Could the waning of the middle class encourage the growth of public transportation?

[raccoon]

Could the waning of the middle class encourage the growth of public transportation?

One can only hope so. Think of all the crappy paying jobs there are out there that require a person to have their own transportation. If you’re working a low-wage, no benefit job and have to provide your own transportation—what’s wrong with this picture? Even if you’re as economical as you can possibly be, having your own transportation, if it’s a car, is pretty damned expensive.

It’s one thing to support a car if you’re a young adult living with your parents, it’s another thing if you also have to shell out for housing, food, etc. (Although in either case, it’s a crappy deal.)

"You may say that I'm a dreamer" (and you may be right. Probably you are.)

[Brickbat]

1. A growth in demand, maybe -- but with the way cities have been cutting public transportation budgets

lately, a dying middle class isn't going to be able to keep tax revenue high enough to support public services.

[hayu_lol]

2. The poor cannot afford to support public transportation...

and the wealthy won't be using it in most cases.

The middle class(extinct like the Dodo and Passenger pigeon)is not there anymore.

[zipplewrath]

3. Public transportation isn't cheap

Buses, trains, these things are expensive to run. Unless they are subsidized, you won't see a big interest in expanding them.

You see alot of folks interested in government subsidies right now?

[valerief]

4. Only if it's low-cost air fare to India, China, the Philippines, and the Mariana Islands. nt

[kenny blankenship]

5. But see, if they need public transportation that means they're no longer middle class, ipso facto

And if they are no longer middle class that means politicians no longer have to pretend to pay attention to them, or care about them. In Amreeka, both parties are agreed that the poor are scum. Our pols pretend to care about the middle class, and to encourage their aspirations to upper class status, but in fact they only care about the top echelon of salaried employees and investor class individuals - and those are second place to the real citizens of this country: the large corporations.

[WhiteTara]

6. only if the democrats win in November

if the pukes get control again...walk.