Free bus service in DC proposed

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread seems to be full of young, idealistic, naive white people who think everything should be free. I agree with them when it comes to buses because it will be comedy gold when buses are transformed into roving mental wards, full of screaming homeless people, and the people on the thread are sitting among them saying "this is totally fine."

Oh, you must be from the conference call who has warned us for the last 20 years that we were going to tank home values with our shenanigans. I'm still waiting for that one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Downtown is dying. Vacancy rates are throw the roof, which are driving down property values which will mean radically lower property tax revenues, which will blow a giant hole in the city's budget. But, sure, let's focus on...[checks notes]...making buses free?

This is what it's like to be ruled by children.

Oh no! Did your favorite steakhouse close and now you have to pick from one of the remaining 7? It must be really hard to be you now.

This is just weird. So you're cool with an entire section of the city becoming a ghost town? And what happens to the city's budget when one of its main revenue sources dries up?

You can hypothesize that all you want, but we've had surpluses for as long as I can remember. Downtown isn't a ghost town except to fox news viewers, but that's your problem.

Uh, what? Speaking of children. You're probably too young to know who Tony Williams is, and you certainly don't remember what D.C. was like before he was mayor, but here's Tony Williams saying the same thing: https://www.federalcitycouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Letter-to-CFO-Glen-Lee-on-Commercial-Property-Vulnerabilities-11.14.22-final.pdf

And who are all the other co-signers? Commercial property owners, dealers, and developers. If you don’t take what they saw with an entire salt flat, please be in touch as I know of a Nigerian prince who desperately wants to make contact with you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Downtown is dying. Vacancy rates are throw the roof, which are driving down property values which will mean radically lower property tax revenues, which will blow a giant hole in the city's budget. But, sure, let's focus on...[checks notes]...making buses free?

This is what it's like to be ruled by children.

Oh no! Did your favorite steakhouse close and now you have to pick from one of the remaining 7? It must be really hard to be you now.

This is just weird. So you're cool with an entire section of the city becoming a ghost town? And what happens to the city's budget when one of its main revenue sources dries up?

You can hypothesize that all you want, but we've had surpluses for as long as I can remember. Downtown isn't a ghost town except to fox news viewers, but that's your problem.

Uh, what? Speaking of children. You're probably too young to know who Tony Williams is, and you certainly don't remember what D.C. was like before he was mayor, but here's Tony Williams saying the same thing: https://www.federalcitycouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Letter-to-CFO-Glen-Lee-on-Commercial-Property-Vulnerabilities-11.14.22-final.pdf

And who are all the other co-signers? Commercial property owners, dealers, and developers. If you don’t take what they saw with an entire salt flat, please be in touch as I know of a Nigerian prince who desperately wants to make contact with you.

Who do expect to sign such a letter? Do you think all the city's yoga instructors are going to get together to complain about collapsing commercial property values? You can stick your head in the sand if you like, but this is a major problem for the city's budget. Everyone is trying to get out of their downtown leases because the numbers don't work anymore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Downtown is dying. Vacancy rates are throw the roof, which are driving down property values which will mean radically lower property tax revenues, which will blow a giant hole in the city's budget. But, sure, let's focus on...[checks notes]...making buses free?

This is what it's like to be ruled by children.

Oh no! Did your favorite steakhouse close and now you have to pick from one of the remaining 7? It must be really hard to be you now.

This is just weird. So you're cool with an entire section of the city becoming a ghost town? And what happens to the city's budget when one of its main revenue sources dries up?

You can hypothesize that all you want, but we've had surpluses for as long as I can remember. Downtown isn't a ghost town except to fox news viewers, but that's your problem.

Uh, what? Speaking of children. You're probably too young to know who Tony Williams is, and you certainly don't remember what D.C. was like before he was mayor, but here's Tony Williams saying the same thing: https://www.federalcitycouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Letter-to-CFO-Glen-Lee-on-Commercial-Property-Vulnerabilities-11.14.22-final.pdf

And who are all the other co-signers? Commercial property owners, dealers, and developers. If you don’t take what they saw with an entire salt flat, please be in touch as I know of a Nigerian prince who desperately wants to make contact with you.

