Chicagoist: Sometimes You Don't Get What You Want -- You Get What You Need

guest

Fri, 14 Sep 2007 08:34:01 -0600

63: Dipshit, the whole debate was whether Daley had control the CTA. Some asshat, probably you, claimed he didn't. And you asked his role in the funding mess, and I explained. Get the fuck over yourself.

guest

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 12:32:06 -0600

59, Does it hurt to be so self-impressed? Line up the votes in the senate and house that Richie controls. If you can't get to a majority (although a supermajority might be necessary now that Blogo has gone crazy), shut your overly smug pie hole. And you can't, because you are full of shit. He can control the hell out of Cook County, the CTA Board, and have built a whole new racial coalition, but that still won't get him the votes in Springfield he needs. Let me guess, you have worked on a number of (failed) campaigns, and ALWAYS read the Reader exposes on the city, right? Douche.

Di Urrea

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 12:28:24 -0600

When was the first Doomsday threat? 2003, 2004? Daley should have been lobbying and twisting arms starting then. Instead he chose to insulate himself from the CTA by leaving that incompetent hack Kruesi in for far too long. Only when the grumbling got too loud and made things a little uncomfortable did Rich go with Huberman. Would Richie's lobbying the Gov. and GA have helped? Maybe, maybe not. But it would have been nice to see him give a damn about the CTA for once and try. It doesn't inspire public confidence when the mayor is dicking around with rental bikes in Paris as the CTA prepares for Doomsday.

guest

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 12:18:34 -0600

Di, If you are right, arguendo, this still seems irrelevant. Richie simply does not have the juice to ram this through. Blogo is out of control, and the sub- and ex-urban Republicans owe Richie nothing. The state reps and senators from the city all seem to have been on pro side of the funding bill that failed to get a veto-proof majority. So I ask you: why does it matter if Richie has not burned political capital on this issue?

guest

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 12:17:46 -0600

But that's just what's happening ... the politicians ARE willing to let 8 million residents suffer as CTA, PACE, and METRA fall apart. It's already happening. Why? Bailout after bailout, and a system continuing to operate for 20 years on money it doesn't have.

guest

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 12:17:31 -0600

54: God, you are stupid. If you don't think Richard M still is among the most powerful voices in this region and state, you should not comment on politics. If you don't think Richard M has direct power over the CTA, you should not comment on Chicago politics. If you don't think Richard M has more or less ignored his city's mass transit woes for years now, I would question your ability to observe reality. In some respects, the father had more power than the son, notably on state and (especially) national issues. But in other respects, the son enjoys tighter control over the city and Cook County. You oversimplify, cowboy, though it's fun seeing you pretend to know what's going on. The current mayor, for instance, controls airports that are bigger economic engines than in his father's day; has tighter control over the city council than his father usually did; controls a growing TIF slush fund that puts numerous developers and business people and neighborhood leaders at his service; and has the blacks and Hispanics deeper in his pocket than Old Man Daley ever did. Yes, the old man headed the regional Dem group, and inherited a well-running Machine, but the son has built a revised Machine just as powerful, an organization that not only controls Chicago and most of Cook County, but has significant power in state leadership. This is state funding issue at its core--we agree on that. But that doesn't excuse the current mayor from failing to speak out forcefully on the issue or for using his considerable power over the CTA to demand better workforce efficiency and management, or for using his clout to help make a funding deal more likely, or for being out of the fucking country at such an important time for the city HE LEADS! Do you really think Frankie and now Ronnie take a signficant shit in the morning without first consulting our dear munchkin leader? If so, you are wonderfully naive, my friend. Let me guess: You are yet another poly sci major who has hardly spoken to real government leaders, or really learned anything beyond textbooks definitions of policy, politics and government? Take my advice: Stay on that turnip truck next time.

