It's not much, but you can at least get a little discount.
It's a hike to Affton.
http://fox2now.com/2014/07/10/metro-reduces-fares-for-seniors/
Metro has a page on it, but I can't get their site to load.
http://www.nextstopstl.org/12247/senior-sign-up-events-at-schnucks/
You can go their site and it is the first story featured:
http://www.metrostlouis.org/Default.aspx
I really wish it were required the executives use public transit at least one week a month for all their
travel needs. They need to be out with us, experiencing what it is like, and engaging us in surveys and discussion.
OPTINSTL
OCCUPY! PUBLIC TRANSIT Image by Eric Drooker for Occupy Wall Street, click on image for Drooker's website
Thursday, July 10, 2014
MORE ON AMENDMENT 7: HIGHWAY ROBBERY BENEFITS ONLY THE CONCRETE AND CONSTRUCTION "CARTELS"
OPTINSTL'S previous post about Amendment 7:
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/06/vote-no-on-amendment-7-proposed.html
The St. Louis Post Dispatch and their St. Louis Today website have been running some really good opinion pieces and articles on the proposed increased sales tax.
http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/columns/the-platform/editorial-modot-s-list-of-shiny-objects-can-t-obscure/article_20186cfd-9edc-5782-bb59-8b4d54dd2f9b.html
Both terms in this post's title, "Highway Robbery" and "Concrete Cartels", come from this brilliant and well-written Op-Ed:
http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/stop-missouri-s-highway-robbery/article_68a94d5c-22e8-5af5-b854-a1e0ea14d1b7.html
And this one is great on who is paying for the "pro" Amendment 7 campaign:
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/kevin-mcdermott/transportation-interests-donated-k-to-key-sales-tax-proponent/article_f41d8c5e-cdbc-584d-820f-ea9e7ec2ffce.html
Many people have written in that what we need to do is increase gasoline tax-- ours is the lowest in the nation! Let the trucking companies that use the highways the most pay for the roads!
http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/mailbag/letters-to-the-editor/no-to-raising-missouri-s-transportation-sales-tax/article_ce043f0d-546f-54f9-a27c-d2a3aeb318bc.html
This is great opinion letter, from a transit rider:
http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/mailbag/letters-to-the-editor/public-transit-rider-can-t-support-higher-sales-tax/article_87bf77c3-6966-51dc-ab2f-acdd03f577f1.html
And this great piece really spells out the ridiculousness of the few transit related items on the City's wishlist.
http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/mailbag/letters-to-the-editor/slay-gives-city-residents-reason-to-oppose-transportation-tax/article_b4674df1-ea0f-5eaa-b18a-ee691fc711ef.html
On the project list biking and pedestrian paths are considered "public transit". So you might see a lot of X marks in the transit column but read the descriptions carefully. The few that actually deal with bus, trains and streetcars are nothing more than government subsidies to private developers, such as the Loop Trolley, McKee's Northside "Redevelopment" and a Lindell street car that runs parallel to the Metrolink!
https://stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/mayor/documents/loader.cfm?csModule=security/getfile&pageid=402539
MO DOT has released their final "wishlist" draft, but it isn't readily available to the public, which is just OUTRAGEOUS. We are being asked to pay for something, but don't get to see the details? A reporter from Associated Press had to file a Sunshine Act request to get the project, and even then, he only reports on what is in it, we do not get to see the actual list.
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/missouri-updates-project-list-for-transportation-tax/article_a5dfaf8f-496c-5e1e-9959-a05bd4466c6a.html
And even if we did see the wishlist, that is all it is. Once they get the money they will do whatever they want with it. Let's not forget April 2010's Prop A. It was going to "save" Metro. And look what they have done with it. Nothing. They get the 11 million a year from the city for the Metrolink, but County Executive Charlie Dooley controls the purse strings on the $78 million the county collects. And even if he is does allot some to Metro, they are still insolvent!
SAY NO TO HIGHWAY ROBBERY!!!!
MORE ON AMENDMENT 7:
http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/mailbag/letters-to-the-editor/transportation-tax-is-the-wrong-means-to-the-wrong-ends/article_8013b86e-ced2-5e7a-980b-520559989dec.html
http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/mailbag/letters-to-the-editor/increase-the-gasoline-tax-to-pay-for-publicly-maintained-roads/article_05cce727-f345-53d6-8481-84c8f87d6dcb.html
http://www.stltoday.com/news/national/nixon-opposes-missouri-transportation-sales-tax/article_c1ced8f4-3ee6-55db-b05f-269c0ac54195.html
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/06/vote-no-on-amendment-7-proposed.html
The St. Louis Post Dispatch and their St. Louis Today website have been running some really good opinion pieces and articles on the proposed increased sales tax.
http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/columns/the-platform/editorial-modot-s-list-of-shiny-objects-can-t-obscure/article_20186cfd-9edc-5782-bb59-8b4d54dd2f9b.html
Both terms in this post's title, "Highway Robbery" and "Concrete Cartels", come from this brilliant and well-written Op-Ed:
http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/stop-missouri-s-highway-robbery/article_68a94d5c-22e8-5af5-b854-a1e0ea14d1b7.html
And this one is great on who is paying for the "pro" Amendment 7 campaign:
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/kevin-mcdermott/transportation-interests-donated-k-to-key-sales-tax-proponent/article_f41d8c5e-cdbc-584d-820f-ea9e7ec2ffce.html
Many people have written in that what we need to do is increase gasoline tax-- ours is the lowest in the nation! Let the trucking companies that use the highways the most pay for the roads!
