Doomsday, It Is!

By Margaret Lyons in News on Nov 18, 2004 5:26PM

We're all about to get fucked someplace really uncomfortable—no, not the back of a Volkswagen; more like the back of the bus. The Illinois General Assembly will close its veto session today without approving additional funds for the CTA. They've postponed action on the CTA budget until the middle of next year at the earliest. Remember how the CTA made two budgets; one if the State coughed up the cash to batch major budget gaps, and another "doomsday" one if they didn't? Well, we're looking at the doomsday one. Awesome.

Well, surely the CTA has put on its creative-thinking cap, no? And they're trying every possible way not to make service cuts or raise fares? Hm? "'Without action to increase funding, the CTA faces few options other than implementing a gridlock budget,' CTA chairwoman Carole Brown" told the Tribune. Ahhmm…right. So no on the creative strategies?

We especially liked CBS's take on the situation:

…While there is no good time to come down to the state capitol and ask for $70 to $80 million, Mayor Daley and the CTA operations manager decided to wait until this month.

In a weirdly logical move, "House lawmakers called on CTA officials to consider putting together a six-month budget to hold the line until the General Assembly could address funding issues during the spring session." That almost sounds like a good idea, you know, giving transit funding the consideration it deserves and not cramming it into a veto session. Meh, probably too good to be true. Doomsday budget, here we come.