guest

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 12:10:58 -0600

55, I understand what you are saying, but this is politics, not home finances. Dealing with the issue as it stands today is unnecessarily harsh when there is a very real possibility that the system will continue to be bailed out. It is a sort of public moral hazard, but so what? The CTA won't lose their house. They will get bailed out again. And again. Why should riders suffer through cuts when the politicians will not actually let the system fail? I would much prefer that there be a comprehensive, planned funding mechanism that allowed the CTA to optimize its resources and maybe even go after the criminals who faked the Blue Line inspections etc. That is the best case scenario. However, keeping the buses running is a good deal too. P.S. We are not really in a mess. We'd really be in a mess if the politicians were willing to let 8 million residents suffer as the CTA and Pace, then METRA fell apart. However, since most politicians have no appreciable skills other than being politicians, job retention is too vital to them to allow this to happen.

guest

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 12:09:22 -0600

Guest #10, in response to Sparky: 1. The City has, the last time I checked, a budget of approximately $5 1/2 billion, and always seems to have money to spend on hired trucks, flower boxes, Olympic bids, iron fences, giveaways to tax increment financing districts, opposing the Shakman decree, large cost overruns on every single capital project it touches (the airport's 7 billuion over budget, and nothing's even been done yet), and so forth. Its support to CTA is something like $3 million, almost all of which is in-kind contributions of police protection. New York City, in contrast, supports its system to the tune of approximately $100 million (admittedly, a bigger city / system). The City of Chicago can at least do a lot better. Don't think the General Assembly doesn't know this 2. As a matter of fact, I think state funding of transit is a pretty damn good idea. However, PACE and Metra can at least go to the General Assembly with a straight face and say that they've deferred capital projects and taken other steps to avoid asking for a bailout. They can also say that they've made some independent effort to live within their means. The CTA never does this - its first move is always to blame Springfield. 3. Of course the state benefits from public transit, in all of the ways you noted. 4. As it happens, the state collects a pretty hefty tax from motorists for that purpose. I'd be in favor of increasing it. 5. I'm not certain privatization is the answer. I'd like to see an actual independent board run the CTA. Since the CTA serves entirely in Cook County, it would be a good thing if the County (and perhaps to some degree other municial beneficiaries) should cough up some money. As Cook County is, if anything, a worse fiscal basket case thatn the City (and for exactly the same reasons) that's pretty wishful. A region-wide tax might be the way to go. 6. The CTA is the only entity I've heard refer to the formulae as outdated, although they may very well be. If they do not in fact reflect current realities, they should be updated by all means. And now, a question for you, hypothetical though it may be. Let's say the General Assembly and the Governor wake up tomorrow morining and decide that state funding specifically for the CTA is indeed inadequate, and they devise a fairminded, adequately and fairly funded mechanism for CTA funding. They do one other thing, however: they recognize the undoubted fact that the CTA is extremely ill-managed (as is in my opnion impossible to dispute) and that the reason it's ill-managed is that the Mayor of Chicago uses it as a combination hiring hall and sounce of grat. Accordingly, the funding act takes control of the CTA and places it in the hands of a board appointed by themselves. Is that OK?

Di Urrea

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 12:07:18 -0600

Imagine next Monday is not a critical date for the CTA, rather it's the day of a critical state legislature vote regarding gun control or Olympic financial guarantees, two of Daley's pet issues. If one of those two issues were on the line do you thing Daley would be in Paris? Of course not, he would be back here, burning up phone lines and twisting arms. Daley has invested very little political capital into the CTA, and outside of the rally a couple weeks ago he has been quieter than a mouse fart on mass transit.

guest

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 12:03:46 -0600

"50 and 51, your analysis relies on their not being new funds in the future. We do not know whether that is accurate." EXACTLY, 53!!! We don't know whether the funds will be there in the future or not. It is therefore beyond foolish to spend on the assumption that they will, especially when that spending will diminish the political situation that makes future funding likely. It's like the home owner who said, "Well, I don't have enough cash to remodel my kitchen or take that Caribbean cruise, but I'll have home equity to cover it as long as the market stays good, so I'll just take out an equity loan." And guess what happened. The market tanked, the value of homes dropped below the value of equity loans, and homeowners are losing their houses. We can not continue to function on a bet and a promise that some politician will act responsibly in the future. We have to deal with the situation as it stands now. There was a time when people were taught not to spend money they don't have. This kind of deficit spending is what got us in this mess in the first place.

