Why are so many right-wingers so vehemently against mass transit?

[Kievan Rus]

Is it just me, or are right-wingers vehemently against mass transit, along with pretty much any other public service provided to the citizenry?

I was reading the local newspaper today (the Post-Gazette, not Scaife's paper that the local Freepers and Teabaggers read), and there was a letter to the editor that was rather critical of the mere existence of mass transit. The LTTE was a lot of typical Teabagger talking points; they moaned about having to fund something they didn't like with taxpayer funds, and basically said that mass transit was a "bust." Although the author did not explicitly say it, he more or less implied that things would be better without it. Granted, the writer was from Upper St. Clair, which is arguably the most heavily Republican community in the Pittsburgh metro area, where a lot of "I've got mine so who cares about you," types reside (on a side note, a former friend of mine that was a selfish, materialistic Freeper had a lot relatives there).

I've seen a lot of transit-bashing in Pittsburgh over the past few years from the right-wing, most notably from selfish, greedy materialist types that subscribe to the "I've got mine" philosophy. Most of the national-defense conservatives I know actually think transit funding is a good idea because it means the U.S. buys less foriegn oil from nations that are openly hostile to the West such as Iran, and social conservatives I know are indifferent to it. Scaife's Tribune-Review has been bashing the North Shore Connector subway extension under the Allegheny River for years in particular and was also critical of other transit funding ideas and expansions.

However, the transit-bashing in the Tribune-Review is mild compared to what I've heard from materialistic types I dealt with in the past. I've occasionally seen right-wing blogs and forums where there's lots of transit-bashing and a desire to dramatically cut its funding; the primary basis being selfish, materialist types not wanting to have to pay taxes to something they don't use (gee, using that logic, I guess we shouldn't use taxpayer funding to pay for the U.S. Navy because some people can't swim or the Air Force because some people don't know how to fly planes):sarcasm:. A former friend of mine that I cut ties with (and have not spoken to since) used to hold basically the same view, as does a miserable, elitist materialist jerk that is a friend of one of my right-leaning relatives.

I use the transit system to get around everywhere in the Pittsburgh region. I've decided to not own a car at the moment for several reasons; the high cost of car payments, high gas prices, and car insurance at this economically uncertain time, in addition to environmental reasons...I'll probably buy a car when electric cars become affordable at some point later in this decade. Don't Freepers realize for every person that uses mass transit, that's one less car on the highway during morning/evening rush hours or events that a lot of people go to? Don't they realize every person that uses mass transit after partying on a Friday or Saturday night is getting home a way other than drinking and driving? Don't they realize that just like everybody else, we spend money in the community, hold jobs, vote and pay taxes?

What do you think?

[cdsilv]

1. they're afraid that they might have to one day ride the bus or train with ...

...one of the unwashed masses.

[opihimoimoi]

33. 98% are SUVers not BUSers?? They have not yet felt the need for pub trans...

[HughBeaumont]

39. Or: Not the Same Skin Color As Them.

[ThatsMyBarack]

51. Just as I thought.

Love the OMG thingie! :rofl:

[defendandprotect]

41. Or that one or more of the unwashed masses will find their way into

their neighborhoods!!

[Orangepeel]

2. it might help poor people get to their neighborhood and cause crime

that, and general short sightedness.

[prolesunited]

22. I know that's exactly why it's not getting anywhere

where I live

[Kievan Rus]

24. I've heard they've used that BS argument in Atlanta a lot

:tinfoilhat:

[Davis_X_Machina]

29. I lived in Atlanta when MARTA was first starting up...

...and that was precisely what I was told. Specifically that the north-south line came no further north than the art museum -- it has since been expanded -- so They wouldn't be able to get north of Buckhead, and pillage the McMansions of Dunwoody.....

[KamaAina]

38. Indeed they have -- and not just in Atlanta

There's a reason Cobb County (once represented by Newt Gingrich; bypassed by 1996 Olympic torch due to homophobic ordinance) never joined MARTA.

There's also a reason you can't take DC Metro to Georgetown. Yup, same reason -- race. :grr: :banghead:

[Initech]

30. Exactly what I was gonna say.

[HippieCowgirl]

50. That's precicely why Arlington, Tx doesn't have mass transit

It has the dubious distinction of being the largest US city with no mass transit system. The people who want this to be a whites-only bedroom community don't want the brown people to be mobile.

