Dear Editor:
Is the issue facing us just transit or roads? Is it something
greater? Transportation Secretary Mineta said,
”
The crucial question in transportation today is: What should
government do and what should it leave to others?
”
I think he’s right.
Dear Editor:
Is the issue facing us just transit or roads? Is it something greater? Transportation Secretary Mineta said, “The crucial question in transportation today is: What should government do and what should it leave to others?”
I think he’s right.
The real issue that we face is socialism or capitalism.
Do we want to throw-over our Constitution, and try to make the Marx-Engels-Lenin-Trotsky-Stalin publicly-owned everything theory work today here in America, or do we cling to the quaint notion that privately-owned property is America’s keystone to success?
The Politico-Transit Alliance and its supporters favor the big socialist (communist) government model regardless of the price we pay for it, and ask voters to ignore the history of the 20th Century. Underlying this struggle lies Mr. Mineta’s Crucial Question and the internal inconsistencies in our National Transportation Policy. The “Divided House” of transportation policy continues to worsen as ever larger taxpayer subsidies (ISTEA in 1992, TEA-21 in 1998 (and, next year, TEA-3?) type “investments”) are required to fund what would otherwise be bankrupt businesses.
It seems as if an “Iron Curtain” has been erected by those advocates of taxpayer funded transportation “business” and sustained by politicians for job preservation.
This artificial barrier between nationalized transportation and free enterprise transportation is maintained for turf protection, not economic, efficient transportation, notwithstanding the waste, nor the huge government deficits, nor the bankruptcies and business failures it causes.
While a privatization revolution has been occurring around the world, private sector transportation in the U.S. is being consumed by politically-fueled schemes of public ownership, which history has shown are not sustainable over the long-haul.
Voters who peel the onion to its core will see the question facing us: “Accept Sovietization of America with nationalized, public-sector transport, or retain the Nation’s character carefully crafted by the Founders?” Which one do we want?
We are a house divided now. Will we become all slaves to publicly-owned transit, or do we cling to the liberty guaranteed us under our present Constitution?
Caveat Viator!
Joe Thompson, Gilroy
Submitted Thursday, Oct. 24 to ed****@ga****.com
