THE WHEELS ON THE BUS GO ROUND AND ROUND
Dakota Huseby posted a notice on her excellent, informative, well-written (wink wink) blog that the Great City of Grand Forks, led by Councilman Hal Gershman is looking into a collaboration with the students of that hallowed institution of drinking, er, learning, the University of Nord Akota. Said proposal is to look into the possibility of the City and the students sharing costs in extending bus service past the normal 6PM ending, to also run from 10PM until 2:30 AM Friday and Saturday nights.
The objective in this is apparently to enable students to get much drunker, much later than is possible now. No word on whether this was the conclusion of a scientific study, or just "a rilly cool idea", but according to the Dakota Student, did come about as a result of meetings between the student Senate and City Council.
Details regarding funding of the whole thing are still being fleshed out. Proposed is a $1 rider's fee to cover the estimated $275 extra it will cost to run the bus an additional 4 1/2 hours. Any shortcomings in funding after that will be split between the city and the student body. There is no word yet how this will sit with students already complaining about tuition costs, etc. who do not wish to participate in drinking downtown.
A point for Grand Forks taxpayers to consider is this: every mile that a bus spends hauling drunken students around is one less mile it can haul someone going to a job, the grocery store, music lessons, whatever. Buses have finite life spans, and are money eating monsters while they live. 6 tires at $300 a pop, brake jobs at around $1000, a motor now and then at $15000. Diesel at 3MPG and $2.50 a gallon- pretty soon you're talking real money.
The question can be asked, fairly, I believe-don't we spend enough, in terms of money and aggravation, to finish the job of raising someone else's kids when they come here to go to school?
Is it worth it to us to subsidize student drinking?
Update: Willie Nelson is rumoured to have tendered an offer to help with bussing....
The objective in this is apparently to enable students to get much drunker, much later than is possible now. No word on whether this was the conclusion of a scientific study, or just "a rilly cool idea", but according to the Dakota Student, did come about as a result of meetings between the student Senate and City Council.
Details regarding funding of the whole thing are still being fleshed out. Proposed is a $1 rider's fee to cover the estimated $275 extra it will cost to run the bus an additional 4 1/2 hours. Any shortcomings in funding after that will be split between the city and the student body. There is no word yet how this will sit with students already complaining about tuition costs, etc. who do not wish to participate in drinking downtown.
A point for Grand Forks taxpayers to consider is this: every mile that a bus spends hauling drunken students around is one less mile it can haul someone going to a job, the grocery store, music lessons, whatever. Buses have finite life spans, and are money eating monsters while they live. 6 tires at $300 a pop, brake jobs at around $1000, a motor now and then at $15000. Diesel at 3MPG and $2.50 a gallon- pretty soon you're talking real money.
The question can be asked, fairly, I believe-don't we spend enough, in terms of money and aggravation, to finish the job of raising someone else's kids when they come here to go to school?
Is it worth it to us to subsidize student drinking?
Update: Willie Nelson is rumoured to have tendered an offer to help with bussing....
posted by Good Ol' Boy at 9:32 PM
11 Comments:
A bit harsh :)
But, you're absolutely right. While I do believe that Grand Forks is a community ripe for a trolley (again) down University Ave. to perhaps the Bus Depot, it is clear the intent of this proposal, and is just another way of coddling those that wish to break the law or simply get irresponsibly drunk.
They have Cab Crawler still, don't they? Even if they don't, fucking spring for a cab ride. We have taxis here, dammit! Don't expect a non-drinking student such as myself to fork over more effin' money for those collegiate sots. I have to pay for my classes out of my own damn pocket and that's hard enough.
-Your Daughter
This is a family blog. No need for potty mouth.
"No need for potty mouth."
If I were a UND student I'd be ticke off too. Over the years they have had to subsidize a whole mess of thisngs through added fees: building renovations, the wellness center, athletics; many of which most students don't even use. For students who don't drink, or who drink rarely, to have to pay for a bus so others can get plastered and not get arrested for DUI, is simply another form of redistributing the wealth.
How about the fact that some college students have JOBS that get out late? You know, when I worked downtown it would have been really nice to be able to take the bus back home instead of having to walk in the ND winter because I can't afford a car.
It's not always about the drunks. Some of us are paying our way through school.
Yes, but, was this idea brought up for the sole purpose of getting students home safe from a night of drinking, or was it for working students who don't have their own mode of transport?
I agree, it'd be nice for those who can't afford a car, but then again, the college students who own cars (such as myself) and who also work (such as myself) would be subsidizing a bus for those who don't have cars...so, essentially, for purposes of example only, I'd be paying for my own transportation (my own gas, my own car repairs, my own car insurance, etc.) and for other people's.
I'm just merely pointing out, I don't need another expense from the college, and neither does anyone else, carless or not.
And, I apologize for my earlier potty mouth, but at least I don't hide behind anonymity.
The earlier point of Cab Crawler and taxis seems to have been made without the experience of actually trying to get a cab in Grand Forks. On various occasions my friends and I have, after a few drinks but certainly not "irresponsibly drunk" called for a cab around 12:30 or 1:00 in the morning. Out of dozens of these calls I have only ONCE gotten a cab to the bar prior to closing time and the vast majority of the time they say they cannot arrive prior to 3 or 4. Is it really safe for us to have the responsible, over 21 individuals that choose to have 3 or 4 beers walking home in the middle of winter? No, it's not fair for everyone to have to pay those fees, but as a 2006 UND graduate it wasn't fair for me to have to pay all those fees for the new wellness center. It's just the way things work sometimes.
If you go out with a bunch of friends to drink, you have made a choice -- you can also make a choice for one of you in the group to NOT drink and be the one who drives the rest home.
Why does that have to be an expense of MINE?
As a Libertarian myself, I agree that it would be a wonderful world if we could all only take care of ourselves and the things we need. It would be great if "Happy Hal" would throw out some of his money to support the running of these busses. This, however, is not the way government works. I'm sure there is something that I have paid taxes for, actually many things as a Minnesota resident living in North Dakota, that have benefitted someone else and not myself. Grand Forks has a massive problem with binge drinking, and in my opinion, an even larger problem with people that drink and drive. It seems acceptable up here. Where I grew up it was unmentionable to have any more than one drink and then get into your car. It's nice to ignore the problem or pretend that by educating kids we're going to fix it, but the reality is people are either drinking and driving or getting stuck in unsafe walking situations. Would we really rather leave them out there endangering themselves, or worse, endangering us or the people we love?
Then call a cab. See how easy that was?
As a Social Darwinian myself, I think if someone wants to drink, that's wonderful. And if they do it often enough and long enough, their stupid choices will cull them from the herd. Society has no mandate to save these fools from themselves, it has only to protect the law-abiding from the unlawful. This is done with sanctions like fines, imprisonment, and other behaviour-modification schemes. Society will give you a couple, maybe even a few chances, but if you don't wise up, you are taken out from the general population, temporarily or permanently. 'Nuff said?
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