guest

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 11:20:02 -0600

52, Nice. You are confusing Richard J. and Richard M. Daley. Richard J. was able to maintain what amounted to a working group in Springpatch that allowed him to push through favored legislation. Richard M. (that's his son, the current mayor) has dealt with the growth of Republican exurbs that has eroded the ability of the (much smaller) machine to push things through in Springpatch. When an issue is fundamentally a Springpatch issue, the mayor has less power than his father ever did. As for the "control" of the CTA and RTA, that is true, but irrelevant. Nobody on the RTA board, or the CTA board, or at Pace wants to see inadequate funding. They don't have the power to tax. Thus, control of the board does not equal the power to resolve the issue. Thus, your statement is irrelevant and frankly not well-considered. What turnip truck did you fall in front of and get run over by to not understand the difference between operational control of the RTA and the ability to fund that control?

guest

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 11:13:36 -0600

50 and 51, your analysis relies on their not being new funds in the future. We do not know whether that is accurate. If there are new funds, whether from reallocation of other funds, or new taxes the analogies are fatally flawed. Funding is a fundamentally political issue, and if you can't make the political deal today, try again tomorrow. If you can avoid cuts to try again tomorrow, you are ahead of the game.To that extent the entire process is different than individual finances. The fact is, any day they want to the state legislature can resolve this issue. They just need to get there. Also, 50, I think Richie has been very clear that he wants the CTA fully funded. I think it is silly to turn your ire on him for being abroad when the legislature fails to act. Remember that Emil Jones promised to put a plan to a vote before Doomsday? That didn't happen. Remember when one of the Republicans in Kane or DuPage (I can't remember which) demanded that road funding be tied up in any RTA funding deal? They seem more blameworthy to me.

guest

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 11:09:16 -0600

45: Are you for real? Daley controls the CTA--he installed Huberman, and he controls the board. Yes, the board "technically" has a say, but it's Daley who controls it. This gives him a huge voice in RTA issues. May I ask: What turnip truck did you just fall of off if you don't understand this about Chicago? Perhaps you should do more to learn about the political realities of this area before trying to talk at the grown-up table. As well, Daley is among the top two or three most powerful political leaders in the state. He clearly has sway, yet seems uninterested until very recently about the CTA. And, as a funding fix struggled for life this past week, he was again one on of his internatiational junkets.

guest

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 10:42:38 -0600

"it is better than cuts today would have been." Not if it means that we are having the same discussion in November (or January, or whenever in the next 6 months), except the cuts are twice as bad. Borrowing from Peter to pay Paul never works, and that is what Blago's solution is. Paul eventually needs to get paid. Does anyone here really think that the IL legislature is going to come up with a permanent payment plan in a month and a half?

guest

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 10:33:20 -0600

It is not, in fact, better than cuts today would have been when it means that the inevitable cuts tomorrow will be even worse. It's like CTA is going to one of those check-into-cash places, thinking, "Well, at least I can pay the rent today," when simply going will make it twice as hard to pay the rent next month. Better we get this thing over with now than make it worse by putting it off. As for 45, Richard M. Daley Mayor may not play a role in RTA's funding structure, but as mayor of Chicago, he is responsible for doing everything he can to make sure this city runs well. To say he has no power and no responsibility in this situation is absurd ... Daley has a very loud, very powerful, very influential voice when he wants to. He has no power to choose the site of the 2016 Olympics, either, but you can guarantee he's there to say his piece when the IOC meets to discuss it. He needs to be front-and-center, demanding that the legislature give this city what it needs.

guest

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 10:28:06 -0600

Hey, does anyone know how much running the Pink Line costs the CTA? That seems like a completely unneccessary (yes, I know I probably didn't spell that correctly) use of CTA funds. Also, although I know they're just a drop in the bucket, is it entirely necessary to have these eyesore art installations at the new stations? Check out Kimball and Rockwell for examples. Complete waste! Yes, it seems like CTA and the State will never see eye to eye on this. We can argue about bureaucracy and politics and red tape all we want. But the point is that someone, somewhere needs to come up with $100 million. What about a lottery? Or a tax hike to 3% on food items? Just my 2 cents, which I know will never be heard or implemented ever.

