Here are my thoughts this morning as I was looking at the neighborhoods on my bus ride to work.

Why aren’t more public services free? My dad would hate to hear me call anything free. Growing up, we used to go to the “free lunch at the park”, which was actually there for the many low-income families in the area.

We would say, “Dad we’re going to free lunch.”

Than my dad would give us his lecture, “Son, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. Nothing is free. Our tax dollars pay for that lunch service.”

And as always, he reassured us that the lunch in the park program was something that he was proud to be paying taxes for.

When I say “free”, I actually mean paid for by tax dollars. The means to do that already exist. I’m thinking of one thing specifically; transportation.

The that every working class citizen should be able to drive their own car has become a pretty normalized idea, right? Our country easily has the wealth to do that. Why shouldn’t the working class be able to comfortably own a car?

Well I think that economically speaking, everybody should be able to buy a car. The wealth definitely exist. Environmentally speaking, I do not think that everybody should own a car. This will sound a wee-bit radical for many, but I hope for and imagine a day when public transportation is paid for entirely by tax dollars and cars become few and far between.

Think about it this way. I pay a lot of money in tuition to my university. However, if I’m smart, I know how to take advantage of what I’m paying for. I pass my classes, I use the gym membership, I use the Student Life and Wellness Center, I use tutoring services, l use tech services, and I use health screening services. Last but not least, I recieve a bus pass. I used all those services just last semester. The way I see it, the tuition I pay is like taxes that I pay to the school.

I’d like to see a greater emphasis on allocating tax money to making lasting and meaningful change rather than bombing the shit out of Syria. These days, that seems like a lot to ask for from our country. Our law making process can be painfully slow. Our politicians are met by forces whose objective is to obstruct progress. Our people fight each other from oposite corners rather than fighting the enemy from the same corner.

It’s up to all of us to make that happen. If we let our government know that we want reform, they will listen. Tell me if I’m wrong people!

Erik Hight