before, no change comes without inconvenience.
You know who was inconvenient? Rosa Parks. No one on that bus got home on time that day.
The people of this city deserve a decent transit system, and that means taking care of the drivers.
And if you make less than $15 an hour, maybe you should consider striking, too. A job should pay enough to live on. All the countries that pay a livable minimum wage had people that were willing to make the sacrifices and suffer the inconveniences necessary to make society better for everyone.
I don't understand why every single profession doesn't have a union.
Tomorrow, if there is another blue flu or a full out strike, let's be clear that as much as Metro executives whine that they have to follow ALL the federal guidelines to the letter, they WILL bring in people to drive the buses that don't have the proper driver's license or DOT certification.
Metro is (currently) not about Public Transportation. That is just the way they funnel funds for "business development." I think that is about to change.
I hope the bus drivers strike, and if they do, I hope it goes citywide.
Saint Louis, you get what you ask for, but you have to ask.
And sometimes that means you have to be inconvenient.
EDIT: This state needs to abolish "right to work". Right to work means "an employer has the right to fire you for any reason, offer any wage and any condition, and destroy the labor unions". Citizens of this "greatest country in the world" are not even granted the right to a bathroom break, except in five states. (The federal government only regulates how breaks are paid, if an employer decides to give them. The government does not provide for any breaks. Not a lot of state offer meal breaks that are legally enforceable, Missouri is not one of them. )
An employer can check your credit and background, record you, track you, but an employee is not allowed to check out an employer. Do they handle their money responsibly? Do they have adequate knowledge and training in business to manage payroll and other responsibilities of owning a business? As I said, all jobs should have unions, and minimum wage should be $15. That amount is not random. It is the basic need. And bus drivers deserve at least $25.
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