guest

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 10:11:33 -0600

Ah, 47, every day the cuts don't happen is another day that people can get to work and school. That is good. In fact, I think the whole context of comment 41 makes clear that I understand this is temporary, but think it is better than cuts today would have been.

guest

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 10:06:41 -0600

Blago's "gift" doesn't avoid cuts, 41. It merely puts them off a few weeks, while making more severe cuts even more likely.

guest

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 09:56:20 -0600

Curmudgeon, Block 37 also has to do with infrastructure and operational efficiency. 5 minutes is not the point. In fact, thinking about express shuttles to the airports is not a bad idea. We cannot implement it now, but it is worth discussing. If building the Block 37 infrastructure now works, we should do it. That is not vanity.

guest

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 09:49:30 -0600

9:31, I get the sense that you know an asshat when you see one. Can you explain what exactly Mayor Daley's role in the CTA funding mess is? I mean, I understand that he is the mayor, but does he have regulatory control over the RTA, which runs the CTA? Please, enlighten us. By the way, forget the leader. Figure out who your state Senator and state Representative are. Of course, if you live in Chicago, they are probably already supportive of the CTA. If you are a suburban Republican, you can really make a difference.

Di Urrea

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 09:47:24 -0600

Daley does not want to be associated with the CTA. It's no coincidence his Paris vacation coincided with the week before doomsday. He's an expert at scheduling "business trips" when an embarrassing situation is coming to a head.

The Curmudgeon

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 09:46:28 -0600

Block 37 is a vanity project as far as the transportation element is concerned, and nothing more. Isn't it only supposed to get people to the airport like 5 minutes faster, and cost 3X as much to ride? I hope it is a complete failure. I don't even know who it's intended to benefit. I bet the majority of tourists are too afraid of public transit and take cabs or shuttles to their hotel, and I bet locals are too used to the long travel time anways that they are programmed to allow for enough time to get there in the first place. I ask you people: Is getting to the airport 5 minutes faster important to you at all?

guest

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 09:31:23 -0600

The RTA should turn this down because our asshat leaders need pressure to fix this thing long-term. I can imagine a week's worth of headlines (the S-T has a front-page editorial today about the CTA) will do significant good-frustrated travelers, tardy workers, etc. Already, Sen Jones is talking as though the crisis has passed, that the pressure is off. As well, be sure to place a call to Daley's office today asking why he was out of the fucking country when the CTA funding issue hit high gear. Is he still mayor of Chicago? Everyone who cares about the CTA and its sister agencies needs to make at least a couple of calls or emails today to our leaders. Seriously.

guest

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 09:03:23 -0600

Tony Coppoletta, What no comments about riding the Green Hornets to Riverview Park? Remember the electric busses that the CTA used to have after they phased out streetcars, and how sometimes they would get disconnected and you could get a five cent ice cream? By jiminy these kids need a history lesson! The point is, every day that more big cuts are avoided is a good day. Blago's offer and the politics behind it are craptacular, but they avoid cuts. That means more people can get where they are going for cheaper. That's good. Try telling those people that it would have been better for their service to be cut because in 1983 Big Jim and the Boys made a bad deal. Speaking of which, I miss Big Jim. I would vote for him in a second after all this Blago crap. This time around he could just come out of the closet. Some people would care, but it'd be fine.

sparky

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 08:57:03 -0600

Matty, I remember some of your previous posts. You called it, but the collapse of the CTA was never an immediate issue to begin with. First of all, the doomsday scenario prevents the complete shutdown of the CTA for now. The shutdown of the CTA was not even an immediate issue once the routes were eliminated and there were layoffs. If the lack of funding continues, then there would be a possibility of a shutdown and/or collapse of the CTA in the future. This bailout is no long term solution to our funding problem. But I'm sorry you had a terible childhood.

