Congestion Pricing: Putting a double-edged sword in the hands of the MTA
Just another way to soak the consumer for the few dollars that remain in his wallet?
After many months of discussion, the MTA has now been given permission to put their hands in our pockets once again in the form of a congestion pricing scheme. And what pray tell will they use this money for? New construction? Better maintenance? More overpriced contracts? A remote possibility of a safe transit system? Higher fares? Your guess is as good as mine.
From where I sit, I am happy to say that I am finished with my daily commute to the city. Yes, I commuted by rail every day for more than 37 years. I don't need to go into the city, especially now that it is less safe than it was with all of the “sanctuary” population, homelessness, and the plethora of criminals who have been released to the streets as a matter of routine since they came up with this marvelous version of “bail reform.”
That's not bad enough, but our economy is in the gutter, and despite the constant lies from the White House claiming otherwise, the supply chain issues prompted by the lockdowns and mandates of the last three years has already drained our wallets, created empty spaces on store shelves, and raised the prices of everything we need for sustenance-food, fuel, services, transportation, etc.
From what I read, this system has already been in place in London and in Stockholm. Keep in mind that these are both cities which run more or less under a socialist form of government. I would say that they fall somewhere between democracy and communism, what they don't represent the form of government which we are supposed to enjoy in the USA.
One does not have to think very far to see the implications And outcomes of implementing this scheme in New York City. New York City succeeds when goods and services flow freely into and out from the city. It is probably the largest business complex in the world, and anything which is done to stifle the movement of these goods and services is going to increase the cost of providing them. You want to buy bread and milk in your local supermarket in this city? What will be the additional cost of delivering that product to the store. You want to go out and refresh your wardrobe? You're going to pay considerably more because somebody has to pick up the tab for the additional expense of travelling into the city with their delivery vehicle. Even Amazon will not be able to get through this one without additional expense-they rely on delivery vehicles to bring products from their warehouses, and I don't believe they have any of them in the congestion pricing zone of midtown Manhattan. Are you ready to accept a surcharge on those prices because you live in midtown Manhattan? I certainly hope so because that's what's coming!
We're all paying premium prices now because of supply chain issues, and it’s those who purchase in the congestion district who will bear the brunt of increased prices. Those outside the district will also feel the pain- we’ll all end up sharing the increased cost associated with this foolish plan. Let's hope that the fight against this plan is successful. And remember the bottom line is that elections have consequences. Albert Einstein was totally correct when he defined insanity as continuing to do the same thing you've been doing all along and expecting the outcome to be different. The New York City ship is listing heavily to the left. Perhaps it's time to unload some of the ballast from those elected offices and right the ship before it capsizes or runs around. And see if you can honestly say that you are better off today than you were three-and-a-half years ago. I certainly can’t.