From the 1/3/08 edition of the Las Vegas Penny Press

I would have thought that our 12/20 column regarding Citizens Area Transit would have gotten the interest of the Regional Transportation Commission or Veolia, the privately owned operator of CAT. Apparently, they don't understand that customer service has to be job one to encourage broader public use of CAT and public transportation.

On December 27th, at a bout 3pm the Nellis bus southbound was late (once again) and my wife finally got on board the crowded bus. One rather portly man with an attitude attempted to prevent my wife from getting to the back of the bus where there were seats. Now, my wife may be pregnant and hormonal, but she's definitely not the "Delicate flower". She moved the man out of the way. The man loudly called her a "fat bitch". My wife retorted with the usual, "I'm six months pregnant. What's your excuse?"

She finds a seat, then the driver going about 55 hits a bump that jars everyone on the bus including those standing. Amazingly no one was hurt.

Then a man sits down behind my wife and proceeds to light up. Now, smoking is supposed to be prohibited on buses, so a number of people complain to the man and the driver, who does nothing.

Then my wife notices it's not a regular cigarette. It's one of those "high mileage" specials.

So let's recap: A driver not moving people back so they can make room for additional passengers, driving at an unsafe speed, and permitting illegal drug use on his bus.

And this is the same driver involved in our 12/20 column that tried to put my wife off the bus for complaining.

Oh yeah, they're learning.

Understand, the success and viability of CAT is in my mind essential to the growth and health of the Valley. If all the people riding the bus were forced to buy cars and drive to work, our roads would be less safe and our air pollution, already marginal, would be horrible.

I want CAT to succeed, to attract more riders, to improve service.

Treating riders like they are second class citizens and abusing them, figuratively and literally, is not going to help their case with the public.

Let's go to the letters!

Looks like we rattled a couple of cages in the last few weeks with our columns.

First, a couple of letters regarding our 12/20 column on CAT:

Sue who lives in Wichita Kansas writes:

I agree with most your observations. As I deal on a daily basis with both criminals and victims, I can assure you that felonious stupidity and rudeness run rampant even in the heartland.

However, I do take exception to the premise that a male should, in politeness, relinquish his seat to a female. Certainly so, if that male is able-bodied and the female is pregnant, elderly, disabled, etc. However, being a child of the ERA generation (bra-burning feminist that I am) all things being "equal", we asked for equality and we deserve equality. That equality does not mean only on the things that are comfortable to us, it bears responsibilities as well as benefits.

In your wife's case, however, there was obviously no equality or equity.

While I am slightly younger than you and raised not far from you, the difference in opinion on this subject is slight. Yes, I fully support equality in the workplace and virtually every where else.

However, equality should not be equated to impoliteness.

On more occasions than I wish to imagine people are downright rude. I hold the door not just for women, but men as well, if I'm first to reach it. Some women get massively offended or insist that I not open the door. I politely tell them if they feel that way, to get the next door (if there is one) or simply pass the favor on (Paying it forward, if you will...).

The problem with the entire equality issue is that there is a certain lower class of people that believe that they don't have to be polite or deferential to anyone for any reason.

Jay in Florida writes:

Give up using government transportation, and get a private vehicle. I would not expose my family to that kind of potential danger. "Public transportation" just doesn't work. Support shutting it down.

Unfortunately, in the Las Vegas valley, where our air and traffic continues to worsen on a daily basis, private vehicle ownership isn't feasible. Further, the rising price of gasoline isn't very attractive. My wife and I have capped our monthly travel expenses at $80 a month. In Las Vegas, you can't buy the required car insurance for that little money!

In our column of 11/29/07 entitled “Immigration increases cause load on resources” we wrote about how the current major political parties weren't in touch with middle America:

The Democrats continue to try to make the poor and disenfranchised believe that they represent them, all the while representing wealthy America. The Republicans, meanwhile, make no bones about their global aspirations and desires to continue down the Neo-conservative path that has led to the near-destruction of the American middle class.

Who is out there to represent you, the working American? Not much of anyone. The only candidate with a glimmer of hope is Ron Paul, and the machine is already trying to do a number on him. The so-called "top tier" candidates are winding up to destroy anyone ready to mount a challenge.

