Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Commute the gubment way

You selfish jerk. I understand that you are taking personal responsibility for getting to work. You are giving the earth a fever. It's time to commute... government style!


For example take my commute:
Mapquest says: Total Estimated Time: 14 minutes

Tri-Met says: Travel time: 43 minutes (including 3 minutes walking and 8 minutes waiting)

Why have personal independence, a nice ride where I can listen to KXL and the lack of smelly bums and trash when I could spend an extra hour a day going to and from work? Plus I could stop showering (I assume that many tri-met riders go for this option) due to the standing in the rain!

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hell, that's nothing. My old commute on MAX/Bus was 3 hours into work and if I was lucky, only 4 hours to get home. After I got a car, I cut that down to 30 min each way.

Anonymous said...

In Eugene, We cannot afford to repair the roads, or have money for protection of our citizens, however, we can afford to spend millions of dollars on dedicated bus routes.

Anonymous said...

Daniel: If it doesn't make logistical sense for you to ride a bicycle, the Tri-Met bus or a MAX train, then don't ride a fucking bicycle, the bus or a MAX train!

In the meantime, for those of us for whom it DOES make sense and/or save time, please explain: Why should anyone give a shit what you think about our transportation choices? Your whole attitude seems to be: If you don't use it, then no one else should be able to use it. The only appropriate response to that idiotic mindset would be: Fuck you very much.

By the way ... unless you've got a flying car, then I have to assume your commute involves traveling on a public road that was paid for by taxes. (Like, MY taxes.) Since your level of stupidity requires spelling out the lunatic conclusions that your own "logic" leads to, I've got some news for you: You, too, Mr. Miglavs, are getting to work "government style."

Anonymous said...

gotta love them repubs, using more of the commons than anyone else and then bitching about taxes ... sigh

Anonymous said...

What a perfect picture of Miglavs ... in his car, sealed off from the world enjoying his "personal independence" (on a "gubment-style" road my taxes probably helped pay for) and superior hygiene while listening to the "news" on KXL.

And yeah Miglavs ... if I'm expecting rain on any given day, I don't shower. That's how I actually think. How brilliant of you for figuring that out.

Anonymous said...

Why then should we spend approx. 75 to 80% of the transportation budget on mass transit, when about 5% or less use it!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Of course we should also assume that the almighty Portland needs all this mass transit when those in the rest of the state somehow manage without. I have a 5 minute commute. If I took the bus it would take almost an hour to get where I need to go.

Anonymous said...

To the person who claims that "75 to 80 percent of the transportation budget" is spent on mass transit, please specify whose budget, and identify your source for the 75 to 85 percent statement.

Anonymous said...

well, get used to taking mass transit. between rising gas prices (but hey, you voted for Bush) and stagnating wages (but hey, you didn't want to go union), you are going to spend the equivalent of over an hour of salary/wage on your commute every day.

Anonymous said...

Um, since when is riding a bicycle the "gubment" way?

Anonymous said...

I ride max and pay very little, Daniel drives care and pays over $4.20 a gallon for gas. I get to work in 15 minutes compared to the 30+ minutes in Hyw 26 traffic. I ain't complaining at all and neither are the thousands that ride with me daily.

Anonymous said...

Anon 10:30, your comment might resonate with a thoughtful person graced with an average amount of intelligence and reason. You are, however, talking to Daniel Miglavs. So ...

Scottiebill said...

Teddy the Useless rode his bike to work on the day it was sunny. But, the next day, when it was raining, he took his car. Teddy the Useless has proven that he is just a Fair Weather governor.

Anonymous said...

anon 10:30
I have used max twice to get to work , both times my car was down because it getting repaired from a break in! It took me over 2 hours to get to work on max , by car its approx 40 minutes .You are one of the few luckey ones to do it in 15 minutes . I still want $1.00 a gallon gas !

Anonymous said...

If I follow Daniel's perspective to its logical conclusion, I might argue that my tax dollars shouldn't go anywhere near the Federal Aviation Administration because, after all, I am not a pilot and rarely fly. Or that my taxes shouldn't go toward the National Transportation and Safety Board because, far as I know, no one I know has ever been involved in an accident involving aircraft or a train, and I've never had a weekend pilot crash his airplane in my backyard.

Anonymous said...

I think I'll adopt that approach on my street. NO ONE here has EVER had to call the fire department, and to my knowledge, no one has even had to call the police or an ambulance. In fact, I don't even think I've ever SEEN a police car drive by my house. What the fuck are MY TAX DOLLARS subsidizing a "gubment" cop shop for, anyway? I don't use them. Why should I pay for them? This is all about ME! Me me me me me me me me me me!!!!

Anonymous said...

Daniel is funny, isn't he.

Anonymous said...

I don't have a car ... so I really don't use the roads, just sidewalks and bike paths. I don't really care for this social engineering by the gubment to force me into a car, and I don't appreciate having to pay taxes to support the roads so selfish jerks like Daniel can enjoy their "personal independence."

OregonGuy said...

Daniel--

You've attracted one or two Radical Leftists. It does make for occasionally interesting, although far too often tedious, reading.

It's always fun to count the number of logical fallacies used by a single Radical Leftist in each post. Their favourites tend to be name-calling and equivocation. Any and all are attempts to change the course of discussion to responding to unnecessary accusations, or just silly intellectual frippery, to deflect the conversation from the topic at hand to a need to defend oneself from such scurrilous attacks.

These are to be simply ignored.

With the Radical Left all one needs remember are the three legs of the RL Agenda: American Imperialism, Military-Industrial Complex, Victimhood. Any thought or idea that doesn't adhere to these three principles are simply attempts to keep us down.

Change!

Anonymous said...

Change your underwear.

Anonymous said...

OregonGuy, your comment rests on the assumption that only "radical leftists" would make the arguments above, or that only "radical leftists" ride bikes or the bus, or something along those lines.

Regardless, that's a specious argument: Miglavs is not in ANY way representative of Republicans or conservatives as a whole, and readers of this blog know full well that some of the most pointed criticisms are directed at him BY Republicans who are embarrassed by him ... including some who share his concerns about immigration. A Republican acquaintance of mine rides his bike to work all the time, and fully supports public investment such as bike lanes. Why? Because he uses them.

Your comment implies that Daniel is making a rational argument about transportation policy that is well within the parameters of broad public opinion, and that is a laughable proposition.

Anonymous said...

Chinese illegal immigrants discovered in Texas border town

Anonymous said...

Only a change in our lifestyle will bring gas prices down. Move closer to where you work or find a different job. That's how you save time and money on commutes. The stupid Max or thousands of cars are because people live too far away from where they work. The problem is worse in Seattle, and why? Because they all live an hour away from where they work. Time to move or change your job.

Anonymous said...

James Howard Kunstler's "The Geography of Nowhere" is a good book for understanding how we got in this mess. I throw the recommendation out for the benefit of those who read the blog, not for Miglavs; I have no expectation that he would even consider reading it. As with so many other things, he can tell himself that it was written by an American-hating, kool-aid drinking communist and not give it another thought.

How easy and simple life must be, being Daniel Miglavs.

Crap, sunny day today. Guess I won't be taking a shower ...