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"only 41 percent wanted more of the same, more roads, more of what has not worked out well, more of what is leading us to an ecological nightmare. The not surprising thing is that the figure for those in favor of public transportation options rose to 61 percent when the survey isolated urban inhabitants; and the very surprising thing is it only dropped to 48 percent when rural inhabitants were isolated. At appears that lots of people in the middle of nowhere want the socialism of public transportation. But this is just a bunch of bad dreaming. This is not how it works in reality. The rural people must stick with their dying roads. If you live in the country, you live with your cars. You can't have it both ways. Public transportation is only meaningful in dense locations.
Finally, the survey showed that support for public transportation options is found among educated whites and the rainbow of minorities; and those who want roads, wider roads, longer than hell roads are mostly conservative, Christian, white, and male."
Wow. Race baiting, classism, regional exceptionalism, religion bashing, invective, and misspelling all in the same article.
This is a textbook example of the future direction of The Stranger. If you don't like corporatism masking as "New Urbanism", prepare to be attacked on every front The Stranger can attack you on.
Tell that to areas like Western Massachusetts, where the PVTA provides free busing to five different colleges and at least half a dozen different suburban and rural towns.
Well all right, I'll take the bait. Actually, "white men" DO like taking the bus or train. I know I do and I'm right of center. I don't even own a car. I dig public transit big time. There are definitely many white men on my daily bus route.
However, that "One can break down the US's political order into two crude but still meaningful parts. On one side, you have a mix of educated or cosmopolitan white men, white women, and sexual/religious/cultural/racial minorities; on the other, you just got white men. This is the left and right of the American electorate." is indeed, crude and probably mistaken.
I get your point Charles. You're pitting cosmopolitanism against small mindedness and/or xenophobia. But, consider the opposite of your posting title. Does that black man boarding the bus like it? Or, would he rather have a car to drive?
I just think your deduction too simplistic. That's all. I worship pubic transit and voted to expand it.
@9 Deep poverty in rural areas mitigates anti-public funding propaganda but it doesn't invalidate the point that white males aren't very progressive on average.
If you're not being part of the solution, why are you complaining about the problem?
Ultimately, I think that educated white males like public transportation because they take nicer forms of it, while white men in general, find that their public transportation options do not adequately preserve their usual privilege.
Admittedly, this interpretation simply confirms my bias, as I love the train, but only support buses in the abstract and for other people.
@15,
No, it doesn't. There are plenty of isolated rural towns in Europe that are only accessible by car.
Second of all, I think it's actually encouraging that high of a percentage of rural people would be in favor of increased transit funding - 49% with a 3.5% MOE might as well be a majority.
I expected the conservatives, Christians, and un-college-educated white males to own that vote (they're probably at least 75% of that audience). So, way to go rural folks!