If anyone thought that Market Stalinism was exclusive to the People's Republic of China and the Olympics going on in Beijing, check out the free-market bullying the Bush Administration is inflicting on football fans in Seattle this weekend. The Federal Transportation Administration has ordered King County Metro (one of Seattle's public transit providers) to cancel its popular park and ride service to and from Qwest Field for Seahawks' home games because a private operator wants to provide a 'similar' service. Metro, which has hundreds of buses already paid for and economies of scale to charge only a slight premium above the regular $1.50 fare. The government-sanctioned private operator only has a handful of buses, and wants $14 for the same ride. It's only 'similar' in the same way that the Seahawks and a Pee-Wee team are similar because they both play football.
This may not be the Disaster Capitalism Naomi Klein's been talking about, but it would be a disaster for someone to lose a loved one because one of the '12th Man' decides that too few buses at too high a fare is too much of a hassle, and decided to drive his own vehicle to and from the game: with several tailgate parties and stadium beers in between. This page has been to Qwest Field for Seahawks games, and I can testify that Seahawks games are a mind altering alcohol-fuelled jet engine of noise, adrenaline and mayhem. Personally, I don't think I'd let anyone drive a vehicle away from one even if they were sober.
Rethuglicans can bitch all they want about tax dollars supporting public transit, and they can sing the praises the FTA for shutting down Metro's game day service. What they don't get is that Public Transit isn't just about giving someone a ride, it's about taking cars (and people who shouldn't be driving them) off the road. Scream all you want about 'freedom' and how the private sector does everything better, it's not freedom when the government tells a community that the private sector will be the only choice.
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