Thursday, May 21, 2009

SEARCHING

http://thinkerspodium.wordpress.com/
http://bryanong.blogspot.com/

Hello from Portland Oregon USA
One of our transit executives has been chosen to participate in the "thinker in residence" program offered by your city.
I am searching for information about this.
If anybody can help could you please email me at
alyourpalster@gmail.com

http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2009/05/a_compliment_from_down_under.html

Hmmmm....
I wouldn't have any problem with this at all in times when the money is flowing and services are robust.
But this is not the time and place for "compliments'!
Me thinks this might have more to do with:

"its wine industry, beaches, arts festivals and Mediterranean weather."

A great place to do some thinking alright!

Maybe Fred can think about his secret bailout of the bankrupt WES company.
Or maybe he will think about his failed futures gamble.

Maybe Fred can take some of the TRIMET patrons that now have to move due to their service being canceled, they need to do some thinking to!

What really bothers me about this is that it was discovered BY ACCIDENT, Fred never told anybody about this.

Just like he never told anybody about the WES bailout until it was a done deal, and just like he never told anybody about the futures contract, took a blogger to bring that too light.

NO NO, this doesn't work right now.

All the OREGONIAN platitudes and niceties are actually quite disgusting.

Maybe this was written by the president of the TRIMET BOARD OF DIRECTORS.

This biggest irony of this is that with technology, YOU DON'T NEED TO GO ANYWHERE TO GET INFORMATION.

You can talk to anybody in the world anytime you want.
You can view any document in the world immediately.

Maybe Fred hasn't discovered the internet yet thus he thinks he needs to go places to learn anything.

IT'S A PERK HANDED OUT BY THE ELITE FOR THE ELITE.

Monday, May 18, 2009

http://adronbhall.com/blogs/my_transportation_obsession/post/2009/05/14/241561-Cost-Per-Rider.aspx

I have nothing but respect for Erik, but in the case of contracting out I disagree. The reasons for this are pretty obvious.

Contracting out IN MOST cases usually means one thing, CUT WAGES AND BENEFITS.
I have not seen one case where a contractor pays the equivalent wage and/or benefits as the governmental entity does itself.

If that's where the public wants to save money, I say hell no.

Now my second point is this;
Why is public transit looked at as some sort of money making/losing business?

What is the police cost per bank robber?
Or the cost per house fire at the fire department
Or the cost per citizen to fund the war in Iraq?

Public services are not judged on a cost per basis.
They are provided as a right of each citizen.

This is the problem with transit today, some people insist on turning into just another profit making/losing endeavor. Some things have no business in the profit loss game, and transit is one of them.