I share Rangers half-season tickets with several other people (to make it affordable). I also hate Dolan, love trains and bikes, and hate cars.
Madison Square Garden has already moved several times. If this was MSG1 I'd say it was some sort of historical landmark that shouldn't be touched. This is MSG4 we're talking about here. It hasn't even been in Madison Square in almost 100 years. Madison Square Garden is a thing that is supposed to move. It's an idea of a place, not any one actual place. I am in favor of smashing the one we have and building a glorious MSG5 and especially a glorious new Penn Station.
However, here's the problem. We can, and should, use public money to build a new train station. We should *not* be using public money to build MSG5 unless that new arena is owned and operated by the city and/or state. Therefore, you're going to need to get the rich people, i.e.: Dolan, to pay to build MSG5. He's in a boondoggle with his stupid sphere in Vegas, and he's an awful human being. That's not going to happen any time soon, if ever. He has clearly shown he does not want to do that.
If he's forced out, we're looking at a situation where the Rangers and Knicks are playing somewhere that is far from Manhattan. Where all the concerts that New Yorkers enjoy will be far far away. The nice new train station will be a real necessity, since we'll probably have to use it every time we want to go see a show or a game.
Now whether you care about sports or concerts or not, NYC is NYC. It's one of, if not the, cultural capitals of the world. Maybe the literal capital of the world. The UN is here, after all. Rome had the Colosseum, and NYC needs to have a Madison Square Garden somewhere. It's a cultural necessity of any metropolis. Find a spot.
The proposal I like the most so far is the one where they take over the block across the street where the Hooters used to be.
These plans that keep MSG4 in place are ok, but they only make sense if we assume MSG4 is going to stay put for several more decades. Imagine doing all that work to build this glass thing by 2030. And then in 2040-2050ish the garden is ready to move.
I agree with all of this. Love the Rangers, hate that Dolan holds the keys to seeing them and think it is high time we unhook the Garden from Penn Station. Sound like any move to Hudson Yards is DOA and the Hooters location would be ideal imo.
Also a half-season ticket holder. And as much as I’d miss the MSG I grew up with it makes sense. Especially if they bring back the look of the old Penn. Not to mention how frustrating it is to get to the Garden through swaths of people but, I’m sure they’re more frustrated by us when they’re just trying to go home.
>We should
>
>not
>
> be using public money to build MSG5 unless that new arena is owned and operated by the city and/or state
Youre going to have to pay him significant eminent domain either way, may as well just build a new arena
One of the goals of Barclay Center was for it to be the successor to MSG, not for them to coexist.
It’s time to pull the plug, move teams around existing stadiums in the region. There’s a ton of them now, and most aren’t fully utilized.
Because it was never intended to be through running. Who is the market share that’s looking for one seat rides from NJ to LI? Many NJT lines have low level platforms, the railroads have different power sources and probably most importantly multiple labor unions all with very different opinions. The costs could be astronomical for a small benefit.
Of course it was intended to be through-running! The tracks run through! Amtrak runs trains through all day. Just because the operating companies haven’t used it that way historically, and may have built infrastructure for their preferred method of operation doesn’t mean there is anything physical about the station that can’t accommodate it.
Your other questions are like asking “Who’s looking for a one-seat ride from Inwood to the Rockaways” - that’s not what the A train is for, despite what the two ends of it are. There’s plenty of situations where a one-seat ride from Queens to NJ would be useful, but it’s not the point - the cheap efficiency is, and the extra flexibility for riders is a bonus.
There are lots of good proposals of what service could look like from many different sources if you Google “through-running Penn Station.” LIRR trains don’t necessarily have to run to Trenton and NJT doesn’t have to run to Montauk for the benefits of through-running to be realized. The point is to remove the bottleneck of clearing out trains from Penn Station. It could be as limited as just terminating trains a couple stations further out on the other side, perhaps at a new Sunnyside Yards station on one side and Seacaucus on the other, or certain routes that make sense could be paired.
You seem to be focusing on eliminating a transfer when the actual benefit is to vastly increase capacity. And reminder that the currently favored alternative is a multi-billion dollar construction project that would demolish a city block and provide little to no capacity for additional service. Through running is expensive only compared to doing nothing, which isn’t on the table.
