kingdick
Champion Author
Minnesota
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Message Posted:
7/7/2008 11:28:50 AM
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If we could have used the trillions the Republicans WASTED on the war in Iraqi.
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We could have filled the needs of the USA for more electric powered Trains in cities and between Towns/Cities.
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comet63
Champion Author
Long Island
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Message Posted:
7/7/2008 10:05:26 AM
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I live in the suburbs about 16 miles outside NYC. I wish there was ample public transportation to take me to and from work.
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garyKY
Veteran Author
Kentucky
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Message Posted:
7/7/2008 9:54:56 AM
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YEA RIGHT, IF YOU LIVE IN THE BIG CITIES, OH, HERE IS A QUESTION? WERE IS THE MONEY GOING TO COME FROM? THAT PRINTING PRESS IN WASHINGTON WILL RUN OUT, HECK OUR DOLLAR ISN'T ANY GOOD ANYMORE. WHAT A JOKE, BETTER,THERE IS NO BETTER
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domer2
All-Star Author
Gary
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Message Posted:
7/7/2008 9:53:36 AM
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yeah right
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TankerToadOH
Rookie Author
Ohio
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Message Posted:
7/7/2008 9:46:31 AM
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If the government was in charge of sand in the Sahara Desert there would be a sand shortage in 5 years.
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TankerToadOH
Rookie Author
Ohio
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Message Posted:
7/7/2008 9:46:30 AM
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If the government was in charge of sand in the Sahara Desert there would be a sand shortage in 5 years.
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EarlyMoose
Champion Author
Seattle
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Message Posted:
7/7/2008 9:39:04 AM
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Sure, how long before the gov wrecks that?
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357revo
Champion Author
Pittsburgh
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Message Posted:
7/7/2008 9:37:37 AM
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Does anyone know of a metropolitan transit system in the U.S. or Canada that is self-sufficient?
By that, I mean a system that operates on a budget solely provided by commuter fares. No subsidies from local, state, or federal funds... all of which are provided by tax dollars of one sort or another. In fact, most of the time the subsidies come from the liquid fuel taxes that car and truck drivers pay when they buy gasoline and diesel.
As an example of public subsidies, the Amtrak system is provided with state and Federal subsidies that amount to $40+ per passenger-trip [estimates for FY08], despite the fact that usage and passenger-ticket revenue is at an all-time high. The Amtrak system has NEVER been self-sufficient.
Estimates of FY08 metrics:
Passenger-trips: 15.840 million
Ticket revenue: $955.0 million
State Subsidy: $167.7 million
Federal Subsity: $475.0 million
Budget Deficit: $5.5 million
Average ticket revenue per passenger-trip: $60.29
State & Federal Subsity per passenger-trip: $40.57
That's a hell of a way to run a railroad.
Amtrak Financial Report - April 08
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good2goVA
Sophomore Author
Virginia
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Message Posted:
7/7/2008 9:36:41 AM
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ok
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CruisinLinda
Champion Author
Tallahassee
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Message Posted:
7/7/2008 9:35:08 AM
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Mass transit works where there are masses of people, so forget about it in rural area, but the park-and-ride concept is a good compromise. Cut your costs by parking at the terminus of the urban system and ride into the big city.
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HockeyLady
Champion Author
New Jersey
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Message Posted:
7/7/2008 9:29:55 AM
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would be nice if it happened here
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MG_Sputnik
All-Star Author
Philadelphia
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Message Posted:
7/7/2008 9:28:21 AM
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No way here!
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PokerAce
Champion Author
Louisiana
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Message Posted:
7/7/2008 9:27:20 AM
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Maybe.... in some areas.... not here....
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dreamweaver7050
Veteran Author
Louisiana
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Message Posted:
7/7/2008 9:27:11 AM
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going back to the old ways
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RF4CPhantom
Champion Author
Oklahoma City
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Message Posted:
7/7/2008 9:25:55 AM
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Very interesting~!
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fastfreddy38
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Ontario
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Message Posted:
7/7/2008 9:23:45 AM
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Its about time!