Who do expect to sign such a letter? Do you think all the city's yoga instructors are going to get together to complain about collapsing commercial property values? You can stick your head in the sand if you like, but this is a major problem for the city's budget. Everyone is trying to get out of their downtown leases because the numbers don't work anymore.

And this time, we promise that home values are going to TANK. We were wrong all the other times, but now we're really really sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Downtown is dying. Vacancy rates are throw the roof, which are driving down property values which will mean radically lower property tax revenues, which will blow a giant hole in the city's budget. But, sure, let's focus on...[checks notes]...making buses free?

This is what it's like to be ruled by children.

Oh no! Did your favorite steakhouse close and now you have to pick from one of the remaining 7? It must be really hard to be you now.

This is just weird. So you're cool with an entire section of the city becoming a ghost town? And what happens to the city's budget when one of its main revenue sources dries up?

You can hypothesize that all you want, but we've had surpluses for as long as I can remember. Downtown isn't a ghost town except to fox news viewers, but that's your problem.

Uh, what? Speaking of children. You're probably too young to know who Tony Williams is, and you certainly don't remember what D.C. was like before he was mayor, but here's Tony Williams saying the same thing: https://www.federalcitycouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Letter-to-CFO-Glen-Lee-on-Commercial-Property-Vulnerabilities-11.14.22-final.pdf

And who are all the other co-signers? Commercial property owners, dealers, and developers. If you don’t take what they saw with an entire salt flat, please be in touch as I know of a Nigerian prince who desperately wants to make contact with you.

Who do expect to sign such a letter? Do you think all the city's yoga instructors are going to get together to complain about collapsing commercial property values? You can stick your head in the sand if you like, but this is a major problem for the city's budget. Everyone is trying to get out of their downtown leases because the numbers don't work anymore.

And this time, we promise that home values are going to TANK. We were wrong all the other times, but now we're really really sure.

I like how you're extremely hostile to basic economics. Yes, home prices are going down and will continue to go down for a long time. Funny how that happens when the Federal Reserve radically increases interest rates. Every homeowner in D.C. should contest their property tax assessments.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't some high numbers of people just not pay anyways? Same with metro I see people just climb over the gates every day.

Let's pay for metro from taxes too. I'm not sure why we're wasting money on faregates and enforcement when we can just pay for the service itself.

You are paying for Metro through your DC taxes. DC already has some of the highest tax rates in the nation. Is your solution simply to raise tax rates further -- on someone else.presumably?

Total DC taxes are lower than surrounding jurisdictions. Whoever is telling you otherwise is not your friend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Downtown is dying. Vacancy rates are throw the roof, which are driving down property values which will mean radically lower property tax revenues, which will blow a giant hole in the city's budget. But, sure, let's focus on...[checks notes]...making buses free?

This is what it's like to be ruled by children.

Oh no! Did your favorite steakhouse close and now you have to pick from one of the remaining 7? It must be really hard to be you now.

This is just weird. So you're cool with an entire section of the city becoming a ghost town? And what happens to the city's budget when one of its main revenue sources dries up?

You can hypothesize that all you want, but we've had surpluses for as long as I can remember. Downtown isn't a ghost town except to fox news viewers, but that's your problem.

Uh, what? Speaking of children. You're probably too young to know who Tony Williams is, and you certainly don't remember what D.C. was like before he was mayor, but here's Tony Williams saying the same thing: https://www.federalcitycouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Letter-to-CFO-Glen-Lee-on-Commercial-Property-Vulnerabilities-11.14.22-final.pdf

And who are all the other co-signers? Commercial property owners, dealers, and developers. If you don’t take what they saw with an entire salt flat, please be in touch as I know of a Nigerian prince who desperately wants to make contact with you.

Who do expect to sign such a letter? Do you think all the city's yoga instructors are going to get together to complain about collapsing commercial property values? You can stick your head in the sand if you like, but this is a major problem for the city's budget. Everyone is trying to get out of their downtown leases because the numbers don't work anymore.