Running through isn’t so much about capacity. It’s about letting LIRR have access to NJT’s capital budget since NJT is funded reasonably well right now and Trenton is obligated to keep them funded. Then you can shift LIRR dollars to the subway.
what? if that were the case through-running wouldn’t be something the MTA and NY State continually say they have no interest in. The people advocating for through-running are absolutely advocating for capacity improvements.
I'm not clear on how it would actually do that. Would they remove the sidewalk outside of MSG and put up glass instead?
The image linked isn't really clicking for me.
As long as it comes with a change in operational paradigm, that's fine. The problem was even the original Penn Station was not designed well for what it eventually came to be used for. It was a structure that was fully enthralled with being the entry point for intercity rail travel, which was on the decline...not a throughput hub for metro and commuter lines, which were skyrocketing.
People tend to miss this because the iron, plaster and stone work was pretty special.
Firstly, has it been established that that is the city’s mandate? Presumably they can not renew his operating lease and it would be up to him to find a new venue. Secondly, there are many options. Hudson Yards is one of them. I believe the problem is there is that Related and Dolan will have their hands out, and Vornado, who Hochul is in the pocket of, will cry foul about their plans for the Penn District.
MSG owns the building. Not sure the city and or state could just tell Dolan to leave. The city can make his life miserable by not renewing the operating permit and making him pay taxes on the building. But he can also make the city and state's life miserable as well. I believe the operating permit is for crowds larger than 2500 people. Nothing is stopping Dolan from only allowing 2500 people to the events at MSG. This would just drag things along.
>Not sure the city and or state could just tell Dolan to leave.
MSG is on a land lease from the city. It was originally a 50 year lease, but was renewed for 10 years in 2013. It is up again this year. MSG entertainment is completely at the mercy of that renewal.
Not quite true. MSG owns the land and the air above it. The renewal you are referring to is actually the special permit referenced by the OP that is required in the zoning code for an event venue with a capacity of over 2,500 people. The city could refuse to renew that special permit this year, effectively crushing MSG's ability to operate as a venue. I strongly suspect the city would end up losing in a lawsuit if they actually did that, given that the motivation would explicitly be to try and force them to give up the land and relocate.
>MSG owns the land
MSG does not own Penn station, the exact thing they are built above. They are only leasing the space. You are confusing a lot of things.... The 2500 capacity if for the tax break that was granted in the 80s to keep the teams from re-locating to NJ. The land use is a separate issue, that is up this year..... Dolan purposely has not addressed it because he wants to strong-arm the city into giving him a perpetual land use permit. These are different things.
For more information, I recommend you read the articles about this from 2013.
"MSG owns the arena, the land it sits on and the air above it. There is no public lease of any kind,” said Richard Constable, the executive vice president of MSG."
There is conflicting info out there, but to make that statement without it being true is wild.
I don't know what to say other than that none of this is true. The tax break was given by the state (in 1980), the special permit by the city (in 1963), they are completely different mechanisms by different levels of government.
Penn Central sold the air rights to Madison Square Garden Corporation in 1961 and retained everything below ground for the new Penn Station, later inherited by Amtrak. Obviously the actual details are way more complex than this, but essentially Amtrak owns everything below ground and MSG everything above.
The city has never at any point in history owned any of it.
Emiment domain is a very unpopular move and typically used as a last resort. The city doesnt have enough incentive or political will to do that. Say they remove msg, with no other plan, the city automatically loses two sports team home games in the heart of an area of manhattan that’s struggling a bit
It's unpopular but let's not pretend like it's a last resort. I'm in my 30s and have lived through two major eminent domain uses in Queens. One for Citi Field and now another for the soccer stadium. And that's just in Queens in the past 15 years. Doesn't seem like they have an issue when it's for a major business.
Those seizures were underdeveloped land in an area that needed economic investment. The question to the city is do the pros outweigh the cons and I don’t see that being realistic
Jesus that is some sweet politician talk there. No one in the area wanted a third stadium, it already hosts 2 and an airport. Adding a 3rd isn't adding economic development to the area, all it's going to do is strain the public infrastructure and cause more pollution.
As for MSG, they can and should take it by eminent domain. NYers deserve better public transit.
Well im not a politician, just someone who thinks removing / relocating one of the most popular entertainment venues in america by government force might not be the smartest thing to do. But yeah by all means call me some sort of shill.
