Is the state getting a fare deal on the T?
By adamg - Mon, 01/21/2008 - 1:39pm.
The Outraged Liberal begins to dig into the T's budget and wonders why all those elected officials scrambling to deal with impending budget crises aren't asking if Massachusetts taxpayers are getting full value for the nearly $750 million they pour into the MBTA each year (that's on top of what the T takes in from the fares it does collect).
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Ha ha ha!
The MBTA getting a "fare" deal?! What a big laugh. The fare keeps going up, and yet the system isn't getting any better--it's getting worse, if anything. I use the T, but I think that it's badly in need of fixing.
It's worse than that
It’s amazing but true that MBTA fare collections are not enough to fully fund even the MBTA’s debt service cost. The entire MBTA operating budget must be subsidized by Massachusetts taxpayers.
Adding insult to injury, the state-mandated structure of auto insurance rates further damages the MBTA budget because it subsidizes car ownership for young urban drivers, who could be more frequent T riders. The insurance subsidy is roughly $400 per vehicle per year. That subsidy estimate comes from a rabidly right wing source – the Boston Globe editorial page.
What, we make mistakes?
That's the key stat. The underlying issue is what the legislature refused to correct or even admit. They saddled the T with a specific budget and ordered it to break even. The budget was based on ever-expanding sales-tax increases, shared with the T.
When those income estimates proved totally bogus, the lawmakers whistled, looked skyward, and demanded to know why the T didn't have money to improve services.
The legislature royally goofed. The T cannot be fixed until they admit and correct their impossible "deal."
Honk. Thank you for playing. You lose.
It's worse than that
It’s amazing but true that MBTA fare collections are not enough to fully fund even the MBTA’s debt service cost. The entire MBTA operating budget must be subsidized by Massachusetts taxpayers.
Adding insult to injury, the state-mandated structure of auto insurance rates further damages the MBTA budget because it subsidizes car ownership for young urban drivers, who could be more frequent T riders. The insurance subsidy is roughly $400 per vehicle per year. That subsidy estimate comes from a rabidly right wing source – the Boston Globe editorial page.
I have this great tin foil hat I could sell to you..
That subsidy estimate comes from a rabidly right wing source – the Boston Globe editorial page.
In WHAT universe is the Boston Globe editorial page (or any other page of that rag, for that matter) 'rabidly' right wing?
What is the color of the sky in your world, I wonder?
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Jen Stewart
I think he was being
I think he was being sarcastic.
Hmm.
Maybe so. Perhaps my sarcasm-o-meter is sluggish today.
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Jen Stewart