The MTA is Crazy

There's not much more you can say about that. In 1997, there was such a budget surplus at the MTA that they instituted free transfers and discount on fares with MetroCard. Now in 2002, there's a $1 billion deficit? How the hell does that happen? Didn't anyone at the MTA do the math before giving the surplus (and then some) away? Now they want to raise fare to $2. That's just madness. Most people can barely afford to take the train as it is. I use public transportation anywhere from 2 to 8 times a day. If I didn't have the unlimited MetroCard, I'd never take the bus. Right now I pay $63 a month, which saves me up to $150 a month. If they raise the fare to $2, I'd be paying $112 a month just to go to work and karate. I just can't afford that. They mentioned a plan that includes discounted fares for regular commuters, which I pray they use. If the state would just give us our fare share of transportation dollars, we wouldn't have such a problem. Every day, leaving New York looks more and more attractive. Then I think about what I could do here if I just put my mind to it, and I get confused about what I want from this life!