guest

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 08:56:58 -0600

I, for one, am really hoping the RTA will turn this down. It's inane that Blago thinks he can solves this problem by using next year's money. So what happens come next year, when the state still hasn't gotten its act together ... which it won't because an averted doomsday means it doesn't have to? Does CTA start running on 2009 money? 2010 money? Or do they just shut the thing down? Blago says CTA shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, but this isn't a gift. It's doomsday wrapped in a pretty package.

tonycoppoletta

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 08:52:03 -0600

Correcting first sentence in previous post... Should have read: "Saying that sometimes one has to bandage a wound temporarily or that CTA should be happy to accept this money and wait some more seems to not acknowledge that that's all that's happened for over two decades, and is what keeps this situation a perpetual one. What we need is a sustainable solution, not more delays."

tonycoppoletta

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 08:36:43 -0600

Jocelyn, Seems we need a little history lesson here... Saying that sometimes one has to bandage a wound temporarily or that CTA should be happy to accept this money and wait some more. Sure, it is, no doubt, great news for riders and the 600 employees that got pink slips, that what was planned for Sunday is likely now to be delayed (there are still questions). The problem is that in 1983, the Illinois General Assembly (the state legislature) put together a compromise to try and save the region's transit--except it was known then it couldn't last more than a couple of years, and that it would need to be revisited very soon. 2 years after that, essentially all of the RTA's discretionary money, which is supposed to be distributed each year based on which projects the RTA board deems the most important, was already being given to CTA just to keep operating. But, that not being enough, since then CTA has had to cut service and/or raise fares on more than one occasion. In the late 90s, the worst batch happened, eliminating overnight service to practically half the city, and dozens of bus routes, as well as drastically reducing service hours on many (53A South Pulaski, for example, stopped running at 8 PM on weekends instead of 1 AM). But back to the point here. A band-aid is unacceptable. This situation should have been dealt with quickly after the audit came in. CTA's last major crisis, in 2005, triggered a major state-ordered audit. The audit showed that, while there are some improvements to be made (none quite as simple as a simple vote by the Chicago Transit Board, mind you), overall CTA spends its money pretty well, and is not too dissimilar from its peers in its operating efficiency. The facts also show that CTA, Metra, and Pace are all facing unmet funding needs many times that of what they could ever hope to clean up through further efficiency improvements. So, instead of saying "Oh. Wow. Transit isn't funded well enough, like they've been saying for years. It's not something CTA can just fix on their own. Let's fix it," it's been ignored and put off far beyond the normal legislative session. And another band-aid does nothing to address the problem or give us a sustainable solution. All it does is put us in the exact same situation, just with a doomsday a few weeks ahead. And just how bad will those cuts have to be in November, if they have to be rejiggered to take into consideration that CTA will now be running on next year's money--making the gap for next year even bigger? So, no. This is just more of the same that those of us who've been transit riders since we were kids here been dealing with for the past 24 years.

Spav1

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 21:28:25 -0600

Matty: I just felt really bad for you... I will not hate you for 3-5 post because of that comment.

matty

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 21:06:14 -0600

i called it (i really did, read some previous posts of mine). No politician is going to shut down cta service - they will just use it as a pawn to make other politicians look bad - i.e. daley and madigann or blago and his cronies - by making it look so bad that anyone who bails it out at the 11th hour are treated as heroes. It's kind of like two abusive parents playing favorites to their latchkey kid in a divorce settlement. They'll give the kid ice cream to shut them up and make them look good in the eyes of the judge (the public), but they won't ever be good parents. However, what neither of them will do is kill the kid - just like none of those politicians will kill the cta, i mean, it would make them look bad. kind of like my childhood. ;(

Guest Number Four

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 20:14:12 -0600

Rod Blagojevich is a douchebag. Why couldn't he have just agreed to the reorganization of the RTA when it first came up for a vote in the General Assembly? Surely that would have helped some of the other legislators make up their minds and support the fudning.

guest

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 19:14:01 -0600

Some have asked where the money comes from; think of it as a payday advance. You know how seniors and high school kids get "reduced fare" rides? Well, their fares are subsidized by the state of Illinois, which cuts periodic checks to RTA/CTA to cover these subsidies. All Rod is doing is pre-dating some of those checks. No one yet knows if this is legal or anything, but that never stopped G-Rod... here to save the day!!! (After millions of dollars have been wasted to reprogram the fareboxes, print up maps and placards, and hand out flyers. Oh, and we'll have to spend more millions to do exactly the same thing in November. Meanwhile, I get to spend even more of my time combating right-wingers and cynics alike in the wonderful forum of public opinion. Sigh.)