[no_hypocrisy]

3. Same old, same old: They have to pay for something they don't use for someone else.

[onenote]

21. +1

[SharonAnn]

34. But other people pay for what these people use.

[no_hypocrisy]

49. Exactly. Their sense of entitlement trumps that of others.

[Enrique]

4. the founding fathers never said anything about subways

the RWers think they're being patriotic.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

5. Because they let the black people sit up front nowadays.

[elocs]

6. They are against it because the Left is for it. This saves them from the grievous task

of critical thinking. That is why they like Rush, because he does their thinking for them. For the most part they are intellectually lazy.

[zeemike]

26. It may be as simple as that.

And because it is that simple the mob can be controlled and herded in any direction.

[patrice]

7. I think they, at heart, fear competition that free people would generate, so they spend

a lot of time and effort in creating protective groups that do whatever it takes to exclude others.

[marmar]

8. It's part of the Commons....and they hate the Commons.

And sadly, there are some transit haters right here on DU.

[dchill]

9. They are against ANYTHING...

that is for the masses and is paid for with "their" tax dollars. Simply put.

[muntrv]

10. Because mass transit does not help big oil. Everyone needs to drive suburbans.

[Selatius]

11. Unless they use mass transit, they don't see it as a worthy expense, unlike money for roads.

If half of them were priced out of using cars because of rising gas prices, you can fucking bet they'd sing in favor of mass transit because they just finally realized the sensibility of having things held in the public commons instead of having one sector privatized. They rail about Amtrak and mass transit in general, but let's see them rail against that when gasoline prices are spiking above 5.00/gallon, and they can't afford to drive around their gas-guzzling SUVs and F-150s that they don't use for hauling on a regular basis or for business/construction purposes.

[depakid]

12. It really is bizarre and irrational

Should be interesting to watch what the response is as gas prices break $10 per gallon.

They'll probably be screaming about how it's all the environmentalist's fault- and that the government is to blame for not building more mass transit.

[AlinPA]

13. Probably a lot are from rural areas, or in parts of the country where they don't use it. In PA,

the rural state senators and legislators are always complaining about their money going to Philadelphia and Pittsburgh for mass transit.

[gleaner]

14. I think it is a knee jerk reaction ..

to the fact that most Mass Transit is government run and sponsored. We can't have the government helping people you know, it's un-american.:tinfoilhat:

[wtbymark]

15. They want to privatize anything public and destroy all entitlements

they want to privatize every 'public common'; police, fire, education, transit, etc.
They want your dollar at their beck and call for everything that exists on Earth.
Remember, anything short of greed is pussy.

[CoffeeCat]

16. If their friends in big oil lose one nickle...

...these friends in big oil show up at these politician's offices with
baseball bats and videotapes of certain clandestine cocktail parties.

We can't erode the billions from the nice boys who own the gas and oil companies can we?

That's my theory and I'm stickin with it!

[Jamastiene]

17. They want their

penis replacers Humvees and other huge vehicles to be the biggest thing on the road. A bus makes them feel small again. They don't want that.

[gmoney]

18. Because mass transit leads to less consumption?

Right wingers like the masses to buy things like cars (which use a lot of steel, so maybe a vestigial reason Pittsburghers don't like mass transit) and tires and fuel, and use roads that need constant repair, and buy insurance on their cars, etc. etc.

Build a subway, buy some subway cars, they'll last for 20 years with a fraction of the maintenance a road and automobiles would require.

[dustbunnie]

19. Oh they're all just hate-spewing idiots, one and all.

I've had this discussion with some really virulent right-wingers and the basic thought is that only criminals, immigrants and vagrants (to sleep) use public transit. Even when you point out that zillions of people use public transit to GET TO WORK every day, doesn't faze them... because the idea is that if there were no expensive mass transit to keep up, the decent people would manage to find an alternative.

Right wingers are self-hating assholes. Some people turn their rage inwards and become depressed, while others rail, rant and project their bottomless anger outward at everyone else because they don't have the guts to face themselves.

[TheCowsCameHome]

20. What?

And have to ride with commoners?

Why should they be asked to sacrifice?

[Codeine]

23. They live in the sticks.

Mass transit is alien to them. Let them live in a metropolitan area with a functioning mass transit system and they'll change their tune. I imagine plenty of Republicans in NYC dig mass transit.