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LuvEd08
Veteran Author
Georgia
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Message Posted:
7/7/2008 9:21:50 AM
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Mass transit can really help when you have riders who are visiting the city or trying to get to and from the airport
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rjb21760
All-Star Author
Chicago
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Message Posted:
7/7/2008 9:20:31 AM
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Transit is government run, it will never improve.
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The_WB
Champion Author
Detroit
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Message Posted:
7/7/2008 9:20:28 AM
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Agreed.
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jackson661
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Columbus
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Message Posted:
7/7/2008 9:18:42 AM
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This will only work in the large cities. In rural area's it a wish.
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acknot
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Seattle
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Message Posted:
7/7/2008 9:16:33 AM
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America is to spread out, besides, your car is your freedom.
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CrazyQ
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Washington
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Message Posted:
7/7/2008 9:15:41 AM
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cresovia, pack all the people in the world into Texas, and you'd have the population density of the Netherlands. Then mass transit makes sense.
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Lonewolftx
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Houston
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Message Posted:
7/7/2008 9:15:40 AM
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We can only hope . .
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kingbee2u
Rookie Author
New Mexico
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Message Posted:
7/7/2008 9:13:24 AM
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Good luck out here in the west.
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hblee
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Ontario
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Message Posted:
7/7/2008 9:13:19 AM
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If the transit service in Ottawa is as efficient as Montreal, maybe I would considered taking the bus. Right now it would take me close to 2 hours to get to work by bus but only 35 minutes by car. Time is money so I have to stick with my car.
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kypeanuts
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Louisville
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Message Posted:
7/7/2008 9:09:42 AM
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good luck waiting around for this - just look at all the 'burbs they'll have to expand to
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cresovia
Sophomore Author
Tallahassee
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Message Posted:
7/7/2008 9:08:05 AM
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Well, it's about time government used there brains and invested in public transit. Take a trip to Europe and you can get everywhere by bus or train.
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tomok
Champion Author
Portland
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Message Posted:
7/7/2008 9:04:59 AM
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Better transit service can only happen in higher population areas.
And some of the higher population areas could careless or just have a 'token' system located downtown. No service to the outlying suburban areas where it is really needed.
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Brn2bEvl
All-Star Author
New York
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Message Posted:
7/7/2008 9:04:11 AM
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You do what you have to do!
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Matts_Pap
Champion Author
Pennsylvania
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Message Posted:
7/7/2008 9:03:55 AM
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Too Little: Too Late!!
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madyank
Rookie Author
Baltimore
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Message Posted:
7/7/2008 9:01:55 AM
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Proverbs3,
LOOK at the size of Japan, and how it's laid out as far as organization. Then LOOK at the size of the US, and how it's laid out as far as organization. CLOSELY INSPECT the rail system over there and here. Study the population density in the two countries - and then consider the average crime rate, the basic societal structure, and the lifestyle in the two nations.
Bottom line? You pack Americans in as tightly as the Japanese habitually crowd together, and I GUARANTEE the homicide rate in most metropolitan areas will break 1,000 by March of each year! And I'm speaking as an ex-cop! Been there, done that.
Next, study the transportation systems. We DO NOT HAVE THE INFRASTRUCTURE for mass transit; not any longer. IF you want to pay 50% property taxes for the next 20 years, you can have public transportation systems to replace the roads - but they'll ONLY go for URBAN areas; you'll still need a car out in the boondocks!
FACE THE FACTS; the United States is just TOO DAMN BIG for European or Oriental solutions. Either the U.S. will Balkanize into little-bitty independent countries, each trying it's best to solve the energy crunch on it's own - and failing miserably, while becoming a collection of Third World nations, or we will together find an alternative to petroleum that is economical, ecologically sound, logical, and doesn't involve putting half our food supply in the fuel tank. That means either cold fusion-powered electrics, or SOMETHING hydrogen-powered, burning seawater-distilled hydrogen. And if we're going to do either of those two solutions, we can develop the rail system we DO have for long-distance surface travel, as in the Auto-Train that transports tourists to Florida from DC, to get people around the country. We do it now from ports to distribution centers for containerized cargo, where trucks pick up the containers for transshipment to local destinations; expand that containerization for freight. The most efficient transport system IS the steel wheel on the steel rail. Put a bunch of cars in a railcar, put the people in a passenger car overnight, and they get there the next morning, refreshed, alert, and ready to do whatever they need to do - and with their personal transport needs taken care of.