Di Urrea

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 18:16:59 -0600

Forgot closing italic tag

Di Urrea

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 18:16:31 -0600

The Block 37 connector would be a spur allowing trains to be moved between the Red and Blue lines. The CTA claims this would allow for greater flexibility.

Jocelyn Geboy

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 17:59:32 -0600

yeah, no one has properly explained just how much more the red and blue lines need to be connected other than the previous connection at washington and the current connection at jackson. ?? as far as a long-term solution, this isn't one. but i don't know how many people would have been able to deal with what is coming very well. i think we take the money now and then *somehow* get the legislature to understand what we're up against in the transit deficit and just exactly how it contributes to things like the blue line fire.

guest

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 17:35:45 -0600

I seem to remember using the underground connector at the Washington stop. Wasn't that good enough? Am I missing a benefit to this huge construction project?

guest

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 16:48:43 -0600

The Red and Blue are already connected. It's called over the top to the Paulina Connector ;)

sparky

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 15:57:38 -0600

The problem I have with Block 37 is not the linkage of the red and blue lines, it's the $172.4 + overruns that the CTA has spent, and that is not including the TIFs and City of Chicago's expenditures. They clain it will be easier for riders to get to the airports? People who would probably take a cab or a limo to the airport already...oh, wait, more people will take it when we get the Olympics, right? A few million in overruns wouldn't be bad of things were delivered on time and to a high standard of quality. And if that overrun money wasn't being used to line other's pockets.

guest

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 15:57:21 -0600

Navin, was you born a poor black sharecropper?

Navin

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 15:53:37 -0600

illeagal aliens that need free education Mabe you cood voluntir ta teech em' spellen'?

guest

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 15:35:18 -0600

I would not scale Block 37 back. There will never be another chance to link the Red and Blue lines. This should have been done in the 1940s when the system was built but was not. That opportunity needs to be seized. Frankly, a few million in overruns spread over the life of the connection will be nothing.

sparky

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 15:24:53 -0600

#19, I agree. How should we scale back. I think a delay in building block 37 and the ambitious efforts of the express line to the airports is a good start. But, the CTA was not the only entity to blame in this failure. The RTA and the Federal Transit Authority also failed in oversight. Organizations have quality assurance for a reason. Maybe this can be a wake up call that we need more funding. By the way--does anyone know if these discoveries were made during the RTA audit? Shouldn't this have come up earlier?

guest

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 15:23:32 -0600

19, there should be criminal indictments for corruption related to Blue Line issues. If you scale back the CTA to allow them to fix issues like dishonest employees, there will be no more CTA. Not that everyone is dishonest, but the nature of the system is sprawling, requires indiviudals to be scattered all over the city, and work without minute-by-minute supervision. It is ripe for the dishonest to exploit it.

guest

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 15:23:22 -0600

Any guesses, then, on what will happen in November? The legislature will fail once more to enact the long-term solution for CTA that's already been worked out, and we'll once more be looking at doomsday with a weekend to go. Blago's offer of cash (from where?) only prolongs the misery and makes it that much more unlikely that we'll see a real solution. It's more short-term idiocy from people who have trouble seeing beyond next week.

