It’s absurd to compare private-sector school bus carriers with
public-sector ones. It’s apples to oranges; stallions to
geldings.
Editor,
It’s absurd to compare private-sector school bus carriers with public-sector ones. It’s apples to oranges; stallions to geldings. State law requires the former to prepare financial reports using generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), i.e., Corporations Code Section 114, whereas our Legislature has exempted public-sector carriers from the stringent requirements of GAAP. Private-sector carriers have only their shareholders and earnings upon which to rely. Public-sector carriers, e.g., school districts, have the power to compel million and billions and trillions of dollars of taxes from the taxpayers. It is a violation of federal regulations for public-sector entities to compete with private-sector ones. Concurrently, it violates our National Transportation Policy in Title 49, United States Code, and betrays the Founders’ reliance upon Adam Smith.
We expect VTA-style distortions of the truth from our government, but not from the press.
I think it’s illogical and misleading to make the comparison you did, but I don’t think that the taxpayers are fooled by it. Calling county transit a “success” in comparison with an honest passenger carrier like Hollister Taxi, or local shuttles, reminds me of those radical socialists who call Amtrak and Caltrain a “success.” Sophomoric analysis fails to produce the truth in transportation, application of Big Brother’s “Newspeak” won’t get your report a passing grade. Marxist measuring rods are guaranteed to give defective answers. AMBAG and VTA might try to buffalo taxpayers, but I think that your readers deserve better than their small business killing philosophy. Proceed with your faulty analysis to its logical conclusion, and you’ll have to rename your paper Pravda and give up “editor” for “comrade.” Caveat Viator!
Joseph P. Thompson, Tres Pinos