http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/mailbag/letters-to-the-editor/no-to-raising-missouri-s-transportation-sales-tax/article_ce043f0d-546f-54f9-a27c-d2a3aeb318bc.html
This is great opinion letter, from a transit rider:
http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/mailbag/letters-to-the-editor/public-transit-rider-can-t-support-higher-sales-tax/article_87bf77c3-6966-51dc-ab2f-acdd03f577f1.html
And this great piece really spells out the ridiculousness of the few transit related items on the City's wishlist.
http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/mailbag/letters-to-the-editor/slay-gives-city-residents-reason-to-oppose-transportation-tax/article_b4674df1-ea0f-5eaa-b18a-ee691fc711ef.html
On the project list biking and pedestrian paths are considered "public transit". So you might see a lot of X marks in the transit column but read the descriptions carefully. The few that actually deal with bus, trains and streetcars are nothing more than government subsidies to private developers, such as the Loop Trolley, McKee's Northside "Redevelopment" and a Lindell street car that runs parallel to the Metrolink!
https://stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/mayor/documents/loader.cfm?csModule=security/getfile&pageid=402539
MO DOT has released their final "wishlist" draft, but it isn't readily available to the public, which is just OUTRAGEOUS. We are being asked to pay for something, but don't get to see the details? A reporter from Associated Press had to file a Sunshine Act request to get the project, and even then, he only reports on what is in it, we do not get to see the actual list.
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/missouri-updates-project-list-for-transportation-tax/article_a5dfaf8f-496c-5e1e-9959-a05bd4466c6a.html
And even if we did see the wishlist, that is all it is. Once they get the money they will do whatever they want with it. Let's not forget April 2010's Prop A. It was going to "save" Metro. And look what they have done with it. Nothing. They get the 11 million a year from the city for the Metrolink, but County Executive Charlie Dooley controls the purse strings on the $78 million the county collects. And even if he is does allot some to Metro, they are still insolvent!
SAY NO TO HIGHWAY ROBBERY!!!!
MORE ON AMENDMENT 7:
http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/mailbag/letters-to-the-editor/transportation-tax-is-the-wrong-means-to-the-wrong-ends/article_8013b86e-ced2-5e7a-980b-520559989dec.html
http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/mailbag/letters-to-the-editor/increase-the-gasoline-tax-to-pay-for-publicly-maintained-roads/article_05cce727-f345-53d6-8481-84c8f87d6dcb.html
http://www.stltoday.com/news/national/nixon-opposes-missouri-transportation-sales-tax/article_c1ced8f4-3ee6-55db-b05f-269c0ac54195.html
NEW YORK TRANSIT WORKERS ARE ABOUT TO STRIKE
Metro likes to brag that it is the best transit agency of its size, and that it is just doing "what all the other agencies are doing."
http://news.yahoo.com/congress-asked-help-derail-threatened-york-transit-strike-163542997.html
Long Island Rail transit workers are set to strike. Like Metro, their agency has refused to negotiate a new contract (but for only four years, instead of six years), and eroding pensions and benefits.
(Also Philly and San Francisco:
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/06/philadelphia-transit-workers-strike.html
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/06/san-franciscos-transit-workers-blue-flu.html)
Public transit needs to change nationwide. And it's not going to be the people in charge that change it, it is going to have to be those of us that actually rely on transit-- both riders and workers.
TIME FOR CHANGE!
http://news.yahoo.com/congress-asked-help-derail-threatened-york-transit-strike-163542997.html
Long Island Rail transit workers are set to strike. Like Metro, their agency has refused to negotiate a new contract (but for only four years, instead of six years), and eroding pensions and benefits.
(Also Philly and San Francisco:
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/06/philadelphia-transit-workers-strike.html
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/06/san-franciscos-transit-workers-blue-flu.html)
Public transit needs to change nationwide. And it's not going to be the people in charge that change it, it is going to have to be those of us that actually rely on transit-- both riders and workers.
TIME FOR CHANGE!
Friday, July 4, 2014
RED WHITE AND BLUE FLU
The news media really downplayed the Metrolink Blue Flu today. That's usually a good sign. It means the union is getting visible public support and the Ole Boy Network has made the proper phone calls to media station managers and senior editors.
http://fox2now.com/2014/07/04/possible-blue-flu-halts-metrolink-fair-st-louis-parking-rates-drop-to-20/
Of course, it appeared that not nearly as many people attended Fare St. Louis in Forest Park than had been anticipated, and also that fewer Fare-goers used Metrolink than expected.
This did force them to lower that $30 parking price tag to $20. Maybe that kept a lot of people away. The local government, in keeping with the state and federal government, has been doing a fine job of making plain that constituents are just cash cows to be milked at every opportunity. Land of the free indeed.
You know, they could have made public transit free today. Even if you don't ride it, you pay for it. That would have been a true gesture of celebration and thanks. And probably attracted a lot of new riders.
The city leaders are walking on eggshells right now. The spike in violence and crime in the poorest areas of the city are always harbingers of larger problems, about to boil over. The government is broke, but they won't raise taxes on corporations, or any of the other necessary changes.
One thing I found myself musing on, as I watched the parade on television, is how lackluster the parade seemed going through the park. Not just the sparse attendance. It just didn't strike the same response as seeing the same marching bands and floats glide down the streets of downtown.
Part of what makes a parade so exciting is the way it takes over and transforms the ordinary streets. I wonder if Saint Louisans won't feel a emptiness, a need to fill the streets?
I think the city leaders, for their own sake, should have kept the parade downtown. Parades, in times of strife, are "demonstrations by proxy".
The Metrolink operators deserve our support. They are fighting for their union, their pensions, and their pay. We should all join them in securing those things for ourselves. We can start by calling Metro and telling them we support the drivers, and demanding they negotiate a new contract.