[sam sarrha]

25. cause it will help poor people..GOP is a Cargo Cult of OCD Wealth Hoarders, they believe that wealth

is the Measure of God’s favor of a man, therefore it is a sin to tax a Rich Man/Corporation. the poor are being punished by God, therefore it is a sin to help them. and they use Mafia tactics to enforce their ideology to keep the money/power coming.

Psychotic Oligarchs think anything they do to horde more wealth is ordained by God, anyone they hurt deserves it..

the GOP is a Psychotic Cult.. their ideology Kills People, men women children in their quest to Horde more and more needless Wealth/Power... they are mentally ill
http://sociology.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/wealth.html


http://sociology.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/wealth.html
bottom 80% americans only hold 7% of nations financial wealth...

these guys have taken over the GOP..
http://sociology.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/wealth.html
"snip....Leo Strauss was born in 1899 and died in 1973. ... He is most famous for resuscitating Machiavelli and introducing his principles as the guiding philosophy of the neo-conservative movement. ... More than any other man, Strauss breathed upon conservatism, inspiring it to rise from its atrophied condition and its natural dislike of change and to embrace an unbounded new political ideology that rides on the back of a revolutionary steed, hailing even radical change; hence the name Neo-Conservatives.

Significantly, Dominionism is a form of Social Darwinism.<48> It inherently includes the religious belief that wealth-power is a sign of God’s election. That is, out of the masses of people and the multitude of nations, wealth, in and of itself, is thought to indicate God’s approval on men and nations whereas poverty and sickness reflect God’s disapproval.

(It was not until I read this article that I realized that this is a fundamental tenet of Dominionists.

Worldly wealth and power are signs of God's favor -- to attempt to limit or decrease one's wealth and power is to disrespect God.

On the contrary, God's elect on Earth are called upon to increase their wealth and power.

It is not sufficient for a man to be a millionaire, or for a country to have sovereignty within its borders -- a man must strive to increase his wealth as much as possible, and a Dominionist government's behavior toward its neighbors must be "invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity".

Furthermore, any attempt to decrease a person's or a country's wealth and power -- to take from the rich to give to the poor, to reduce military spending and power -- is a direct attack on God.)

If “Secular Humanists are the greatest threat to Christianity the world has ever known,” as theologian Francis Schaeffer claimed, then who are the Humanists? According to Dominionists, humanists are the folks who allow or encourage licentious behavior in America. They are the undisciplined revelers.

Put all the enemies of the Dominionists together, boil them down to liquid and bake them into the one single most highly derided and contaminated individual known to man, and you will have before you an image of the quintessential “liberal” -- one of those folks who wants to give liberally to the poor and needy -- who desires the welfare and happiness of all Americans -- who insists on safety regulations for your protection and who desires the preservation of your values -- those damnable people are the folks that must be reduced to powerlessness -- or worse: extinction.

What would a “reconstructed” America look like under the Dominionists? K.L. Gentry, a Dominionist himself, suggests the following “elements of a theonomic approach to civic order,” which I strongly suggest should be compared to the Texas GOP platform of 2002, which reveals that we are not just talking about imaginary ideas but some things are already proposed on Republican agendas.<60> Dominionism’s concept of government according to Gentry is as follows:

“1. It obligates government to maintain just monetary policies ... fiat money, fractional reserve banking, and deficit spending.

“2. It provides a moral basis for elective government officials. ...

“3. It forbids undue, abusive taxation of the rich. ...

“4. It calls for the abolishing of the prison system and establishing a system of just restitution. *...

“5. A theonomic approach also forbids the release, pardoning, and paroling of murderers by requiring their execution. ...

“6. It forbids industrial pollution that destroys the value of property. ...

“7. It punishes malicious, frivolous malpractice suits. ...

“8. It forbids abortion rights. ... Abortion is not only a sin, but a crime, and, indeed, a capital crime.”<61>
. . .

* Gary North describes the ‘just restitution’ system of the bible, which happens to reinstitute slavery,
like this:


“At the other end of the curve, the poor man who steals is eventually caught and sold into bondage under a successful person. His victim receives payment; he receives training; his buyer receives a stream of labor services. If the servant is successful and buys his way out of bondage, he re-enters society as a disciplined man, and presumably a self-disciplined man. He begins to accumulate wealth.” ....snip"

[surrealAmerican]

27. I'm afraid it really is as simple as ...

... not wanting to pay taxes for something they, personally don't use. Yes, it does show that they haven't thought this through. (More people on mass transit is actually good for people who drive.) Most of them will go to any length to avoid thinking.

