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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Alighieri who wrote (439109)	12/8/2008 10:45:21 AM
From: jlallen	2 Recommendations Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 1574091

True leadership often means one takes positions which are unpopular with your friends....and this Admin never "championed" "torture".....yet another bold faced lie. You have never heard either i-node, myself or any other real conservative defending Bush's budget or immigration policy....the difference is that we can disagree with Bush and his policies without the need to demonize him....Bush is a good man doing a very tough job....and while he has been a disappointment to true conservatives, that does not mean he needs to be labeled as Hitler or as so many of the other baseless pejoratives which have been hurled his way. J.

To: Alighieri who wrote (439109)	12/8/2008 11:06:56 AM
From: tejek	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1574091

New Ridership Record Shows U.S. Still Lured to Mass Transit By Lena H. Sun Washington Post Staff Writer Monday, December 8, 2008; Page A08 Americans rode subways, buses and commuter railroads in record numbers in the third quarter of this year, even as gas prices dropped and unemployment rose. The 6.5 percent jump in transit ridership over the same period last year marks the largest quarterly increase in public transportation ridership in 25 years, according to a survey to be released today by the American Public Transportation Association. Ridership growth began hitting record levels last year and continued through the first and second quarters of this year, spurred in large part by gasoline prices that topped $4 a gallon in July, the industry group said. But the third-quarter increase is notable, it said, because gas prices began falling and unemployment rose, trends that tend to drive ridership down. Instead, ridership has gone up across the board nationwide. More than 2.8 billion trips were taken from July through September, rising 8.5 percent on light rail (streetcars), 7.2 percent on buses, 6.3 percent on commuter rail and 5.2 percent on subways. "It's very rare to see when virtually every part of the country and every mode of transit is up," said APTA President William W. Millar. "As other costs in their lives have gone up, Americans are looking for ways to economize, and in most communities, transit is still a bargain." Americans drove 4.4 percent less, or almost 11 billion fewer miles, in September compared with September 2007, the 11th straight month of declining driving, according to the Federal Highway Administration. In early July, the national average price for a gallon of gas was $4.11, but it fell steadily through the quarter, dropping to $3.63 at the end of September. Even though pump prices continue to plummet, transit officials said riders are sticking to buses and trains. Preliminary data for October show the upward trend continuing. In Los Angeles, rail ridership jumped nearly 17 percent in October compared with the same period last year. Loudoun County's commuter bus ridership rose 25 percent in October over the previous year and more than 25 percent for the first 13 days of November from last year. The national average price for a gallon of gas was $1.73 yesterday. The trends are likely to boost support for more transit funds in the economic stimulus package that Congress will send to President-elect Barack Obama. With the economy in a recession, Obama pledged Saturday to create the largest public works construction program since the building of the federal interstate highway system in the 1950s. The project is a key part of his plan to create or save 2.5 million jobs over the next two years, he said. Obama gave no cost estimate. Democrats hope to send a spending package that could exceed $500 billion to the White House by Jan. 20, when Obama takes office. At a meeting with Obama in Philadelphia last week, governors estimated there were $136 billion in "ready-to-go" projects that go beyond traditional bridge and road repairs to include public transit, water and sewer plants. For the longer term, Democrats also hope to increase funds dramatically for the country's five-year transportation spending plan that expires in September. Public transportation advocates say investing in transit creates jobs, reduces America's dependence on foreign oil and helps combat climate change, all goals of the incoming administration. Despite ridership demand, severe budget deficits and declining sales and property tax revenues have already forced many transit agencies to raise fares and cut service. Dozens more are considering service reductions. Fares and tolls in New York will increase 23 percent in July; severe cuts in bus and subway service are slated for spring. In Washington, Metro officials say they hope to maintain service levels next year by cutting other costs. Maryland officials are proposing reductions in MARC commuter train service and the fast-growing commuter bus service, effective Jan. 12. The Cleveland transit agency cut bus and rail service by 3 percent and raised fares 25 cents last month. "We understand ridership demands are putting a strain on transit agencies, and their costs are going up and they don't have the money to add additional capacity," said Jim Berard, a spokesman for Rep. James L. Oberstar (D-Minn.), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. CONTINUED 1 2 Next > washingtonpost.com

To: Alighieri who wrote (439109)	12/8/2008 11:37:03 AM
From: Tenchusatsu	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1574091

Al, > Funny...I always thought ABB was the crutch you reached for whenever we would talk about things like unnecessary war, crushing debt, environmental policies that don't do anything for the environment, foreign policy that alienates allies, torture, and a host of other issues that bush and his administration championed. These are ISSUES tench...not avoidance or escape into meaningless acronyms you created. LOL, it's the crutch YOU reach for, not me. Every time I try and discuss any of those ISSUES with you, you always argue toward the notion of "Step 1: Get rid of Bush." Hardly ever anything worthy of an argument. Well Bush will be gone soon. Let's see how your arguments evolve after that. Tenchusatsu