And this time, we promise that home values are going to TANK. We were wrong all the other times, but now we're really really sure.

I like how you're extremely hostile to basic economics. Yes, home prices are going down and will continue to go down for a long time. Funny how that happens when the Federal Reserve radically increases interest rates. Every homeowner in D.C. should contest their property tax assessments.

I'm pretty sure it's happening because of bike lanes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Downtown is dying. Vacancy rates are throw the roof, which are driving down property values which will mean radically lower property tax revenues, which will blow a giant hole in the city's budget. But, sure, let's focus on...[checks notes]...making buses free?

This is what it's like to be ruled by children.

Oh no! Did your favorite steakhouse close and now you have to pick from one of the remaining 7? It must be really hard to be you now.

This is just weird. So you're cool with an entire section of the city becoming a ghost town? And what happens to the city's budget when one of its main revenue sources dries up?

You can hypothesize that all you want, but we've had surpluses for as long as I can remember. Downtown isn't a ghost town except to fox news viewers, but that's your problem.

Uh, what? Speaking of children. You're probably too young to know who Tony Williams is, and you certainly don't remember what D.C. was like before he was mayor, but here's Tony Williams saying the same thing: https://www.federalcitycouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Letter-to-CFO-Glen-Lee-on-Commercial-Property-Vulnerabilities-11.14.22-final.pdf

And who are all the other co-signers? Commercial property owners, dealers, and developers. If you don’t take what they saw with an entire salt flat, please be in touch as I know of a Nigerian prince who desperately wants to make contact with you.

Who do expect to sign such a letter? Do you think all the city's yoga instructors are going to get together to complain about collapsing commercial property values? You can stick your head in the sand if you like, but this is a major problem for the city's budget. Everyone is trying to get out of their downtown leases because the numbers don't work anymore.

And this time, we promise that home values are going to TANK. We were wrong all the other times, but now we're really really sure.

I like how you're extremely hostile to basic economics. Yes, home prices are going down and will continue to go down for a long time. Funny how that happens when the Federal Reserve radically increases interest rates. Every homeowner in D.C. should contest their property tax assessments.

I'm pretty sure it's happening because of bike lanes.

DCUM’s version of Godwin’s Law dictates that the probability of Nick appearing to blame the social ill under discussion on bike lanes approaches one by about the third page of the thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Downtown is dying. Vacancy rates are throw the roof, which are driving down property values which will mean radically lower property tax revenues, which will blow a giant hole in the city's budget. But, sure, let's focus on...[checks notes]...making buses free?

This is what it's like to be ruled by children.

Oh no! Did your favorite steakhouse close and now you have to pick from one of the remaining 7? It must be really hard to be you now.

This is just weird. So you're cool with an entire section of the city becoming a ghost town? And what happens to the city's budget when one of its main revenue sources dries up?

You can hypothesize that all you want, but we've had surpluses for as long as I can remember. Downtown isn't a ghost town except to fox news viewers, but that's your problem.

Uh, what? Speaking of children. You're probably too young to know who Tony Williams is, and you certainly don't remember what D.C. was like before he was mayor, but here's Tony Williams saying the same thing: https://www.federalcitycouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Letter-to-CFO-Glen-Lee-on-Commercial-Property-Vulnerabilities-11.14.22-final.pdf

And who are all the other co-signers? Commercial property owners, dealers, and developers. If you don’t take what they saw with an entire salt flat, please be in touch as I know of a Nigerian prince who desperately wants to make contact with you.

Who do expect to sign such a letter? Do you think all the city's yoga instructors are going to get together to complain about collapsing commercial property values? You can stick your head in the sand if you like, but this is a major problem for the city's budget. Everyone is trying to get out of their downtown leases because the numbers don't work anymore.

And this time, we promise that home values are going to TANK. We were wrong all the other times, but now we're really really sure.

I like how you're extremely hostile to basic economics. Yes, home prices are going down and will continue to go down for a long time. Funny how that happens when the Federal Reserve radically increases interest rates. Every homeowner in D.C. should contest their property tax assessments.