And we need to demand a few "Fare Free" days a year for the city.
http://fox2now.com/2014/07/04/possible-blue-flu-halts-metrolink-fair-st-louis-parking-rates-drop-to-20/
Of course, it appeared that not nearly as many people attended Fare St. Louis in Forest Park than had been anticipated, and also that fewer Fare-goers used Metrolink than expected.
This did force them to lower that $30 parking price tag to $20. Maybe that kept a lot of people away. The local government, in keeping with the state and federal government, has been doing a fine job of making plain that constituents are just cash cows to be milked at every opportunity. Land of the free indeed.
You know, they could have made public transit free today. Even if you don't ride it, you pay for it. That would have been a true gesture of celebration and thanks. And probably attracted a lot of new riders.
The city leaders are walking on eggshells right now. The spike in violence and crime in the poorest areas of the city are always harbingers of larger problems, about to boil over. The government is broke, but they won't raise taxes on corporations, or any of the other necessary changes.
One thing I found myself musing on, as I watched the parade on television, is how lackluster the parade seemed going through the park. Not just the sparse attendance. It just didn't strike the same response as seeing the same marching bands and floats glide down the streets of downtown.
Part of what makes a parade so exciting is the way it takes over and transforms the ordinary streets. I wonder if Saint Louisans won't feel a emptiness, a need to fill the streets?
I think the city leaders, for their own sake, should have kept the parade downtown. Parades, in times of strife, are "demonstrations by proxy".
The Metrolink operators deserve our support. They are fighting for their union, their pensions, and their pay. We should all join them in securing those things for ourselves. We can start by calling Metro and telling them we support the drivers, and demanding they negotiate a new contract.
And we need to demand a few "Fare Free" days a year for the city.
SERCO IS ABOUT A LOT MORE THAN SABOTAGING OBAMACARE APPLICATIONS
What does this have to do with public transportation in St. Louis? Serco is the macrocosm of everything that is wrong with this country. And possibly the entire world.
KMOV St. Louis has been running a lot of spots about the Wentzville offices of Serco that were given a $1.2 billion contract to process ACA, or Obamacare, applications. If you have been following the news story, you know that they basically paid employees to do nothing, and processed almost no applications.
http://www.kmov.com/news/investigates/News-4-investigates-Workers-paid-taxpayer-dollars-to-do-nothing-259002161.html
They were just given a big fat $98 million government extension.
http://www.kmov.com/news/local/Controversial-ACA-contractor-receives-contract-extension-from-government-265783851.html
Serco haven't just overbilled the US. Check out their contracts and follow the pattern of scandal. In the UK they billed the Ministry of justice for (electronically) tagging offenders THAT WERE DEAD.
Oh, and their hospital management?
From the Wikipedia link:
In health services, Serco's difficulties include the poor handling of pathology labs and fatal errors in patient records. At St Thomas' Hospital, the increase in the number of clinical incidents arising from Serco non-clinical management has resulted in patients receiving incorrect and infected blood, as well as patients suffering kidney damage due to Serco providing incorrect data used for medical calculations.[59] A Serco employee later revealed that the company had falsified 252 reports to the National Health Service regarding Serco health services in Cornwall.[60]
And isn't it nice to know that all of that personal medical information is in the hands of one of the largest intelligence contractors in the world?
Yes, they are rapists, too:
(Also from the Wikipedia article)
In September 2013, Serco was accused of extensive sexual abuse cover-ups of immigrants at Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre prison in Bedfordshire, England [30]
AND
The Union of Christmas Island Workers highlighted the systemic failure by Serco to manage the Christmas Island Immigration Reception and Processing Centre. The centre detains a large number of refugees including 1,000 children.[36] Under Serco, there has been an increase of deaths in custody, self-harm, and of Serco staff beating prisoners. As well, there has been a deterioration of facilities leading to the decline of the physical and the mental health of detainees and of staff. Ombudsman Allan Asher on the Australian radio show AM said, "In the first week of June when I visited Christmas Island, more than 30 incidents of self-harm by detainees held there were reported."[36] Serco, in a staged memo leaked to The Australian, blamed the detainees for "creating a culture of self-harm," in order to use it as a "bargaining tool."[36]
How did they do with that School district?
Serco held a 10-year contract with Bradford City Council between 2001 and 2011 to manage and operate the local education authority,[65] providing education support services to the City's schools. This period was marked with "real problems" according to senior council officials and was taken back in house by the local authority after this period.[66] Serco similarly manages and operates Walsall[67] and Stoke-on-Trent local education authorities.[68] Serco is one of Ofsted's three Regional Inspection Service Providers, responsible for school inspections in the English Midlands.[69] Serco is also the provider of a Student information system, Facility, used in schools and colleges in several countries.[70
What DOESN'T Serco have it's fingers in?
EDIT: Consider the fascist possibilities of a corporation that control's driver licencing, education, prisons, medical care, detention, as well as intelligence gathering, cyber-spying, etc, globally. If we made a map that showed the influence of Serco and their other corporate peers (CACI, Lockheed, etc), would we see a world dominated by U.S./British private intelligence corporations?
