Majority of Americans want their taxes to pay for better #publictransit

smartcities 74% of Americans want Congress to slightly or significantly increase spending for public transportation, according to a survey conducted by the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) for the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).

US putting all its eggs in the oil basket, planning to kill #publictransit

Public transit officials are ‘struggling to understand’ Trump’s proposed cuts - The Washington Post: "Trump’s budget — which will almost certainly be altered by Congress — proposes cuts as high as nearly $52 billion to transit-oriented grant programs like Capital Investment Grants and the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program, as well as funding for Amtrak and Washington’s Metro system."

United States as energy exporter: Is it "fake news"?

Resource Insights: : "For example, the claim that the United States is an exporter of crude oil is true. But that claim is entirely misleading. While the United States exports about 1.5 million barrels a day (mbpd) of crude oil, it also imports 7.5 mbpd. That puts the net imports of crude oil at about 6 mbpd. (All numbers are four-week averages as of February 23.) This reality is simply not conveyed by the unqualified statement that the United States is an oil exporter. Those making such a claim either haven't done their research, are sloppy writers or intend to mislead.

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How to boil a frog

Stop the beatings, make #publictransit fare-free

At what point @wmata, @ATULocal689, and @JackEvansWard2 does this have to escalate to for the three of you to sit down and realize this broken windows policing ain't working and is hurting? I'm waiting...🙄🤔 This woman had a one card. SHE HAD FARE! #DoBetterWMATA pic.twitter.com/gk0FzREt81

— Save Our System (@Save_metro) February 11, 2018

Germany to fight pollution with free public transportation

(Source: International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis/Modified by Gene Thorp for The Washington Post)

The Washington Post : "“We are considering public transport free of charge in order to reduce the number of private cars,” three German government ministers wrote in their recent letter to the E.U., according to AFP. “Effectively fighting air pollution without any further unnecessary delays is of the highest priority for Germany.”"

Oil trolls running federal government, hope to destroy public transportation

Senior federal rail official resigns over questions about ‘outside work,’ Transportation Department says - The Washington Post: "The Federal Railroad Administration has been helping investigate several high-profile crashes in recent months, including the Jan. 31 collision in Crozet, Va., of a truck and an Amtrak train carrying members of Congress. The agency has been without a permanent leader as the Trump administration and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) have sparred over the funding and the future of a major rail improvement initiative known as the Gateway Program."

What went wrong in US MENA policy.

The US in 2014 underestimated ISIS. US people have no appetite for ground war. So the US turned to KRG. The KRG could not handle ISIS either, so US turned to Iran for help.

Then in 2016 the US underestimated Turkey and the US-backed coup in Turkey failed.

Left with no loyal boots on the ground, the US turned to the PKK.

Now the US is caught in no-man's land as Turkey. Russia, Iran, and even China fight for control over the last major reserve of conventional crude in Kirkuk.