A Proposal for Mass Transit

Lots of our leftist elites love the idea of mass transit, but it appears that few of them actually use it. See this column (which links to this amusing item from The Onion). The basic point of Tim Cavanaugh’s column is that riders need more buses and not better central planning or more pleasing aesthetics.

But in the background is another point which he doesn’t quite articulate: why are people who don’t use mass transit the ones who get to plan how it works? Let’s get the elites out of the picture and let the actual users make the decisions! Naturally, those elites who love central planning will be outraged.

Incidentally, the fact that so many who advocate mass transit don’t themselves use it proves something important about the left, namely that while leftists want to help poor people, they also want them to stay in their place at the bottom.

Comments

[Steve Burri]

John, I have found your PPL/RPL method of looking at many of these things extremely useful. And your Blue Collar (Poor people) impact study idea is a real gem as well.

Thanks.

[James Drake]

Let's also consider freeing up city regs to make it easier to operate jitneys, thus providing more niches for poor people to start businesses as well as help us all, poor and non-poor, to get around.

[John Pepple]

Steve, I'm writing a book on this, and I'll send you a free copy when I'm done.

Excellent idea, James. My mother lives in Minneapolis, where cabs are expensive. I'm sure she'd appreciate it if they were cheaper.

[Steve Burri]

Thanks, John.

I have been going to complete a post over on Grandpa John's featuring your blog by outlining these thoughts. (RPL/PPL and impact studies) I don't have much readership, but I'll send it around to bigger blogs and often they pick up on things like this. (Keith already knows about you.)

Do you have a title for your book yet? When might you expect it to be out? Will you write as John Pepple or will you use a pen name to forego a fatwah on your life, name, and career from the RPL's? I can include that info in the post.

[John Pepple]

Hi Steve: The title will be "Poor People's Leftism vs. Rich People's Leftism." I might have a subtitle, but I haven't decided yet. It will be published by a print-on-demand publisher under my own name. I'm not expecting the RPL's to pay too much attention, unless it gets lots of attention from other people, by which time a "fatwah" won't be of much value!

I can't say when it will come out. I'm trying to get another book out right now, but I hope I can get it out by early summer.

Thanks for your support!