I experience varying levels of gaiety and joy whenever I ride the bus or MAX in Portland. Having lived in other cities and towns, I can testify to TriMet's superiority as a tri-metro-wide public transportation system. I mean, I can, literally, travel from one far-flung locale (say, Clackamas or Hillsboro) to the Expo in NoPo or downtown Portland with predictable ease. I also would like to give a heartfelt "thank you!" to all the Tri-Met drivers, who put up with more shit than a sewage treatment worker. Grace under fire is a rare quality among workers who are easy targets for chronic whiners and assorted anti-public boo-boo-kitties. Tri-Met and Tri-Met workers deserve our support and gratitude. Mobility is a basic human right, and Tri-Met is a vital lifeline for Portland Metro's disabled, under-employed, homeless, and otherwise isolated cits. Now... bring on the pedantic blatherings of the usual anti-Tri-Met grouchy-pants.