In Sheldon's world, school kids pay full subway fares while motorists pay nothing

[Harry]

Welcome to Shelly World, where school kids pay full fare on the subway, but motorists pay nothing to cross bridges and even park for free if they want to shop in his 'hood.

 

Shelly being Speaker of the Assembly Sheldon Silver, who let congestion pricing die last year without a vote.

 

The income from placing tolls on the East River crossings would have covered much if not all of the MTA's $383 million budget shortfall.

 

Just the three untolled bridges serving Silver's Lower Manhattan district would have generated more than enough to keep school kids riding the subway for free as they have since 1948.

 

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2009/12/17/2009-12-17_yes_shelly_you_owe_kids_a_fareless_trip_to_school.html#ixzz0ZxWKGcTJ

[Dan05979]

I personally believe putting tolls on these other bridges will cause major major traffic jams. Its hard enough crossing these bridges withought having tolls on them. I understand it will bring in alot of money for the city & the mta, but even if they did this, somehow in the future they will find another excuse to raise fairs and cry broke. Besides that wouldn't it cost major dollars just to convert manhattan and all these bridges to accept tolls? Theres little room and major congestion just to get on these bridges. Its a bad idea in my opinion.

[lilbluefoxie]

Is this guy out of his mind? Motorists pay for fuel, vehicle registration, as well as car insurance, that adds up to way more a month than a monthly metrocard.

[BusOperator3319]

I look on my cell phone bill there is an tax where does that money go this state is a money making conglomerate I guess they are looking to tax people out

 

Speaking of I might be on my way out to good ole Miami or even Toronto

 

Is this guy out of his mind? Motorists pay for fuel, vehicle registration, as well as car insurance, that adds up to way more a month than a monthly metrocard.

Well who is his constituency I certainly couldn't live in his neighborhood it just shows you who he is looking out for the wealthy and the rich

[LIRR 154]

I still don't see this as a solution.The MTA will still cook books and Albany will still play cheap. Any new monies will still be mishandled and we will still have to pay.

[SubwayGuy]

All of these are HORRIBLE ideas.

 

Want to fix the deficit? Raise taxes on the wealthy. That's the only way this crap will get solved while not causing the population to SUFFER (and by suffer I do not mean boohoo I only have 5 million this year, I usually have 6)

[Forest Glen]

This is a complete load of crap. Congestion pricing is not the answer. It will only hurt small businesses and discourage people from going to Manhattan and spending money. I wish people focused on the real criminals: the MTA

[metsfan]

This is a complete load of crap. Congestion pricing is not the answer. It will only hurt small businesses and discourage people from going to Manhattan and spending money. I wish people focused on the real criminals: the MTA

 

They can take transit. It needs to become an acceptable idea to shop via train/bus.

 

- A

[fishmech]

The only way tolls on those bridges would work would if Robert Moses had his way and got to build the lower manhattan and mid-manhattan expressways. Particularly for the lower bridges, the only way to put up a safe toll area would be by demolishing enough space on the Manhattan side that they may as well just build the LOMEX from the Holland Tunnel.

[R68 Subway Car]

My thoughts:

 

1) In a recession where business are hurting, taxing the rich wont solve anything.

 

2) Congestion Pricing will do nothing but make a complete nightmare of the already expensive and long commutes of those who enter Manhattan, and will clog up East River Passageways like Big Macs clog up a fat person's arteries.

 

3) What needs to be done is that an agency must be used as a watch dog to see how the MTA spends their money because obviously they dont spend money on the right things.

[lilbluefoxie]

They can take transit. It needs to become an acceptable idea to shop via train/bus.

 

- A

 

theyll wind up infiltrating the Long Island malls before they do that, already Roosevelt Field is kinda sketchy on Friday night

[SubwayGuy]

Oy here we go again. Another who believes falsely in defending the agenda of the rich and corporations...

 

My thoughts:

 

1) In a recession where business are hurting, taxing the rich wont solve anything.

 

Corporate profits are extremely high across the board, particularly in finance which makes up a huge portion of NYC revenues. The "huge bonus" culture on Wall Street is still alive and well. They can and must pay. The businesses that are hurting, and their employees, are mostly SMALL businesses and do not make enough money to fall into the category that would have taxes raised.

