PIX News Wants You To Support Our Students (S.O.S.)

Hi gang at PIX - Happy Holidays,

I am sick to death of being held hostage by the corrupt and incompetent MTA every Christmas. The mayor needs to do something with his illegal 3rd term and get the top execs at the MTA to get their ducks in a row instead of singing their praises and if he won't do anything then the Govenor certainly should. Why must we go through this every December? And using innocent children just trying to get to school is especially dispicable.

Thank you for taking up this cause!

Brenda Quinn
166 West 75th Street
NY, NY 100023

I applaud Pix11's support of combatting what is obviously an example of mismanagement on a major corporate level. I fully agree and am in disbelief that not one person in a position of authority has a solution. I do not intend an attack on any one individual, but what happened to the pride of our fathers in the work place? Who are these employees of the financial division of the MTA that leave work every day with a feeling of "job well done", or quite apparently "time to clock out and forget the office till tomorrow"? The MTA is a business. If a flow chart of an overview of the economics of any business is complete, it usually appears as as a neat tree or continuance chart. The chart for this poorly run MTA would look like the inside of a street phone box with lines running askew and disconnected!
Simply, there are two solutions. #1 I am not a daily supporter of Mr Bloomberg, but I do respect him as a businessman. As a rider and chief representative of the greatest city in the union, Mr Bloomberg should be handed the reigns and allowed to clean house or tunnel in this case, of the "rats" that have chewed the wires to bits!
#2 and actually cheaper and more direct. Present the "books" of the MTA to all the major business universities and colleges across the nation. The challenge is to any class that cuts the fat, and can organize the MTA with a profitable plan. Professors of value are always seeking true life scenarios to challenge their student body!
Just think about the movie "Dave" and how it took an everyman like Charles Grodin's accountant to solve to USA budget!
Oh and one final note..........Where oh where is all the extra money discovered years ago, as an unaccounted for surplus?

Every year the MTA claims that they dont have any money, they cut service and raise fares. I would like to know what they did with all that money. In my opinion somebody from MTA is pocketing that money. They need to stop fattening their pockets and leave the students metro card alone.

With 4 children using public transportation - it is impossible for us to come with the required $356 monthly to fund metro cards. We have cut our budget as far as possible. I need to feed, shelter and educate a family of 8 ( 5 kids total) . My transportation bills alone come to $141.00 monthly. With the average cost of feeding this family at 30$ a night - I guess we will need to drop 11 dinners from the table to support the accountant's mistake. We will need to find a local soup kitchen. Does the MTA realize the impact of this decision or are they just ignorant and uncaring? The fact that they have mismanaged and wasted resources is the ultimate root casue of this dilemna. They should immediately institute a moratorium on this cut and consider other ways to get back on track. The politicians will certainly suffer for this next election as well for not stepping in and voiceing their opposition.

I cannot believe MTA. MTA is quick to say that they do not have any money but yet the big bosses for MTA just got a raise this year. You see what MTA is not taking into consideration is if they stop the Metro Cards for the students there is going to be a deterrent on crime. Meaning, kids are going to be jumping the turnstile to get to school, they are going to be robbing people, and now since parents are not going to be able to provide metro cards to their kids, teachers are going to notify ACS being that the children(s) have not been to school in a while. Also being that students will not have free metro cards, graduation rate will go down tremendously. MTA does not think about the bad outcome of their actions if they stopped free students metro cards. They are just plan selfish. It’s bad enough that they went up on carfare. Our so called Mayor Bloomberg and our so called Governor is no better because they are not stepping in to help us. Since Bloomberg been Mayor he has gotten richer, yet he cannot lend a hand to help New Yorkers. MTA needs to STOP giving raises to their employees.

D MTA has made known its intensn 2 make students pay 4 their ride.but un4tunately pple not buying the idea.sometimes i wonder whats really wrong with us Americans.We want everything free.students in other countries daily walks 4-8 miles 2 school and still excel in their studies.so whats wrong with ours paying fr their rides.they got money to go 2 movies with friends and etc.and they dont have money fr transit?and most of their parents gets everything free frm govt.common its time they take responsibility fr their lives and think of how we all can help the economy.it will also help stop jobless generatns frm producing babies they cant take responsibility fr but put on welfare.AM SORRY BT ITS TIME FR EVERY1 TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FR ONCE!!!!!!

