For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for October 01, 2022

Raising by 10% each year is not the same as raising it 30%.

So, a bunch of adults decided to raise the fare that would effect students, who have the least amount of money in the first place, and in return they get to go twice as far in rickety old buses? Dunno, Mike and his friends may not have all the facts, but the ones there already make this whole price hike sound like a scam.

never paid much attention to the news, did you, Michael, Gordon, and Brian (as well as Wesley and the other protestors)?

I love the last panel here, even if the writnig here is a bit wonky. It feels like John comes off anti-protest when it’s supposed to be more protesting for the wrong reason. It tracks, he wasn’t too fond of Elly doing it etiher and she had both all the facts and a good cause, but it’s still a small sloppy bit of writing in an arc with an otherwise good message.

This is why Lawrence is so much smarter than Michael.

Remember, he refused to join the protest until he checked all the facts.

Maybe I’ve misunderstood, but when your journey is between school and home it’s not an advantage to go “twice as far”.

Yeah. Teenagers are not tuned into politics at their age. They were uninformed and ignorant when they jumped in and joined the protest with the rest of the ignorant and uninformed teens. High school social studies need to include Current Events in the curriculum. Make them read the news. I am a social studies teacher and I have them read the current news once a week and write a report or give a brief to the class. If someone gives an interesting piece, we’d discuss it. Currently, they are following the Trump Investigation. I’ve been trying to herd them towards the House and local elections but nope. Not interesting enough…yet critical. Trying to get them read their platforms and how to vote based on that or on their media interactions. Not interesting or dramatic enough for teens. They are the generation plugged in live-streamed videogames and access to all kinds of streaming TV/movie apps where they binge-watch as well as to their smartphones. Compared to that, politics is droll. These boys here jumped into protest not because they were protesting there 30% hike but for the drama.

Nope not going to say it. Like shooting fish in a barrel. Sorry PETA.

“There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action.” —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Can ignorance work as a good excuse for us this time?

Amen dad.

Technically if the fare raises 10% a year, it would have gone up 33% after 3 years. You’re forgetting compound interest. The 10% in the second year would be applied to the original fare, plus the fare rise during the 1st year. And in the 3rd year, 10% applied to the higher fare from the 2nd year.

30 percent increase over three years! Biden did it in two years and reduced the distance.

This is a very well timed strip.

The start of this arc showed the buses being old and uncomfortable with poor suspension plus in 2002 the inflation rate was 2.26% so how do they get away with 10% per year and students have a fixed route, doubling the distance is meaningless.

Well, well. So bleat the mass transit supporters always. “Oh, give us more money and you get more service”. Usually false. Usually the money goes to boondoggles and employees benefits (retiree pensions etc). Rarely do the promises of going further materialize without even more cost increases.

The only one not there was Lawrence. I am guessing he is doing more research on it.

Here in LI, NY, there are always hikes, tho instead of allowing us to go FURTHER, they cut the bus lines, thus limiting where we can go! :(

30% increases seems to be a lot but ….. do the math. Since this strip was written in the past – consider a 25 cent fare then the increase is 7.5 cents, fifty cents fares increase 15 cents, a dollar?? then there is a 30 cent increase. Not as bad as if the IRS increased your taxes by 30% – then your bill will rise significantly (in one fell swoop.) One can play either side of the fence when presenting numbers and percentages. You can make any argument look good or bad as you wish.

As said before – the private bus service most likely contracts with the school system (or local government) and usually such rate change requests require public hearings and notices in newspapers. Citizens need to take some responsibility in keeping up with their community situations and not be spoon fed every bit of information. You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink!

Michael goes to public school. What did you expect?

Food for thought, Michael: What if an ambulance could not get to the hospital because you blocked traffic; and the patient inside the ambulance was your mother?

Adults do the same thing. They hear about an increase in something and start moaning before they bother taking in that it is phased in over a number of years and will have minimal impact. We have become a sound bite/headline nation who don’t go beyond that to get to the rest of, and most crucial part of the story before we are up in arms. John for once is right. Ignorance is not bliss. Teens are emotional and don’t tend to ask questions. As we know, Mike wants to become a writer. If he writes for a newspaper he better start getting used to finding out the “5 W’s” – who, what, where, when and why. Honestly, it’s good practice for anyone who wants to live an informed life and avoid protesting stuff that isn’t happening,

The problem today is discerning what’s information and what’s disinformation. The Internet has given kooks and demagogues a megaphone to the public’s ear, and even the smart ones (us, of course) can’t always discern what the truth is . Add to that psychological defense mechanisms the bad guys and gals can play on, and we’re truly in a mess that’s only going to get worse.

So are they going to move the school twice as far away?

Thanks to the protest; the city fathers listed. As a result, the town square now has a statue of Robert E. Lee.

