Metro’s stop-skipping makes no sense

Re: “Metro operators told to get trains on track,” April 3

» Metro’s latest half-baked answer to the mechanical breakdowns, door jams and inadequate numbers of trains that keep it from running on schedule? Skip station stops! Skipping your stop to get you there on time is no way to run a railroad.

When will working commuters in this region rise up and get rid of the incompetents running Metro — and the boneheaded elected officials who appoint them?

Mike Collins

Vienna

» Lets see — Metro skips a stop, so I have to get off the train, wait for the next one (hope it comes quickly and I get my seat back) — now I’m late and Metro is on time. What a great solution to Metro’s on-time scheduling issues.

It’s so wonderful how they are making an effort to run their organization so efficiently. Not to mention the addition of the new cars that have the huge open space in the middle with nothing to hold on to. This way, they can cram a lot more people on the train and these people can just moosh together for stability — voila — tons of money saved, more riders, more money taken in.

Oh, and I can’t forget how concerned they are for our safety. When I see a couple of the big guys who monitor the stations, standing all together, joking and laughing and discussing the latest Redskins game, I am so relieved. I know that just their very presence will keep the bad guys from trying anything funny, so that’s one less worry for the day. Seems to me whoever is making these decisions deserves a big raise.

Ellen Schenck

Centreville

» The size of Metro’s mega fare increase may be indirectly putting pressure on the Metro board to improve service such as by expressing through stations on occasion to restore schedule adherence. But as rush hour backups have become commonplace. The board should be looking at running only eight-car trains during rush hour at six-minute headways instead of six-car trains at four-minute headways, so trains would be less likely to back up waiting for the trains ahead of them to leave the next station.

Ridership would not drop for a six-minute rush-hour headway, especially if it meant not sitting around because trains back up in the equivalent of a subway traffic jam. Although a few more switchyard staff would be needed to couple and uncouple train sets between eight-car to six-car before and after rush hour, fewer operators would be needed so Metro could on net save salary costs.

Dino Drudi

Washington, D.C.

Tax-and-spend liberals

uncontrolled in Annapolis

In the special legislative session in 2007, the tax- and spend-happy liberal Democrats in Annapolis managed to push through the largest tax increases in the history of Maryland. Now in the 2008 session, the Democrats have found even more ways to take hard-earned money from the working families in Maryland.

If they are successful, the government will start taxing a multitude of services, including eye laser surgery, teeth whitening and several other similar services. Consumers in Maryland would be required to pay yet more for heating and cooling systems in their homes, for automobile tires and premiums on health insurance, all due to new taxes.

With fuel and gasoline prices on the continued rise, another increase in electric prices can be expected this summer, and, with the continued cost of consumer goods at an all-time high, working families need some tax relief and not more taxes.

Al Eisner

Wheaton

Barack Obama says pledge just like the rest of us

Re: “Obama flaps could increase in weight in general election,” April 2

Bill Sammmon’s article about Republican strategies to attack Sen. [Barack] Obama in the fall quotes Republican strategist Jason Roe repeating the false Internet rumor that Obama “wouldn’t put his hand over his heart for the pledge of allegiance.”

If a falsehood is repeated without correction by the reporter, people might believe it.

The reporter should have corrected Mr. Roe. It has been well-documented that Obama says the pledge like anyone else, hand over heart. The Internet photo was taken during the national anthem and none of us were raised to put our hand over our heart for the anthem, although some choose to do so.

William C. Eacho

Chevy Chase