Thursday, January 21, 2010

Paterson budget won't fully fund student MetroCards

From the Daily News:

Gov. Paterson's budget provides $25 million for student MetroCards - a tiny fraction of what the MTA says is needed to keep providing free bus and subway rides to students.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has said it needs about $214 million to continue the program - or it will start phasing it out in September.

As a result, students would pay half-fares this fall and then full-fares starting the following September.

Approximately 585,000 students receive MetroCards with three daily trips. They are distributed by the Board of Education based not on income, but age and distance from school.

Gov. Paterson unveiled his budget proposal in Albany, setting the stage for negotiations with the state Assembly and Senate.

His budget characterizes the student funding as an increase over last year - but that's only because the program was slashed nearly to extinction last year.

14 comments:

Joe said...

What a crock !
Did the Daily News do and research on these people ?

Poor Justine with her cup in the photo is Vogue model, went to private school, owns and runs HER OWN clothing company.
I shit you not !

Go here and scroll to the press tab
http://www.academyforwaywardgirls.com/

Another trust fund baby ?

georgetheatheist said...

Now, that's why we all read Queens Crap! And the rest of you reading this call yourselves journalists? This here is the Real McCoy.

Joe said...

Poor student Justine's story gets even better people !

http://timesarehardfordreamers.com/2009/12/01/wayward_girls/

JC: "My father is an architect and my mother is a photographer and director. It is very spacious in my parent’s studio"

JC "At home We have theatre, film, and other artist neighbors and friends that use the space as well"

JC: "No. I don’t talk very much about my collection at school. My pieces are too expensive for my peers I would be embarrassed for them to find out how expensive my pieces are.
That’s one of the reasons I don’t discuss"

JC: "The prices are $50.00- $1000.00."


WHY DIDNT THE DAILY NEWS PRINT THAT !!!

Mike Tirelli said...

I would be happy to pay for my kids transportation to and from school, but I would be doing this just to line the pockets of politicians and their constituents.

I know you want to say that I'm their constituent, but no f**king politician ever did anything for me.

As for that Mass election. It's sad that one person can hold the country by the balls. I blame both parties for this.

DID THEY EVER HEAR OF THE THEM "THE PUBLIC GOOD"

Anonymous said...

Actually, a tip of the hat to her. She can afford the fares, but everyone else can't.

I wish my nieces were so sharp. I'd buy the subscriptions to the fashion magazines, the sewing machine, cloth and all and take them on interviews in the garment district myself.

Anonymous said...

Who cares if THAT particular girl is rich?? The point is the rest of the city's kids are NOT.

I admire her for standing up for what's right even though it doesn't affect her directly.

Anonymous said...

The photo is manipulation by the Daily News. The girl is a shill for the reporter and photographer.

If it doesn't affect her directly why is this rich brat holding out a cup implying SHE cant afford to go to school?

Joe said...

Paterson is correct.
By taking the funding away it will force the sloppy city to crackdown on who is getting these Metrocards and assorted handouts.

This it cuts wasteful spending by weeding out the fraud so the kids that are really entitled and in-need can receive them.

A millionaire TV producers spoiled brat 16 year a can walk 5 blocks to her private school.

I walked just under 3 miles a day sometimes in the snow going to in Ridgewood JHS 93. You had to be 1-1/2 miles plus to get a freebee bus pass.

Anonymous said...

So what do you want? Free transportation? How about free rent? Free clothes? You already get a free education. Many already get free food. How about we make it so you never have any responsibility to take of yourself at all? Where does it end?

Anonymous said...

What good is free education if you can't afford to get to it? Traditionally, New York zoned schools where people lived and you just walked.

But if a child has no school anywhere near where he lives and his parents are required to send him, have several children and maybe one or two parents out of work, what then?

I like the idea of cracking down on people who live on top of their schools, but I doubt this is a common enough problem to save real money.

Anonymous said...

I doubt they would be living in Manhattan and Brooklyn heights where it seems most this fraud is taking place.
This "welfare" or whatever you wish to call it is ass backwards.
And second don't have 5 kids or rent a posh pad + "artist space" then cry poverty its to hard.

---------------------------
have several children and maybe one or two parents out of work, what then?

Anonymous said...

Yes, but everyone in a Manhattan or Brooklyn Heights school doesn't live in Manhattan or Brooklyn Heights.

Furthermore, there are some pockets of poverty in newly upscaled places like Red Hook, Bed Stuy, Hell's Kitchen and Harlem. Just because devil landlords try to destroy everyone who isn't wealthy, doesn't mean they always succeed.

Furthermore, I am referring to New York City and New York City children as a whole, not just a few spoiled kids who could walk or be driven by their parents.

Anonymous said...

By the way, I am amazed that people think they have crystal balls to know what the future holds.

Suppose two gainfully employed parents have "4 or 5 children" which they can easily support. No problem there, right?

Now one of the parents gets multiple sclerosis, or cancer or the employer they're with goes bankrupt and fires them. Obviously the entire family has now become the scum of the earth.

I am tired of a bunch of overfed wussies who've never known real poverty whining. You can lose your job, become ill, have your house burn down and so forth.

Stop being so smug. I wish the same misfortune on you that you wish on others.

truth said...

Ok i grew up in New york and one of the schools told me that the student metrocards were also handed out to low income students like me I was so damn poor i needed student metrocards. Of course where you live also comes in play. Age i dont know you can be 18 and still in school. But I hope that if they do stop the student metrocards which hopefully they dont that they at least let poor people get them instead working class and up pay up.