Daley Blames - Who Else? - The Media For Oprah-geddon
Chicago Gets Googled
Friday Flashback - Old School Oprah
Today's Transgender Day of Remembrance Honors the Dead
Review: Paramount Room
Sort of like the point in an old person's life when they decide they're not going to look behind them when they back out of their driveway anymore, Daley has clearly well past the point in his career where he gives two shits what the media says or thinks about him.
Manifesting itself in "playful banter" a'la Dubyauh, his new tactic of dodging questions from reporters by making fun of them is actually pretty hilarious (we're sorry, but it is). It started with the same flabbergasted appeals as his dear old dad used to get the press off the scent and has now evolved into outright mockery, like the time when he called journalism a "leisure job."
The latest hilarious word vomit came yesterday when he became a leeeetle defensive about the city's environmental record in the last six years since the city pledged to reduce emissions with the other members of Chicago Climate Exchange. In response to an article the Trib ran titled "Daley's city not so 'green'", Daley blasted the paper for its use of, well, paper.
"Go talk to the Tribune. Chop another tree down. Great," the Trib quoted him as saying, referencing the wood pulp it's printed on.
We are of the opinion that if something is funny, it's funny — people who miss the humor in something because they are easily offended are not our style. And this? Well, this is really funny. A grown man who has been in charge of one of the largest and most internationally recognized cities in the United States of America just picked a playground fight with one of the largest and most internationally recognized newspapers in the city he presides over. He did everything but stamp his feet, and god knows he was red in the face.
The only thing that is not hilarious about this situation is that Daley knows they are right. He's not stupid and definitely not this childish. But maybe he was actually caught off guard when someone referred to the city as something other than "green." We love that he's a bicycle enthusiast, that his rooftop garden initiative is successful and that he genuinely cares about making this city green and has taken steps to do so.
What we don't love is that he couldn't admit that the words written on that wood pulp were absolutely irrefutable: the city's emissions of greenhouse gases have increased in the last five years, a lot of it due to the increasing demand for electricity from businesses in the city. The Tribune isn't perfect, but this story, which is based on facts procured through the Freedom of Information Act, represents exactly the kind of thing that the media is supposedly there for.
Daley's argument, which was a version of "Well, he did it too, Ma!", only served to prove that the mayor knew it was true. On top of that, the newspaper DOES require the loss of a lot of trees. So, like the parent who has to separate two children screaming, "He's touching me! He's touching me!", we're left with no other choice but to send them both to bed without supper.
Image via allposters.com.
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Are you kidding? Trees are a renewable resource! The city's recycling program was a sham before it started and all these so-called green efforts amount mainly to planting things. Public trans, which genuinely saves energy and the environment isn't high on the mayor's list of things to do.
Another post complaining about Daley. +1 for orginality guys and gals.
Maybe next we can see if the readers like or dislike the Iraq war, or if they think living in Naperville is a great idea.
We know you think he sucks, lets move on.
The original story by the Tribune was kind of pointless though.
Ferdy: you're right, he cares more about attracting business at any cost than he does about his green initiatives. I just don't think it would be fair not to mention what he HAS done.
Not again!! I don't think that Daley sucks, so your generalization doesn't apply to me. I do, however, think it is important to be active and critical as a citizen.
I know what Daley has done, and it isn't much. Liking trees and bicycling are not things that make you an environmentalist. His rooftop benefits him, not the entire city. It's like building yourself a garden and doesn't even cut the costs it was supposed to in the article you link to. He's not mandated green rooftops, so what is it besides another beauty mark on the old whore. I do like that you called him on his incredibly childish behavior. He needs more B12.
More importantly, what happened to that retarded American Apparel guy with the prince valiant haircut? He was just about to explore the back door....
Daley may in fact be that stupid and childish; he's always appeared so to me. Morover, if the city had a legitimate recycling program, rather than Daley's half-witted blue bag program that benefits no one but mayoral buddy Fred Barbera, the Tribune could probably kill fewer trees.
I feel out of my chair laughing when I read the article yesterday. I would haved loved to have been there.
As far as the green roofs I noticed today they are putting one on a building and it didn't look like more than trays full of soil and plants. Is that a true green roof? It looked like the trays at the garden center. What went through my mind was great now they are saying they are doing green roofs but they are just putting potted plants on them.
