Johnny Sanchez Asks our Help to Fight MTA "UN"Fare Hike
Amigos,
This is a personal note that I am reaching out to you
with because last night I attended the MTA hearings in Manhattan. As
some of you may know, the NYC Transit System is under attack, both
financially and structurally.. but more importantly.. it is NY'ers who
are under attack because they want to place all the burden on us.
So,
last night, I watched several New Yorkers get up and testify in front
of the MTA board about why these fare hikes and budget cuts are unfair,
draconian methods with nothing but negative repercussions for us all
who live and visit NYC.
And regardless of the board's stoic
reactions, I was inspired to see fellow NY'ers get up there and
testify.. so much so that I am now signed up to attend the next round
of hearings, in Queens next wekk, and I am testifying against these
drastic transit service cuts and the insane raise hikes that are being
proposed.
So.. I am
reaching out to all of you and asking you to do your part for our
city. The first one is to sign a petition that will be sent to
Albany... because one of the culprits behind all of this is Albany
since they do not want to provide much needed assitance to NY State's
and NY City's Public Transportation System in their new budget
proposals that David Patterson is trying to get passed. As well,
Bllomber is another culprit.
I will share with you some interesting figures I found out about at the hearings yesterday.
It
seems that the NY Yankees have asked Mayor Bloomberg for $420 Million
dollars in assistance for the coming year. And it seems that this
request is favored to pass. Mayor Bloomberg is not willing to help
avoid the fare hikes and the services cut but he is willing to give the
Yankees $420 Million?? Where are our priorites? Public Transportation
is NYC bloodstream, it is our livelihood... but the Yankees (an already
rich private corporation) is a past time.
Ans
so you know, the MTA deficit (and fot the first time the MTA is being
fully transparent about their books because they got sued by a group of
NY'ers 2 years ago claiming the MTA was in violation for not disclosing
their real numbers.. so, we have acces to their real numbers now)...
well.. it seems the MTA deficit of $1.3 billion dollars (which is for
real) would be greatly reduced, close to 40% reduced, if Bloomberg
allocated the $420 million dollars the Yankess are asking and that he's
willing to give them.
So, please, sign the petition and
also... if you want to... attend the hearings with me and participate
with me as I testify on behalf of NY'ers. I will be there next Tues Jan 20, 2009 at the Sheraton
LaGuardia East Hotel, in the Phoenix Ballroom. Adddress: 135-20 39th
Av, Flushing, Queens -- Directions by train: 7 Train to Flushing-Main
Street. By the way, you can also sign up to testify at the hearings
because the more we speak and the firmer we are .. the more that the
MTA, Bloomber and Alabany will realize that we are not going to put up
with this and we will protest.
If you want to testify.. you can call Douglas Sussman, Director, MTA Community Affairs at 212-878-7483, write
to him at 347 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10017, or via the MTA Web
site at MTA.info.
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