Maybe Mike will learn to register to vote (common) and become an informed citizen (uncommon)

The main problem with 18 year olds voting: emotions not brains. Oh, wait. That’s the problem with many people these days. Plus believing sound bites.

So is your lecturing while you’re driving!!! I hate when they have multiple year hikes all at one time. Don’t they know the public would hardly complain???

Maybe Dad and Mike should run for City Council next election. You solve problems at the ballot box… not in the streets – which is so common these days.

Michael is lucky. Brian’s parents will force him to cut off his pinky.

He should have talked to his dad!

Knowledge is power.

This is a comic strip

I think the main point is that too many protest things without truly understanding what they’re protesting, as in why something is the way it is, and what the consequences are. That being said, public transportation should receive as much financial support as it can be given. This is a service that is not only invaluable (necessity) to those without alternate means but goes towards reducing energy usage.

Lotta ignorance in this world today

In Phoenix, many. many moons ago, we didn’t have school buses. The bus service ran general school bus routes. It cost a quarter each way or you bought a bus pass. It was not door to door and only Junior High and above could get on those buses.

Been there, done it. The first thing that results from mob mentality is vandalism

Wise words from Dad.

TTHHhhbbbbthhh!

So 30% over three years, I assume 10% each year. Is each year’s rate hike based on what the fare was when they started, or do they calculate that additional ten percent each year based on the previous year’s price?

Much like the “peaceful protesters” of a couple of summers ago. If they had gotten THE WHOLE stories, many businesses and downtowns would not have been burned and looted.

An adult Rhetta is with two small children

Prison Guard: “Rhetta Patterson? This way; sign this book, please.”

Rhetta signs ledger, but something catches her eye

Name of Inmate: Michael Patterson

Name of Visitor: Allyson Creemore

Visitor’s center. Rhetta sits quietly at a table while Michael plays with one of his daughters

Rhetta: “I saw her, Michael.”

Michael: “What are you talking about?”

Rhetta: “I saw her name in the register.”

Michael: “Don’t be a ratta, Rhetta."

Rhetta: “You want her to visit you? Let Allyson Creemore stay up nights crying and writing letters to the Crown.”

Michael: “What am I doing here? Where am I? This is prison, I can’t stop people from visiting me.”

Rhetta: “Let Allyson be your mule.” Rhetta pulls a bag of illegal drugs out of her coat “Let her fight these mustards every week!”Rhetta: “Let her do it! Let her do it!”

Michael: STOP IT!!

Kids react to anger; Rhetta starts to sob

Rhetta: “Nobody is helping me. I am all alone. Loren is out whorin’. Tracey and Gordon are broke. I asked your friend Brian for the money that he owes you, and you know what he told me? He told me to take my kids down to the fire station and get on welfare.”

Michael: “Rhetta, It’s going to be okay.”

Rhetta: “Yeah? Even Wesley, since he got out, I’ve never seen him. I never see anybody anymore.”

Michael: “It’s only you and me. That’s what happens when you go away. I told you that we’re on our own. Forget everybody else. Forget Wesley. As long as he’s on parole, he doesn’t want anybody protesting or doing anything.”

Rhetta: “I can’t do it.”

Michael: “Yes, you can. Rhetta, listen to me. All I need is for you to bring me this stuff. I got a guy in here from Whitehorse who’ll help me move it. Believe me, in a month we’re gunna be fine. We won’t need anybody.”

Rhetta: “I’m afraid. I’m afraid if John finds out…”

Michael: “Screw him! What did I just say; don’t worry about him. He is not helping us out; all he cares about is that sports car. Is he putting any food on your table? We’ve gotta help each other. We’ve just gotta— Listen, We’ve gotta be really careful while we do it.”

Rhetta: “I don’t want to hear a word about her anymore, Michael.”

Michael: “Never.”

I’m not sure if someone else has mentioned this, but there’s no evidence that the fare hike affects ONLY students. John says “fares”, meaning, to me, that the fares in all categories hae been raised. Even if it were only the student fares (which would be bizarre), I’m quite sure that parents would provide their kids with the money necessary to get to school and back!

My concern would be leader Wes, who apparently was no better informed than his classmates, but persuaded them to follow him in protesting, which these youngsters did for the fun of it instead of checking his “facts.” If they don’t learn anything from this experience, what happens if next time the leader is as poorly informed, but more dangerous?

Thanks for the useless information, John. Now the kids can ride twice as long in the same old deathtraps!If they’re going to raise fares, they ought to use them to FIX THE BUSES!

That the voters passed it does NOT mean Mike and company could not protest it. I mean without any protests, unfair and illogical laws never change.

It’s ok to protest your issues Jon but Michael cannot. Typical baby boomer.

Michael: Well, how was I suppose to know that? Nobody tells me anything anymore!