Long Island Rail Road

Today's Newsday reports that the MTA has decided how to spend some of the surplus it gathered by raising my monthly train ticket from $200 to $267 in two years. They're going to give away free rides!

LIRR riders purchasing December monthly tickets will receive a free 10-trip pass good through the end of February that they can give away, but travel must be at off-peak times. Weekly ticket holders will get one free off-peak ticket. There are no daily discounts for LIRR riders.

So your "discount" is to give people who HAVE ALREADY PAID FOR UNLIMITED RIDES IN A MONTH a ticket good for free rides? Hey, that's so great! That really helps me and my monthly ticket out. Why not just give me an LIRR baseball cap turned upside-down and filled with crap?