Here is New York

The other day — on the way to the dentist, no less — I had one of those nightmare commutes.

As soon as I walked downstairs to the subway platform, it was immediately clear it was going to be one of those days. The platform was packed. The F train, my preferred train, came and went filled with unhappy-looking, squished commuters; I knew I’d have to let two or three go by before I could board.

I put Plan B into action. I decided to board a G train which, as everyone in NYC knows, stands for God-awful. I knew I’d be heading far out of my way but, like a shark, I like to keep moving forward. The G got me to the A which got me to the 7 which got me to the D which got me to the F and, voila, I had the pleasure of having my teeth drilled.

Along the way, I grumbled and groused to myself about the sorry state of mass transit. The subways of course are the lifeblood of NYC and the trains themselves are pretty good but maintenance is being cut back, the fares are going up, and most of the stations are a mess. Peeling paint, missing tiles, rats, leaks and stuffed to the gills trash cans are the order of the day.

I began to wonder why New York’s subway system was like this. Given that the economy is desperate for jobs AND the fact that taking mass transit is better for our environment than cars, shouldn’t the government be pouring money into the subway system? Alas, it’s the just the opposite.

Which brings me to the debt and the need for austerity measures. Like a lot of others, I’m beginning to think this is entirely wrong-headed. We should be pouring money into the economy, and damn the debt. I think because of the politics of the times (hello, Tea Party), we’re on the verge of digging ourselves into a double dip recession.

We should be spending money on the subway system and thus improve our commute and create jobs.

I’ll step down from my soap box now, thank you.