
The CTA has been one of the most beneficial systems to people in the US. Everyone uses the bus or train to go where they want at an economical price. As time passes there are new regulations the government has been imposing on the CTA. Recently in the news we have seen many people protesting and arguing with the changes that have occurred with the CTA. Would Marx agree with the fact that we are paying for better service or just for the fuel the CTA consumes?
As of February 7, 2010, there has been a cut of express busses and the regular busses are running less frequently. This change has caused many of us frustration. They have been increasing the CTA fare at a steady pace, but now they have completely deleted some transportation that everyone needs.
Victoria Kaczmarek, from Lane Tech High school, writes in the Chicago Tribune about how the CTA should provide better “quality service”. She believes that she should not be paying for being late to her school because of the bus. I myself was a student at Lane Tech and yes the school has a strict policy when you’re late. Every minute counts and if the bus takes long or doesn’t come on the time expected you would be late which causes some teachers to lower your grade depending on how many times you are tardy. This on the other hand is not the governments fault, but the government should consider that for some people in Chicago this is the only method of transportation available for them and with this weather it is bad for our health. Jerome C. Malon argues that some of us complain of how much we are paying. He says that we pay just the right amount because even the most “fuel-efficient” car will spend $2.75 on gas from O’Hare airport to 95th street.
Here we are debating on how much we pay and what we get in return but that is why many of the CTA drivers protest to get higher income as well they feel like their labor is not getting paid. According to Marx this is how it is supposed to be. The drivers should only be paid for the hours driven not for the service. Marx would argue that we are paying for the time. If you go walking to wherever we go we will pay more because we are sacrificing time. “Labor is our life activity” according to Marx and if we have to wake up earlier or wait longer that’s just what we are supposed to do. Same with the drivers, they may get a raise but they will never get paid for their labor.
Marx would view the knew changes as a good thing because since many of us have no other choice but to ride the CTA, there would be in increase in production yet there would be less wages being paid.
URL http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/ct-vp-0215letters-20100210,0,5423330.story