I typed this out while I was pumping milk

Now that I've alienated EVERYONE...

But to be honest, most of my deeper thoughts are when Benevolent Dictator is in her morning nap and I'm strapped to the pumping machine, lactating away like a Holstein cow. I keep meaning to type them out, but then the day gets away from me, I try and keep entertaining a six-month-old (which is seriously harder than it looks sometimes -- she can be a harsh critic. Imagine Simon Cowell, only with big brown eyes, enormous eyelashes and the tendency to cry instead of cut you down with an insult) and by 6 p.m., I'm wiped out and ready for bed.

Anyways, I've been mulling over a remnant from my past life as a reporter -- news about the county creating a regional transit authority with the main goal of implementing commuter rail through the area. I won't bore you with the teeny-tiny details, but I will say that unless you were in the thick of it and aware of Transport 2020's every move, the whole thing is a big shock.

In other words, if you're a normal person,with normal everyday stuff to muddle through, you're surprised as fuck about this. If you even care.

Anyways, I won't bother with my viewpoint on the matter, because I really don't have a strong opinion one way or the other. I would love to see a commuter rail line and more public transportation in the area (I love trains. I'm quite fond of Chicago's CTA when I visit K. and friends. I love a good public transportation system.) -- I'm of two minds with this.

First off, I do want to see Madison -- a town that applauds its progressive attitudes regarding the environment -- to have a decent public transportation system. It would be great for people who work downtown to save money on parking, gas, etc. by being able to commute to work via a bus/train.

HOWEVER -- Madison Metro blows ass. Seriously. It's not infrequent to hear about the schedule being pared down and routes being cut. While a regional transit authority wouldn't be Madison Metro -- would it be any better?

I think that question hinges in the whole argument that public transportation should pay for itself, which is a difficult, if not impossible task. Look at Chicago -- there's been news about the CTA being cut down frequently. I guess that I view public transportation as another service that government has the option of providing to its citizens -- similar to human services, garbage pickup and yes, even police.

The question is, do we, as a whole, want this? Even if it costs us? Because it will. To keep fares low, we'll have to pitch in as taxpayers. And if fares become prohibitively expensive or the service is too limited, you can bet your ass that people won't ride it.

I know there's been talk about a half-percent sales tax increase in the county to fund the transit authority, should one be created. I can see that being a problem, given two facts:

1. Politicians outside of Madison HATE Madison politicians.
2. Why the hell would someone outside of the rail line (set to run from Middleton through Madison's Isthmus to maybe, Sun Prairie) want to pay the tax when it doesn't benefit them?

Really, expanding and improving the bus service first may be the best bet. It's not as sexy as a shiny, new commuter rail line, but it may also be cheaper and more palatable to many people. Then after that's established, a commuter rail line for people closer to the downtown area would make sense. Especially if some of the bus lines become feeders for commuter rail stations.

But what do I know?