The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

‘Other Unruly Acts’ in Killadelphia

Posted on | June 9, 2023 | Comments Off on ‘Other Unruly Acts’ in Killadelphia

SEPTA (Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority) is the public transportation system in Philadelphia and the resemblance of the acronym to septic is merely coincidental, but given the unhealthy conditions on SEPTA trains and buses — reeking of urine, etc. — it is an appropriate coincidence. In addition to the homeless drug addicts who plague the SEPTA system, there’s also the hazard of occasional gunfire. Police in Philadelphia are still seeking a suspect in the fatal shooting of a 15-year-old high school student on a SEPTA bus last month, an incident which should not be confused with the fatal shooting on a 14-year-old student on a SEPTA train platform last month.

Dana Pico asks: “As cities lose control of crime, how can anyone view public transportation as a solution to anything?” And of course, the answer is — liberalism, which causes people to view all kinds of things in an irrational way. Dana fisks a lengthy article in the Philadelphia Inquirer about the spiraling chaos afflicting the SEPTA system.

If there is a Pulitzer Prize for excellence in the use of euphemism, the Inquirer is making a strong bid to win it.

Recent high-profile shootings in and around SEPTA stations in Philadelphia reflect an alarming increase in violence . . .
However, the types of crime passengers are most likely to encounter on SEPTA are smoking, turnstile-jumping, public urination, and other unruly acts. SEPTA is struggling to manage the incidents.
These are not violent crimes but antisocial behaviors that make many people feel unsafe on the subway and El lines, according to interviews with multiple riders.

You see? It’s not really dangerous to ride on a train with criminals and dopeheads, the Inquirer wants its readers to believe. No, the problem is not the “unruly acts,” but rather that “many people feel unsafe.”

The Inquirer is engaged in promoting the idea that the real problem is not the “antisocial behaviors,” but rather the feelings of “many people” about SEPTA. And never mind those teenagers getting shot to death.

“People experiencing homelessness” is one of the artful euphemisms in the Inquirer article, and you can read the whole thing and find your favorite evasive phrases, but how about this social-justice sermon?

The social problems plaguing SEPTA and other transit agencies raise hard questions about justice and equity in a nation whose institutions have proved unable or unwilling to spend the vast sums that would be required to make serious progress against housing insecurity, emotional and mental health issues, and substance-abuse disorders.

Oh, we could “make serious progress” against these “social problems,” if only we were willing and able to “spend the vast sums”! So your teenager got shot on the bus, and there’s a junkie nodding off on the train in a puddle of his own urine, and why? Because you’re a cheapskate, who doesn’t want to spend “vast sums . . to make serious progress.”

Liberals may actually believe nonsense like that, but why must the rest of us be forced to live with the consequences of their folly?



 

 

Category: Crime, Pennsylvania

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