Yesterday we got this little bit of information about Houston Mayor Annise Parker’s priorities.

Parker has signaled that she is not wedded to conventional wisdom about Metro, even suggesting eliminating fares to increase lagging ridership.

That means a plan to soak the taxpayers even more than they are already soaked, given that she also wants to increase routes and restore scheduled service that was eliminated as not being cost effective. Nobody is riding at the heavily subsidized fare that Metro charges so Houston's mass transit system is losing money -- so let's see if making it free will increase ridership and cause an even bigger budget deficit!

On the other hand, Parker also wants to raise the price tag for another sort of ride.

Mayor Annise Parker's administration is weighing a plan to more than double the cost of ambulance transport in the city, a move that already has met with a chilly reception from City Council members.

City officials contend that Houston's ambulance fees are far lower than those of other major U.S. cities, but critics questioned whether such emergency medical care should be considered part of the “core services” citizens fund with their taxes.

Go to the movies? Ride for free. Have a heart attack? That will be $800 plus $16 a mile, please.

Personally, I’m of the opinion that emergency ambulance service, like police and fire service, is something that ought to be free or provided at low cost. Apparently Parker, a Democrat, is all in favor of making this element of health care more expensive for those who need it.

Am I alone in thinking that Annise Parker’s priorities are a mess?