As you well know, New York City is struggling during these tough times caused by the ongoing Coronavirus crisis. You certainly do not need a description of the issues. You are well aware of the sorry details.
The suffering of health and financial issues is on a global scale. Officialdom is working night and day to address the salient issues. The public record shows many people in the public and private sector have stepped up to help–each in their own way. Some did a little, some did a lot. Indeed even you, Michael Bloomberg–to your lasting credit have stepped up and helped out in multiple ways.
Yet, there is much more that you can do. Life has been very good to you; the public record shows that you are a person with a net worth exceeding $54 billion, making you one of the 15 richest people in the world. There has never been any question that you have been generous with your money. On many occasions you have donated money to worthy causes.
There is another worthy cause you can and should donate to and that is the New York City Transit system. As you are well-aware the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is a New York State agency that runs various transit systems throughout the New York, New Jersey and Connecticut tri-state region which is home to some 18 million people. That also includes the New York City subways and buses.
The public record shows that at its pre-pandemic height, the city’s subway and buses carry some six million passengers each day. Now is an opportunity for you to donate a few billion dollars to the MTA to pay for free bus and subway rides for New York City folks. Doing this would require the MTA to remove all turnstiles from the subways and fare boxes on the buses.
To do so would transform the transit system as we know it. It would effectively put hundreds of dollars into the pockets–that sum being what New Yorkers pay each year in transit fares. But clearly is would do much more. One, removing the turnstiles and fare boxes would speed up passenger movement in and out of the subways and buses. Two, it would help lower crime on the transit system; crimes such as the robbery of token booths–a problem for many decades would be wiped out. There have been many incidents in which police officers and transit workers have been serious injured and even killed in token booth robberies.
Three, the annual arrests of tens of thousands of people for fare evasion would be eliminated. Four, in this critical time where health issues are front and center in every conversation, removing the turnstiles, token booths and Metro Card machines would reduce the transmission of germs. Every day untold numbers of people spread germs via contact with the turnstiles, token booths and through the Metro card machines. Its time that is stopped.
Yes, it’s time for you to make a major donation to effect free rides for all people. If you will donate to the MTA, please be very careful; the MTA is run by a wicked bunch of liars and crooks. Lately, the MTA Officialdom have falsified documents and statements to the Federal government in support of obtaining federal funds asserting they (MTA) are broke or nearly broke as a result of the reduction of riders during this health crisis. That is a fat lie. It was recently learned that the MTA has a $7 billion dollar unspent budget line for at least five years sitting in MTA bank accounts for expansion of the second Avenue subway from 96th street up to East 125th Street.
And, there are more misdeeds. The MTA just wasted a $500 million budget line to retrofit every bus fare box and subway turnstile in New York City. The turnstiles which previously allowed for Metro Cards to be ‘swiped’ now provide for those Metro Cards to be ‘tapped’. An outrageous sum of money when the ‘swipe’ card worked well and clearly this was a criminal waste of taxpayers money.
There is no shortage of examples where the MTA wasted taxpayers money. This is important because if you decide to donate your hard earned money to the MTA for free rides for buses and subways, you must establish very strong safeguards to protect your money if and when you donate it to the MTA. Be forewarned.
Joe Gonzalez is a community activist who lives and works in Brooklyn New York.