Rachelle Bowden

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 15:22:44 -0600

some photos i took of the fliers they were handing out at the stations this morning.

guest

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 15:02:56 -0600

I find it fascinating that although Chicagoist has posted umpteen articles about CTA's funding woes, there's no post about the blasting that CTA got from the NTSB in yesterday's report about last summer's blue line fire. Link is here: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ntsb_websep12,1,3577989.story?coll=chi_tab01_layout We're freaking out over a transit system that took the money that it already had and ignored and blatantly lied about maintenance problems. From the article: "More than 80 percent of inspection records were missing for the Blue Line, the board's report noted." So, did the dog eat them? I'm beginning to think that until CTA can prove that they have the ability to actually manage a transit system that they shouldn't get any more money. Maybe scaling the system back will allow them to FIX the problems that already exist. (and yes, I take CTA every day to work, and I will be affected by the cuts)

sparky

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 15:00:01 -0600

According to the Trib, the CTA just accepted Blago's bailout, but the doomsday scenario will happen in November if there are additional funds.

sparky

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 14:57:59 -0600

The RTA 6 county region has 8 million people. The state's population is approximately 12 million (2006 figures from transit website and census data).

guest

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 14:54:41 -0600

That's such a stupid picture.

sparky

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 14:51:33 -0600

I am not asking those questions to be a smartass #10, I am just really curious to know why it is not a state problem, and if there are any other soultions.

guest

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 14:49:10 -0600

9, usually I would agree with you, but I think Blago was just erratic enough this time that people are ready to move on. Corruption is one thing, but he's just acting crazy and making life inconvenient for too many people. 10, that's not a bad point, but it focuses too much on the CTA. The RTA is an animal of the state, and is regional in nature. The CTA, Pace, and METRA are all supposed to be part of a regional mass transit solution. METRA goes into the collar counties, and maybe Wisconsin too. That makes it a state problem. That and I think the six county Chicagoland area is well over half of the population of the state.

sparky

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 14:46:36 -0600

#10: Yes, there is corruption. There are problems with the CTA. Can you provide a reference that the city can support the CTA just as readily as the state (the skyway funds don't count)? Are you against the state bailing out the CTA, or are you against the funding for PACE and Metra as well? Do you think that the state benefits from mass transit? Enviornmentally? Financially? What about the Bill SB572 that also provides subsidies for highways? Why are highways the state's problem? Do you believe in privatization, the city of Chicago funding the CTA? Cook County? What options would you consider? Is a tax on Chicago appropriate? How do you feel about the outdated formulas for funding? Do you think that they should be updated?

guest

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 14:45:41 -0600

10: I think one answer is that the state depends on the Chicago region for most of its economic activity, so this is a state issue. I also think the residents of Cook County contribute more than their fair share to downstate transit projects, and it is reasonable to get a bit of help, at least in the form of a sales tax increase that will have little effect on areas outside the Chicago region. You have read the proposed bill, right? Most of the revised funding formula involves only the Chicago area. That said, I think the city should pony up more for the CTA. That might do some good for PR, always vital when it comes to politics. Finally, can you identify where the city can get this money from? I would like to see Daley give up some of his TIF fund. That could be a good start. I do not support the use of Skyway money for various reasons, mainly because we all benefit if the city has a stronger reserve fund.

guest

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 14:40:38 -0600

Einstein? Wow. Now I feel smart. I do have an idea. Take the $20 million now so that people can keep getting to work and keep working (politically) for a better system. Did you know that one of the main bus routes to a Chicago high school (Steinmetz) was to be cut? Do you know that there were people whose lives would actually change because of these cuts? Avoid them and keep working. How's that for genius? By the way, the point about Detroit was the cities are not immutable. If they get bad enough they do die. And, by the way, there is still a LOT of money in that "tanked" industry. It just isn't in the city of Detroit. Sparky, typos are errors made through a "slip of the fingers" rather than an inability to spell. "Rediculous" twice in a post is not a typo. Blago is not going to be the "hero" of anything. Are you kidding? Whatever he was thinking, it appears that the perception of this summer is that he is a maniac. Start making way for Governor (Lisa) Madigan. Blago is no more.

guest

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 14:30:35 -0600

Why is this the state's problem? State funding probably should increase, but the General Assembly can be forgiven for thinking that appropriating more money for the CTA does nothing except give the CTA more money to squander on useless capital projects that benefit no one but the Mayor's buddies. The City of Chicago has money, the last time I checked, and can supprt the CTA just as readily as the State. Before anyone starts in, I live and work in the City.

guest

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 14:30:30 -0600

Sparky: No will remember. The idiots of Illinois keep electing the same bums to office, both here and downstate. I was born here and have lived here for the majority of my years, and nothing ever changes in this state.

