Gov. Blagojevich has called yet another special session to address the region's mass transit funding problems. Lawmakers should report Jan. 2, just 18 days before the CTA's latest doomsday, he said. Does anyone out there think a solution is in sight?
Me neither.
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No money for mass transit, but money for Zell and wrigley, Come on Gov what are you thinking?
First, we must review how we have all shot ourselves in the foot over the past year. Like it or not ciggarettes are a very big tax revenue. With the upcoming ban on smoking statewide, we have now cut another chunk out of the money the state doesen't have. Next, yes what a wonderful bypass the new Edens is, but has anyone else noticed that it leads directly to the front door of the casinos in joliet? Was this taxpayer funded mess paid for by us but made for the big spenders and hi-rollers? So, now we have sliced just a little more off the big cheese. Govenor Rod Running around in a taxpayer funded airplane and really not actually doing his job, slice a little off the cheese. Yes, the children first thing was good, But what has he done since then? Oh yea, I forgot, he saw Hannah Montana on our dollar, slice, slice. We act if there is no money for mas transit or the better good of the people of Chicago and Illinois. If the folks sent to represent us would stop the wasteful spending for the benifit of only themselves, the money to completely rebuild and improve mass transit would suddenly appear, not just the money to barely keep it moving. As we keep our constant witch hunt of Mayor Daley going, look around sometime. I have been in almost all the major cities in the United States. By far, Chicago is the cleanest, and the safest feeling city. For all the Elliot Ness wannabes, chase the GOv. Rods and the Michael Madigans of our state not the folks who are helping you to improve the quality of our lives. No man is without fault, but society as we know it today would not exist without a small amount of corruption. In closing, if you want to save mass transit, start at the root of the problem, dont just pull the flowers off. We aren't stupid and any person should be offended about how our govenor and state reps have wasted our money.
Auld Lang Cynic
We cynics have a lot to be thankful for in '07.
Should old acquaintances be forgot, as the song goes. In '07, the forgotten in Chicago and Illinois included anyone who pays taxes and/or takes public transportation, sends children to school, runs a business, drinks bottled water, breathes air or who is naive enough to think that elected officials are working for them instead of working them over.
In Illinois, our Governor, Rod Blagojevich proposed a multi-gazillion dollar "gross receipts tax" which he painted as a tax on business loopholes. The net effect would have been, however, to put a vig on virtually every employer upon whom you depend to feed, clothe or transport your family--if you can still afford to do any of those things. Even the most shameless tax-and-spender in Springfield figured voting for it would have been stepping in some gross receipts.
The General Assembly got a moment of silence in our schools passed into law. The silence was deafening in answer to the question: "Did lawmakers and the governor solve the vexing problem of equitable education funding or the impending transit shutdown that should take place in the Chicago metropolitan area just in time for the January deep freeze.
Da Mare of Chicagah, not to be outdone, proposed his own package of tax increases. A little bit of bite back by the sheep, I mean alderpeople, of the city council and that package was scaled back from the most ginormous increase ever to just the biggest ever. Nary a dust bunny stuck to his teflon suit, which came in handy when the Sun-Times revealed his family was cashing in on sewer cleaning contracts. In Chicago we pride ourselves on clean sewers and gross taxes and contracts for cronies.
Oh, it was an embarassment of riches this year for cynics, for policy wonks it was just an embarassment. Talk about taking a cup o' kindness yet. What do you think? TCC wants to know. And what the hell is auld lang syne?
http://thechicagocynic.blogspot.com/
The way the city was arranged (built ),does not allow for improvements .Everything is outdated & old . Let's build us a new city from scratch , taking ceii multiplying as an example , starting at the lake .