The politicians talk but rarely deliver for the people.

The MTA's $800 million deficit has met with helpless shrugs in both Albany and City Hall this year. Mayor Bloomberg, who once cast his congestion pricing plan as a moral crusade on behalf of children strangled by asthma, has said only that we are lucky the transit cuts aren't worse than they are. More than a half-million city schoolchildren are looking at the loss of transit fare subsidies. This rates more shrugs of the "What do you want from me?" variety.

People want President Obama to respond to the Gulf oil catastrophe in a big and bold way. Some want him to nationalize the criminal company BP. He could do that, and much, much more. He could fight, yes, fight to get better funding to revitalize our broken transportation infrastructure. Is he going to fight for the recently introduced bill which would provide 2 billion in emergency funding for our beleaguered mass transit systems?

This document from Keep America Moving will give you an idea of how decayed our mass transit system has become.

As usual, there is plenty of money to bail out General Motors and Goldman Sachs, but when it comes to public transportation for the largest city in our nation, the politicians shrug. As mentioned, eight Senators including Schumer and Gillibrand, both facing the voters this year, have introduced a bill to get 2 billion in emergency funding. Whether this bill is another election year gimmick or becomes law is anyone's guess. Obama needs to get behind it, if he hasn't already. All I know, is that working voting New Yorkers face draconian service cuts to our mass transit system by the end of June.

But the politicians may stop shrugging so much come Tuesday evening if when Bill Halter wins in Arkansas. His win will be a huge victory for organized labor and the urgent needs of working people.

"We’re sending a message here," said Larry Cohen, president of the Communications Workers of America. "Our members have had it — not just in Arkansas, they have had it across this country." . . ."We go out and support these Blue Dogs all over the place," said Mr. McEntee, the union leader. "We give them all kinds of ground support, radio support, and then they get in there and they’ve lost our phone number. For God’s sake, what’s the use of having them in there?"

This is election year outrage about fare hikes and service cuts from Kristen Gillibrand.

"Commuters in New York are outraged by the fare hikes and service cuts that are being considered right now," said Gillibrand. "This emergency funding is badly needed to maintain strong and affordable transit systems that get workers to work, students to school, and keep our economy moving."

It's all that shrugging and lip service which is going to cost us dearly come November. Voters are rightly angry. Voters are sick of lip service as our health insurance premiums skyrocket and our public transportation faces draconian cutbacks.

On issue after issue, we get faux outrage,or a shrug and lip service. From healthcare, to broken and underfunded schools, to massive cuts to public transportation as the Gulf oil disaster goes on and on unabated.

Outrage. Shrug. Lip service. Rinse and repeat.