THE MT f-ing A

Ok. What the hell is the deal with the MTA? If you live in NYC, you need no further explanation. You know how awful they are. Why do they keep raising fares and reducing service? There's something wrong there. I mean, I think Bloomberg is a great mayor. But he needs to do something about the transit system. There's always SOMETHING wrong. Whether its trains being late, overcrowded, signal problems (the signals are 100 yrs old), express trains that run local, local trains that run express...

I mean WTF? This is the problem when you are the only game in town. This is what happens when you have absolutely no competition. There's no one out there to make you better. The MTA is a metaphor for every company that is a monopoly. We have very strict anti-monopoly laws in this country. But, naturally, they don't apply to the government and its agencies.

Think about it: Would the MTA still be THIS awful if there was another company that also ran major public transportation? I know it isn't really feasible, but just imagine the possibilities.

How about the cable company? The phone company? The electric company? We're finally able to make a choice on some of these, albeit not a great one. But these are companies that basically have carte blanch to do what they want, and most importantly, CHARGE what they want. Think about your electric bill. Con Ed (or whoever your provider is) can say whatever they want. How the f*ck do you know how much electricity you use. You don't.

Competition breeds improvement. Its the desire to be the BEST that keeps you on your toes. When you're the ONLY you can just sit back, relax, and rake in the dough.

When it comes to the MTA, we're helpless. We can call, write letters, even freakin blog about it, but we all know there's absolutely nothing we can do. Don't you wish we could go on strike and say we refuse to take the subway until they do something to improve service? Ahhh if only...