sparky

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 14:23:27 -0600

#5: The complacency and apathy is the problem here. Yes, Chicagoist is a minor blog in the whole scheme of things, but this again just illustrates that we are okay with settling for something. Oh and the typos that #3 has? Who cares. You capitalized your S in comments. Is that the best you can do to pick on a poster (not a contributor to this blog or an editor who should at least know basic grammar)? Why don't you give us some good arguments instead of these pussy chicken shit insults. I don't want the system to decay, but I don't want Blago giving out handouts. He is going to come out as the "hero" in this whole boondoggle and it shouldn't happen. We need long term solutions here. Anything less will not do, because we will be in the same mess next year if this continues. I hope that everyone remembers the "Summer of 2007" come election time.

guest

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 14:17:43 -0600

5: Then what's your answer, Einstein? Clearly, endless complaints about the system; a report from a respected state auditor; calls and letters to lawmakers; and the demonstrated benefits of mass transit in this and other cities are not enough to make our dipshit leaders do anything. Why not have some decay and then some resulting outrage? Why not show how important mass transit is? That's better than some BS short term fix from Gov Press Release. Do you have better ideas? Tell us then, genius. And your idea about Detroit is hopelessly simplistic. Detroit failed mainly because its economy relied on a single industry that tanked. Everything else is secondary, though important, of course.

fed up

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 14:14:14 -0600

Rod just found 20 million maybe his wife got another commision check for selling rezko property or he is getting more money for selling state jobs and contracts. Rod is a fraud and the cta metra and rta are long overdue for a melt down because of mismanagment. Until a top to bottom overhaul and consolidation of all three mass transit entites happens we are just throwing away money. Combine all three and implement best practices from each. Dont waste tax money on three seperate managment staffs we have illeagal aliens that need free education and healthcare.

guest

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 13:59:22 -0600

Oh boy. The comments on the Chicagoist are among the stupidest I see on the web. 1:20, it is "ridiculous." Not once, but twice. That is not a typo, that is a failure. Shame. Spav1, maybe YOU are the problem. Do you really think the woman who wrote this entry is the problem? Maybe it is the legislature. What kind of an idiot plays "blame the victim" in commentS? 1:04. That is a brilliant idea. Let the system decay. That worked so well in places like Detroit. Keep cobbling answers together until you get the best solution, then implement that.

guest

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 13:57:00 -0600

They can use that money to wash the pee stained seats.

guest

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 13:20:52 -0600

There is lots of harm! The CTA has had to spend considerable resources planning for the reduction of services. What happens if the Legislature which has had ALL SUMMER in the longest session on record doesn't implement a long term solution? The CTA will be forced to implement another doomsday in a matter of weeks and waste even more resources developing a new "doomsday" plan. I don't want the cuts to happen, but it is rediculous that our elected officials have decided to take the week off instead of working on this important legislation. At the same time, Daley is off in Europe. Rediculous!

Spav1

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 13:14:04 -0600

My question is "Where is this money coming from?". I doubt that it is just laying around not being earmarked for anything. Also, why wasn't this offered a week or a month ago? This whole things reeks. Rod is corrupt, the CTA is inept and we are all complacent. EVEN the bloggers who are supposed to be the most critical minded of all. YOU are the problem here. "What's the harm?" Maybe you should really try to use logic and analysis and think of an answer to that question.

guest

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 13:04:55 -0600

It's still early, but I really doubt this is good news for the following reasons: 1) Again, focus shifts to short-term, which allows people on the fence about fixing mass transit a chance to breath and think the crisis is over. 2) Allows Gov. Press Release to pretend, again, to give a shit and, again, to actually be doing something. Remember, this is dolt who is against the best and most realistic transit bill out there, and who has rather vague and hardly sufficient corporate loopholes as his solution. 3) Increases the danger that a real long term fixed is not passed this year, which means the chances go down as elections near. Fuck Rod. Don't let him play the fake hero yet again. Get the long-term funding fix or let the system decay, which will at least piss off a lot more people who might actually get off their assess and put some pressure on local and state leaders.