Public vs Private

Over at the Allegheny Conference, The Big "Z" (Ken Zapinski) admits the importance of public transportation to the vitality of a vibrant urban core. So it seems our differences lie not in providing the necessary service but in who is better in providing it, the public or private sector?

Let's examine the differences. The private sector exists to make a profit that's as American as apple pie, however as stated in it's corporate charter a profit must be first and foremost on the minds of it's directors, and how we go about making that profit is secondary to showing a profit in other words the ends justify the means.

Not exactly what the citizenry wants when it comes to a necessary service. The public sector on the other hand exists to provide a service for all it's citizens as economically feasible as possible and is held accountable thru the ballot box and not by it's shareholders.

We both agree that Public transportation can't exist without taxpayer subsidies which is why the Port Authority was formed in the first place, and no knowledgeable person disagrees with that fact. So it seems our differences would lie in cost containment. Most uninformed people at first glance would agree with The Big "Z" that the private sector would win this discussion but is this true?

The first example I'll cite would be the city of Pittsburgh's experimenting with contracting out of waste services in the south hills of the city. After extensive bidding on the contract and extensive studies being done it was found that the Public Sector was more efficient in providing the service and now the suburbs are contracting out with the city to provide waste hauling at less cost.

Arguments against the Public Sector in providing these services lie in the argument of soft budget constraints that the Public Employee's Unions will drink at an endless trough. To say that this is true you are also saying that an American Democracy is also a failure since we've shown the ownership of said services is the voting public, but what is also missing from this argument is that if the private sector takes over necessary services they also have soft budget constraints and will drink from the so called trough that they accuse Public Employees of with a vast difference of instead of being responsible to the taxpayers they serve, their loyalties lie to their shareholders who by law they must exist to show a profit thru what ever means are necessary. In the end it comes down to a profit motive for the private hauler whereas for the Public Sector it's all about providing the service to it's electorate that motivates it.

For the Private Sector to operate 1 of 2 things must happen a raising of subsidies to support it's existence or the obliteration of it's services, the public be dammed. The fact that their is absolutely no risk for the Private Sector to take over necessary services should raise a huge flag to all interested parties. The biggest risk to a private transportation provider is the network distribution (busways,buses,insurance,fuel costs,emergency services,rail lines) all the things that the public has already bought and will continue to pay for. State owned enterprises are shown to be superior wherever a natural monopoly exists this refers to the situation where technological conditions dictate that having only one supplier is the most efficient way to serve the market place. Electricity,water, gas,public transit,land phones,emergency services, are examples of natural monopolies. In these industries the main cost of the services as fore mentioned are the distribution network and therefore the unit costs of provision go down if the number of customers that uses the network increases.

In contrast having multiple suppliers each with it's own distribution network as Pre-Port Authority 1964 increases the costs to it's public. Historically in every large city there were competing transit companies but these were then consolidated into large monopolies for efficiencies sake. When a private company owns a monopoly it can charge what ever it wishes and serve wherever it wishes to the dismay of our most vulnerable citizens who reside in our county and allow us to plunge deeper into what seems to be the goal of certain leaders, 3rd world status.

Don't be fooled by the arguments that we're hearing out there, there is an all out assault by the corporations to take our tax money and use it for their benefits under the guise of Public-Private Partnerships. When ever one goes into business there is a certain amount of risk involved but the reason private companies love these arrangements is that the risk is not theirs but ours thru our taxes. Great deal if you're in on it bad deal if you're the one who funds it which one are you?

LABOR DAY

From The People Who Brought You The Weekend!

Cowboy Neil Cassady and The Son of the Greatest Generation would like to thank all the men and women who made the selfless sacrifices so that our families could have a chance at the American Dream, and we will continue the fight for all future generations of working families to enjoy the same.

Open Your Eyes

You know, it's a sad day when you hear every day ordinary people echoing comments that are usually made by the likes of the Allegheny Institute / Allegheny Conference. (slash, because they all work together and look out for their own pocket books not to help tax payers as they may attempt to suggest. Follow the money, see who funds them).

The fact that people buy into their dog whistle politics are whats wrong with this country. It hit me very hard while enjoying a cup coffee with a few old friends, when unexpectedly the conversation turned into discussion about the drink tax.

The four of us grew up together in a working-class, (predominantly Italian) neighborhood in the city of Pittsburgh. We were all raised by union families. Many of us went to Catholic schools, paid for by our parents' union wages. Most of our parents are living secure retirements, because of their union pensions. Three of us are union members now. It was therefore, shocking and depressing to me when the fourth one of us, declared that they should privatize the Port Authority and that he didn't think it was fair that the public has to pay for the Port Authority with the drink tax.

It was like my heart broke to hear him say that.

The complete line of bull that is being fed to the people of Allegheny County by the media in this town about the Port Authority & ATU Local 85 contract talks sickens me.

