On public transit

I recently attended a public meeting regarding a fare increase proposed by our local bus system, Sun Metro. After the presentation about Sun Metro's request to collect more fares from passengers, the presenter was quizzed for several minutes about why Sun Metro wasn't trying to get more money from passengers (that makes sense somewhere, you'll just have to trust me on that one).

The questioner expressed concerned that the buses were always empty. The snickers and mild derision from the rest of the audience, most of whom depend upon the bus for transportation, should have been enough to clue our fair activist that he was wrong and was heading down a path that, while well-worn, terminates in a dead end.  But he persisted and probably walked away from the meeting just as mad as he was when he got there. You can explain things to people, but you can't understand it for them.

The road that I take to work every day is nearly empty at 6 a.m. If the government designed the road just to meet the demand at 6 a.m. there would be gridlock the rest of the day. My bed is empty two thirds of the time. I could save a lot of money by designing a bedroom that handled average demand, but I wouldn’t be very comfortable at night.

Yes, local taxes pay 75% of Sun Metro’s costs; there is a social benefit in having public transit. Sun Metro gets the veterans who use a wheelchair to their doctors' appointments. Sun Metro gets the poor people looking for work to their job interviews. Sun Metro brings customers to the struggling business owner. And, if by some unfortunate circumstance you become unable to drive, Sun Metro is there, assuring that you will still be able to get to where you need to go.

If you are ever unable to drive, you will not complain that Sun Metro buses are too empty or run too frequently. While you and I can leave our house at 8:30 to get to a 9:00 appointment, that veteran in a wheelchair has to leave at 6:30. That poor person looking for work finds many jobs unavailable because the bus service doesn’t start soon enough or run late enough. Riders on many popular routes often find they have to stand because all the seats are taken; riders who use a wheelchair or ride a bike have to wait for the next bus.

Yes, there are going to be empty buses. Sun Metro didn't design this car-dependent city that is difficult to serve efficiently using buses; until recently, they didn't even have a seat at the table. Public transit is an absolutely essential social service that needs to be improved, not decimated by the unrealistic expectations that it run at 100% capacity 100% of the time or that it be entirely self-sufficient.

Gays and morality

During its budget sessions last year, the El Paso City Council approved a measure to extend a subsidized medical insurance benefit to the partners of those city employees living in a committed relationship that is not recognized by the state as marriage. There was widespread objection, especially to the notion that same-sex couples, who are not permitted to marry in Texas, would receive the same benefits as their married counterparts. Those who opposed the measure quickly gathered the signatures required to force the council to reconsider its action, and--after the council ignored the petition--gathered the signatures required to bring the measure to the voters in the November election asking voters to rescind these benefits.

The debate has filled the opinion pages of the El Paso Times with most published letters to the editor being supportive of the referendum to rescind health benefits.  A recent op-ed piece from Fr. Michael Rodriguez, priest of San Juan Bautista Parish in East-Central El Paso, mostly opposing homosexuals and even those who support them, has, judging from the comments, received a broad reading even outside of El Paso. Today's letters to the editor publishes for the third time a list of "Ten more reasons to reject the homosexual agenda."

Comments on today's editorial suggest that the Times is not publishing some articles opposing the referendum or supporting equal rights for homosexuals in general. Here is mine:

Referendum is immoral

The measure seeking to strip benefits from the committed partners of city employees is immoral. To pay someone less for doing the same work based solely on the gender of their life partner is morally wrong because it violates basic principles of fairness and justice. The same catechism used to condemn homosexuals also recognizes cheating workers as a sin which cries out to heaven.

To use scripture to condemn homosexuality while ignoring other biblical teachings such as the prohibition of interest or the approval of slavery is morally wrong because it is inconsistent. Accusing homosexuals of destroying the fabric of society or of causing AIDS is morally wrong because it is untrue. Comparing a committed homosexual relationship to the crime of pedophilia is morally wrong because it is not only untrue, but downright malicious.

Like heterosexual relationships, same sex relationships bring great joy to the lives of some people. They are a source of emotional growth. They promote personal and societal stability. In short, committed homosexual relationships are moral.

The city does not give benefits to the spouses of married employees to support someone's view of marriage. They do so, because married employees are likely to be happier, healthier, and more productive than those not in a committed relationship. They do so to attract the very best employees. It is a moral imperative that all city employees in committed relationships receive the same benefits regardless of the gender of their partner.

Why I admire Rick Perry

Let's say I got up and said, "Look at Bill White, he won't release tax returns from his childhood jobs.  I'm not debating him; he's obviously hiding something, that big scardy cat.  Besides he's a left of liberal trial lawyer.  That's not the kind of business owner we need in this state; imagine holding businesses accountable for their mistakes acts of God.  Scorn the thought.  And it's not the government’s job to hold business accountable either. Yeah, we may have some of the dirtiest air in the country, but we're getting better; the EPA just needs to stay out.

"You should know as governor I’ve protected Texans from the evil government intrusion into their lives. Things like forcing girls to get vaccines against sexually transmitted viruses. Can you believe the governor would have the audacity to even suggest that your pure, righteous daughters are having sex? And then would bypass the legislature and the will of the people?  Shameless.  Oh, did I do that?  That darned liberal media.  Well let’s move on.  I kept my Trans-Texas Corridor proposal from being implemented so the government couldn't steal the land of hard-working Texans. And I'm calling for cuts to the business tax that I created.

"And, oh, I shooted a coyote.  LOOK OUT FOR THE BOMBS!"

People would say, "Oh, how cute. A second grader is running for governor."  Rick Perry does it and gets pegged as presidential material.