Cone of Silence

----- Original Message -----
From: oldfox
To: drgridlock@washpost.com
Sent: Sunday, August 22, 2004 3:22 AM
Subject: Maxwell Smartrip. Missed it by THAT much.

Dear Dr. Gridlock:

I am new in town.

I see this http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A19146-2004Jun5.html and know that subsequently there has been a complete failure to provide SmartTrip cards because of the "unexpected" demand.

It strikes me as passing strange that an enterprise that hires thieves as cashiers can in it's right mind, refuse to accept cash in order to protect itself from it's selected employees. Imagine any other business with cashiers--supermarkets, gas stations, bars, airport parking lots, city parking lots, newsstands--refusing to accept cash instead of detecting and firing crooked employees. It's an outrage. Of course their receipts and ridership will decline and it is clearly an unsound and irresponsible business practice.

If they want to contract out parking services, then the theives are stealing from the contractor, not the Metrorail. Isn't the contractor paying a fee to the Metrolrail to run the parking lot? No one wants to bid on that contract? Then sell the parking lots to private operators who can charge what they like.

This is the United States of America. This is our capitol city. Perhaps one third of the mass transit ridership are government employees of one government or another. I imagine over half of the money to build this system is taxpayer money from the federal government. That same government currency is declared to be legal tender for all debts public or private, is sufficient by law for every merchant, bank, cashier and business transaction in the entire country! Except to use the government mass transit system.

It is really quite embarrassing. Maxwell Smart-rip. Missed it by that much.

Agent Thirteen
Terry Seale
Alexandria