 

2) Congestion Pricing will do nothing but make a complete nightmare of the already expensive and long commutes of those who enter Manhattan, and will clog up East River Passageways like Big Macs clog up a fat person's arteries.

 

Correct. Not to mention it will also cost money (and a lot of it) to implement and enforce.

 

3) What needs to be done is that an agency must be used as a watch dog to see how the MTA spends their money because obviously they dont spend money on the right things.

 

That has to be done everywhere the public money is used. There is ZERO accountability in government anymore. And people thought Tammany Hall was bad.

[cdi919]

man if i ever get rich i'm moving to a state like florida. no city or state tax. miami has similar city life. why should the rich always be hit to pay for everyone else. its not the unions fault, its not the publics fault. its the city and states fault for not kicking up their fair share of tax money and its also the (MTA)s fault for being so top heavy.80% of 130 livingston is filled with lawyers and managers of managers.

[dustclee]

My thoughts:

 

1) In a recession where business are hurting, taxing the rich wont solve anything.

 

The wealthiest 10% of the population owns 70% of the nation's wealth, and the top 1% owns 33%.

Come on, taxing them won't solve anything?

[SubwayGuy]

man if i ever get rich i'm moving to a state like florida. no city or state tax. miami has similar city life. why should the rich always be hit to pay for everyone else. its not the unions fault, its not the publics fault. its the city and states fault for not kicking up their fair share of tax money and its also the (MTA)s fault for being so top heavy.80% of 130 livingston is filled with lawyers and managers of managers.

 

How are the rich always hit to pay for everyone else? They hardly pay their fair share. If you listen to Warren Buffett who is a billionaire, his secretary pays a higher tax rate than he does!

 

I completely agree about too many managers (!) and too many lawyers (!!!)...and that's true of all organizations including MTA and while cutting them would be a huge first step, that's also people that will need jobs and need to be productive. Sadly that stopped being possible the second someone decided they were going to open the floodgates to sticking a giant MADE IN CHINA sticker on this country. The country's problems run deep and the bankruptcies of the MTA, the state, the city, and our national deficit symbolize that. The question of the 21st century is going to be if our leaders can fix it before things REALLY blow up. I'm opening the odds at 40% yes / 60% no...wagers welcome...

 

Right now the only way to pay for vital programs that are running out of money is taxing the wealthy and cutting unnecessary spending, and fining the hell out of the crooks that do get caught for gaming the system.

 

Heh...As for Florida, why do you think so many retirees go down there?

[Kamen Rider]

Please, watch the Nazi Banksters Crimes Ripple Effect at http://jforjustice.co.uk/banksters

[fishmech]

how? everything would be by ezpasses or license plate cameras. there would not actually be a toll booth.

 

of course the license plate cameras require a lot of money to handle processing payment.

 

don't forget how many people are driving rental cars around new york city, I don't think the rental car people should have to pay the tolls instead of the people actually driving.

[BusOperator3319]

its also the (MTA)s fault for being so top heavy.80% of 130 livingston is filled with lawyers and managers of managers.

why pay outside law firms to fight the unions pay raise when you have a Law Department unfathomable and yet people sit here and defend this Corrupt Organization ran by the Politicains of NY I cant sit by and begin to give the a pat on the back they deserve to be scolded $200 an hour for outside counsel SMH

 

further more I don't agree with the NYS Legislature making $70,000 a year for a part time job which they don't perform

[Matt91]

Is this guy out of his mind? Motorists pay for fuel, vehicle registration, as well as car insurance, that adds up to way more a month than a monthly metrocard.

 

Not taking a side, but what about those of us who live in the suburbs and aren't rich, commute to NYC, and have a car to take care of (like me)? I already shell out $260/mo for the LIRR, $60 for the subway, and car expenses? (Although I am in favor of tolling the bridges for cars) Those are the people who get screwed no matter what (especially this year when reg fees doubled, those that commute shouldn't be subject to double dipping)

 

theyll wind up infiltrating the Long Island malls before they do that, already Roosevelt Field is kinda sketchy on Friday night

 

Take it from a fellow LIer, Any mall is sketchy on a Friday night

[Joe]

Take it from a fellow LIer, Any mall is sketchy on a Friday night

 

But Green Acres is always sketchy!