SEPTA threatens to strike Monday. Here we go again. SEPTA's union is threatening to strike if no contract deal is reached by Monday. It's making national news:

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBYWVPLCFE.html

Here are some telling paragraphs:

The union representing Philadelphia subway, trolley and bus workers threatened to strike unless a contract is reached by Monday, leaving the transit system's 460,000 daily riders to find alternate ways to travel.

The city is preparing for a possible strike by setting up extra bicycle racks and allowing more parking. City schools, which don't provide bus service for high schoolers, plan to remain open, but could reconsider if there is a prolonged strike.

The last Philadelphia transit strike, in 1998, lasted 40 days. Transit strikes here cause bigger problems than in most American cities because one in three Philadelphia households has no car.

One in three Philadelphia households has no car? Can you tell this city is run by Democrats? That last paragraph can be rewritten this way: "Transit strikes here cause bigger problems than in most American cities because one in three Philadelphians are dependent on mass transit". If a strike is not averted, I hope it doesn't go on for 40 days like the 1998 strike did. Not only do SEPTA strikes hurt the city's economy and cause many inconveniences, but car theft also rises in the city during SEPTA strikes. There were numerous car thefts in my neighborhood during a strike in 1995. Be warned.