If the Global Elite have their way, your choices will be TweedleDum and TweedleDumber....

None of the Above is still a better choice....

Les L Baisi wrote:

OK so you’re pushing Ron Paul because he has this naive idea-some would say downright infantile notion about how things ought to be. Not that things can ever be like that; even if he became president- my question is what is the point? Ron Paul is at 4% not because of the “neo con machine” as you call it-it’s because the more I listen to him and sincerely try to figure out what people like you see-you know- just in case I am missing something really important. The more I realize- the man is like a character out of a Walt Disney story -like maybe one of the elves from snow white. Are you guys serious or is this the residual percentage of population that didn’t get past the anal stage of emotional development

There are some people who believe that there are principles on which this nation was founded.

It's this pesky piece of paper called the Constitution.

Both parties have made a practice to ignore it regularly. Mr. Paul has consistently applied the test of constitutionality to every vote.

EVERY candidate in BOTH parties panders to special interests touting unconstitutional measures. Paul doesn't.

I recognize that it is highly unlikely that he will win. However, if he can bring issues to the table that the "Neo con machine" won't mention (and the average Joe Six-pack won't hear from his nightly dose of misinformation) then it's totally worth it.

The point is a stand for principles. Something that few if any elected politician in Washington has today. I know, principles, just like morals and honesty, are outdated in this "screw everyone else, gimme mine" world today...but I remember a quote by Alexander Hamilton...

Those who stand for nothing fall for anything...

Mr. Baisi responded:

Dear Sir

The constitution is an old document that spoke to the people of its time- the ideas and intent may well be timeless but strict application and interpretation is as misguided as those who deny evolution because of their strict interpretation of an other famous document written almost two thousand years age.

I agree that both parties have ignore the people and that lobbyist are a cancer to a democracy, but you will not change the situation by sending a constitutional fundamentalist to the white house any more that we would change a religion by resorting to fundamentalism. The future must be changed by visionaries who understand the subtleties and nuances of today and are prepared to shape the future with a clear understanding of the present.

Where to start, as you've opened up so many topics in your reply.

Evolution is not a fact, it is a theory. It's efficacy cannot be 100% proven anymore than Creationism can. Any eyewitnesses to the events are either not alive or not available for cross-examination.

On the other hand, the Constitution is plain. Government should be small, non-intrusive, and subordinate to the people, not the other way around.

Changing a religion is not necessary as we have dozens of different denominations and hundreds of different sects. Don't like this flavor, change. It's as simple as Baskin Robbins.

Government is a different beast altogether. Not all religions play a role in my everyday life. The federal government, by it's wholly unconstitutional acts starting with a bloated-beyond-reason bureaucracy and a massive bureaucratic income tax, is running counter to the core principles of our constitution. The Fair Tax is an exceptional start, but better the elimination of all the counter-constitutional programs including those "redistribution of the wealth" programs that discourage work and encourage fraud, theft, and abuse.

Finally, the constitution is not just a document, it is a blueprint. It carries warnings and caveats. We have ignored those warnings and are on the cusp of a true catastrophe if we continue to ignore it's warnings. We will be in some true trouble unless there is major reform...fast!

The great experiment that is America is in trouble not because the premise is flawed, but that a number of people continue to look at the Constitution as "quaint", a "relic of a bygone time", and fail to recognize that it served us very well until we truly started straying from the principles in the 1960's. Massive Government expansion, huge bureaucracy, huge entitlement programs that dug us into a hole that we're still trying to dig ourselves out of. Had we held true to the constitutional course instead of moving onto the slippery slope of Globalism and Gimme, we could be a true example of what people can accomplish when given freedom. Instead, we are becoming another great welfare state in the mold of the European Community. If enough people don't stand up like Ron Paul and others and say no! then it's goodbye dollar, goodbye America, and hello Amero and North American Union. Sorry, I'm not ready to hand over my sovereignty.

Wyatt may not agree with you, but he respects your right to your stupid opinion. Vent it to him at rant.wyattcox.net