Your campaign is misguided. Students (or their families) paying for their own transit is the same as all taxpayers cutting back on their lifestyle and expenses to divert money to things necessary. I've had to cut back even though I live upstate, with no children in NYC schools, since my phone and payroll taxes support the MTA!
Instead of campagaigning to give out yet more free public money, campaign for more responsible government and more responsible families. Foregoing a cell phone should amount to the $89 you say is needed for monthly transit. Responsibility: what better lesson in life?

Hello there....
I am all for students being able to ride the mass transit system free of charge to school. However, something has been bothering me a bit. Lots of people I know talk about how celebrities and people on TV get it all for free just because they are a celebrity of whatever. I say they work just as hard as we all do. But then on Thursday night I saw one of my favorite people in the morning news telling how her son goes to school in Brooklyn taking this bus, and that train, blah blah blah, to make it back home to....DRUM ROLL...... COLUMBUS CIRCLE. Dear Linda, I get what you are trying to say, but there are thousands of schools around Columbus Circle. I live in NJ and I know that. If the $900.00 a year is too much for your son to get to school, why is he traveling outside his school district to get educated? The last thing the average person needs to watch on TV is a news anchor getting upset about her son having to pay for transportation to go to school. Guess what.....try living in NJ where there is no such thing as free ride for students. Students pay for transportation to and from school. Please, don't go on television and tell us what a problem this is for you and your son, and then tell us that you live in Columbus Circle in Manhattan. If paying for your son to go to school is too much for you, then consider a school near by, or taking the yellow school bus, those are all over the city, or maybe a part time job after the morning news is over at 9am. I AM SO MAD........If you live in that area of NY, you should be able to send your child to a good school. And if you can afford to live in that area, then why not pay for your son's transportation? Let me put it this way, you are able to provide for your children and that is great, but while your son goes to school for free, another child misses out on the program. I'm sure you are not the only one who takes advantage, which is fine....but just don't expect those who really can't afford those extra $900.00 a year to pay for the subway, to feel bad that your son might have to pay for the subway and bus to school and back home to Columbus Circle...it was a little bit tasteless.

Hi Guys,

First,I love your Morning News Cast. I have never written before but I felt I needed to express my feelings on this subject.

I do not agree that students have a RIGHT to a free pass on MTA buses and subways. My wife and I have no children and we already pay a LARGE amount in school tax were we live. We are tired of subsidizing other peoples children. If people want to have children, they should be prepared to pay for them.

Enough is enough. NO MORE FREE RIDES.

Thanks,

Vinny C

I HAVE HEARD AND READ ABOUT THE COST IS WOULD COST PARENTS FOR CHILDREN TO ATTEND SCHOOL,HOWEVER NOBODY HAS MENTIONED THE CHILDREN THAT WON'T HAVE A MEAL DURING THE DAY.SOME OF THESE STUDENTS ONLY HAVE BREAKFAST AND LUNCH EVERYDAY IN SCHOOL...WHAT HAPPENS TO THEM?

It's bad enough that we're all struggling some worst than others!! Now here is the catch 22, MTA takes away the free metro cards, kids don't go to school because the parents can't afford it, parents get charged with Educational Neglect!!! Think about it, sure some parents will choose to home school their kids, what about the ones that are unable to do so? Education should not be a Privilege!!! We're here trying to promote literacy and education while MTA are thinking about their selfish self!! What happen to the bailout money that they got? Why can't each of them take a pay cut? Or better yet, take away their spouse free metro cards!!! Why should our children suffer?!? EDUCATION IS SHOULD NOT BE A PRIVILEGE, AND WHY SHOULD MTA GET AWAY WITH THIS?

