Is it good that Pawlenty stays out of the Metro Transit strike?

[Deja Q]

Poll question: Is it good that Pawlenty stays out of the Metro Transit strike?

http://www.citypages.com/databank/25/1218/article12020.asp

Of course, if he got involved, he'd be more likely to side with the company than the people anyway... x(

[northernsoul]

1. not a big secret that he wants to destroy public transportation

He's going to let this strike run for as long as he can.
Pawlenty: "Poor people? Fuck 'em, they don't vote for me anyways."

[Deja Q]

4. Quite... it's bizarroworld...

If the bus strike affected his wealthy buddies, we'd be assured that he'd go in with guns blazing - on the side of the corporation though, the workers be spat on for all he cares.

Which leads to a bigger tragedy, how will the drivers be treated when this strike ends?

Worst of all, Pawlenty would rather cut social services and make many people suffer while building multiple expensive stadiums for a remarkable small amount of people (2) who could afford to build 10 times as many on their own, not forgetting that the high cost the sports teams wants prohibits many Americans from watching the so-called "American pastimes" at the stadium that they want built... it's bizarroworld, to say the least...

[KamaAina]

2. Ye gods! *Another* transit strike?!

You do realize that that's (at least) the third one in the country since last fall. Ours in Sept. nearly cost me my job; the last day they were out was the day my ride came in to clean out his stuff (he'd been laid off). Shortly thereafter, LA went out for about a month; it was pretty much overshadowed by the grocery strike. After all, even first-class citizens whose lives actually matter shop at Vons. </sarcasm> And now this.

Meanwhile, back East, both New York and Boston are considering shutting down major commuter rail terminals during the political conventions this summer, both of which, if you can believe it, are being held right above the train stations. Sounds like Homer Simpson has left the nuke plant and taken a nice cushy job with Tom Ridge. :-)

Message: Transit doesn't matter. You are what you drive. Oh, you don't drive, because you're too poor or too disabled? Tough noogies. Where do you have to go that's so important anyway? </sarcasm> Never mind that the big-box Sprawl-Marts have forced many neighborhood businesses to close, leaving people with no shopping where they live.

Imagine if tolltakers went out and effectively shut down (say) the New York State Thruway. How long before someone would intervene then? Who, even the most bedrock fascist Repuke, would dare say "We don't care how long those greedy tolltakers stay out? We'll just let the highway stay closed as long as it takes."?

Edit: Can't speak for LA, but the Honolulu strike forced a number of small business to close in Chinatown, where many of the customers are transit-dependent. Apparently the powers-that-be want to bust unions so badly they don't even care about the small business owners who support them so fervently.

[jean]

3. He's not staying out of it - has said he is 100% behind management

so he is no longer a neutral party - one who could intervene and affect a mediation. Makes life easier for him, though, don't you think?

[Deja Q]

5. Not surprised that he supports the management...

He's definitely two-faced.

I wonder how many people who voted for him still like him...