So, we are in a crisis. And while we individually take some blame, we all know that much of this is the reality of America right now. I may argue that the Mayor has done some things wrong with the budget, but, it is pretty hard to blame him for the fact that the value of the pension fund has cratered by hundreds of millions of dollars.

Meanwhile, the Mayor is taking heat for all the new hires he has made in his office. Personally, I don't necessarily see hiring new deputies as a big deal, especially if they can earn their keep by generating savings or economic development or smart policies for the City. (For example, if Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Everett Gillison figures out a way to remove from our prison system the non-violent, alleged offenders, who simply can't afford bail, he will save us tens of millions of dollars every year.) Which brings us to transportation, where we have another one of these Deputy Mayors, Rina Cutler. Presumably, with someone devoted to transit full time, we will have someone thinking a lot about SEPTA, and how we can expand it and make it better.

And yet, I get a queasy feeling that with the Federal Government about to pass a stimulus package worth around 850 billion, and with the amount of money for mass transit increasing, we might miss a once in a generation chance to undertake an ambitious, productive, and expensive mass transit project that could generate jobs and economic expansion in Philadelphia for years. In this stimulus bill there are billions of dollars for transit. There are also rumblings that with Democrats in control, the next few infrastructure bills will also be very large, and there are a number of Senators and Congresspeople who are pushing hard to make sure that mass transit gets real funding.

In response to that, where is our plan for transit expansion? Not just new cars, but real expansion of the system? Where is our proposal for a light rail system that goes up and down Delaware Ave? Where is our proposal for another line (that connects to the Delaware one,) that goes from Front and Spring Garden all the way through N Liberties and Fairmount, to Mantua and through to the rest of W Philly? Where is our proposal for light rail up the Roosevelt Boulevard, where buses run approximately every 2(!) minutes, and are still filled to capacity?

As we know, and as the national media knows, much was made of the fact that in the Mayor's huge, 2.7 billion dollar wish list for Obama, there was a 125 million dollar ask to to prep East Market St. for the Casino. Here is what the Mayor has asked for in mass transit:

And here is what SEPTA says it wants:

In the Philadelphia region, SEPTA has a $480 million list of projects it would like to tackle, including $175 million worth that it says could be started within 120 days of funding.

The area projects include reconstructing the Fox Chase train station, upgrading stations along the Chestnut Hill West rail line, improving lighting in the Center City commuter tunnel, renovating restrooms at the 69th Street Terminal in Upper Darby, and improving electrical substations and maintenance shops.

All worthy projects, I am sure. But really, that is it? Is expansion of the system not worth going after?

Deputy Mayor Cutler seems like knowledgeable person. But so far, she has made her mark by jacking up the cost of driving and parking into the city, all to deal with congestion, a problem candidate Michael Nutter addressed during the Mayoral campaign: (Inquirer, May 1, 2007.)

Brady, Nutter and Knox had harsh words for Fattah's proposal that Philadelphia ought to study imposing a congestion charge on suburban commuters driving into Center City.

Such a charge would reduce pollution and provide a funding source for SEPTA, said Fattah, noting that New York City is studying the idea for Manhattan.

Nutter said such a charge would be "devastating" for retail businesses and city-suburban relations. Brady quipped that "the only one thing worse than traffic is no traffic."

(Yes, I know, somewhat different plan, driving versus parking, but still certainly is effectively a congestion charge to suburban drivers, and is just as likely to be harmful to Center City retail.)

So, since we are paying all of this money for a Deputy Mayor for Transportation, instead of enriching parking lot operators, maybe we should start thinking really, really big. And, of course, maybe the big planning for all of this is happening behind the scenes. But right now, from an outsider's perspective, this seems a chance to make positive change that we are letting slip right by without even trying.

Much has been made about those salaries. But, if we get a new line of transit, with rail cars built here in the City, then Deputy Mayor Cutler will have earned her salary ten times over. I realize that there are many small things we need, for SEPTA and all over the City, but if we don't at least try for the big stuff, we sure as hell won't get it.