[Skittles]

28. because it helps poor people

[Jkid]

31. Several reasons...

1. It helps the poor
2. It's cheap
3. Provides safe transport for people, especially if drunk
4. Reliable if you live in a city with well funded public transport.

The reason why they oppose public transport. Other reason is that the reasoning "Why not just get a car?". Guess what? I can't get a car because I need get a drivers license first. To do that I need to get a learners permit, and the long process begins from there. In Maryland, you have to go to driving school regardless of age and if you for some reason do not have family or are unable to find someone willing to be driving mentor, I hope you have $300 per six hours of extra driving supervision. That alone, is the main reason why I rather use public transport.

If they really oppose public transport, why they have not suggest an alternative? But they can't, they do not want to. If they really oppose public transport: They should say this to their faces:

"Why can't you get a car and enjoy driving?!"

But they won't. They're cowards. Rich, Social Darwinist cowards. The these cowards oppose public transport because they can afford their cars. And they rather have their tax dollars toward corporate welfare and the military-industrial complex.

:rant:

[Bragi]

32. They dislike collective action /nt

[Naturalist111]

35. Because

They are for "your on your own"! They don't care about anyone else but themselves. It's like getting together a bunch of bandits to rob a bank "tea party". They would cut each others throats if they thought it would gain them something.

[MisterP]

37. they've been raised on the idea that "car = independence, freedom, go anywhere, independence, you

decide where to go" that came from the 50s (where they're permanently stuck)

[athenasatanjesus]

36. funny thing is mass transit is something that would improve the economy for rich and poor alike

Most minimum wage paying corporations need public transit for many of their employees,and many of their customers.

[Warren Stupidity]

40. They would have to sit next to darker people

and other horrible shit like that.

[defendandprotect]

42. Cars/Oil, of course -- but also look at those town parking lots every weekday!!!

You know how much $$ towns are collecting to let those cars park there all day

while folks are off to the big city? I've been after my town for decades to do

trolley service around town and to the RR station!!

Know how many families here keep 2nd cars just so that Dad can leave the car at

the station and no one has to drive him to and fro?

Right there . . . a LOT of $$$$ involved --

[Dappleganger]

43. Our city is so bad they hardly have any buses

and no covered bus stops because of stupid, restrictive signage laws. Thankfully we are receiving the largest amount of $$ in our state from the stimulus for transportation for the purchase of some new buses and to begin a cooperative bus stop signage program with local businesses. But it won't happen w/out a HUGE fight (already brewing) because of the 'I've got mine' attitude. People seem to think it's perfectly ok for the elderly to sit in the hot FL sun or get drenched in the rain just because they either can't afford a car or don't know how to drive.

[rhett o rick]

44. Right wingers idolize the wealthy. They see mass transit as associated with

the poor. They abhor helping the poor for two reasons. They idolize the wealthy because that is their life goal over all else. Secondly they think life is an end-sum game. The more disasters that occur to others means the less will occur to them. So they secretly love it when disaster strikes others.

[Lorien]

45. They hate anything that helps the poor or seems at all green

they also loathe those who ride bicycles.

[Kablooie]

46. They hate paying to help other people, but they delight in paying to hurt and kill other people.

It's just the basic nature of the conservative.

[slampoet]

47. If you are again public transit you are Kicking Old people when they are Down.

Not only are you harming Old People,

You are screwing the Disabled.
You are screwing the Children.
You are screwing the poor.
You are screwing National Security by increasing oil usage.
You are screwing Rural people.
You are screwing Tourism.
You are screwing people who like to party and drink.

But as much as you don't think that you are harming yourself, you are Screwing over the Old Person you will Be in the Future.

You are fucking over yourself.

If you are against public transportation you deserve to get run down by a 129 year old who can't see over the steering wheel. Even if that 129 year old person is YOU.

[slampoet]

52. Late correction "if you are AGAINST"

[deacon]

48. What aren't they against? They are against everything. n/t

[kenny blankenship]

53. They paid a lot of money to live in their segregated neighborhoods, and here you are

forcing them to pay "mass transit" taxes to fund a way for poor minorities to get around, and maybe find them.