http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/LoriMorales/11503 We just returned from a wonderful vacation back east.&nbsp; Spent 10 days in Washington DC.&nbsp; Loved it and you can't come away from those memorials and museums without being a proud American.&nbsp; They are fabulous. We drove from DC to Kentucky to Michigan, then to Ohio, up into New York and Niagra, then back to DC.&nbsp;&nbsp;It was so very obvious that&nbsp;all the transit systems back east have left California in the dust.&nbsp; We took the Metro from Annapolis to DC everyday we were there.&nbsp; It is cheep, efficient, clean and so very easy.&nbsp; And the freeways (expressways) are clean and in good condition.&nbsp; True, you run into repairs frequently, but we were delighted with the turnpikes and state highways. Forty one years ago, I moved here from Detroit.&nbsp; I can remember like it was yesterday driving from the airport and being amazed at the clean and well kept freeways.&nbsp; Boy, this state should be ashamed of what we have settled for in the way of mass transit.&nbsp; Our freeways are now a mess.&nbsp; And it only took forty years to get ourselves into the disaster we call our transit system. Why is that?&nbsp; With gasoline prices increasing every single year for longer than I want to remember - that means the taxes collected by California have increased.&nbsp; Why are we building those stupid (not a word I use lightly) carpool lane overpasses everywhere in LA and Orange County?&nbsp; How many ba-zillion dollars are wasted there instead of a rail system?&nbsp; Or something - isn't there a great mind somewhere in the office that decides how to spend transportation dollars?&nbsp; Someone (me and you) have been asleep at the wheel on this one. We just returned from a wonderful vacation back east.&nbsp; Spent 10 days in Washington DC.&nbsp; Loved it and you can't come away from those memorials and museums without being a proud American.&nbsp; They are fabulous. We drove from DC to Kentucky to Michigan, then to Ohio, up into New York and Niagra, then back to DC.&nbsp;&nbsp;It was so very obvious that&nbsp;all the transit systems back east have left California in the dust.&nbsp; We took the Metro from Annapolis to DC everyday we were there.&nbsp; It is cheep, efficient, clean and so very easy.&nbsp; And the freeways (expressways) are clean and in good condition.&nbsp; True, you run into repairs frequently, but we were delighted with the turnpikes and state highways. Forty one years ago, I moved here from Detroit.&nbsp; I can remember like it was yesterday driving from the airport and being amazed at the clean and well kept freeways.&nbsp; Boy, this state should be ashamed of what we have settled for in the way of mass transit.&nbsp; Our freeways are now a mess.&nbsp; And it only took forty years to get ourselves into the disaster we call our transit system. Why is that?&nbsp; With gasoline prices increasing every single year for longer than I want to remember - that means the taxes collected by California have increased.&nbsp; Why are we building those stupid (not a word I use lightly) carpool lane overpasses everywhere in LA and Orange County?&nbsp; How many ba-zillion dollars are wasted there instead of a rail system?&nbsp; Or something - isn't there a great mind somewhere in the office that decides how to spend transportation dollars?&nbsp; Someone (me and you) have been asleep at the wheel on this one. en-us <p>You should ride the Metro-link from Lancaster to L.A.&nbsp; From there you can ride any of several Subway lines to some parts of the city.&nbsp; That is what So Cal calls mass transit.&nbsp; I like the system but it does not serve enough of the population.</p> <p>As far as the gas tax dollars - that fund has been raided by the politicians for other things.&nbsp; This state does need to rebuild, build and just improve it's infrastructure.&nbsp; We just need some politicians willing to do it.</p> <p>I keep seeing ads for getting health care for everyone - a fine idea.&nbsp; But at the same time half of the state (geographically and two thirds of the state's population) had their drinking water cutoff.&nbsp; That is the mindset that has been allocating tax dollars.</p> http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/LoriMorales/11503/#c_112105 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/LoriMorales/11503/#c_112105 <p>You should ride the Metro-link from Lancaster to L.A.&nbsp; From there you can ride any of several Subway lines to some parts of the city.&nbsp; That is what So Cal calls mass transit.&nbsp; I like the system but it does not serve enough of the population.</p> <p>As far as the gas tax dollars - that fund has been raided by the politicians for other things.&nbsp; This state does need to rebuild, build and just improve it's infrastructure.&nbsp; We just need some politicians willing to do it.</p> <p>I keep seeing ads for getting health care for everyone - a fine idea.&nbsp; But at the same time half of the state (geographically and two thirds of the state's population) had their drinking water cutoff.&nbsp; That is the mindset that has been allocating tax dollars.</p>