Also, consider that Serco does the same work as USIS, LLC, the company that put Snowden at the NSA,
http://online.wsj.com/articles/u-s-gives-new-contract-to-firm-that-cleared-nsa-leaker-1404344583
In fact, here is Serco's protest of a contract award to USIS, LLC:
http://www.gao.gov/products/d02600#mt=summary
KMOV St. Louis has been running a lot of spots about the Wentzville offices of Serco that were given a $1.2 billion contract to process ACA, or Obamacare, applications. If you have been following the news story, you know that they basically paid employees to do nothing, and processed almost no applications.
http://www.kmov.com/news/investigates/News-4-investigates-Workers-paid-taxpayer-dollars-to-do-nothing-259002161.html
They were just given a big fat $98 million government extension.
http://www.kmov.com/news/local/Controversial-ACA-contractor-receives-contract-extension-from-government-265783851.html
Serco is NOT a local company. They began as the British arm of RCA, supplying services to the cinema industry. They are a global defense and everything else contractor.
They run the Dubai and
Copenhagen Metro's (mass transit). They run parking meters in
Chicago.. They own railway worldwide. They do cyber-intelligence for the U.S. government and other large entities. They supply electronic tags (those leg bands) to
the UK Ministry of Justice.
They run a school district in the UK. They own prisons. Leisure and vacation facilities. Waste management services. Facilities management at hospitals. Run the Iraqi airport. (EDIT: They were in charge when this utterly bizarre loss of 12 billion dollars happened: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/feb/08/usa.iraq1 )
They run immigration Detention Facilities in the UK. Give driver's licence and driver exams in Ontario.
They run immigration Detention Facilities in the UK. Give driver's licence and driver exams in Ontario.
They are one of the largest defense contractors in the world.
They acquired SI International, in Reston Virginia in 2008. This gave them their U.S. address.****
Serco just lost London's Dockland Light Railway.
http://www.theguardian.com/
http://www.theguardian.com/
People in the UK hate Serco, and rightfully so.
Serco haven't just overbilled the US. Check out their contracts and follow the pattern of scandal. In the UK they billed the Ministry of justice for (electronically) tagging offenders THAT WERE DEAD.
Oh, and their hospital management?
From the Wikipedia link:
In health services, Serco's difficulties include the poor handling of pathology labs and fatal errors in patient records. At St Thomas' Hospital, the increase in the number of clinical incidents arising from Serco non-clinical management has resulted in patients receiving incorrect and infected blood, as well as patients suffering kidney damage due to Serco providing incorrect data used for medical calculations.[59] A Serco employee later revealed that the company had falsified 252 reports to the National Health Service regarding Serco health services in Cornwall.[60]
And isn't it nice to know that all of that personal medical information is in the hands of one of the largest intelligence contractors in the world?
Yes, they are rapists, too:
(Also from the Wikipedia article)
In September 2013, Serco was accused of extensive sexual abuse cover-ups of immigrants at Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre prison in Bedfordshire, England [30]
AND
The Union of Christmas Island Workers highlighted the systemic failure by Serco to manage the Christmas Island Immigration Reception and Processing Centre. The centre detains a large number of refugees including 1,000 children.[36] Under Serco, there has been an increase of deaths in custody, self-harm, and of Serco staff beating prisoners. As well, there has been a deterioration of facilities leading to the decline of the physical and the mental health of detainees and of staff. Ombudsman Allan Asher on the Australian radio show AM said, "In the first week of June when I visited Christmas Island, more than 30 incidents of self-harm by detainees held there were reported."[36] Serco, in a staged memo leaked to The Australian, blamed the detainees for "creating a culture of self-harm," in order to use it as a "bargaining tool."[36]
How did they do with that School district?
Serco held a 10-year contract with Bradford City Council between 2001 and 2011 to manage and operate the local education authority,[65] providing education support services to the City's schools. This period was marked with "real problems" according to senior council officials and was taken back in house by the local authority after this period.[66] Serco similarly manages and operates Walsall[67] and Stoke-on-Trent local education authorities.[68] Serco is one of Ofsted's three Regional Inspection Service Providers, responsible for school inspections in the English Midlands.[69] Serco is also the provider of a Student information system, Facility, used in schools and colleges in several countries.[70
What DOESN'T Serco have it's fingers in?
EDIT: Consider the fascist possibilities of a corporation that control's driver licencing, education, prisons, medical care, detention, as well as intelligence gathering, cyber-spying, etc, globally. If we made a map that showed the influence of Serco and their other corporate peers (CACI, Lockheed, etc), would we see a world dominated by U.S./British private intelligence corporations?
Also, consider that Serco does the same work as USIS, LLC, the company that put Snowden at the NSA,
http://online.wsj.com/articles/u-s-gives-new-contract-to-firm-that-cleared-nsa-leaker-1404344583
In fact, here is Serco's protest of a contract award to USIS, LLC:
http://www.gao.gov/products/d02600#mt=summary
So what does this have to do with public transit in St. Louis? It's not a direct link.
Serco is the macrocosm, and Bi-State Development Agency is the microcosm. This is the template for agencies and companies that receive government funding. Developing infrastructure (transportation or intelligence gathering) makes the private company wealthy, and they in turn feed the politicians with power in the infrastructure-- and of course massive campaign funds.
All government money comes from the taxpayers. The macrocosm and the microcosm are nothing more than means to rob the public. Serco is just an extremely transparent example.
Happy Fourth of July!
Happy Fourth of July!
***** SI International is worth investigating on it's own. Ray Oleson founded
the company in 1997. He'd worked for CACI before that. CACI formed in
1962. CACI has strong ties to Donald Rumsfeld and the Bush regime. A British American defense, spy, and intelligence contractor,
with massive global operations. CACI was sued in 2004 by a group of
tortured Iraqi Abu Ghraib prisoners. The result of the suit is on-going today.
