LongIslandTool wrote:lirr42 wrote: Most people were at home, where they were instructed to be.
There is where we differ. A free people are not "instructed to be at home". They are free to be wherever they wish to be. If that is waiting on a late train making its way though the snow to see their girlfriend, it's their choice.
When the government takes control of a public transportation system, it does so with the understanding that it will provide for the needs and desires of the taxpayer, not the other way around.
But I suppose The Tool lacks the proper instruction.
In this country, at least, there are limits on people's freedoms. You're free to the point where your actions do not jeopardize the rights or the well being of another person, and one of the government's primary responsibilities is to lookout for the well being of its citizens. For that reason, we have laws put in place to ensure that does not happen. You are not free to kidnap someone, and you are not free to run somebody over with your car. You are also not free to selectively pick and choose which laws or orders from the government you wish to comply with. You may not agree with Cuomo's decision here, but he was the one that the state's population elected to that position, so his views and his discretion is the one that the majority of the people in this state agree with, so he's in charge.
Driving out on the roads, or even driving to the train station to catch a train to see their girlfriend, subjects that person, as well as anyone else who might be out around them, like emergency responders trying to get someone to the hospital, to a substantial risk of injuring or killing themselves or another person. A person, 'free' or not, is not permitted to do that.
While I am not one that is quick to agree with this state's governor, particularly on transportation issues, I think in this case, the numbers speak for themselves. While I do not recall off the top of my head the specific numbers mentioned by Cuomo and Bellone earlier today, they did mention that there was an extreemly low number of stranded vehicles/vehicular accidents, and a steep drop in 911 calls after the travel ban went into effect at 11:00pm. If you contrast that to previous storms where there were images of dozens upon dozens of cars stranded on the LIE with people trapped inside them and 911 call centers overwhelmed, I would say that the travel ban was a notable success.
Like I said to Mr. ThirdRail before, I'm not sure how much pride you would have left over if you ran a signal because visibility was so poor during a blizzard, or your train got stranded in the middle of a forest someplace and one or more passengers fell severely ill or died due to the conditions. Something like that hasn't happened yet--and the railroads have been very lucky during severe weather--but that's no reason to tempt fate.
And, it's worth adding that, at least as of this morning, there were no reported deaths due to somebody being out in the middle of the blizzard. I suppose Mr. Tool might be upset because the storm wasn't able to knock off some of us "soft and lazy" people to make more room on this island for the big and strong railroad workers...
