Mass Transit in Carroll County?

Hellllll, no!!! If you're from Taneytown, then it's probably pronounced, "Hay-yalll no!"

Recently, Socialist-sympathizer Michael Dresser, a writer for The Sun who claims that he is not an editorialist (though his "journalistic work" is full of his opinion), wrote that it is time for Carroll County to get on the bus. He states that he started an investigation as to why the bus bays at the Owings Mills Metro station were not used - ever. Here is what he says:

It seems the good folks of that county were horrified at the idea of mass transit. They feared it would bring all kinds of bad people from Baltimore up to the bucolic country - ready to pillage and plunder.

Wow, do you think he came up with that on his own or do you think he gathered that by talking to the thousands of people who live in Carroll County that formerly lived in Owings Mills or Hunt Valley that were terrorized by crime and intimidation when the mass transit expanded to their area? They don't call it the Mugger Mover or the Fright Rail because they bring too many middle-aged women pushing baby buggies.

Do you remember when Owings Mills Mall was considered a nice place to go shopping? There was a Saks 5th Avenue, Macy's, Lord & Taylor, Hecht's. The smaller shops within the mall were plentiful, the eatery presented nice places to get lunch. Now - forget about it. The eatery is dominated by McDonald's. If you can get a cashier there to tell you to have a nice day, I'll give you $100. And within the mall - you have Stick's-N-Stuff, a bunch of ceramic animals stores, day-glow golf, and plenty of places for rent. And the clientele? Let's just say that you don't go there after the business day is over. You WILL get robbed. It may not be in the mall, but you'll get whopped in the parking lot.

Now, I'm not opposed to a long-haul bus that goes from Westminster to a stop in Owings Mills or straight downtown. The muggers and looters would have little reason to ride this bus. They'd have to have a pass to get on and it's not like you can victimize the mall in Westminster, run across the parking lot with your MP3 players that you just stole, slash a few tires, break a few windows, and hop on a train and you're out of here.

I don't want to sound like a cynic who's just on a soapbox. I actually rode the subway for 4 years. I had my window smashed. I have friends whose cars had their tires slashed. I have friends whose cars had a key taken to the side of them. I've been in a train car with a gang of 12 year old hoodlums in my face saying they were going to F'k me up and walked away laughing. I heard the profanity - from little old ladies. I watched people throw their garbage on the floor and tell everyone on the train to F-off. I watched as people strolled from car-to-car trying to sell their wares - batteries, socks, CD's. These aren't entrepreneurs! They are thieves. They are selling stolen goods. Is this the kind of activity that we want in Carroll County? Of course not.

Doc Cheatham, the President of the Baltimore National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said that there is a cultural divide between the city and Carroll County. I would have to agree with him. There have been over 2000 shootings and 201 murders in Baltimore City this year. I don't even think there's been 5 shootings in Carroll County in the past 2 years.

The streets of Baltimore are controlled by roaming bands of armed drop-out, drug-addicted thugs. The streets of Carroll County are controlled by roaming bands of groundhogs and deviant weeds, though the State Highway Administration has done a good job recently of keeping the grass cut and timely removal of the flattened ground hogs.

In Baltimore, when someone reports a crime, the criminal element responds by fire-bombing your house, as happened this week. In Carroll County when someone reports a crime, the person kindly moves their car away from the yellow-painted curb. No one is shot. No houses are fire-bombed. They may even go to Hoffman's for some ice cream so that they understand that there's no hard feelings.

There is a cultural divide and for good reason. People want to live in safety. People want to live where they don't fear for their life. People want to live where they will not be harassed. People want to live where their kids can go to good schools. People with more money will always gravitate to where they can live and have the lifestyle that they want. Homogeneity shouldn't be a crime. Income redistribution is an expected part of life. Population redistribution shouldn't have to be a part of life.

So when Doc Cheatham says there is a cultural divide, no one should disagree with him. When Michael Dresser says that Carroll County needs to get on board and have mass transportation, someone ought to make him ride the mugger mover for a week.