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Transport Subsidies Lead to Bad Decisions

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[quote user="Phoebe Vet"] [quote user="blue streak 1"]I am really worried about the trend of some posts that only give the the well off ability to travel and use transport. The eldery who can no longer drive, Handicapped poeple including a lot of Iraq veterns. The veterns are taking enough bad treatment and neglect. This is not my problem but I never know if it could or any of you posters. [/quote]Pure capitalism, which some of the posters seem to advocate, is survival of he fittest and is controlled by natural selection.  The example cited in this thread would be the demand that each form of travel should be totally paid for by the individual people who actually use it.Concern for the life quality of others get's immediately labeled "Socialism".MOST, but not all, of us realize that a humane and workable society actually exists somewhere in the middle.[/quote]My original post contained the following sentence:  "The earned income tax credit would be expanded to help the working poor, as well as the mobility impaired, offset the burden of higher transit costs."   If society decides that low income people, seniors, mobility impaired, etc. should be able to travel anywhere via whatever mode of transport is appropriate, there are a variety of mechanisms that can be implemented to make it possible.  The earned income tax credit is one way to do it.  Another way is to discount the price for select groups, i.e. seniors, students, mobility impaired, etc.  Most common carriers, e.g. airlines, bus companies, Amtrak, transit systems, etc. give discounts to seniors, students, as well as the mobility impaired. The advantage of discounts is that they are not hidden in the cost structure, thereby keeping the true cost and price of a service in view.  Subsidies mask these vairiable and promote inefficiencies.  Pure capitalism refers to a lassie fare economic system that most people gave up on generations ago.  Socialism is an economic and political system where the government owns the principal means of production.  It has nothing to do with transport pricing.
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