Prices have to come down. The mortgage on an $800,000 house now costs probably almost $2,000 more per month than it did a year ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Downtown is dying. Vacancy rates are throw the roof, which are driving down property values which will mean radically lower property tax revenues, which will blow a giant hole in the city's budget. But, sure, let's focus on...[checks notes]...making buses free?

This is what it's like to be ruled by children.

Oh no! Did your favorite steakhouse close and now you have to pick from one of the remaining 7? It must be really hard to be you now.

This is just weird. So you're cool with an entire section of the city becoming a ghost town? And what happens to the city's budget when one of its main revenue sources dries up?

You can hypothesize that all you want, but we've had surpluses for as long as I can remember. Downtown isn't a ghost town except to fox news viewers, but that's your problem.

Uh, what? Speaking of children. You're probably too young to know who Tony Williams is, and you certainly don't remember what D.C. was like before he was mayor, but here's Tony Williams saying the same thing: https://www.federalcitycouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Letter-to-CFO-Glen-Lee-on-Commercial-Property-Vulnerabilities-11.14.22-final.pdf

And who are all the other co-signers? Commercial property owners, dealers, and developers. If you don’t take what they saw with an entire salt flat, please be in touch as I know of a Nigerian prince who desperately wants to make contact with you.

Who do expect to sign such a letter? Do you think all the city's yoga instructors are going to get together to complain about collapsing commercial property values? You can stick your head in the sand if you like, but this is a major problem for the city's budget. Everyone is trying to get out of their downtown leases because the numbers don't work anymore.

The DC metro area probably has more economists and policy analysts than anywhere else on earth. That none of them are signing off on this speaks volumes. Wake me up when you have some objective analysis. Screeds from lobbyists don’t count.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread seems to be full of young, idealistic, naive white people who think everything should be free. I agree with them when it comes to buses because it will be comedy gold when buses are transformed into roving mental wards, full of screaming homeless people, and the people on the thread are sitting among them saying "this is totally fine."

I mean. The Circulator has been free for about 2 years of the 4 it's been useful to my commute. My actual, lived experience is that the number of screaming homeless people is about the same regardless of cost or lack thereof. What data are you basing your opinion on?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Downtown is dying. Vacancy rates are throw the roof, which are driving down property values which will mean radically lower property tax revenues, which will blow a giant hole in the city's budget. But, sure, let's focus on...[checks notes]...making buses free?

This is what it's like to be ruled by children.

Oh no! Did your favorite steakhouse close and now you have to pick from one of the remaining 7? It must be really hard to be you now.

This is just weird. So you're cool with an entire section of the city becoming a ghost town? And what happens to the city's budget when one of its main revenue sources dries up?

You can hypothesize that all you want, but we've had surpluses for as long as I can remember. Downtown isn't a ghost town except to fox news viewers, but that's your problem.

Uh, what? Speaking of children. You're probably too young to know who Tony Williams is, and you certainly don't remember what D.C. was like before he was mayor, but here's Tony Williams saying the same thing: https://www.federalcitycouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Letter-to-CFO-Glen-Lee-on-Commercial-Property-Vulnerabilities-11.14.22-final.pdf

And who are all the other co-signers? Commercial property owners, dealers, and developers. If you don’t take what they saw with an entire salt flat, please be in touch as I know of a Nigerian prince who desperately wants to make contact with you.

Who do expect to sign such a letter? Do you think all the city's yoga instructors are going to get together to complain about collapsing commercial property values? You can stick your head in the sand if you like, but this is a major problem for the city's budget. Everyone is trying to get out of their downtown leases because the numbers don't work anymore.

And this time, we promise that home values are going to TANK. We were wrong all the other times, but now we're really really sure.

I like how you're extremely hostile to basic economics. Yes, home prices are going down and will continue to go down for a long time. Funny how that happens when the Federal Reserve radically increases interest rates. Every homeowner in D.C. should contest their property tax assessments.

Prices have to come down. The mortgage on an $800,000 house now costs probably almost $2,000 more per month than it did a year ago.

