^ NYC system is the only one that stays open 24/7. If they want to really update the system they would HAVE to close for repairs at night but if they did that they would be cruicified. New clean system/running 24/7, pick one you cant have both.
I agree the MTA system sucks but there really doesnt seem to be a way out from the decades of neglect. One thing I noted about the tube in london was how generally straight the lines were and they didnt cross each other often, thats a nice luxury the NYC system doesnt have as well that is fairly limiting on additional trains being added.
As only an occasional user, I like the single fare aspect of NYC’s subway system, but can see how it might be aggravating to a daily user who goes only 2 stops and knows there are other people paying the same fare to go 20 stops on 3 different lines. One thing I really dislike though is not being able transfer remaining funds when my MTA card expires. That’s a 1st class scam they have going there.
thanks for the read higgs, very interesting. I did like Gary Johnsons idea of phasing out public assistance for lower incomes where benefit was reduced at a lower percentage than each dollar made. It incentivized the individuals to try their best to get a higher paying job to the point where they wouldnt need public assistance
15 minimum is stupid although I’m all for letting people make a comfortable living, but I know some people with masters that don’t even make more than 15 dollars an hour… If people at fast food joints are making 15 then those people’s wages will also need to be bumped up.
Every time i talk to a european and they discuss with me their displeasure for tipping it always ends with “our businesses pay a fair wage”. Somewhere in time the american capitalist system everyone stopped giving a crap about that part and started viewing employees as numbers and not people. Seems things are a bit more in balance in europe
I actually think the MTA does a pretty good job, considering how large the system is, both from a ridership and station/trackage perspective. Of course it can be better; however, as a commuter I can’t complain about their track record during rush hour - once a year I’ll have a really big problem such as having my train breakdown or diverted, and sometimes even those problems are out of the MTA’s control because they are due to a sick passenger or someone being pushed onto the tracks.
Also, their safety record is pretty phenomenal when you consider how big the system is.
MTA is doing ok in terms of commute disruptions, I’m not sure whether the homeless situation is under their control or the police department but I’ve noticed a significant increases in homeless people in the subways and on the street and in their audacity under the new mayor.
I don’t believe the wage floor eliminates the jobs necessarily. If you have a kid and need a babysitter, that wage floor will not make your kid disappear. You will still hire a babysitter and pay the higher wage.
This debate about minimum wage regulation is rather moot. All of those jobs are going away eventually, and we’ll need to provide some sort of minimum income to all citizens. I just don’t see any other way.
Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. Let’s give everyone more money!! Economic theory suggests that wages and price levels should be tied to productivity. Raising wages without any measure to boost productivity isn’t going to bridge the gap in earnings. Instead of giving fast food servers more money, try giving them an EQUAL opportunity to compete for an engineering job that pays 4x more. Price levels rise as employers try to pass on the burden to consumers. Jobs are cut as employers try to minimize costs. $15 sounds so arbitrary - why’s it $15 and not $15.5? And what happens when a 28 year old Master’s degree holder makes $17/hr when a server at MCD makes $15? It’s price distortion at its worst and if anything is a bandaid over the wound rather than diagnosing what’s causing poverty and inequality in America.
It’d be better to make colleges tuition free and education more accessible, healthcare more affordable (that $10K a family pays for deductibles/premiums), and bringing jobs in the US rather than shipping them to China. Wages should go up as the demand for workers at each skill level exceeds the availability of these workers.
Obviously your kid won’t disappear just like customers at the restaurant won’t disappear if you have to pay your waiters more. The issue is now the parent needs to do it himself if he can’t afford it.