Obama Planning On Nationalizing The Public Transportation System

I wasn’t aware that we have a problem with the various local transportation system that needed to be solved by federal take over. Has there been some crisis of unsafe buses, trains and subways that I wasn’t aware of ? I know there have been crashes, in particular the tragic Metro crash in DC itself, but that hardly makes a trend. And this sounds suspiciously like Obama once again using a “crisis” to expand his power.

Regardless, this line from the Washington Post article about the development ought to send a chill down your spine :

Under the proposal, the U.S. Department of Transportation would do for transit what it does for airlines and Amtrak : set and enforce federal regulations to ensure that millions of passengers get to their destinations safely.

Anyone familiar with the financial disaster that is Amtrak, or the endless ridiculous hijinks going on at the TSA, should flee any attempt by the federal government to manage our subways and light rail lines.

Outside of heavily urban areas, I think most public transportation systems are a waste of time. I know here in North Dakota they’re mostly a rarely-used drain on public funds. In Grand Forks, for instance, total government subsidy for the bus system amounts to $5,000 per rider per year. Meaning that the bus system in Grand Forks isn’t something that needs more federal management.

It’s something that just needs to go away.

Again, I think this is less about safety than about yet another government power grab.