I think he may have used that phrase just to piss Streetsblog readers off! I hope he is having fun as all the deals he voted for over the years unravel and wreck our economy and quality of life. After all, he has nothing at stake — he and his get theirs regardless.

This is rich. Arguments that the plan was advantageous for the populace fell on deaf ears. But now that the Assembly is being forced to choose between raising fares on transit riders and implementing fares for auto-infrastructure users (within the zone), they’re possibly aware of which constituency is larger. Or at least, the smarter people in their offices may inform them of this incredible 21st century fact.

And our old friend Brodsky is now howling that CP is supported by a “political class” headed by Bloomberg, hoping to preempt the public’s growing awareness that the actual NYC political class serves its own parking-exempt ends by opposing CP. It’s logically obscene to proclaim that most our “political class” (i.e. those in political power) support a policy that went down in political flames a few months ago, but Brodsky’s twisting of language and facts has no bounds. Congestion pricing was “regressive” because he said so, and most coverage repeated his homeopathic marxism without analysis. He even said, “The average income of those using cabs and black cars is about $137,000″, which is just a something he made up. One bold-faced lie like that and you ought to lose all credibility with our streetwise city journalists, but nooooo. They keep dutifully broadcasting his perversion populist liberalism because he’s such a compelling Che Guevara for wealthy white suburban Driveocrats.

A 27-year-old jogger was struck and killed Sunday on a Brooklyn street after a pair of SUVs collided and spun out of control, police said.

The man was at Vanderbilt and Atlantic Aves. in Clinton Hill about 3:30 p.m. when an Acura SUV plowed into him before careening into a nearby light pole, police said. The Acura had been hit by a Cadillac Escalade.

“It was so fast,” said Ruby Robinson, who rushed to help. “He [the jogger] was like a stunt guy. The impact was so high. He didn’t even know what happened.”

Jesus. I was standing at that same corner the day before at almost exactly the same time with a friend and our two young sons. Here’s what I have to say to the two “stunned” drivers who were so pleasantly treated by by-standers and passers-by after killing this young man:

F#*K your Cadillac Escalade.

F&*K your Acura SUV

F*%K you, Brooklyn drivers, for the reckless, brainless way you drive through our neighborhoods in your 7 mpg death machines. I truly despise you.

On the first, many riders would prefer to pay more for a seat but standing room has a real relationship to fare-box operating ratio. The more people stand the more efficient is the service to run, and if the concern is providing a cheap ride to those who really need it then standing will be no big deal.

On the second, the third-world character of this proposal will tend to horrify the new riders converting from automobile commutes. Some of that may rub off on Albany, there may be a couple people up there who value a quality ride, not a system pushed over the top on capacity utilization to be able to afford the service.

In the end there has to be a way to pay for the systems financial needs, the MTA is just looking at the only funding tool available to it without raising fares, that is capacity utilization. Many people on this blog have flogged the idea that the increased capacity on mass transit as a function of fuel price rise driven transfers from automobile is an income windfall for the systems. This proposal, among others, is the logical result of that world view.

Seatless subways will simply drive people who are physically weak, sick, or elderly out of the subway system. That will mean more crowding on buses, more taxi use, and more private car use. At age 51, I’m still fit enough to stand comfortably for short rides, but in 10 or 20 years that may change.

Seatless subways may also prove to be the straw that breaks the camel’s back for able-bodied commuters who are wavering between driving or subway use. Make the subway wickedly uncomfortable and brutal and they’ll just say, to hell with this, I’ll drive.

Speaking of the federal government, as you can read here:

http://marketplace.publicradio.org/episodes/show_rundown.php?show_id=15

the real federal deficit is at $900 billion, or 6% of GDP, as high as the worst under Reagan — before the massive “Social Security” tax increase. The smaller $483 billion figure fails to take into account all those extra payroll taxes pledge to future Social Security benefits that are being spent right now, with IOUs deposited into the Social Security trust fund in their place.

So what happens in a few years when the payroll taxes are insufficient to cover Social Security benefits as the 1960s generation retires? How about we raise payroll taxes on young workers again, then do it again for the MTA, while cutting taxes for our dear seniors, eh Fidler?

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/10/19/2007-10-19_suv_kills_baby_in_stroller_in_queens.html

Backs up onto the sidewalk – oops! Sorry, I’m not really responsible for driving this huge vehicle but have you checked out my stereo system yet?