[apsec112]

If tech companies pay their workers generously, then it's their fault for rising rents. But if they are misers and pay little, then it's their fault for mistreating working people (see: Apple and Foxconn).

If the tech companies all move to San Francisco, then it's their fault for changing the fabric of local communities. But if they leave San Francisco, why, it's their fault for crashing the local economy.

If the tech companies try to establish a libertarian utopia, this shows they don't care about average people. But if they stay in SF and try to work within the current system, well, that's the nefarious influence of money in politics.

If the tech companies send buses to pick up their workers, this is terrible because it drives up housing costs. But if they don't send buses, why, traffic would be so bad that 280 and 101 would grind to a halt, and clearly that's the tech companies' fault.

"Friedrich Spee von Langenfeld, a priest who heard the confessions of condemned witches, wrote in 1631 the Cautio Criminalis ('prudence in criminal cases') in which he bitingly described the decision tree for condemning accused witches: If the witch had led an evil and improper life, she was guilty; if she had led a good and proper life, this too was a proof, for witches dissemble and try to appear especially virtuous. After the woman was put in prison: if she was afraid, this proved her guilt; if she was not afraid, this proved her guilt, for witches characteristically pretend innocence and wear a bold front. Or on hearing of a denunciation of witchcraft against her, she might seek flight or remain; if she ran, that proved her guilt; if she remained, the devil had detained her so she could not get away." - http://lesswrong.com/lw/ii/conservation_of_expected_evidence...

[memracom]

There is another way.

In London a group of businesses got together and lobbied government for better bus service among other things: http://www.londonriversidebid.co.uk/our-achievements/

For that matter England has http://www.bettertransport.org.uk/about_us which lobbies for improved transport all over the country.

You want to disrupt the old way of doing things? Setting up a private bus service is not disruption. The initiatives linked above are true disruption. They are all about doing government differently.

[apsec112]

If, tomorrow, Google bought Caltrain and started running it competently (unlike the current clowns), I'd throw a party to celebrate. But I'm sure the anti-Google-bus crowd would condemn that too. It would be 'corporatizing our cherished community institutions' or something.

[kevingadd]

I don't think anyone could decry better management of Caltrain with a straight face. everyone hates how Caltrain is run.

[AnimalMuppet]

Define "better".

Everyone hates how Caltrain is run. But if you change anything - any one thing - to make it better, you'll get a particular noisy group screaming "You can't change that!"

That's why Caltrain is so badly run. It has too many competing interests pulling at it, and it listens too much to too many of them. Fixing it is going to involve making people mad.

Disclaimer: I don't live in California. I don't actually know anything about Caltrain. I just have an idea of how government works, and why it goes bad.

[Patrick_Devine]

It's still better than BART, which isn't saying much.

[daniel-cussen]

That would fall under "nefarious influence of money in politics."

[dasmoth]

Campaign for Better Transport used to be Transport 2000, which was set up by the rail unions.

[calibraxis]

False dichotomy to set up "damned if I do, damned if I don't". Then conclusion likens SF's privileged techies to women facing literal witchhunts, a form of terrorism.

Techies are free to engage in activism to help their fellow humans.

[rictic]

And we do. My coworkers both give generously to charity and volunteer for local organizations and my maligned techie employer actively encourages this (by putting up fliers around the office for local charities to volunteer for, holding volunteering drives, and matching charitable gift donations).