Re: Surcharge won't work and it's bad for drivers and for passengers too!
Boycott the Surcharge!
The surcharge is ridiculous. It's a slap in our collective face. It defies common sense.
It was supposed to be last year's TEMPORARY fix until we could work out a realistic "fair fare, fair share" meter increase.
Historically the meter increases have been around 12% to 15% -- a reasonable amount that spreads the increase appropriately to short and long riders.
The surcharge was proposed in Spring of 2007 was a graded surcharge based on meter fare amount at destination to counter the rising fuel costs and was summarily dismissed by the Allen & his Transportation Committee.
Talk about ignoring reality! The honorable Alderman Allen said that the rising fuel costs were just a temporary spike, which is the exact opposite of what ALL the oil industry analysts and the Federal Government's own Energy and Financial analysts were reporting and predicting, then and now.
Then there was a driver walk-out (the so-called "strike"), a signed petition and more hearings for a meter increase.
Again, the City said screw the drivers, you get nothing!
Now they take the old surcharge proposal and mix it up with a plan from Seattle and present us with this Voodoo Surcharge based on Voodoo methodology.
They just had to go to "outsiders" and spend over a year "studying" it to put together a surcharge, which as many now believe, will prove to be more destructive than helpful.
You want to expose a scam, George?
Perhaps we could start with a DEMAND that the City provide the studies and reports they allegedly reviewed, which purportedly support or tend to support the City's decision to "grant" this way-too-late surcharge instead of a reasonable and rational 12% to 18% meter increase.
Expose a scam and call a liar a liar -- even if it;s the Mayor, the Commissioner or a bunch Aldermanic maniacs or the entire Silly Council.
My bet is that they didn't review anything and that makes them big, fat, oh you know, those sly old politicians....
By the way, the very first dollar collected under the surcharge will have already gone directly to the City for the cost of the required sign.
My surcharge sign will read "I REFUSE TO COLLECT THE SURCHARGE BECAUSE IT IS UNFAIR TO RIDERS & DRIVERS!"
I hope you will all join me in this boycott of the Surcharge.
Re: Re: Re: Surcharge won't work and it's bad for drivers and for passengers too!
Well, if you can't tell the difference between a ten dollar bill and dog do-do, then maybe you shouldn't be walking around without adult supervision in the first place.
