Subway fares went up today. I want to gripe because I think the fare increase comes just as the quality of the service is in the middle of a noticeable decrease. Even so, the fact that my total monthly transportation costs are only $70 precludes me from doing too much sniveling. And to be fair, even though it feels as if things are slipping on the MTA, the subways in NYC are easily still the best in the country.

That said, I would suggest that we are ignoring the essential function of the subway system by having the fare increase be paid only by the system’s riders. The truth is that the public transportation infrastructure of this area exists for no other purpose than to insure that the city's businesses are supplied with every type of labor conceivable, on the most favorable of terms.

Since the American worker has all but capitulated and now accepts layoffs as a way of life, corporations can practice "just in time" labor supplying. When people are needed, they hire. When people are not needed, they fire. Of course, in our economic system this is their decision to make, but that decision comes with costs; costs that the society bears and the businesses are spared.

In the end, the flexibility our increased fares and expanding public transportation system affords businesses is nothing more than a wealth transfer up the chain. This isn't something necessarily bad in all cases, especially if it actually does lead to meaningful employment for people. However, given the state of the economy of this area, this fare increase is little more than another leap towards making us all the personal cockslaves of the corporate titan-ocracy.