below is an email forwarded from the Working Families Party. I wholeheartedly agree – I wish the gov’t would give the working man a break. But for my money, I think they don’t go far enough. Read Christopher X. Brodeur’s platform from his 2005 mayoral campaign. He makes an EXCELLENT argument for making the subways FREE.

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Dear WFP Supporter,

As if the cost of living in New York wasn’t high enough, the news today is that the MTA is planning another fare hike (this time 8%).

It would be only the second time ever that transit riders faced fare increases two years in a row.

Everyone knows mass transit needs to be fully funded, but subway and bus riders already pay more than their fair share, with fare revenue accounting for far more of the MTA’s funding than the national average for transit systems.¹

The solution is clear: City Hall and Albany need to protect transit riders and invest in the MTA. It’s the only way New Yorkers can have affordable, reliable public transportation.

Tell Governor Paterson and Mayor Bloomberg, before transit riders are asked to reach even deeper into their pockets, the city and state need to increase aid for subways and buses:

Send your message: www.haltthehike.org

Investing in public transportation is a no-brainer. Subways and buses are the life blood of the city we call home. They take millions of commuters to work, school, home again, and everywhere in between daily.

But with the price of gas, housing, food – the cost of living life itself – skyrocketing, keeping mass transit affordable to all New Yorkers is just as important as keeping the system running strong.

That means the only good solution is more public investment in the biggest public asset we own: mass transit.

But we have to act fast. Winning more funding for public transportation means making our voices heard. If 5,000 people send the Governor and Mayor a message, they’ll know New Yorkers won’t stand for another fare hike.

Take a moment to send your message:

Join the call:

www.haltthehike.org

That’s all for now,

Bertha Lewis, Bob Master, Sam Williams

WFP Co-Chairs

Dan Cantor

WFP Executive Director

Sources:

1. National Transit Data Base, Federal Transit Administration, 2005 and 2006

Help Working Families fight for the little guy: We can’t count on Wall Street. We rely on contributions from ordinary people like you to keep the WFP going. If you’d like to support our work, visit:http://www.workingfamiliesparty.org/contribute.php