Welcome to another edition of Larry Penner’s Bizarre Universe.
George J. Marlin’s column does a beautiful job of stating the problem. What it doesn’t do is offer a single solution. Whatever issues Larry Penner may have he at least proposes solutions. However…
Mr. Penner states in the same paragraph that MTA union rules prevent contracting out work to private contractor, yet third-party private contractors require supervision. So which is it? Do the union rules allow or do they not allow contracting out?
Time and time again Mr. Penner criticizes “Buy America.” Yet he provides absolutely no details – none – as to a viable alternative. Why doesn’t Mr. Penner tell us how to get the best “bang for our buck?” Even a rough outline?
Yet again, Mr. Penner mentions the phantom employees on the Grand Central Madison project. Fair enough. What he doesn’t ask is how the FTA – his former agency – could approve funding for such a project. Isn’t the FTA supposed to have experts to evaluate how many employees are needed for a project? How could the FTA approve funding for a project with 200 phantom employees? Five, ten, maybe even twenty, but 200? Doesn’t that indicate someone at the FTA was asleep at the switch? Why is Mr. Penner silent about this?
Mr. Penner and Mr. Marlin are perfect together. One states problems without offering solutions, one offers solutions with virtually no details.
An MTA Board member who does not offer solutions. A self described transit advocate, historian, and writer who refuses to answer why his former agency is not at fault in providing funding for projects he does not hesitate to criticize everyone else for. Only in Larry Penner’s Bizarre Universe. Getting more and more bizarre with each subsequent opinion piece.
Nat Weiner
Bronx
