Not to be viewed as a smart-ass here but this is funny.

First you pull the quote from Chris:
"Of course leisure time is worth something. But, there's no reason to expect it to be worth the same thing as working time"
and you state emphatically he is "wrong".

Then you turn right around and confirm what he said with this: "Sometimes it's worth more, and sometimes it's worth less."

Just thought you'd want to be aware and tighten up your arguments in the future.

Of course leisure time is worth something. But, there's no reason to expect it to be worth the same thing as working time.

Wrong. Sometimes it's worth more, and sometimes it's worth less. Read a chapter on consumer choice theory. The more you have of something, the less relative worth it has. The more you work, the more value you'll begin to place on leisure.

Would you be more comfortable with a private transit system? One where large employers (or groups of employees) have vans/small buses and they could park and ride (voluntarily, of course)?

Sure. If it wasn't for the damage to the economy, I'd love $10/gallon gas because my commute time, which has already become noticeably more pleasant and shorter due to $4/gallon gas, would be even better.

Kevin S. also wrote: "Can we agree that we should be free to make those value judgements without a mandate from gov't?"

Sure. That's my preference. It's a subjective preference, however.

IMO, it would be a huge economic risk to have a majority of the nation's workforce dependent on public transportation systems. That's just plain scary.