5 day forecast
Corbett doesn't help
Share with others:
As a frequent public transportation user, I am disappointed by Gov. Tom Corbett's underfunded transit proposal.
For all of his time in office, Gov. Corbett has prioritized the needs of his friends in oil and gas and other corporations by providing them with huge tax breaks and refusing to close tax loopholes. Meanwhile, the working people of Pennsylvania continue to be subjected to devastating bus-line cuts and fare increases, and repeated blows to the opportunities that public transit gives us: obtaining jobs, accessing necessary medical services and being active members in our communities.
I live in Wilkinsburg and personally rely on public transportation every day, for food shopping, to go to the bank, to go to my therapist appointments and more. Fewer bus services have made these everyday tasks more difficult.
These cuts also result in the loss of good transit jobs with good benefits, which is bad for the economy, both in Allegheny County and across the state. Transit cuts affect people of all backgrounds, from families and children, to seniors, workers and students alike. With rising fares and fewer and fewer bus lines, it seems like we are trying to stop people from riding the bus, when we should be trying to get more people to use public transit!
It's time for this governor to show us a budget that invests in our futures by focusing on the importance of our public transportation system.
MICHAEL JONES
Wilkinsburg
First Published February 7, 2013 12:00 am
