Mica to WMTA: "Drop Dead"
Care to elaborate or illuminate?
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
BaltACD Care to elaborate or illuminate?
Mica has a long history of criticism of the DC MTA.
http://www.rollcall.com/news/lawmaker-threatens-to-strip-wmata-of-management
C&NW, CA&E, MILW, CGW and IC fan
And Mica's criticism is more than justified - the WMTA transit system is, seemingly, the textbook case on how not to run a transit system. Mismanagement mired in incompetency and political cronyism. How can a system that is, reportedly, so extensively used, not generate enough money from the farebox to at least pay operating expenses? Now, their mismanagement has given the FTA an excuse to generate countless pages of new regulations for all transit agencies / companies to comply with and forms to fill out - whose end result will be to increase the paperwork and expense of operations.
schlimm BaltACD Care to elaborate or illuminate? Mica has a long history of criticism of the DC MTA. http://www.rollcall.com/news/lawmaker-threatens-to-strip-wmata-of-management
For the large number of people who probably don't remember: NKPguy was quoting the famous "Ford to City: Drop Dead" headline from the '70s, another fascinating case of Democratic financial mismanagement on an epic scale... but I digress.
Reading between the lines in the report schlimm provided, the comment by Eleanor Holmes Norton may go a long way toward explaining why Mica is saying what he is, and keeping his options open. There is no question that cutting the $50 million would have potential catastrophic consequences for 'safety' (that being something WMATA doesn't seem to properly implement even when it gets all the budget it wants) but there is also no question that something has to be done to fix the financial follies. I wonder if this needs to be looked at in connection with the discussion a few months ago of changing the regulation of the Metro to FRA, which I think was also driven in part by concerns about safety implementation.
In my view, this is not much different from Federal takeover of underperforming schools when the 'responsible' agencies can't or won't get the job done (on time/budget or not!) and the usual suspects start making excuses why progressive and meaningful organizational change shouldn' start to happen. Expect a great deal of whining and red-herring discussion of "issues", but also be prepared to filter this through an objective discussion of what is needed to assure operational and rider safety on this system, as well as assuring reasonable transit performance.
Since the District is the capital of the entire nation, it is quite a bit different than bailing out private corporations (Chrysler, GM, the big banks, PC and the other components of Conrail) or cities (NYC). For the nation's government to work, it needs a functioning transport system. Perhaps it should be taken over by the FRA since the local folks do not appear to be up to the task.
RME Federal takeover of underperforming schools when the 'responsible' agencies can't or won't get the job done (on time/budget or not!) and the usual suspects start making excuses why progressive and meaningful organizational change shouldn' start to happen.
The "takeovers" have been done by the state or the local mayor. Do you have any examples of the federal government doing so?
Excerpt from C-SPAN transcript
http://www.c-span.org/video/?408030-1/hearing-dc-metrorail-safety
OKAY. WELL, LET'S STEP UP TO THE PLATE. YOU'RE DEALING WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE BROKE. I'M TELLING YOU, I AM NOT GOING TO BAIL YOU OUT. I AM NOT GOING TO SUPPORT BAILING OUT THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. >> YOU'RE NOT BAILING US OUT. >> IT IS BAILING OUT. >> NO, IT'S NOT.
Oh great now "Da DC Metro" as locals call it will be run by a for profit outside contractor like First Transit or Keolis or British Rail or Bombardiar who will then find way to further cut corners to make a profit. Just ask anyone in Boston how that is working out. First Transit does a horrible job in Indy and unresposive to the public.
"I will work, and I think I can get support, to require that the operations and management be put up for bid and be given to an operating company," Rep. John L. Mica said at a hearing on Metro safety and management Tuesday evening. - See more at: http://www.rollcall.com/news/lawmaker-threatens-to-strip-wmata-of-management#sthash.K9pAKbZs.dpuf"
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