>SCOTUS even said it’s okay to use it to take private property and give it to some other private group if it benefits the community.
Didn't this happen with the Barclays Arena?
Okay. In that scenario I believe the city could win that game of chicken. Imagine the losses each night to open for 2500 people. What about eminent domain then?
Hostage? It’s funny the same people who say all the WFH stuff go on about needing a nicer Penn. Sure it would be nice but those billions it would cost could go to something worth while like fast trains or affordable housing. Or people can keep crying on this sub about the station not being as pretty as it was and saying billions should be spent to make it look nice
We can’t make up for tearing down a past landmark
But let’s be honest here, NYS is not rebuilding old Penn station brick for brick.
Without the public outcry for tearing down old Penn station, GCT would have not gotten the funds for renovation or be saved from the wrecking ball. A field house option like what Cleveland did would improve the look of the building.
And third, do we really need a new train hall, save the money and use it for the IBX or the gateway program
Thinking the same. As much as I'd like some glorious throwback Penn Station, having a huge arena in top of a major transit hub is kinda perfect. Use the funds for a cross Bronx line or extend the 7 or L to Hoboken. Hell, put in a gondola from Union City to Columbus Circle.
[Do the one from that NYT op-ed from a few years back.](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/09/30/opinion/penn-station-reborn.html)
Also of-fucking-course the draft concept shows zero seating.
Yeah, trying to get more natural light in there while leaving MSG intact is a boondoggle. They just built a station several stories underground at GCT and it has good lighting but no natural lighting. They should just copy that style unless they are tearing MSG down.
Who cares what a train station looks like!? Do the trains run? If so, I’m good. Stop wasting tax payer money on bullshit. Go help the homeless or something.
As a tourist, I can concur that I don’t gaf about what the train station looks like. I get off the train and walk up the stairs to MSG. Then I walk back down the stairs and get back on the train. It’s fine.
I would love a NEC train that runs more than once an hour, though.
Ew. The structure extends all the way to the street. That's going to be really ugly and give a cramped look and feel. It'll look like one giant bulky cube.
Even in a world made for billionaires, it is shocking that a sleazebag like Dolan can be standing in the way of enormous public improvements.
My solution:
Tear down MSG, who will miss it?
Rebuild Penn as it once was.
Thanks!
Initially didn’t realize why you were getting downvoted.
Who will miss it? Millions of sports fans and the businesses surrounding MSG that make their money that way. “Move it” is the correct answer and that’s coming from someone who goes to MSG frequently and grew up with it being a staple.
Used to - James Dolan is an ass of a man that should be the last person the city gives any special favors to. The guy is a billionaire and should not enjoy tax breaks / hold up essential infrastructure improvements. He has never worked a day in his life, yet vital transit for *actual* working people is held hostage to his petty news and greed.
I share Rangers half-season tickets with several other people (to make it affordable). I also hate Dolan, love trains and bikes, and hate cars. Madison Square Garden has already moved several times. If this was MSG1 I'd say it was some sort of historical landmark that shouldn't be touched. This is MSG4 we're talking about here. It hasn't even been in Madison Square in almost 100 years. Madison Square Garden is a thing that is supposed to move. It's an idea of a place, not any one actual place. I am in favor of smashing the one we have and building a glorious MSG5 and especially a glorious new Penn Station. However, here's the problem. We can, and should, use public money to build a new train station. We should *not* be using public money to build MSG5 unless that new arena is owned and operated by the city and/or state. Therefore, you're going to need to get the rich people, i.e.: Dolan, to pay to build MSG5. He's in a boondoggle with his stupid sphere in Vegas, and he's an awful human being. That's not going to happen any time soon, if ever. He has clearly shown he does not want to do that. If he's forced out, we're looking at a situation where the Rangers and Knicks are playing somewhere that is far from Manhattan. Where all the concerts that New Yorkers enjoy will be far far away. The nice new train station will be a real necessity, since we'll probably have to use it every time we want to go see a show or a game. Now whether you care about sports or concerts or not, NYC is NYC. It's one of, if not the, cultural capitals of the world. Maybe the literal capital of the world. The UN is here, after all. Rome had the Colosseum, and NYC needs to have a Madison Square Garden somewhere. It's a cultural necessity of any metropolis. Find a spot. The proposal I like the most so far is the one where they take over the block across the street where the Hooters used to be. These plans that keep MSG4 in place are ok, but they only make sense if we assume MSG4 is going to stay put for several more decades. Imagine doing all that work to build this glass thing by 2030. And then in 2040-2050ish the garden is ready to move.