Since 2007 they have rather suddenly began purchasing over 20 other IT
companies, at a rate of several per year.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CACI
SI International's 2008 purchase date is not coincidental to the global financial collapse. It is too big to go into in this post, or in a blog post at all, it is book length, but SI ties to the Bush family and W's presidency, and probably back to WW2 and St. Louis investment banker Herbert Walker (GW Bush maternal grandfather, and founder of the bank that GW Bush's brother William "Bucky" still runs. And let's not forget the banker that laundered gold for the Nazi's, Thomas McKittrick, from St. Louis. After WW2 he brought Reichbank's Emil Puhl to NYC.)
SI International's 2008 purchase date is not coincidental to the global financial collapse. It is too big to go into in this post, or in a blog post at all, it is book length, but SI ties to the Bush family and W's presidency, and probably back to WW2 and St. Louis investment banker Herbert Walker (GW Bush maternal grandfather, and founder of the bank that GW Bush's brother William "Bucky" still runs. And let's not forget the banker that laundered gold for the Nazi's, Thomas McKittrick, from St. Louis. After WW2 he brought Reichbank's Emil Puhl to NYC.)
Unravel
the knot of SI International, CACI, Serco, the Bush Family's St. Louis
and WW2 activities and ties to BIS and the Nazi's, and you could unravel
every conspiracy theory, illegal war and scandal since the "Great War."
(It was great for them!)
This list includes Serco, CACI, and all those like them (from 2008):
http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sociopolitica/sociopol_globalmilitarism19.htm
It is worth reading the whole list. Guess who else?
USIS= (listed as a consortium sub-contractor under the Boeing project listing)= the contractor that vetted Edward Snowden, however, mostly famous for their ties to the Bush regime's Carlyle Group, who are famous for their Iraqi war profits, and sub-prime mortgage crisis insolvency.
http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sociopolitica/sociopol_carlyle15.htm
SECOND EDIT: Not big on 9/11 conspiracy theories, but Serco comes up in doc's a lot on such sites. Their CEO (he retired just last year) was on the 47th floor of one of the towers on 9/11
https://decryptedmatrix.com/live/serco-the-biggest-company-youve-never-heard-of/
I can't work out what these links are actually saying, both badly written and unclear, but apparently someone tried to sue them for a military death:
http://www.abeldanger.net/2014/06/1999-marine-links-serco-red-switch.html
It is worth reading the whole list. Guess who else?
USIS= (listed as a consortium sub-contractor under the Boeing project listing)= the contractor that vetted Edward Snowden, however, mostly famous for their ties to the Bush regime's Carlyle Group, who are famous for their Iraqi war profits, and sub-prime mortgage crisis insolvency.
http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sociopolitica/sociopol_carlyle15.htm
SECOND EDIT: Not big on 9/11 conspiracy theories, but Serco comes up in doc's a lot on such sites. Their CEO (he retired just last year) was on the 47th floor of one of the towers on 9/11
https://decryptedmatrix.com/live/serco-the-biggest-company-youve-never-heard-of/
I can't work out what these links are actually saying, both badly written and unclear, but apparently someone tried to sue them for a military death:
http://www.abeldanger.net/2014/06/1999-marine-links-serco-red-switch.html
Thursday, July 3, 2014
BRAZILIAN GOVERNMENT SENDS IN MILITARY POLICE TO STOP TRANSIT WORKERS STRIKE
This article is from June, but I just saw it yesterday:
http://revolution-news.com/cops-attack-subway-workers-in-brazil-free-fare-movement-announce-june-19th-actions/
Mass transit worldwide needs to be Occupied!
Support the Free Fare movement!
http://revolution-news.com/cops-attack-subway-workers-in-brazil-free-fare-movement-announce-june-19th-actions/
Mass transit worldwide needs to be Occupied!
Support the Free Fare movement!
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
STRIKE CITYWIDE! DON'T RIDE! BOYCOTT METRO TODAY!
It's a funny strike, to not ride the bus. Instead of a big group of people in one location, it is a lot of people staying home or getting a ride.
The revolution may not be televised, but it will be "telephoned".
Even after today, don't stop calling Metro. If we don't demand change, they won't volunteer it. Between the fat cat executives, protecting their own salaries and bonuses (paid for with public tax money and rider fares), and the pencil pushers that just want to keep their jobs, there is no one at Metro, or any government agency or council, that is looking out for the rider.
They are robbing us blind, but we are letting them rob us. Until we demand change and make our voices impossible to ignore, business will continue as usual.
They will keep putting in "landscaping" at transfer centers, instead of building toilet facilities. Fares will increase every two years automatically, even though the fare increases do little more than offset the $5 million they spend in "contributions to outside entities" (political campaign contributions), and won't even make a dent in the $26 million a year interest on their debts.
Rider fares only supply $72 million of their $350 million a operating budget, but they will milk us for every red cent they can get. (Of course, they won't take our pennies anymore. When they did have extra money they spent it on new fare boxes. Did that help their riders? No. They were just sick of pennies. So what if many of their riders have to scrape up change to get their fares? Metro is not about making things better for their customers.)
July 4th is the last day of the World Wide Wave of Action. Today, whether you strike or not, and through the end of the week, do something revolutionary. Right now the economy and world situation is so bad that to change things for yourself requires as much, if not more, energy than to change things for everyone.
If we all "phoned in" the revolution-- made one more call to Metro or city officials, or signed one more petition-- every week, we would not need to resort to the large demonstrations and marches in the streets.
Like the bus strike, the "phone in revolution" is about individual enlightenment and action. It is about creating a culture of leaders, that dictate the government and public agencies, instead of the other way around.
Instead of a Paul Revere, riding through the streets, waking up the people, this Fourth of July, awaken yourself to your own power, AND THEN USE IT.
A whole new world is waiting to be born, it begins with you.
