Monday, March 2, 2009

Tactical Error

In my previous post, I spoke about the customer service troubles I had while (not quite) riding Greyhound out of Riverside. I feel that I might have made a bit of a mistake. Greyhound's detractors might use my words to point out the flaws and faults of the current service in Riverside. However, I think this reveals a key difference between the dominant ideologies of our society.

I am a liberal, as I've said in my "About Me" and several times on the blog. When I look at the present, be it Greyhound or government, I see what should be, and I see what could be. Sadly enough, the current Greyhound station and level of service are a touch lackluster. However, if my house's roof leaked, I would not simply bulldoze the house, I would call a roofer.

The other side, the conservatives, use the evidence of the poor state of our public transportation as evidence that it should be dismantled. They say that a government-subsidized transport system (which Greyhound is, make no mistake) is inherently inefficient and insensitive, and they say the current failings of the system are inherent. The gentleman quoted in the Press-Enterprise several blog posts ago was a good example of this. But these claims are like saying that, if your house has a leaky roof, you ought to bulldoze it and erect a tent where it once stood.

Personally, I'd rather fix the house.

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