A long time ago, there was a mass transit system known as the DUR. It serviced the City of Detroit way back in the day and expanded outward into the areas that are now known as the suburbs.

The City of Detroit didn't care for how it was operated, so they took it over, renamed it the DSR and eventually ran it into bankruptcy.

But why let a good money pit go to waste?

Another mass transit system, D-DOT was created to service Metro Detroit and then SMART to also serve Metro Detroit.

Yes, you have read that correctly. We have two transit authorities servicing the same area.

D-DOT & SMART had interesting business models. To generate revenue, they would charge their customers only a fraction of what it cost to operate the system; for SMART it's about 10%.

As for the rest of the revenue?

Well, if you live in S.E. Michigan and you're reading this, you are paying for the empty busses whizzing up and down Gratiot, Van Dyke, Woodward and Telegraph.

D-DOT gets its funding from the City of Detroit. SMART gets its funding from local homeowners.

Aren't you so glad that your government coerced "donations", er I meant taxes, can make bureaucrats and a very vocal minority of mass transit supporters feel happy and satisfied?

Why, there must be five or six people there.

As a practical business model, mass transit has never worked anywhere it has been tried.

It hasn't worked here in Michigan.

It hasn't worked nationally.

Only through the constant infusion of government money does the concept even manage to exist.

Sadly, Michigan republicans didn't read that lesson I summarized above, including one Sen. Tom Casperson.

During the deluge of legislation considered and voted on during last year's lame duck session was Sen. Casperson's SB-909 (now known as Public Act 387 of 2012).

Short version of what he proposed: It was yet another attempt at getting another mass transit authority approved. The proponents have been chomping at the bit for this going on decades now.

Here's the twist: The new authority (remember that S.E. Michigan already had two), can now have dedicated lanes on local roads for "rolling rapid transit".

More gridlock...swell.

The new authority can impose another property tax for funding (remember that S.E. Michigan is already paying for SMART through this mechanism).

And to top things off, the new authority can impose yet another tax through higher local vehicle registration taxes, if approved by a majority of voters in the region.

Not just the city or township, mind you, but the region as a whole. This means that an individual city or township CANNOT "opt out" of the tax increase.

Why a guy from Escanaba is even remotely interested in Detroit, much less mass transit, is beyond me.

Here's where things get even more interesting.

Higher taxes. More layers of government. These are things that make democrats giddy with excitement!

At first, they were all on board with this shakedown.

But for some mysterious reason, their support waned for this and it eventually was passed in the end solely through republican votes.

Why republicans are even remotely interested in Detroit, much less mass transit, is beyond me.

So enjoy what's left of your weekend and just file this one away as another item to keep on your radar screens to watch out for.