Same thing with the new Aldi's in uptown to me it doesn't look like a real grean roof. But I don't know that much about green roofs.
The blue bag program was the worst thing I had ever seen.
You mean the Great Munchkin Leader is again peddling bullshit?
No way.
Thank buddha that no one in this city ever falls for all these teases of progress. I mean, that would be like accusing GML of appearing to actually give a shit about these important things in order to hold power. Allah knows that would never happen.
I must admit, though, we have one of the most entertaining mayors in the USA.
We've got the blue recycling/garbage bins in my neighborhood now, well everyone else in the neighborhood does with the exception our block!? Can't figure that one out.
Also, I believe the Trib's newsprint is made mostly out of recycled paper...
Alicia, you got him. I noticed a slight stab at keeping businesses in the City though. If, say, businesses were leaving the City instead of staying, then a lot of people would be saying that he's not doing enough to keep them here and Vise77 would be complaining that his City is turning into another rustic metropolis.
But I digress. The City and the Mayor do need to do more to turn this place a bit more green. Actually, I admit it.
At the same time, this whole green concept is relatively new, at least in US terms. We people on the Stateside of things do nothing but consume and it's going to take a hell of a lot to change that.
An aside from on Daley quote was when someone ran into one of his planters. Actually, two people ran into them within the course of a week and died. I am not laughing at the tragedies, but what he said when the people in the media were peppering him with calls to get rid of the things:
"A lot of people run into light poles. Why don't we get rid of those? The light poles. Would you like that, get rid of all the light poles? Then we'll be living in darkness. What do you think of that, living in darkness?"
Alicia and everyone else has to admit, that is one quick wit on the man. I don't think it was a Costanza "jerk store" moment either, where someone else asked him the question about the gasses and he goes home and thinks of what he should have said.
I also love how Daley has the Nathan Thurr thing down, you know when Marty Short played the lawyer on Saturday Night Live? "I'm not defensive, you're the one whose being defensive. Is it me? It's him."
Daley breaks the law. Sadly, the citizens are as bad as he is because most don't care. If you look beyond the thin veneer of niceness maintained for the economically priveleged of all colors, the city is not in good shape. Too bad really. With intelligent leadership instead of a corrupt dictator imagine what the city could be.
woodlawnchuck,
I don't hold the Daley administration in high esteem, but surely they are capable of throwing millions in TIF subsidies at firms in the name of keeping them in town and running a halfway decent recycling program at the same time. Comparatively tiny suburbs somehow manage to recycle--yet the city that works still can't? Pathetic.
Someone said it earlier--Daley's disinterest in public transit cancels out any plaudits he earns for green roofs. If he were really concerned about the environment, we'd see him on the El or a bus more than once a year and/or riding a bicycle around town. (And is there any reason he couldn't be chauffeured around in a Prius instead of that big black sedan as seen in his re-election ads?) Further, it baffles me why he's so lackadaisical about the CTA--how on earth does he expect to win the 2016 Olympics without a functioning transit system?
Triplecynic, your point about the TIFs and recycling negates itself. On the one hand, you make a good point. The TIFs are used as an economic tool to keep businesses here. At the same time, you mention recycling, and how smaller suburbs are able to manage it. I don't think the recycling program is anywhere near what it needs to be. But, as the blue bag problem rolls out again, you will see people of a certain level of affluence and/or education level following the program religiously. But in poorer communities, you will get participation on a fractional level. The question becomes, how do you enforce it? Do we fine residents of a lower level of income, much like was proposed (and scoffed at by many) for the grafitti problem? I'm not saying what the correct answer is either way, I'm just proposing the question.
As far as Daley riding public transportation, I get your point. It's the same point Daley made to the Tribune about trees. Should a public servant who has to be 20 places in three hours be riding public transit? It would make for an interesting publicity stunt, much like Jane Byrne moving into Cabrini Green when she was Mayor, but is it feasible? I also get the point about him riding in a Pria instead of a Lincoln Town Car or whatever, but if Daley showed up anywhere in a foreign-car, the unions would be calling for his head.
