Yes, Indianpolis, Washington Can Find a Way to Screw Up even the Best Ideas

Leave it to our pal, Sir Hailstone, to point out the obvious. So obvious that when I first read his post I thought he was kidding.

(See the entire post here: http://www.digitalfarmers.org/2008/02/indygo-ends-race-day-shuttles.html)

Citing local cage liner, The Indianapolis Star, who (as usual) cited a Press Release from IndyGo's website (do they do any original reporting there anymore?), The Digital Farmer blog reports that the ever popular Park and Ride Shuttle Service between off-site parking and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be discontinued in 2008.

Why? Because your friends here in Washington at the FTA... said so.

Yes, Sir Hailstone, there is truth in Clare Boothe Luce's immortal quip that "no good deed goes unpunished" and certainly no public service for events with such tremendous economic impact on the local community should be allowed to get in the way of a federal bureaucracy! Nothing like supporting the local economy out there in "fly-over" country, eh fellas. (Especially with gas expected to be at $4/gal. Good move there FTA, let's really encourage the use of public transit.)

Kudos to the Digital Farmer. But this is symptomatic of a bigger problem.

This supposes that the "brain trust in DC" knows best what works in Indianapolis. Why the FTA couldn't possibly be wrong and not do something good with the tax-payer's buck? It must be a cataclysmic breech of the public trust to offer a service that actually accomplishes something at, as an example, the largest single-day sporting event in the WORLD? Nay! Perish the thought! That would mean that government actually works in the best interest of the people they're supposed to serve and we couldn't have that.

Note to lawmakers: Ummm, think this one is worth a call to the FTA for a do-over? How 'bout we get together and give Gil a hand here? Maybe you'll get lucky and FTA will throw you a bone. (In fact, if you invite the FTA brass to the race, I bet you can get it done by the end of next week. Just a thought, but somebody might want to give Tony a call. Being the generous corporate citizen he is, I bet he'd pop for a few tickets to the Hulman Suite.)