Posted on 04/08/2002 6:44:26 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
I'm waiting. And no doubt will be when Doomsday comes.
LOL!!! I've been waiting for YOU to cite one major mode of our transportation infrastructure that HASN'T benefitted from some form of government assistance.
You CAN'T.
From the original postal roads to the early canals and system of locks and dams that make our rivers navigable, the original development of the railways, the old U.S. Highway system, all our major airports and air-traffic control system (heck, even jet engines were originally developed for the military), the Interstate Highway System, bridges, tunnels, etc. etc.
Your persistant insistance that mass-transportation must be purely financed by the private sector is unrealistic and adolescent. Government has a legitimate role in the development of such infrastructure. And if local government chooses to subsidize mass-transit, which is often the case, I have no problem with that either. Good transportation infrastructure facilitates economic activity and benefits everbody.
Furthermore, as a conservative, I also advocate participation of the private sector in the development and operation of such systems. NOBODY wants to see their tax dollars disappear into an ineffective government bureacracy, so "privatization" should be employed as much as possible.
However, as stated before, your idealistic 'private sector only' mantra is impractical, unrealistic and juvenile.
My argument wasn't that infrastructure isn't supported by tax dollars -- it was that mass transit needs proportionally more designated government subsidies because nobody wants to use it. This is in contrast to highway/road infrastructure, which is completely tax supported by its USERS (excise taxes on tires and gasoline). I also made the point that local governments attempt to force transport behavior into mass transit to prop up their unused, unwanted transit systems. They do this by creating disincentives for people to use their own vehicles.
My final point was that is isn't "conservative" to attempt to shoehorn society into niches that you think appropriate. It's authoritarian social engineering.
But you knew that.
And I see that you're still clueless.
But, I knew that. :-)
Earth to Cincinatus...
Earth to Cincinatus...
MILLIONS of Americans use public mass-transportation on a daily basis...
Please extract your head from your rectum accordingly...
That is all. Over and out.
And you think it's because they want to. What a nimrod!! ROFL!!
Please extract your head from your rectum accordingly...
At least mine's up my own, and not Pat Buchanan's. ROFL!!
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