The revolution may not be televised, but it will be "telephoned".
Even after today, don't stop calling Metro. If we don't demand change, they won't volunteer it. Between the fat cat executives, protecting their own salaries and bonuses (paid for with public tax money and rider fares), and the pencil pushers that just want to keep their jobs, there is no one at Metro, or any government agency or council, that is looking out for the rider.
They are robbing us blind, but we are letting them rob us. Until we demand change and make our voices impossible to ignore, business will continue as usual.
They will keep putting in "landscaping" at transfer centers, instead of building toilet facilities. Fares will increase every two years automatically, even though the fare increases do little more than offset the $5 million they spend in "contributions to outside entities" (political campaign contributions), and won't even make a dent in the $26 million a year interest on their debts.
Rider fares only supply $72 million of their $350 million a operating budget, but they will milk us for every red cent they can get. (Of course, they won't take our pennies anymore. When they did have extra money they spent it on new fare boxes. Did that help their riders? No. They were just sick of pennies. So what if many of their riders have to scrape up change to get their fares? Metro is not about making things better for their customers.)
July 4th is the last day of the World Wide Wave of Action. Today, whether you strike or not, and through the end of the week, do something revolutionary. Right now the economy and world situation is so bad that to change things for yourself requires as much, if not more, energy than to change things for everyone.
If we all "phoned in" the revolution-- made one more call to Metro or city officials, or signed one more petition-- every week, we would not need to resort to the large demonstrations and marches in the streets.
Like the bus strike, the "phone in revolution" is about individual enlightenment and action. It is about creating a culture of leaders, that dictate the government and public agencies, instead of the other way around.
Instead of a Paul Revere, riding through the streets, waking up the people, this Fourth of July, awaken yourself to your own power, AND THEN USE IT.
A whole new world is waiting to be born, it begins with you.
Friday, June 27, 2014
WHAT THE METRO JOB FAIR ON JUNE 28TH IS REALLY ABOUT
Someone commented to me the other day that Metro must be worried about OPTINSTL's call for a boycott of Metro on July 1st.
"You know that is why they are holding that job fair on the 28th," he said.
http://www.kmov.com/news/local/Metro-hosting-job-fair-on-June-28-264767711.html
I have no idea if my campaign has reached enough people to be producing that kind of results. Are the Metro phone lines flooded? I don't know. I don't work there. I can only do what I can do, and wait to see what happens.
It would be wonderful if Metro was, indeed, trying to make nice with the public to prevent a rider boycott on July 1st. But if they were really worried, they would not have raised fares in the first place.
I think the Metro Job Fair is actually about CEO John Nations, who is publicly opposed to unions and supports the union-busting "right to work" legislation, and a direct threat he is sending his drivers:
"Don't you dare strike the week of the Fourth of July, or we will fire you."
Metro is NOT really hiring. They are barely solvent and have plenty of part-time drivers. They just don't want a repeat of Cardinals Opening Day "Blue Flu".
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/04/rider-alert-metro-whines-about-one-day.html
They don't want St. Louis to get any ideas from San Francisco or Philadelphia (unlike Pennsylvania, we don't have a Republican Governor, although Nixon often seems like a Republican).
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/06/san-franciscos-transit-workers-blue-flu.html
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/06/philadelphia-transit-workers-strike.html
What kind of city do you want to live in, St. Louis? A city where people are paid a livable wage with decent benefits? A city with good jobs and good employers?
A city with a great public transit system?
Or would you prefer a city where officials that receive $250,000 a year salaries (entirely paid for from public funds) rob their employees pensions, refuse to negotiate contracts in good faith, and exchange "business development" for promises of future political campaign contributions? (Nations make no secret of the fact that he is only at Metro to create a platform for his campaign for governor or senator.)
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/06/vote-no-on-amendment-7-proposed.html
St. Louis, you deserve more from Metro! I hope you will demand it! Don't break the Metro Operators Union. If you get a job with Metro, don't cross the picket lines. Metro wants minimum wage drivers that have no benefits. All the executives care about is there own fat-cat salaries. If they could import bus driver jobs to China and hire children and prisoners for a dollar an hour, they would.
They would say "Oh, we were protecting profits." And pat themselves on the back for doing a great job and give themselves big fat bonuses.
Metro isn't hiring, they are firing.
Remember that.
PS- personally, although a driver strike on July 1st would be fantastic, a driver strike on July 4th would be even better.
PPS- Something else at play here, both with the timing of the fare increase and the hiring fair, is that Metro's fiscal year ends on June 30th. Too long to go into here, but think about it. Even though the financial reports won't be ready for at least a few weeks, they do want to make a nice face to the public. "Hey look, we're hiring, regardless of how obviously failing we look on paper, we are hiring." *cough* "...Not."
"You know that is why they are holding that job fair on the 28th," he said.
http://www.kmov.com/news/local/Metro-hosting-job-fair-on-June-28-264767711.html
I have no idea if my campaign has reached enough people to be producing that kind of results. Are the Metro phone lines flooded? I don't know. I don't work there. I can only do what I can do, and wait to see what happens.
It would be wonderful if Metro was, indeed, trying to make nice with the public to prevent a rider boycott on July 1st. But if they were really worried, they would not have raised fares in the first place.
I think the Metro Job Fair is actually about CEO John Nations, who is publicly opposed to unions and supports the union-busting "right to work" legislation, and a direct threat he is sending his drivers:
"Don't you dare strike the week of the Fourth of July, or we will fire you."
Metro is NOT really hiring. They are barely solvent and have plenty of part-time drivers. They just don't want a repeat of Cardinals Opening Day "Blue Flu".
