#occupy has shaken loose more #transit funding

RTA wins $12.5 million grant for new rapid station at Mayfield and East 119th | cleveland.com: "CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority has landed a $12.5 million grant to build a new rapid station at Mayfield Road and East 119th Street, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown's office reported today."

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Koch Bros - ALEC - Get Slapped Back

Ohio Turns Back a Law Limiting Unions’ Rights - NYTimes.com: "COLUMBUS, Ohio — A year after Republicans swept legislatures across the country, voters in Ohio delivered their verdict Tuesday on a centerpiece of the conservative legislative agenda, striking down a law that restricted public workers’ rights to bargain collectively."

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Kasich - Lehman Bros crook, Koch puppet - give back the stolen funds!

Quinnipiac: Opposition To Ohio's SB 5 Grows; Women, Union Members Push Kasich Deeper In Hole - ProgressOhio: "If the election were held Tuesday instead of in two weeks, a solid majority of Ohioans would vote to reject the state's new law restricting collective bargaining by government workers.

The latest poll from Connecticut's Quinnipiac University released Tuesday showed a 25-point gap between opposition and support for Senate Bill 5, which appears on the Nov. 8 ballot as Issue 2. That's nearly double the 13-point gap seen about a month ago when the poll showed momentum shifting to the side of those trying to save the law."

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#occupywallstreet in 72 cities

Cleveland (photos.cleveland.com)

Dayton (daytoninformer.com)

Cincinnati (cryptome.org)

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/cities-that-have-joined-the-occupied-movement

RTA should provide free transportation for all

RTA should provide free transportation for all: "Fares provide only 16 percent of RTA’s operating budget. The rest comes from taxes of one kind or another. Why can’t taxes provide the other 16 percent?
Eliminating fares would offer the following advantages:
• Bus travel time would be reduced, as the driver would not have to wait while passengers paid fares. This would also save fuel.
• Coins would not have to be counted.
• Those most in need of financial help would benefit.
• Many may choose the bus rather than their cars, saving fuel, traffic and parking spaces.
Fare-free public transportation would send a message that Dayton cares about its citizens.
Harvey R. Tuck
Harrison Twp."

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Ditch Your Car And Travel Faster With Public Transit | Mildly Relevant Thoughts

Ditch Your Car And Travel Faster With Public Transit | Mildly Relevant Thoughts: "As I hastily throw down a college breakfast (cereal), I’m reminded of how last night was a perfect example showcasing how the city bus kicks a car’s ass. Ironically, this incident came the night before I officially go car-free. That’s right. In about three or so hours, I will proudly no longer have a festering turd of scrap metal to constantly maintain, pay insurance on and inevitably fork over hundreds of dollars at a moments notice because something went wrong."

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SARTA ridership surges in August, September - Canton, OH - CantonRep.com

SARTA ridership surges in August, September - Canton, OH - CantonRep.com: "CANTON —
Stark Area Regional Transit Authority said Wednesday its fixed-route ridership for August surged to its highest level in at least four years, and September ridership is on pace to be the highest since at least 2007.

The countywide bus service said it provided 207,919 rides on its fixed-route buses in August, a nearly 22 percent increase from August 2010.

The ridership surpassed the August 2008 mark of 192,361 rides, which occurred during a summer in which fuel prices surpassed $4 a gallon."

Build Soil. Build Community. “Beyond Organic” Farming in Yellow Springs, Ohio (Part Two) | Andrew Frank

Build Soil. Build Community. “Beyond Organic” Farming in Yellow Springs, Ohio (Part Two) | Andrew Frank: "Andrew Manieri and Terry Schneider at Heartbeat Community Farm in Yellow Springs, Ohio, are doing the most important work in the world – they’re learning how to grow food in a truly sustainable fashion. Along the way, they’re building soil and community."

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No access to transportation limits job prospects, economic opportunities

No access to transportation limits job prospects, economic opportunities: Many people cannot imagine life without an automobile, but more than 7.5 percent of Dayton metropolitan area households do not own a vehicle, and some of those residents also do not have easy access to public transit, according to a new report.

Another Gov Koch-Puppet goes from bullying to whining

Daily Kos: Realizing SB 5 is likely to be repealed, Ohio Gov. Kasich seeks compromise: "One, two, three, and suddenly John Kasich is all wounded and aggrieved that the people he came into office attacking won't compromise with him. For the good of the state, don't you know. Because he's a 'believer in talking,' not because he's a bully who's afraid he's going to lose."

