Peekskill, NY/November 5, 2007 – Andrew Saul is once again
proving himself
out of touch with regular New Yorkers. According to a
recent New York
Daily News report, “Wealthy Republican Andrew Saul, vice
chairman of the
Metropolitan Transportation Authority, says the hikes slated to
begin in
February should go forward.” As if New Yorkers do not pay enough
taxes and
fees, Saul wants to burden them with an MTA fare hike.
Flying in the face of bi-partisan opposition from Albany, Saul
is pushing
for a hike that will see a 12.5 percent increase for bus and
subway fares
and an 11.1 percent increase for bridge and tunnel tolls.
“I’m not sure
Saul understands how this will affect average commuters.
It’s a tax hike
and it is going to put pressure on people’s wallets,” said
Kieran Michael
Lalor who is considering taking on Saul to represent the
Republican
Party in the 2008 Congressional race in New York’s 19th District.
The MTA decision is hard to explain considering an expected
budget surplus
of at least $400 million and offers from legislators in Albany
to budget
relief for commuters. “You know you are on the wrong side
when both
parties in Albany oppose your fare increase. Eighty state
legislators
support keeping fares low. The MTA can afford to take the
time to see if
this hike is really necessary,” said Lalor. “Why
rush to raise prices?
Take the time to see if they can be kept affordable. The
MTA owes it to
its riders to raise fares only as a last resort.”
As commuters are hit with increased prices they may be driven
away from
public transportation at a time when the city and state are
trying to
relieve the economic and environmental costs of heavy car
traffic. “New
York is beginning to experiment with innovative answers to its
traffic
crunch. The MTA should be encouraging the use of public transportation.
Instead, with mass transit becoming increasingly expensive and
more fare
hikes promised, driving to work will become a more affordable
option,”said Lalor. “Commuters can expect even more traffic thanks
to Saul and
the MTA.”
“Saul is simply out of touch with the average commuters riding
buses,
trains and subways to work every day. They pay enough
taxes already.
They do not need to see another tax hike every morning on the
way to
work.”
--------------------------------------
Kieran Michael Lalor, a former social studies teacher and recent
Pace Law
graduate, is a Marine Corps veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom
and a
national security activist aggressively exploring a challenge to
John Hall
in New York’s 19th Congressional District.
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DAILY NEWS REPORT ON SAUL'S SUPPORT FOR A FARE HIKE:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/10/31/2007-10-31_
vice_chairman_of_mta_andrew_saul_support.html
--
KIERAN MICHAEL LALOR 2008
Congressional Exploratory Committee
PO BOX 2215
Peekskill, NY 10566
(845) 616 – 3509
www.KML2008.com
http://www.kml2008.com/