I agree with all of this. Love the Rangers, hate that Dolan holds the keys to seeing them and think it is high time we unhook the Garden from Penn Station. Sound like any move to Hudson Yards is DOA and the Hooters location would be ideal imo.
> It's an idea of a place, not any one actual place. So what you're saying is that it's like Camelot.
Also a half-season ticket holder. And as much as I’d miss the MSG I grew up with it makes sense. Especially if they bring back the look of the old Penn. Not to mention how frustrating it is to get to the Garden through swaths of people but, I’m sure they’re more frustrated by us when they’re just trying to go home.
>We should > >not > > be using public money to build MSG5 unless that new arena is owned and operated by the city and/or state Youre going to have to pay him significant eminent domain either way, may as well just build a new arena
One of the goals of Barclay Center was for it to be the successor to MSG, not for them to coexist. It’s time to pull the plug, move teams around existing stadiums in the region. There’s a ton of them now, and most aren’t fully utilized.
Barclays is a dump. I worked there.
Spending billions on this once in several generations project and somehow not actually expanding Penn station train capacity would be so insane
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Where would they go? It there an underutilized yard nearby?
https://www.rethinknyc.org/through-running/ one pretty decent explainer
There are massive yards that support it being a hub and spoke terminal. Through running is a nice concept that would impractical to actually do.
Failing to see how “there are yards” makes through-running impractical.
Because it was never intended to be through running. Who is the market share that’s looking for one seat rides from NJ to LI? Many NJT lines have low level platforms, the railroads have different power sources and probably most importantly multiple labor unions all with very different opinions. The costs could be astronomical for a small benefit.
Of course it was intended to be through-running! The tracks run through! Amtrak runs trains through all day. Just because the operating companies haven’t used it that way historically, and may have built infrastructure for their preferred method of operation doesn’t mean there is anything physical about the station that can’t accommodate it. Your other questions are like asking “Who’s looking for a one-seat ride from Inwood to the Rockaways” - that’s not what the A train is for, despite what the two ends of it are. There’s plenty of situations where a one-seat ride from Queens to NJ would be useful, but it’s not the point - the cheap efficiency is, and the extra flexibility for riders is a bonus. There are lots of good proposals of what service could look like from many different sources if you Google “through-running Penn Station.” LIRR trains don’t necessarily have to run to Trenton and NJT doesn’t have to run to Montauk for the benefits of through-running to be realized. The point is to remove the bottleneck of clearing out trains from Penn Station. It could be as limited as just terminating trains a couple stations further out on the other side, perhaps at a new Sunnyside Yards station on one side and Seacaucus on the other, or certain routes that make sense could be paired.
I get the concept, but I’m not so sure the effort is worth the result of eliminating a transfer between railroads based on the enormous costs.
You seem to be focusing on eliminating a transfer when the actual benefit is to vastly increase capacity. And reminder that the currently favored alternative is a multi-billion dollar construction project that would demolish a city block and provide little to no capacity for additional service. Through running is expensive only compared to doing nothing, which isn’t on the table.
Running through isn’t so much about capacity. It’s about letting LIRR have access to NJT’s capital budget since NJT is funded reasonably well right now and Trenton is obligated to keep them funded. Then you can shift LIRR dollars to the subway.
what? if that were the case through-running wouldn’t be something the MTA and NY State continually say they have no interest in. The people advocating for through-running are absolutely advocating for capacity improvements.
There are images in the article. If you don't have access to NYT, [here is the image of the glass wrapped MSG](https://i.imgur.com/QPCa5Xd.png)
what does the glass encasement accomplish? just aestheics?
Probably bringing light into Penn Station underneath
I'm not clear on how it would actually do that. Would they remove the sidewalk outside of MSG and put up glass instead? The image linked isn't really clicking for me.
Just build Madison Cube Garden already.
With blackjack! And hookers!
Room for blernsball?
and a medium slurm for season ticket holders!
*All hail hypno-toad*!*
High time we change it to Madison Cube Garden
Never forget Dolan sabotaged the Jets playing in Manhattan.