Has anyone investigated whether MTA execs have received their year-end bonuses or raises? What about other benefits like limos & free travel on the buses, subways and river crossings? Perhaps they should be required to give them up to allow the children their passes.

A small price to pay.

WHERE'S THE MAYOR!?! WHERE ARE THE CITY'S LOCAL POLITICIANS!?!

They've all stuck their heads in the sand because the MTA - an over-budgeted institution that qualifies as its own municipality - has all of our local leaders in its pockets!

The transit passes will be pulled, services will be cut, the fare will be raised, and it'll happen because the people with their chanting and signs will let it happen. BECAUSE SIGNS AND CHANTS DON'T DO A DAMNED THING.

Suck it up and happy strap-hanging!

am a single mom with a 16 son his school is far he needs to take a bus and a train to get there. now he needs the student pass. y the mta have the mta workers paid a 1.25 the way i pay at the met market i work at its a buiness and mta workers and police officers should paid for their fare like everyone else

I would like to commend the pix morning news,for their coverage of this issue.As to the metro card issue I have one question for the state and the city of New York,that question being,If money generated from the New York lottery goes toward education,how is it that the state can not find away to pay the MTA the 143 million they owe?As per the New York lottery's mission statement in the fiscal year of 2008-09 2.54 billion dollars from the lottery went to support education.Be it scholarships,computers,books or metrocards,it's all about education Am I right and if not please help me to understand.

Ada Encarnacion
Bronx, NY 10473

I can't believe the MTA is picking on our student in order for us to get them out of their budget gap! Instead in looking into a solution they're creating chaos! It's really horrible especial in the time for the holiday! It's really there fault they're in A BUDGET GAP! The MTA need to stop stealing from the cooking jar (if you know what I mean)! The MTA need to Step up to their responsibilities! They need to eliminate some of there workers that are being over paid. Than they'll see an improvement in the budget. Taking away the metro card from our student is not the solution! If the MTA gets away with taking metro card from our students they will be choas! Lots of student will stop going to school and other misfortunate eposodes.(Hopping the Train)! HOPING IT DOESN'T COME TO THIS!

It is all well and good for politicians to weigh in on the issue, the problem is that THEY caused it!

The city underpays for the student passes by $70M a year for over a decade, and the state cuts funding to the tune of $143M this year, and then they take umbrage at the MTA discontinuing a program that no longer has funding. Any politician who speaks out, w/o speaking to restoring funding, is simply a pot calling the MTA kettle black.

Student metrocards are a worthy cause to be sure, but direct your anger at all those responsible. Mayor Bloomberg and the City Legislature, as well as Governor Patterson and the State Leglislature, must take their share of the blame, and responsibliity for this fiasco.

terrible happenings in hatie but remember katrina and fema had all those prebuilt houses that were not used they were store somewhere down south already paided for and not being used why not send them down there really no big deal a bull dozer clears he property into a dump truck hauled away and house is placed on site step 1 in taken care of shelter also as a construction/electrcal inspector you can not build houses again like the ones that were on TV they'll come down again. as far as the rebuilding of the city it should be closely watched to ensure the future safety of the poeple. I could go on and on but I hope that you could ask the question about the houses.

It's to horrible to think about. I have three teen girls all in the city I live in the North Bronx. It will cost 13.50 a day. We live off my Social Securtiy there is no way that I can afford to send my girls to school and now school closing make it even more difficult to place them near home. HELP---HELP--HELP.
Suggestions: let's boycott the trains for a day and see who's the boss.

Angry Mom

My late father was a transit authority employee. After he retired, he had a free transit pass for life. He didn't have to go to work or school, so it wasn't necessary. As a senior, he was already eligible for half-fare, which was reasonable. Now, more than ever the retired transit employees should give up their free lifetime passes so that students wouldn't lose their free metrocards. These kids MUST get to school. They are our future. They need their education. It is the right thing to do.

i need a metro card 2 get 2 skool but the mta is taking them away.first it is no free rides if they dont give free metro cards more kids are going 2 start walking 2 skool.now i got walk 2 skool.