The transit system in this city isn't in the best shape, but as I said earlier, people in this city (and this country for that matter) have only become conscious of global warming over the last five years (really, the last two, since Gore's film came out). For things to change that drastically, our society needs a complete overhaul of its consumption. People are changing their habits, and that is part of the problem. Higher ridership for the CTA. The money isn't there. The money won't be there for a while. But if the city should get the Olympics, at least some of the money will be there sooner. And really, PT system in this city is much better than it is in all but one place: NYC. And even NYC has its foibles. You ever ride one of their trains on a hot humid day in the summer? It's pure filth, grime and stink. But their trains do run better.
Some of us remember the first Earth Day, including Da May'r. Going green is not a new concept.
No one is suggesting the Mayor conduct business by taking the El. We're suggesting that if he really cares about going green that he do something to fix it for the rest of us. I've returned to driving because of the El, and I run a very green ship at home. That's one more car on the road because of Daley's inattention to the CTA.
Two revisions Wood, even though I agree 100% with your points about consumption patterns and recent awareness of global warming, and concede that Daley, even if wanted to (and he does not) ride mass transit, it would not always work for his schedule.
--"The TIFs are used as an economic tool to keep businesses here" (and to often fatten the wallets of already prosperous developers while indirectly causing residential tax rates/amounts to creep up to make up for the day-to-day revenue lost from the city's operating funds).
---"And really, PT system in this city is much better than it is in all but one place: NYC." (except for Washington, DC in the USA, and probably, at the very least, 6-8 other systems in the world).
MACK: Absolutely right.
Are we to be measured against the lousy PT in other cities or against our needs and past history of service? More grading on a curve. For some real "skin" in this debate, read today's "The Papers" on www.beachwoodreporter.com, last half of the column.
And besides, paper is made from young growth softwood trees, planted for the sole purpose of making paper. Nobody is cutting down redwoods to make newspaper. It would be like criticizing someone for harvesting corn.
I went to the CTA hearing 6/13/07.There were several comments about a $100 million shortfall. Here are a few ideas on where to get the money to fill the shortfall and make the CTA free like Zorn suggested or maybe 25 cents a ride.
TIF funds should be tapped to support the CTA. I deplore these slush funds but since they exist and since the CTA serves every blighted area of Chicago it seems to be a valid use of the taxpayer's money.
The Employers Expense Tax a/k/a the head tax of $4 per month per employee which generates about $20 million should all support the CTA. (At the meeting it was stated that City only contributes about $3 million to the CTA now.)
The CTA has eight lines named for colors. Unless Crayola has paid for the rights to the lines I say we sell them. $100 million divided by 8 equals $12.5 million a line per year for a minimum of three years for the rights to paint the trains, put only the sponsoring company's product ads inside the cars, give out samples on platforms, etc.
Since it is unlikely that Chicago will get the Olympics as long as it has a crappy public transit system. Lets get eight of the companies who are helping on the secretive Chicago Olympics committee to step up to the plate and underwrite the el lines
See Vise, you and I can agree on some things. I am also open to debating things with you on any matter. It's just the name calling that really bothers me. At times, it reminds me of the 2004 Presidential Race. I don't like Bush, but all Kerry and Edwards did was lambast the guy with name calling. I saw very few solutions.
As for the TIFs, I also agree that some developers are getting fat wallets off of the deals. But I would say a good portion of that is in the downtown TIF. Out in the neighborhoods, some of the developers have fattened their wallets, but on a much smaller scale. At the same time, look no further than some of the TIFs that have lured businesses here or in quite a few cases, kept them. The property taxes in areas have skyrocketed and a few people have been left out in the cold. But look at some of the new schools that are being built or the jobs preserved and/or created that have helped keep other monies in the city. I've pointed to the makeover Benito Juarez High School is getting as a result of Danny Solis' personal slush fund. I realize I am in the minority with a lot of the readers of Ben Joravksy's column on this one, so we can agree to disagree.
As for the CTA being second best, I will take your word for it being the third. I know DC has a good system, but I didn't know it was any better than ours. I was also speaking of the systems in the States, not worldwide. I am just glad I don't live in anyplace out west that grew too fast to implement a PT system, or even some of the cities down south that boomed over the last 40 years. They've got nothing in place and a small chance of ever implementing anything. Their best bet is the hybrid car and the way foreign cars are viewed by predominantly the Reds, it's highly unlikely that their consumption will change.