Also with all the bike lanes around for rich yuppies no one will want to live here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread seems to be full of young, idealistic, naive white people who think everything should be free. I agree with them when it comes to buses because it will be comedy gold when buses are transformed into roving mental wards, full of screaming homeless people, and the people on the thread are sitting among them saying "this is totally fine."

I mean. The Circulator has been free for about 2 years of the 4 it's been useful to my commute. My actual, lived experience is that the number of screaming homeless people is about the same regardless of cost or lack thereof. What data are you basing your opinion on?

Conjecture and hyperbole! And it's good enough for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Downtown is dying. Vacancy rates are throw the roof, which are driving down property values which will mean radically lower property tax revenues, which will blow a giant hole in the city's budget. But, sure, let's focus on...[checks notes]...making buses free?

This is what it's like to be ruled by children.

Oh no! Did your favorite steakhouse close and now you have to pick from one of the remaining 7? It must be really hard to be you now.

This is just weird. So you're cool with an entire section of the city becoming a ghost town? And what happens to the city's budget when one of its main revenue sources dries up?

You can hypothesize that all you want, but we've had surpluses for as long as I can remember. Downtown isn't a ghost town except to fox news viewers, but that's your problem.

Uh, what? Speaking of children. You're probably too young to know who Tony Williams is, and you certainly don't remember what D.C. was like before he was mayor, but here's Tony Williams saying the same thing: https://www.federalcitycouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Letter-to-CFO-Glen-Lee-on-Commercial-Property-Vulnerabilities-11.14.22-final.pdf

And who are all the other co-signers? Commercial property owners, dealers, and developers. If you don’t take what they saw with an entire salt flat, please be in touch as I know of a Nigerian prince who desperately wants to make contact with you.

Who do expect to sign such a letter? Do you think all the city's yoga instructors are going to get together to complain about collapsing commercial property values? You can stick your head in the sand if you like, but this is a major problem for the city's budget. Everyone is trying to get out of their downtown leases because the numbers don't work anymore.

The DC metro area probably has more economists and policy analysts than anywhere else on earth. That none of them are signing off on this speaks volumes. Wake me up when you have some objective analysis. Screeds from lobbyists don’t count.

Or you could just pick up a newspaper? Maybe read a little bit about things happening in our world? Try to educate yourself a little bit?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Downtown is dying. Vacancy rates are throw the roof, which are driving down property values which will mean radically lower property tax revenues, which will blow a giant hole in the city's budget. But, sure, let's focus on...[checks notes]...making buses free?

This is what it's like to be ruled by children.

Oh no! Did your favorite steakhouse close and now you have to pick from one of the remaining 7? It must be really hard to be you now.

This is just weird. So you're cool with an entire section of the city becoming a ghost town? And what happens to the city's budget when one of its main revenue sources dries up?

You can hypothesize that all you want, but we've had surpluses for as long as I can remember. Downtown isn't a ghost town except to fox news viewers, but that's your problem.

Uh, what? Speaking of children. You're probably too young to know who Tony Williams is, and you certainly don't remember what D.C. was like before he was mayor, but here's Tony Williams saying the same thing: https://www.federalcitycouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Letter-to-CFO-Glen-Lee-on-Commercial-Property-Vulnerabilities-11.14.22-final.pdf

And who are all the other co-signers? Commercial property owners, dealers, and developers. If you don’t take what they saw with an entire salt flat, please be in touch as I know of a Nigerian prince who desperately wants to make contact with you.

Who do expect to sign such a letter? Do you think all the city's yoga instructors are going to get together to complain about collapsing commercial property values? You can stick your head in the sand if you like, but this is a major problem for the city's budget. Everyone is trying to get out of their downtown leases because the numbers don't work anymore.

And this time, we promise that home values are going to TANK. We were wrong all the other times, but now we're really really sure.

I like how you're extremely hostile to basic economics. Yes, home prices are going down and will continue to go down for a long time. Funny how that happens when the Federal Reserve radically increases interest rates. Every homeowner in D.C. should contest their property tax assessments.

Prices have to come down. The mortgage on an $800,000 house now costs probably almost $2,000 more per month than it did a year ago.

Mortgages don’t have much to do with the DC housing market.