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leolisa
Champion Author
New York
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Message Posted:
7/7/2008 8:55:10 AM
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i would take a bus to work if it was available
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RochBear
Champion Author
Minnesota
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Message Posted:
7/7/2008 8:54:39 AM
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This country needs to loose it's love affair with the car, and fall in love with the train all over again. Instead of 4 lane interstate highways, we need two track rail lines, with passenger and freight trains going across the country. If the train would also allow your car to be on board, you could take the train for long distances, and then use your own car for the short commutes.
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krucker
Veteran Author
Austin
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Message Posted:
7/7/2008 8:50:36 AM
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Great............Decreasing demand should bring gasoline prices down..........RIGHT?
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FFootdoc12
Sophomore Author
Illinois
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Message Posted:
7/7/2008 8:49:53 AM
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public transport is great for large metro areas. There's never gonna be a timely, reliable public transport to backwoods midwest. Japan, England, and most of europe have decent public transport, but their societies were also not built around the personal vehicle
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AlaRedNeck
All-Star Author
Kansas
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Message Posted:
7/7/2008 8:48:55 AM
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It isn't going to change anything around here.
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sailormon
All-Star Author
Michigan
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Message Posted:
7/7/2008 8:48:00 AM
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My uncle rides the train into Cleveland every day. Free parking for his car at the station and the ride costs $1.75. (Yes, a buck seventy five!) It is $8.50 just to park the car downtown every day. Yet, he tells me the train is only half full! Why is that? Do we love our cars that much?!
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proverbs3
Rookie Author
Detroit
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Message Posted:
7/7/2008 8:45:30 AM
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I lived in Japan for 5 months. I was able to take a train to any place I wanted to go. Maybe this fuel crisis will finally motivate North Americans to consider public transportation, and "sacrifice" the luxuries of driving everywhere.
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scrounger
Champion Author
Vancouver
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Message Posted:
7/7/2008 8:43:38 AM
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I'm not going to hold my breath
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mrkel
Champion Author
Cincinnati
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Message Posted:
7/7/2008 8:38:53 AM
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Way to go Montreal!
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mcevoy22
Sophomore Author
Utah
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Message Posted:
7/7/2008 8:38:20 AM
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They need to step up the transit services in America. I hear people say everyday, "at least we aren't paying what they do in Europe." In Europe, they have an excellent transit system that takes you almost everywhere, fast. In America, we don't have that luxury and heavily depend on our personal vehicles. Drop gas prices or find a way to better our transit system without a hugh impact on tax dollars.
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Netscaper113
Champion Author
New York City
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Message Posted:
7/7/2008 8:38:05 AM
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I wish...
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SpruceGuse2
Champion Author
Michigan
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Message Posted:
7/7/2008 8:37:07 AM
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Great for large cities but what about smaller cities? There isn't any form of mass transit. We are screwed...Thank you George W. Bush..................(pass the vasoline)
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spunky4443
All-Star Author
Washington
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Message Posted:
7/7/2008 8:35:38 AM
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Well if they would get transit service out where I live, I would then use it.
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ardmoretoday
All-Star Author
Oklahoma
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Message Posted:
7/7/2008 8:33:57 AM
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Same old news.
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gasman50
Champion Author
Portland
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Message Posted:
7/7/2008 8:31:00 AM
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Remove the taxpayer subsidies from public transportation and see how it works
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rod1965
All-Star Author
Portland
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Message Posted:
7/7/2008 8:29:54 AM
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Yea for Montreal, how about the rest of us.
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DooDaa
Champion Author
Massachusetts
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Message Posted:
7/7/2008 8:27:36 AM
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OK!
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joncarwash
Veteran Author
Chicago
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Message Posted:
7/7/2008 8:26:25 AM
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The gas tax revenues won't do much good when the bloated government is mis-managing the transit system anyways (see Chicago).
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Toppers
All-Star Author
Atlanta
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Message Posted:
7/7/2008 8:22:41 AM
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Better late than never!
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