Chicagoist: Surprise! CTA Fares May Rise After All

celerysalt

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 10:12:27 -0600

matilda, i agree with your points, but here's mine. blago came in with the free rides thing just as the state legislature was about to strike a deal on the CTA. he did it because he knows that getting the votes of seniors in the next election is one of the ways he hopes to keep from getting his ass bounced out. madigan, who is also a douche, agreed because they had no choice. they had to pass the legislation, or the funding crisis would've gone on and on and on. oh wait - it is! i am all for helping seniors, particularly those who live in the city, with the cost of living being so ridiculously high. but at the same time, you can't rob peter to pay paul, thereby seriously screwing up an already flawed system.

matty

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 17:30:12 -0600

I don't mind daley that much either, however he supports the worst possible candidates like Todd and Blago.

frp

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 14:37:52 -0600

"blago and daley both need to go ... daley more so than blago" I completely disagree with you dddane. G-Rod needs to be removed from office immediately. IMMEDIATELY. I don't think I can emphasize any more the IMMEDIATELY any more. He's just a much a criminal as Ryan, and I think they should share a cell. And, G-Rod should be the catcher. THEN, Toddler should be removed from office, and every single appointee from the Stroger family who works for the county should also be simultaneously removed. The one-two punch of G-Rod and Toddler is creating a perfect shitstorm that is unequivocally fucking up Chicago, Cook County and the State of Illinois. And, anyone who disagrees is a fool. Or a patsy. OR just palin naive. Or on the take. Or a Blagovich or Stroger family member, which means you are on the take.

Prescott Carlson

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 14:44:30 -0600

I'll concede that point, no one. Feel free to ignore the "yet" in that sentence, which is the only part that's subjective. Perhaps I've just had "doomsday overload", and am worried about the reliance on Springfield as we never know what pony Blago has yet to discover in that pile of manure.

dddane

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 12:36:56 -0600

blago and daley both need to go ... daley more so than blago

no one

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 12:25:12 -0600

So what's up with this part of the post: ->Huberman also indicated that the CTA is going to run out of money for any infrastructure improvements, or for the purchase of new buses and trains in 2009 unless the state approves yet another capital spending plan. The implication of "yet another capital spending plan" is that the state just passed one the other day and is coming back for more. In reality the last large-scale capital funding plan was Illinois FIRST passed in 1999. (Incidentally, that plan expired in 2005 and we've been without a plan since that time.) Surely two capital funding plans in a decade isn't too much for Chicagoist.

E

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 11:38:57 -0600

I blame the original Mayor Daley. It's all his fault. All of it.

matilda

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 11:24:17 -0600

Salt: Well, not really. Blago shares a large part of the blame, but Madigan has played massive politics with a capital bill as well. And the neglect of the CTA--that is, its basic infrastructure, including rails and equipment--has roots that are decades old, and is a problem that the current Mayor Daley, who effectively controls the CTA board, has ignored until very recently. It would be great if those TIFS weren't semi-private slush funds. But let's not be foolish: Large-scale capital projects, including CTA repairs, often require a mix of local and federal dollars, and are almost always part of large capital-works bills. The most immediate problem is not the unavailabity of TIF funds, but the lack of a sensible statewide capital bill that offers a reasonable mix of transit and highway dollars. Besides, the CTA serves more than just Chicago, whether directly or indirectly, making CTA capital improvements more than just a city issue. Please don't mistake this of any strong defense of Blago. He is a total failure. I just don't think some of you are seeing the bigger picture.

Pinko

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 11:17:18 -0600

We should hardly be surprised that our governor fails to appreciate the importance of public transportation, especially in this day and age. This is the same guy, after all, who routinely shuttles back and forth between Springfield (where he works) and Chicago (where he lives) via helicopter. On the taxpayers' dime, of course...

maltedbarleyandhops

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 11:12:22 -0600

Recall the governor...G-Rod is the one that wanted the seniored citizens to ride free. http://www.illinoisgovernorrecall.com/

celerysalt

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 11:10:56 -0600

this is blago's fault. period. asshole.

fed up

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 10:46:09 -0600

Mayor daleys tif fund is a friends and family money source for developer buddys only. So unless some of daleys buddys decide that their experiance redeveloping public housing sites makes them experts on public transportation no tif money will be going there.

Pinko

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 10:35:04 -0600

Freeloadin' baby boomers. You'd think they'd be satisfied enough with sucking Social Security dry and the free coffee at McDonald's. Well, they can go to hell if they think I'm giving up my seat too... "What? The free ride isn't enough, granny?! Cowboy up! You're standing for this trip!!"

BlueFairlane

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 10:18:26 -0600

I'm afraid this is one example of a trend my generation will be dealing with for at least the next 20 years. Baby boomers got rich bleeding the nation dry. Now politicians are pandering to them by giving them free stuff just because they're old, and they're demanding that my generation subsidize it all. It's enough to make me want to burn a Beatles record.

matty

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 10:02:53 -0600

Forget about the TIF fund. That is Daley's personal piggy bank for the Olympics and the Olympics only. He doesn't care if the CTA lives or dies so long as he gets it.