Students Walk Out Over MetroCard Cut, Bloomberg Sounds Off

Hundreds of students did walk out of classrooms this afternoon to protest proposed cuts to the student MetroCard program. The program, which gives free MetroCards to over 500,000 students, may be phased out as the MTA deals with a severe budget shortfall. A few students spoke to the local news stations to offer their opinions:

• "We don't pay for school. Why should we have to pay to get there? It's illogical." High school senior Alexander Valsamis to WCBS 2.
• "My mom is a single mom. So she's the only one working right now. So it's going to be difficult. I don't think we should have to choose between school and something else. School is important." Senior Samantha Velez to WABC 7.
• "It'll be very hard on my family. They'd be paying $2,000 a year for transportation." Junior Magdala Noel to WCBS 2

Since students have been appealing directly to Mayor Bloomberg to get the city to pay for the program, Bloomberg, in his signature way, was fired up on his radio program this morning, "If I were a kid and looking at what's going on with all the college graduates this year, and how tough it is to get a job, I think I might want to get an education because I don't want to spend the rest of my life not being able to make a living." The transcript of his remarks, via WABC 7, is after the jump.

The city puts in $45 million towards paying for those, and we have not cut that back one penny. I've cut back police, fire, everything else. Not that. So you know, that's all we can do. We are not going to make up for the state, we cannot do that under any circumstances. So maybe they should do that at the state Capitol steps and not at the City Hall steps.

You know, we just talked about what you need to do to succeed. If I were a kid and looking at what's going on with all the college graduates this year, and how tough it is to get a job, I think I might want to get an education because I don't want to spend the rest of my life not being able to make a living. I would like to enjoy the great things that America offers, but you have to have an education.

Great things aren't necessarily things money can buy, but great things are a chance to make a difference. And for that you have to have an education. Its pretty hard to find anything you don't need an education for. So I would argue that they'd be better off in class, for their own point of view. And they are barking up the wrong tree, is the old expression. And there are a couple unions say we are not supporting them, but if they encourage or go along, that's supporting them. Its good theater, makes them feel good, but it doesn't put any pressure on Albany.

They should go and picket their representatives in Albany if they feel they aren't doing the job. I'm not here to criticize senators and assembly people in Albany, they have to make a decision either/or. What is unfair is the state pays for bus service in all the other counties and doesn't want to pay for it in New York City.

The steps of City Hall is nice theater, it's good weather, I hope they have a good time. If I were them, I would think long and hard one day, if I didn't pass a test, that Friday afternoon when O was trying to be cute and be out there picketing, better than being in class. Is that the day I could have learned that one little fact that could have got me into that better school, got me that better degree, got me that better job?