The slogan "think globally, act locally" has been expressed many ways, but perhaps never as stylishly as it was by students at City Charter High School, Downtown, on Friday night. All dressed in their finery, they took a Port Authority bus to their prom in Oakland.

No limo for them when the 61D was available. As Post-Gazette reporter Laura Yao wrote in Saturday's paper, 13 students took public transportation to conserve fuel and show their commitment to a better environment. Two seniors, Branden Plesh and Grace Frankenberg, organized the event as their Senior Action Project, which must improve the community in some way. Good for them and their friends who took part.

While the students didn't solve global warming in one night or put a frown on an oil sheikh's face, the symbolism made a statement -- and it couldn't have been more timely. The young people were taking the bus to the prom, even as the cause of public transportation was left a wallflower in Harrisburg's merry dance.

Even before the weekend was over, a budget-strapped Port Authority had proceeded to cut its service by 15 percent, eliminating 30 routes and reducing service on 104. Without a dedicated source of funding approved by state lawmakers, it had little choice.

For many patrons of the Port Authority, it's not a matter of putting on a tuxedo or party dress for a night of celebration; it's about getting to work. The City Charter High School students understand the value of public transportation while most of the older and supposedly wiser legislators do not. On Friday night, across the generational divide, came a light-hearted but profound commentary on what is wrong with this picture.