Is Your City's Public Transit Suffering?

Reader Comments
Back to blog

Politicians should be paid commissions only – performance based compensation R1
I say that politicians should be paid - compensated on a performance based via commissions only, for example on every tax dollar that they save. Example, if a politician cuts government spending 1 Million dollars, the tax payers would pay him X% of 1 Million.
If it hits them in the pocket, they are going to be much more cautious how they spend our money.
A politician running for office should reimburse any matching funds after the election.
A politician should run the country like any non-profit corporation, with checks and balances, fiscal responsibility and not committing funds that our great grandchildren would have to pay.
Any politician who violates the oath of office will lose his job and forfeit his benefits and pension.
It is time we should hold our politicians accountable for their deeds and behavior, any deviation from honesty and ethics will be punished severely.
Honesty, integrity and accountability is the motto.
YJ Draiman, Energy/Utility Auditor
Draiman is a candidate for the Mayor of Los Angeles
PS
We should not rush to give our money to foreign countries, if we do give, it is a loan and must be repaid; the loans should also be collateralized with real estate and assets of the receiving country.
Value-based Management of the Government
Value-based management makes an explicit link between a government's strategic and operating decisions and their impact on the country and its citizen’s benefits. It does so in part by aligning politicians incentives with citizens' interests.
Politicians should earn the public trust, which, in turn, is based on openness and accountability. Excessive compensation, self-dealing and hidden agenda’s are detrimental to earning public trust.

Draiman for Mayor of LA of CA 2:28AM March 16, 2011

Mass transit expansion for greater Los Angeles - revisited
With the escalating cost of energy – it is time to re-visit expanding the transit system.
Put all politics aside and look at a short term goals and long term goals.
Expanding the mass transit system in the Los Angeles Metro Area is critical to the future vitality of its economy; it will save energy reduce pollution, save lives and increase health by reducing stress.
It is time to forgo ego and consider the good of the public.
A transit system utilizing cable car or light rail over the freeways or any other types of mass transit in the Los Angeles Metro area is a reasonable solution to decrease the congestion on the roads, save energy, reduce pollution, improve air quality, save money, save lives and improve our health.
Cost of energy and vehicles and maintenance has climbed dramatically in the past 10 years, warranting this issue to re-examine the expansion of mass transit in the Greater Los Angeles Area. The longer we wait, the greater the cost and the more imperative this project becomes.
In many areas of the country there are transit stations and parking lots, which provide parking for the transit customers.
The costs should not be astronomical. (Based on current energy costs, and future increases). There is no need to acquire large parcels of property; with some modification such system can be implemented and operational within the next decade.
Jay Draiman, Northridge, CA 91324
PS. Jammed transit systems running on fumes
Underfunded buses, subways, trains strand some passengers by the wayside

Jay Draiman of CA 8:53PM April 19, 2009

One of the biggest problems with using public transit is that cities seem to plan schedules in a way that makes taking public transit very time consuming. Connections miss by sometimes only a few minutes. This means you could have up to an hour wait before the next bus or train comes along.
I use to commute from San Jose to San Francisco. I live within a very short walk to the San Jose VTA light rail but using VTA rail to connect added 1 hour to the commute. So I would drive to the train station and have to pay for parking. Poor planning on the part of VTA and CalTrain.

Tom of CA 3:02AM March 19, 2009

I rarely take public transit, but I want it to be available and convenient so that elderly, impaired and young people can get around. I also want easy, inexpensive public transit to reduce the number of drivers on our crowded streets and freeways.
Lately I've been taking transit because I'm broke and my car is broke. The train is actually really fun to take, but it only goes where it goes, so that's where I go too.
We keep hearing that times are tough and every one has to cut back, but as we've seen with the wall street bail out, things are only tough for working people.
For years we've been trying to solve our economic woes by throwing tax breaks at any fool with the money to lobby for it. The people who benefit from that arrangement won't admit that there is any other option.
In November, Los Angeles voters took on a new tax to fund public transit because we care about our neighbors and we care about our environment, but already our governor and legislature have forgotten. Although the voters have repeatedly made it clear that Transportation, Education and Health Care are our highest priorities, our governor and legislature ignore us. They don't care how these service cuts hurt people because we're not the people they care about.
Meanwhile Exxon-Mobil again this year set a new standard of obscene profit* while accepting subsidies and tax breaks paid for by our tax dollars. AIG? It's not just them, unconscionable corporate greed is everywhere, addressed with a helpless shrug.
Even our own Los Angeles Dodgers refused to pitch in for the Dodger Tolley; they refused to pitch in and do something about all the traffic they cause with their money raking events. Because they don't care about anything but making money, and yet we continue to allow it.
The problem is that getting politicians or corporations to do what they should is like getting children to do chores, you can't just tell them to do something and expect them to do it. You have to stand right there and make sure it gets done right.
That's the glorious thing about having so many people out of work – it gives us a lot of time to kick up dust and make some noise.

Mina Nichols of CA 1:17AM March 19, 2009