has been racist, although the opponents have been savvy enough to use code words, like "bringing crime and drugs to our suburbs."

When the Westside light rail line was being built in Portland, there were rumors (even picked up by the Oregonian, which is a pretty poor paper, but this was bad even for them) that Latino gangs had divvied up the stations and were going to rob passengers.

When the South-North line was proposed for the first time, there was a whispering campaign claiming that African-American gangs from north Portland were going to go to the southern suburbs to recruit white youth.

If you look at the online comments about transit in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, you see readers saying things like, "I don't want to ride with the diversity" or "the buses are full of welfare mothers" or "I don't like waiting at bus stops downtown with all the gangbangers and drug dealers" (who, of course, are actually people going to and from their jobs).

With that kind of racism circulating, it's no wonder that the Tea Party can easily arouse sentiment against expansion of mass transit.

Look at a map of DC Metro or MARTA in Atlanta. Look at where they go -- and more importantly, where they don't go: lily-white Georgetown and Cobb County (Newt country), respectively.

edit: In fact, teabaggers in Georgia just blocked a tax hike that would have benefited -- you guessed it -- transit.

re-edit: Closer to home, BART still does not go all the way down the big-bucks Peninsula (between SF and Silicon Valley). It took decades to get it as far as the airport.

What is wrong with some people?

One time, I stepped off a bus in Columbia on my way to a job interview and a car actually pulled up and the driver rolled down his window to yell "you're gonna get killed riding those buses". Seriously. I just thanked him for his concern and told him, truthfully, that I rode the bus all the time and had never felt in any danger. He just sort of grunted, the sort of grunt that says "Who you going to believe, me or your lying eyes?" and drove off.

I just hope karma slaps them in the face and makes them forced to take public transportation. Fuking ingrates...

I hope they get their asses handed to them

I love RTD & use it whenever I can, which is a lot!

The teabaggers should be forced to use the bus for a week. It's an eye opening experience to realize, ride after ride, that you are very likely the most fortunate person on the bus. Of course, you have to have empathy for that.

Indianapolis is a bad city for pedestrians and bicyclists, and has a very limited bus system. It really needs some form of improved mass transit.