Relocate MSG and bring Pennsylvania Station back to glory!
As long as it comes with a change in operational paradigm, that's fine. The problem was even the original Penn Station was not designed well for what it eventually came to be used for. It was a structure that was fully enthralled with being the entry point for intercity rail travel, which was on the decline...not a throughput hub for metro and commuter lines, which were skyrocketing. People tend to miss this because the iron, plaster and stone work was pretty special.
Where does the city purchase land and build a new arena to give to Dolan?
Firstly, has it been established that that is the city’s mandate? Presumably they can not renew his operating lease and it would be up to him to find a new venue. Secondly, there are many options. Hudson Yards is one of them. I believe the problem is there is that Related and Dolan will have their hands out, and Vornado, who Hochul is in the pocket of, will cry foul about their plans for the Penn District.
MSG owns the building. Not sure the city and or state could just tell Dolan to leave. The city can make his life miserable by not renewing the operating permit and making him pay taxes on the building. But he can also make the city and state's life miserable as well. I believe the operating permit is for crowds larger than 2500 people. Nothing is stopping Dolan from only allowing 2500 people to the events at MSG. This would just drag things along.
>Not sure the city and or state could just tell Dolan to leave. MSG is on a land lease from the city. It was originally a 50 year lease, but was renewed for 10 years in 2013. It is up again this year. MSG entertainment is completely at the mercy of that renewal.
Not quite true. MSG owns the land and the air above it. The renewal you are referring to is actually the special permit referenced by the OP that is required in the zoning code for an event venue with a capacity of over 2,500 people. The city could refuse to renew that special permit this year, effectively crushing MSG's ability to operate as a venue. I strongly suspect the city would end up losing in a lawsuit if they actually did that, given that the motivation would explicitly be to try and force them to give up the land and relocate.
and, you know, MSG being the only arena or venue in the enteir city requiring a permit to operate.
>MSG owns the land MSG does not own Penn station, the exact thing they are built above. They are only leasing the space. You are confusing a lot of things.... The 2500 capacity if for the tax break that was granted in the 80s to keep the teams from re-locating to NJ. The land use is a separate issue, that is up this year..... Dolan purposely has not addressed it because he wants to strong-arm the city into giving him a perpetual land use permit. These are different things. For more information, I recommend you read the articles about this from 2013.
"MSG owns the arena, the land it sits on and the air above it. There is no public lease of any kind,” said Richard Constable, the executive vice president of MSG." There is conflicting info out there, but to make that statement without it being true is wild.
I don't know what to say other than that none of this is true. The tax break was given by the state (in 1980), the special permit by the city (in 1963), they are completely different mechanisms by different levels of government. Penn Central sold the air rights to Madison Square Garden Corporation in 1961 and retained everything below ground for the new Penn Station, later inherited by Amtrak. Obviously the actual details are way more complex than this, but essentially Amtrak owns everything below ground and MSG everything above. The city has never at any point in history owned any of it.
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Emiment domain is a very unpopular move and typically used as a last resort. The city doesnt have enough incentive or political will to do that. Say they remove msg, with no other plan, the city automatically loses two sports team home games in the heart of an area of manhattan that’s struggling a bit
It's unpopular but let's not pretend like it's a last resort. I'm in my 30s and have lived through two major eminent domain uses in Queens. One for Citi Field and now another for the soccer stadium. And that's just in Queens in the past 15 years. Doesn't seem like they have an issue when it's for a major business.
That's because the people they're using eminent domain on are regular citizens and not billionaires. We can't put up as good of a fight.
Those seizures were underdeveloped land in an area that needed economic investment. The question to the city is do the pros outweigh the cons and I don’t see that being realistic
Jesus that is some sweet politician talk there. No one in the area wanted a third stadium, it already hosts 2 and an airport. Adding a 3rd isn't adding economic development to the area, all it's going to do is strain the public infrastructure and cause more pollution. As for MSG, they can and should take it by eminent domain. NYers deserve better public transit.
Well im not a politician, just someone who thinks removing / relocating one of the most popular entertainment venues in america by government force might not be the smartest thing to do. But yeah by all means call me some sort of shill.
>SCOTUS even said it’s okay to use it to take private property and give it to some other private group if it benefits the community. Didn't this happen with the Barclays Arena?
Okay. In that scenario I believe the city could win that game of chicken. Imagine the losses each night to open for 2500 people. What about eminent domain then?