Why is the local media (irresponsibly) feeding the citizens of Allegheny County the idea that Local 85 is going on strike-- like it is inevitable?

Why is it OK for the media to fill the heads of the tax payers of this region with lies?

Why is it OK for local news papers to print "plant stories" by Port Authority Management?

Why is it OK for all the mismanagement over the years to be taken out on the workers?

Fear, Jealousy, and Misinformation is the key to their success. Just when ridership is on the steady up rise they want to put the fear of a work stoppage in the public's head.

They try to make people jealous by posting salaries of drivers and maintenance workers, because they know that many people who ride public transit are victims of our low-wage economy. To people who are struggling to make it in a non-union job, our salary can seem like a lot. In reality, bus drivers are making enough to live a decent life, not an extravagant life. Very few of us are able to sacrifice our personal and family time to work the amount of over time you have to work to exceed than the 40,000 average salary.

They constantly give misinformation on ATU member's pensions and the supposed cuts in management jobs.

Why are Jake Haulk of the Allegheny Institute and Ken Zapinski of the Allegheny Conference so motivated to constantly take a one sided approach to this topic. What is their motivation to rip off the blue collar, hard working, people of Allegheny County who use public transit.

Or, maybe it's just the (over-paid, lazy) Unionized workers that they're after.These people are here for good old fashioned UNION BUSTING, and they need your help. They want to enrage ordinary people to help them further their agenda:

• They want you to write letters to the editor, send emails and and write comments agreeing with them on their blogs about the overpaid bus drivers.
  
• They want you to stand around the office water cooler with your co-workers and bad mouth "Union Workers".

What's sad is that these horrible Union Workers are your family, friends, your neighbors. They are the fireman, the policeman, your mailman, your garbage man, your kid's school teacher, and your bus driver-- (even the nice ones).

Come on, who are the Allegheny Conference, or groups who want to privatize transit like the Allegheny Institute looking out for?? Is it you? Is it me?

Most union members appreciate their union and would not deny another worker the right to have a union-- that's why it's called the Labor Movement. But the Allegheny Institute and the Allegheny Conference want you believe Unions are what is destroying America. They are pitting us against one another while every day their Big Business, Corporate backed Think Tank mentality tears the middle class apart.

Please stop and think the next time you hear them spew their evil venom on the hard working people of this great Commonwealth. This Country was built by hard working people, don't let them divide us any longer.

TRUE LIES

Isn't it amazing how the free hand of the market takes care
of the most-vulnerable? Isn't it amazing how Private
Corporations look out for the taxpayer? Isn't it amazing
how our free press continually pushes for the corporate
control of our taxpayer services? Of course we're being a
little sarcastic in the amazing abilities of the free market
when it comes to taxpayer provided services. The sad truth
of the matter is that we're being hoodwinked by interests that
care of themselves and not of the public good. The biggest lie
that the American Public has ever been told are the virtues of
a Public Private Enterprise. Oh yea they're great if your the
private party (no risk) guaranteed money (through your taxes)
guaranteed profit (through your taxes) is the one involved.

However for the rest of us (the Taxpayers) our services will
continually be whittled away until the profit margin is all
that will remain of our endeavors. This is what the Politicians
of our transit agency (Dan Onorato)have in mind.

A public-private partnership sounds great in theory until the
facts are laid out in front of us. There is not one single
place in the U.S. where this model has worked for the benefit
of its citizenry. (Name one) The office of the County Executive
has continually used as an example the transit agency of Denver
Colorado. Upon further review the facts show what a failure it
has been for the people of the Mile High City.

Unreliable service, Higher costs to the electorate, more
congestion in the inner city and suburbs and no answers to the
traffic problem that befuddle commuters. On the other hand the
private service provider has become extremely wealthy thanks
to the taxpayers of Denver. We have to ask ourselves are we in
this together? Are we in this for Veolia? Are we in this for
our children? A sense of Community is as American as Apple Pie.
Let's reject this empowerment that our polls are imposing upon
us with their campaign contributions from outside sources who
wish to enrich themselves with OUR TAXES and show them we believe
in ourselves through an American Democracy that we the people
elect. The Alternative will undoubtedly be endless transit
cutbacks and ever growing profits for a Private Concern.

(THE COMMONS ARE FOR EVERYONE NOT THE PRIVILEGED FEW)

By Karamagi Rujumba, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Experts, officials say drink tax a fine idea

Dedicated funding streams, not property tax, are seen as best way for counties to fund mass transit

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08174/891798-85.stm

By Joe Grata, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on drink tax

Getting Around: Drink tax fight keeps people away

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08202/897931-452.stm

The Drink Tax

The PA legislature changed recent history on the 17th of July of 2007 when they enabled a new tax on alcoholic drinks and car rentals that would be a permanent, dedicated funding source for mass transit in Allegheny County. The long-suffering commuters and daily transit riders of southwestern Pennsylvania were finally offered a permanent funding solution for mass transit. For the first time in a generation, it looked as though the almost yearly and ever-more devastating cuts in transit might become a thing of the past.

