OPINION: Enough With the Obama Farecards

This is an opinion piece and does not necessarily reflect the views of this site. Thanks to contributor Tim Casey.

An open letter to Metro GM John Catoe,

I forgot my SmarTrip card this morning and was surprised to find out you’re still selling the Barack Obama commemorative farecards almost two months after the event. Enough!

It was kind of gimmicky to begin with, and even if you still lost money Inauguration Day, I can’t blame you for thinking a little souvenir might generate some extra revenue, you know, by people keeping their farecards with a little money left on them. Hey, that might have benefited all Metro riders.

But the inauguration was a long time ago, so what’s up with continuing to sell Obama’s image, Mr. Catoe?

Even if you think Barack Obama is a swell guy--and upwards of 60 percent of Americans do-- I don’t think we should lionize or glorify him. We should respect him, but with a good dose of skepticism, as we should have with all politicians. But how much respect can Obama get with his mug on a farecard? And for that matter, Mr. Obama, why would you want to be the poster boy of a transit system littered with incompetence and mismanagement?

To replace the President on the farecards I propose adding McGruff the crime dog. Metro owes him that at least.

Tim Casey

Metro's press release on Obama farecards

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