Scott Tapley did a great job on WDWS today. And Friedman kept up the MTD mantra (big lie) about sharing.
In Friedman's Utopia, anyone who derives even the most limited benefit from the expenditures of others should pay for that benefit. That's his public line.
But his lie is this. He doesn't want you to share, he wants you to pay. If this was about sharing, the MTD would keep their property tax levy the same and let everyone's rate drop. Instead, what they do is annex territories that don't need or want service and charge them full price. No one else in Champaign Urbana is going to benefit from these annexations, and in fact people in the current MTD will be hurt. It will take longer for buses to run their routes, and the tax rates will not drop. Everyone in the CUMTD ought to be on Tapley's side unless the MTD would guaranteee lower taxes upon the annexations. That won't happen.
Friedman and Volk want more money, plain and simple. More money for the Trolley. More money for trips to Europe. More money for high priced executives.
Friedman also claims that he doesn't want Mahomet, Tolono and St. Joseph. If so, then he's a hypocrite. Under the Friedman Doctrine, if a person benefits from the reduced traffic, they ought to pay into the system. Commuters in Mahomet benefit far more than retirees in Lincolnshire Fields. The Friedman Doctrine says that Tolonoites ought to pay as well.
Good Luck to the folks in Lincolnshire Fields, et al.
How about we disolve the CUMTD, then start again. We could sell a lot of the buses to the U of I, so they could run their own student transporation system. Then we could rethink how board members are selected, and what the goals of our mass transit system should be (should a mass transit district really have a policy goal of increasing population density?).
How about we disolve the CUMTD, then start again. We could sell a lot of the buses to the U of I, so they could run their own student transporation system. Then we could rethink how board members are selected, and what the goals of our mass transit system should be (should a mass transit district really have a policy goal of increasing population density?).
How does a transit district get dissolved?
I'd rather not pay for this Iraq War thing. I don't drive much, so I really don't need the oil. I understand that in theory the military protects all of us, so we all have to pay for it, but frankly, I think this Iraq War is making us less safe, not more. Maybe the people who feel safer could pay, but the rest of us could opt out?
That's how it works, right? I don't use/want a government service, so I don't have to pay for it, right?
I'd rather not pay for this Iraq War thing. I don't drive much, so I really don't need the oil. I understand that in theory the military protects all of us, so we all have to pay for it, but frankly, I think this Iraq War is making us less safe, not more. Maybe the people who feel safer could pay, but the rest of us could opt out?
That's how it works, right? I don't use/want a government service, so I don't have to pay for it, right?
Is there a legal option for you to create your own military, seperate and distinct from the US military? If not, then maybe it's not an appropriate comparision.
Well, I can understand your frustration at the Iraq war. Here are some differencees. The US Constitution puts the federal government in charge of national security. The state statute says that the good folks in southwest champaign can do what they are doing.
Under the convoluted logic of the MTD and its supporters, the MTD should be able to tax pretty much anyone in America who might someday visit CU, send a child to school here, or benefit from some research that happened here.
This one big happy community approach to funding government is just absurd. Why shouldn't the people in Champaign give money to Savoy because of all the people who travel from Champaign to Savoy to buy cars?
What seems to be lost on MTD supporters is that this area of southwest Champaign is NOT currently in the MTD. Why should they be criticized for wanting the status quo which has been in existence for 30 years?
Because 'status quo' is never a good reasoning tactic on its own.
I don't totally disagree with the logic of the MTD - contiguous neighborhoods probably should share some of the burden.
BUT, if you are going to start taxing these people you are going to have to give them some voice. Savoy ought to be able to have input into bus routes. Trails of Brittany ought to be able to say "don't send any buses here at all".
AND, the entire district should start seeing its tax rates go down if the MTD district adds to its tax base but not its services.
IP, I don't think we really can dissolve the MTD, but wouldn't it be nice?
This isn't the same community it was 30 years ago. As the metro area has sprawled outward, areas that once were outside of town are now very much in town.
Thirty years ago, a campus resident could walk to one of two nearby movie theaters. Today, if you want to go to a movie, you NEED a car (or good public transportation).
My neighbors tell me that my house in central Champaign was once on the edge of town. Now it's not. Cherry Hills was once outside Champaign. Now it's not. Just because it didn't make sense to include a neighborhood in the MTD 30 years ago, doesn't mean that neighborhood should get a free ride forever.
All that being said, I'll actually support the effort if they give it a catchy name like "Big Grove South".
Is there a legal option for you to create your own military, seperate and distinct from the US military? If not, then maybe it's not an appropriate comparision.
Actually... You could hire you own private security force that acts independently and answers only to you. Military contractors are used throughout the world. Some also call them mercenaries. They ain't cheap though, so I'll take the U.S. military any day (it's pretty damned cheap for my sake).
Thirty years ago, a campus resident could walk to one of two nearby movie theaters. Today, if you want to go to a movie, you NEED a car (or good public transportation).
I would love to be able to walk to get my groceries and see films. I really prefer walking to where I can (unless it's a raining like it was today). I would use CUMTD if I felt it was feasable for me to get to the movie theatres and grocery stores on a schedule that worked for me, but right now I really find it a bit of a pain to do so. And that forces me to drive (or rather, hitch a ride with the roommate).
CUMTD is helpful around campus for me, but that's about it. And after midnight, you might as well just start walking home from downtown Champaign to campus, because the bus probably isn't going to be around you anytime soon.
I wouldn't mind a University run MTD system, but the Univ. isn't exactly floating in money last time I heard.
"CUMTD is helpful around campus for me, but that's about it. And after midnight, you might as well just start walking home from downtown Champaign to campus, because the bus probably isn't going to be around you anytime soon."
In the summer that's certainly true. During the U of I school year however, we have direct service from downtown Champaign to Campus until 3 AM five days of the week and until 5 AM on the remaining three.
Just to show you guys they are CAPABLE of answering our questions, they just WON'T.
....tweet,tweet....another day begins......still no reply....