RTA reporting an increase in ridership during summer

RTA reporting an increase in ridership during summer: "More people are riding Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority buses at a time when ridership usually drops.
RTA ridership climbed 5.6 percent in May, 4.8 percent in June and 1 percent in July compared to those months last year said Frank Ecklar, director of planning and marketing for the RTA. That translates to 81,600 more rides for those three months. Ridership overall on the RTA is up almost 2 percent this year with 87,000 more rides than this time last year he said."

The most important investment -- the common good

(Reich is a free transit advocate!)

Public transit means jobs, access to life-saving medical care

Repeal SB5 - Progress Ohio

APTA: Public transit user saves $10,074 on average - News - METRO Magazine

APTA: Public transit user saves $10,074 on average - News - METRO Magazine: "Riding public transportation saves individuals, on average, $10,074 annually and $840 per month, according to the American Public Transportation Association's (APTA) Transit Savings Report, which bases these savings on the June 13, 2011 average national gas price of $3.70 per gallon and the national unreserved monthly parking rate."

TaxProf Blog: Sullivan: The Rich Get 100 Times More Mortgage Subsidy Than the Poor

TaxProf Blog: Sullivan: The Rich Get 100 Times More Mortgage Subsidy Than the Poor: "Providing about $100 billion of tax benefits annually, the mortgage interest deduction is the nation's largest housing program. So where are these subsidies distributed? Those readers with some scintilla of idealism might hope it goes to those most in need. So naïve! The tax benefit provided by the mortgage interest deduction flows overwhelmingly to rich families like those portrayed in the hit television series Beverly Hills, 90210. We've done the math and, as shown in the figure, the average annual per-person tax benefit provided by the mortgage interest deduction for the residents of 90210 is $1,873. For the residents of Clarksdale 38614, it is $45."

Sen. Brown Announces 'Close Big Oil Tax Loopholes Act' - ProgressOhio

Sen. Brown Announces 'Close Big Oil Tax Loopholes Act' - ProgressOhio: "Legislation Would End $4 Billion in Tax Giveaways to Big Oil, Use Savings to Reduce Federal Deficit

Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown outlined a bill Monday aimed at ending the more than $4 billion in tax deductions, subsidies, and royalty relief to big oil companies each year."

Rail, bus projects face lower chance of state funds | The Columbus Dispatch

Rail, bus projects face lower chance of state funds | The Columbus Dispatch: "ODOT also has rescinded a Strickland pledge to share $50 million annually with public-transit agencies."

Kasich is a shameless oil-troll

Innovation Ohio’s “Taxpayer Rip-Off of the Week” Award: Big Oil Giveaway | FU Corporate Media .com: "Innovation Ohio, a progressive think tank headquartered in Columbus, today presented its coveted “Tax Payer Rip-Off of the Week Award” to Gov. John Kasich for giving oil companies a tax break worth between $5 million and $10 million per year – a giveaway that was opposed by the Ohio business community and even Kasich’s own Tax Commissioner."

ALEC - they meet in secret -- they write our laws

Get smart about ALEC - Koch tool

Protest ALEC – APRIL 29th, 2011 | See you in Cincinnati: "They meet in secret. They write our laws. And they want us silent.

On March 15th, University of Wisconsin Professor Bill Cronon posted a study guide on his blog on the history and actions of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). He asked: What is behind the “sudden and impressively well-organized” wave of right-wing legislation targeting workers, students, women, immigrants, and the environment in state legislatures? He found that all roads led to ALEC."

The World at a Crossroads

The World at a Crossroads: "Generally, we should desire higher gasoline prices in the United States (around $3 to $4 per gallon), because higher prices should moderate our consumption of this valuable natural resource, which we have been wasting for many years now, by making us switch to energy-efficient or alternative energy-powered cars, trucks, other transportation and appliances."

Cincinnati City Councilman advocates free public transit

Streetcar Foe Proposes Alternative Transit Plan - Cincinnati News Story - WLWT Cincinnati: "Winburn said his proposal would not require public money and would allow free public transit for all riders.
'It would be free, and it would be sponsored by the business community that would underwrite this free ride all over our city,' Winburn said."