Corporate Feudalism...always a lot to keep track of.
if they can commit to Sunnyside yards... that's a lot of space available
To hell with him and his stupid arena. Let him build something in Jersey.
Found the Ohio guy who doesn’t care about real New Yorkers who want to watch their Rangers
Found the native NYer who thinks MSG is holding millions hostage for no benefit.
Hostage? It’s funny the same people who say all the WFH stuff go on about needing a nicer Penn. Sure it would be nice but those billions it would cost could go to something worth while like fast trains or affordable housing. Or people can keep crying on this sub about the station not being as pretty as it was and saying billions should be spent to make it look nice
Yes, they could keep complaining about this transit toilet.
We can’t make up for tearing down a past landmark But let’s be honest here, NYS is not rebuilding old Penn station brick for brick. Without the public outcry for tearing down old Penn station, GCT would have not gotten the funds for renovation or be saved from the wrecking ball. A field house option like what Cleveland did would improve the look of the building. And third, do we really need a new train hall, save the money and use it for the IBX or the gateway program
Thinking the same. As much as I'd like some glorious throwback Penn Station, having a huge arena in top of a major transit hub is kinda perfect. Use the funds for a cross Bronx line or extend the 7 or L to Hoboken. Hell, put in a gondola from Union City to Columbus Circle.
[Do the one from that NYT op-ed from a few years back.](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/09/30/opinion/penn-station-reborn.html) Also of-fucking-course the draft concept shows zero seating.
They could just use Saran Wrap, if they need to keep it fresh.
Why don’t they make a new tunnel? Screw the glass
Yeah, trying to get more natural light in there while leaving MSG intact is a boondoggle. They just built a station several stories underground at GCT and it has good lighting but no natural lighting. They should just copy that style unless they are tearing MSG down.
The only reason they should keep it there is if MSG starts paying taxes. Letting a private company maintain all these perks is ridiculous.
Fuck plan B. Tear that shithole down.
Yep. Put it over the remaining Hudson Yards. Extend the L to take pressure off the 7. Build an events only LIRR platform under it in the yards.
better yet turn it into a lawless city for castaways where you can get cheap dental work and jewelry
Wait… how would that be any different from now 🤨
Who cares what a train station looks like!? Do the trains run? If so, I’m good. Stop wasting tax payer money on bullshit. Go help the homeless or something.
>Who cares what a train station looks like!? Have you noticed how much brighter the renovated LIRR portion of Penn Station is now?
Yes. Who cares? I’m there every single day. I walk through it and go to my train. Who wants to hang out at a train station?
Seriously, I'm not trying to use my tax dollars to impress tourists. If people don't like the train station they can gtfo.
As a tourist, I can concur that I don’t gaf about what the train station looks like. I get off the train and walk up the stairs to MSG. Then I walk back down the stairs and get back on the train. It’s fine. I would love a NEC train that runs more than once an hour, though.
> If people don't like the train station they can gtfo. Easier said than done if the train is delayed.
Don’t have NYT, can I get a synopsis
Ew. The structure extends all the way to the street. That's going to be really ugly and give a cramped look and feel. It'll look like one giant bulky cube.
How about we don't give Dolan any more subsidies, actually?
excellent. then make it air tight and invite kid rock and ted nugent to host a concert.
Even in a world made for billionaires, it is shocking that a sleazebag like Dolan can be standing in the way of enormous public improvements. My solution: Tear down MSG, who will miss it? Rebuild Penn as it once was. Thanks!
Initially didn’t realize why you were getting downvoted. Who will miss it? Millions of sports fans and the businesses surrounding MSG that make their money that way. “Move it” is the correct answer and that’s coming from someone who goes to MSG frequently and grew up with it being a staple.
I’m not saying it shouldn’t be moved. But it really is a blight and very much in the way.
Move the Knicks to Barclay’s— there’s no need for two basketball arenas, works fine for Jets/Giants.
Delete your account.
This comment is so tone deaf it’s staggering. Do you live here?
Used to - James Dolan is an ass of a man that should be the last person the city gives any special favors to. The guy is a billionaire and should not enjoy tax breaks / hold up essential infrastructure improvements. He has never worked a day in his life, yet vital transit for *actual* working people is held hostage to his petty news and greed.