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/04/rider-alert-metro-whines-about-one-day.html
They don't want St. Louis to get any ideas from San Francisco or Philadelphia (unlike Pennsylvania, we don't have a Republican Governor, although Nixon often seems like a Republican).
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/06/san-franciscos-transit-workers-blue-flu.html
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/06/philadelphia-transit-workers-strike.html
What kind of city do you want to live in, St. Louis? A city where people are paid a livable wage with decent benefits? A city with good jobs and good employers?
A city with a great public transit system?
Or would you prefer a city where officials that receive $250,000 a year salaries (entirely paid for from public funds) rob their employees pensions, refuse to negotiate contracts in good faith, and exchange "business development" for promises of future political campaign contributions? (Nations make no secret of the fact that he is only at Metro to create a platform for his campaign for governor or senator.)
http://optinstl.blogspot.com/2014/06/vote-no-on-amendment-7-proposed.html
St. Louis, you deserve more from Metro! I hope you will demand it! Don't break the Metro Operators Union. If you get a job with Metro, don't cross the picket lines. Metro wants minimum wage drivers that have no benefits. All the executives care about is there own fat-cat salaries. If they could import bus driver jobs to China and hire children and prisoners for a dollar an hour, they would.
They would say "Oh, we were protecting profits." And pat themselves on the back for doing a great job and give themselves big fat bonuses.
Metro isn't hiring, they are firing.
Remember that.
PS- personally, although a driver strike on July 1st would be fantastic, a driver strike on July 4th would be even better.
PPS- Something else at play here, both with the timing of the fare increase and the hiring fair, is that Metro's fiscal year ends on June 30th. Too long to go into here, but think about it. Even though the financial reports won't be ready for at least a few weeks, they do want to make a nice face to the public. "Hey look, we're hiring, regardless of how obviously failing we look on paper, we are hiring." *cough* "...Not."
Sunday, June 22, 2014
THE OBVIOUS, INSTITUTIONALIZED RACISM OF THE NORTH RIVERFRONT GREENWAY TRAIL DEVELOPMENT
This is the website for the trail:
http://www.greatriversgreenway.org/trails/north-riverfront-trail.aspx
The "greenway" trail from downtown runs 11 miles between Hall street and the river until the Riverview and Hall intersection, and then comes out from behind the industrial sprawl of Hall street and continues between Riverview Blvd and the river, until Chain of Rocks bridge.
The Riverview Metro Bus Transfer Center is located at Hall and Riverview. It is a big intersection, and there are no pedestrian crosswalks north of Hall. In fact, there is no crosswalk on Riverview from Hall street until the Greenway trail crossing at the water reclamation plant north of Spring Garden.
There are no bus stops on Riverview north of Hall, even though both the #61 Riverview and #75 Lilac-Hanley turn at Scranton, across from the North Riverfront Park parking lot and public facilities.
The bridge over Maline creek, just north of the intersection, is out on one side, the west side. If you are walking up Riverview, as a lot of people do, you must cross the street to go over the bridge, and then cross back again if you want to walk on a paved trail.
It is from the east side that the Greenway Trail emerges. If this Greenway were anywhere south of Delmar, or west of Union, they would be promoting using public transit for a part of the Riverfront Trail's 11 mile stretch. (Ride from downtown and take the bus back, or vice versa.)
Of course, if you ride the bus from Metro's Riverview-Hall transfer center, you see some of St. Louis' ugliest secrets out in the open. First, you will see the many, many railroad tracks that run along Hall and Broadway, and wonder why the Metrolink hasn't been extended north? Especially considering the second thing you will discover: that by bus you will need to travel at least 40 minutes to the nearest Metrolink, regardless of what bus line you ride. Third, again, no matter which bus you take, you will travel through the most impoverished and crime ridden neighborhoods in St. Louis.
If this were south of Delmar, there would crosswalks and the bridge would have been repaired and re-opened on the east side of the street. There would be clear signage and sidewalks and lighting.
For about three months there was a big bag of garbage lying on the sidewalk over the Maline creek wash. There are no lights on the bridge for the bike path and it is in very bad repair. The bike path has a blind corner, where locals say there has been at least one mugging of a bicyclist.
At the end of the trail, Chain of Rocks Bridge parking lot has been closed. The concrete barriers are always in place, and the lot is overgrown and neglected.
The city of St. Louis keeps the "finger" of Riverview because of the riverfront park, the Chain of Rocks bridge, and especially, the property and income tax from the wealthy homes that face the river along Riverview drive and the bluffs above it. The "finger" of St. Louis city really belongs to the county municipalities of Glasgow Village and the Village of Riverview, and the Riverview Gardens School District.
The North Riverfront Greenway Trail is the type of negligence that is common in north Saint Louis city and county. It is obvious racism, the kind that has been institutionalized for so long that few people question it.
In St. Louis, all Greenways are NOT created equal.
http://www.greatriversgreenway.org/trails/north-riverfront-trail.aspx
The "greenway" trail from downtown runs 11 miles between Hall street and the river until the Riverview and Hall intersection, and then comes out from behind the industrial sprawl of Hall street and continues between Riverview Blvd and the river, until Chain of Rocks bridge.
The Riverview Metro Bus Transfer Center is located at Hall and Riverview. It is a big intersection, and there are no pedestrian crosswalks north of Hall. In fact, there is no crosswalk on Riverview from Hall street until the Greenway trail crossing at the water reclamation plant north of Spring Garden.
There are no bus stops on Riverview north of Hall, even though both the #61 Riverview and #75 Lilac-Hanley turn at Scranton, across from the North Riverfront Park parking lot and public facilities.