Or so we thought.

Unfortunately, as happens all too often in today's political climate, transit riders have become the latest political football as the "solution" of the drink and car rental taxes are attacked by many different sides.

Many would agree that a fuel tax would be the most sensible way to fund mass transit in Pennsylvania. However, because of the historic strength of the highway lobby, under PA law it is unconstitutional to use a fuel tax to fund mass transit. Because of rich special interests of the groups that make up the highway lobby, PA lawmakers have had to struggle to find ways to fund transit, hence the roundabout funding through alcoholic beverages and car rentals.

Which is why we are where we are today--- the restaurant and tavern owners, as well as car rental agencies, are working with opponents of public transit in county and state government to get the drink tax thrown out.

There is more than a little irony in the public outcry of the opposition to the new funding streams. These interest groups say that they are being unfairly targeted while never acknowleging that the tavern and car rental agencies have long been the true winners of extravagant public subsidies. Consider who has benefited from the building of the airports, stadiums, all-purpose arenas and convention centers while the taxpayers of Allegheny County always get stuck with the bill. The very same business men who demand to internalize profits, externalize debts (to taxpayers) and allow the citizens of Allegheny county to foot the bill for their benefit.

The restaurant association asserts themselves as if they are an economic generator with their low paying service sector jobs, when the truth of the matter is that they exist because of the region that surrounds their businesses and in a large part because of the ability of their workforce and their customers to get around that region!

The restaurant owners will argue that business will be lost to counties surrounding Allegheny. As if the municipalities around us will jump up with open arms and shout YES PLEASE VISIT OUR COMMUNITIES AND CONSUME SOME ALCHOHOL! Can we also conclude that these same towns and counties will want to pay for the social cost of alcohol consumption?

The mass transit system in Pennsylvania has been in financial crisis for over fifteen years. Every fiscal year, lawmakers and bureaucrats have made inadequate bandaid solutions without ever addressing the real reason behind the decades of cuts in transit service. One could argue that public transit in western PA (like mass transit systems all over the country) is being starved toward privatization.

The riding public should understand: Public Transit Cannot Generate Profits. Public mass transit is exactly that: a public service. Even with a highly maximized ridership, fares alone could never pay for a high quality transit system. Pittsburghers over a certain age should recall the reason the Port Authority was created in the first place—because the private transit systems could not stay in business.

Allegheny County is blessed to have a transit system that is annually ranked in the top 15 North American transit systems. We now have the oppurtunity to become among the very best in North America. Dedicated funding could allow the Port Authority to address the ever-lengthening delays in commuter travels. Consider this: the Port Authority of Allegheny County, for all the criticism it endures, still saves commuters $33.8 million in fuel costs, 1.8 million in hours saved traveling and pumps over $350 million dollars into the regional economy.

• Mass transit is the solution to our dependence on middle-eastern oil.
• It's better for our environment.
• It can help the most vulnerable in our society to be independent.

When businesses seek to relocate, accesability of mass transit is one of the first attributes they look for in a locale. Our transit system is a regional jewel that we can be proud of.

It's time we as a society understand that the restaurant association and the other organized interests in the business community exist because of us. We don't exist for Kevin Joyce. You can't put the cart before the horse.

County Government the facts are before you: Stand and be the leaders you were elected to be. Vote for maintaining our mass transit system, our regional asset or vote for special interests and social irresponsibility.

Mass transit is and has always been the answer to growth in Southwestern Pennsylvania and no matter what big money interests may go into the campaign to argue against the public good, the truth will always win out.

Let's stop the bickering and begin to fund a service as essential to a vibrant city as a Police and Fire dept. Transit is something we seem to take for granted just as we do a breath of air-- we'll never miss it until it's gone. The public good is at stake and we await your decision.

Welcome Aboard

We have set up this blog to make sure that the taxpayers of Allegheny County are being given the full story with regard to the current stalled contract negotiations between ATU Local 85 and the Port Authority.

As proud rank and file members of Local 85, we are disgusted at the way our leaders are being attacked and misrepresented by the Port Authority's PR machine.

We also intend to share some of the forward thinking transit reform ideas that members of Local 85 have developed over the last several years. The organized workers at the Port Authority are perhaps our county's strongest advocates for a strong and innovative local transit system. We understand this transit system better than anyone, yet the Port Authority and the local newspapers continually marginalize our voices.

We believe that Port Authority management should be working hand-in-hand with local 85's elected leaders and its members designing ways to improve and expand public transit during this time of fuel price crisis.

Instead they are using our current contract negotiations as a way to continue to spin public opinion, while using fear tactics on the riding public so they can back door into deeply misguided service cuts and fare increases once again.