Homeland Security Can Now Search Without Warrants
by Lewis DerkinsAugust 8th, 2008, 7:36 pm
In case you weren’t paying attention, the Department of Homeland Stupidity recently wiped its ass with the fourth amendment and threw it back in our collective faces. Citizens’ personal electronic devices are now subject to search by Customs and Border Patrol ... more
Posted in Government Workers, Laws, Security, Uncategorized Rage | 2 Comments »
New Variable-Speed Escalators for New York Subways
by Lewis DerkinsAugust 6th, 2008, 11:57 pm
Today, The New York Times reports on an MTA plan to begin replacing its standard escalators with “variable-speed escalators”. Variable-speed escalators [use] infrared motion sensors, [and] the escalators will slow to a crawl of just 15 feet per minute when no one ... more
Posted in Congestion Pricing, Government Workers, Mass Transit, Spending, Subways, Tax Increases | 8 Comments »
You Get the Department of Homeland Stupidity You Deserve
by Lewis DerkinsJuly 31st, 2008, 8:38 pm
I’ve been thinking, we need to establish a new category labeled “Awesome” and file this one under it. It seems Sonia Pitt, one of the clowns associated with the I-10 bridge collapse debacle, has been hired by the Department of Homeland ... more
Posted in Government Workers, Security | 4 Comments »
The Marketplace Works, Streetsblog Jerks
by Alvin MacIntoshJuly 30th, 2008, 5:57 pm
This comic, broken into three parts by the cartoonist Ruben Bolling and posted July 29th on Streetsblog, is a cowardly and intellectually fraudulent attempt to warp the critical debate in this country over transportation, energy, and foreign policies. ... more
Posted in Congress, Gas Prices, Government Workers, Oil, Politics | 3 Comments »
NYC MetroCard Machine Meltdown, Straphangers Powerless
by Judd WileyJuly 30th, 2008, 5:28 pm
For the second straight day, New York subway commuters were forced to endure a “widespread malfunction blocking the use of credit or debit cards to purchase MetroCards from subway station vending machines.” The 2,245 malfunctioning machines succeeded in “delaying ... more
Posted in Government Workers, Mass Transit, Subways, Technology | No Comments »
More TSA Stupidity
by Lewis DerkinsJuly 24th, 2008, 7:13 pm
My favorite anti-heroes, the Terribly Stupid Administration, are at it again. It seems that screeners are getting a little “overzealous” in their searches. In Chicago, Robert Perry, a 71-year-old wheelchair-bound man, was searched in public view in a see through room ... more
Posted in Airports, Government Workers, Security | 2 Comments »
Metro Dulles Expansion Price Increase
by Lewis DerkinsJuly 24th, 2008, 5:57 pm
The Washington Post reports that Metro’s Silver Line expansion to Dulles is in for a price increase of $54 million. The start and completion dates have also been pushed back. The contractor, Dulles Transit Partners, will now be paid $1.63 billion. ... more
Posted in Congress, Government Workers, Mass Transit, Politics, Spending, Subways | No Comments »
NYC Subway Delays Way Up
by Judd WileyJuly 22nd, 2008, 12:30 pm
Surprise, surprise – New York City subway delays have increased dramatically over the last year. The numbers are really quite amazing. We’re talking about a 24% increase in the number of MTA delays systemwide, measured over the year ending in May. According ... more
Posted in Gas Prices, Government Workers, Mass Transit, Politics, Subways | 1 Comment »
“No Passengers”
by Judd WileyJuly 8th, 2008, 10:38 am
If you ride the DC Metro frequently, you know exactly what I’m talking about. That empty, sometimes darkened Metro train, marked “No Passengers,” rolling slowly through station after station without picking anyone up. A staple of rush hour, its presence is ... more
Posted in Government Workers, Mass Transit, Subways | 14 Comments »
Virginia Transportation Woes
by Lewis DerkinsJune 30th, 2008, 6:45 pm
It appears that the Virginia legislature has effectively killed Governor Tim Kaine’s transportation plan. For those unfamiliar with the current debacle, Virginia has serious transportation funding problems – or so the state claims. Last year, the state instituted a harsh ... more
Posted in Government Workers, Politics, Spending, Tax Increases, Traffic Congestion | 7 Comments »
Georgia’s McKinsey Transportation Study - Throwing Money Down the Drain
by Lewis DerkinsJune 30th, 2008, 6:33 pm
Governor Sonny Perdue recently announced that Georgia has awarded McKinsey & Co. a $2.5 million contract to develop the state’s transportation strategy. Talk about throwing money away. Preliminary plans show the consultant's assignment is ambitious. It includes identifying policies and governance ... more
Posted in Government Workers, Politics, Privatization, Spending, Traffic Congestion | No Comments »
Metro Customer Service - Beyond Terrible
by Lewis DerkinsJune 28th, 2008, 12:56 am
Today, I saw something gut-wrenchingly terrible on Metro. Occasionally I see a blind man in my Metro station when I head home from work. We take the same train, and it always strikes me how difficult something as simple as riding ... more
Posted in Government Workers, Light Rail, Mass Transit, Subways | No Comments »
North Carolina License Plate Mix-Up - WTF?
by Lewis DerkinsJune 27th, 2008, 5:29 pm
Yet again today I found myself reading one of those articles that is so foolish that it makes me giddy with the ways I can tear it to shreds. I feel like a pack of sharks must feel when there’s ... more
Posted in Government Workers, Politics, Spending, Uncategorized Rage | 3 Comments »
Subway Sex Sting
by Lewis DerkinsJune 26th, 2008, 10:25 pm
Of all the abysmal service I have personally witnessed, and the horrible stories I have read about Metro, this has to be the worst. A station manager and custodian were just arrested on prostitution charges. Apparently, they ran their little “business” ... more
Posted in Government Workers, Light Rail, Mass Transit, Subways | 3 Comments »
The Curious Case of Kansas City Mass Transit
by Lewis DerkinsJune 25th, 2008, 7:27 pm
Today, I got a comment on one of my posts about Midwestern bus ridership. I knew bus systems were getting hammered by rising gas prices, but I decided to go see what was new in this area since I hadn’t ... more
Posted in Buses, Government Workers, Light Rail, Mass Transit, Politics, Spending, Tax Increases | No Comments »