The bridge over Maline creek, just north of the intersection, is out on one side, the west side. If you are walking up Riverview, as a lot of people do, you must cross the street to go over the bridge, and then cross back again if you want to walk on a paved trail.
It is from the east side that the Greenway Trail emerges. If this Greenway were anywhere south of Delmar, or west of Union, they would be promoting using public transit for a part of the Riverfront Trail's 11 mile stretch. (Ride from downtown and take the bus back, or vice versa.)
Of course, if you ride the bus from Metro's Riverview-Hall transfer center, you see some of St. Louis' ugliest secrets out in the open. First, you will see the many, many railroad tracks that run along Hall and Broadway, and wonder why the Metrolink hasn't been extended north? Especially considering the second thing you will discover: that by bus you will need to travel at least 40 minutes to the nearest Metrolink, regardless of what bus line you ride. Third, again, no matter which bus you take, you will travel through the most impoverished and crime ridden neighborhoods in St. Louis.
If this were south of Delmar, there would crosswalks and the bridge would have been repaired and re-opened on the east side of the street. There would be clear signage and sidewalks and lighting.
For about three months there was a big bag of garbage lying on the sidewalk over the Maline creek wash. There are no lights on the bridge for the bike path and it is in very bad repair. The bike path has a blind corner, where locals say there has been at least one mugging of a bicyclist.
At the end of the trail, Chain of Rocks Bridge parking lot has been closed. The concrete barriers are always in place, and the lot is overgrown and neglected.
The city of St. Louis keeps the "finger" of Riverview because of the riverfront park, the Chain of Rocks bridge, and especially, the property and income tax from the wealthy homes that face the river along Riverview drive and the bluffs above it. The "finger" of St. Louis city really belongs to the county municipalities of Glasgow Village and the Village of Riverview, and the Riverview Gardens School District.
The North Riverfront Greenway Trail is the type of negligence that is common in north Saint Louis city and county. It is obvious racism, the kind that has been institutionalized for so long that few people question it.
In St. Louis, all Greenways are NOT created equal.
Friday, June 20, 2014
BOYCOTT METRO JULY 1ST
On July 1st, the day the new fares go into effect, it is time for transit riders to send Metro a message: WE NEED A BETTER TRANSIT SYSTEM! WE, THE PEOPLE, DEMAND IT!
On July 1st, get a ride if you have to go to work or must travel with in St. Louis.
Don't ride the bus or train.
Call Metro, Governor Nixon,your local representatives (in the City that would be Mayor Slay and your local alderman), and local media of your choice, and tell them that you are not riding in protest of the increased fares, that bring no improvements in service.
Tell them you are boycotting Metro because they are asking riders to pay $5 million more over the next two years, even though Metro spent that same amount in 2013 in political campaign contributions ("contributions to outside entities").
Tell them you want Metro separated from Bi-State Development Agency, and from "business development" altogether! Public transit should be developed where it is needed most, not subsidizing private business interests.
Demand that Metro negotiate a new contract with their drivers! 6 years without a contract is enough! Demand that Metro stopping robbing driver's pension plans and benefits!
Tell them what services you need as public transit rider: public toilets? improved safety, signage, trash cans, and shelters at bus stops? discount passes for low income and unemployed?
MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!
If you want to publicly demonstrate, make a sign and walk or get a ride to the nearest bus stop or bus and Metrolink transfer center and hold the sign up to passing cars.
JULY 1ST! STRIKE CITYWIDE! DON'T RIDE! BOYCOTT METRO! TRANSIT RIDERS ARE AGAINST THE FARE INCREASE! WE DEMAND BETTER SERVICE!
WE DEMAND A PUBLIC TRANSIT AGENCY THAT SERVES THE PUBLIC- NOT POLITICAL AND PRIVATE BUSINESS INTERESTS!
OPTINSTL will be at Riverview Transfer Center in the afternoon, striking publicly! We hope you will join us. And please email us the details of your protest to share on this blog: optinstl@gmail.com
On July 1st, get a ride if you have to go to work or must travel with in St. Louis.
Don't ride the bus or train.
Call Metro, Governor Nixon,your local representatives (in the City that would be Mayor Slay and your local alderman), and local media of your choice, and tell them that you are not riding in protest of the increased fares, that bring no improvements in service.
Tell them you are boycotting Metro because they are asking riders to pay $5 million more over the next two years, even though Metro spent that same amount in 2013 in political campaign contributions ("contributions to outside entities").
Tell them you want Metro separated from Bi-State Development Agency, and from "business development" altogether! Public transit should be developed where it is needed most, not subsidizing private business interests.
Demand that Metro negotiate a new contract with their drivers! 6 years without a contract is enough! Demand that Metro stopping robbing driver's pension plans and benefits!
Tell them what services you need as public transit rider: public toilets? improved safety, signage, trash cans, and shelters at bus stops? discount passes for low income and unemployed?
MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!
If you want to publicly demonstrate, make a sign and walk or get a ride to the nearest bus stop or bus and Metrolink transfer center and hold the sign up to passing cars.
JULY 1ST! STRIKE CITYWIDE! DON'T RIDE! BOYCOTT METRO! TRANSIT RIDERS ARE AGAINST THE FARE INCREASE! WE DEMAND BETTER SERVICE!
WE DEMAND A PUBLIC TRANSIT AGENCY THAT SERVES THE PUBLIC- NOT POLITICAL AND PRIVATE BUSINESS INTERESTS!
OPTINSTL will be at Riverview Transfer Center in the afternoon, striking publicly! We hope you will join us. And please email us the details of your protest to share on this blog: optinstl@gmail.com
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