It's not just Joe Moore and Mayor Daley who wants more of YOUR money. When you listen to CTA mouthpiece Ron Hubberman talk about the CTA money woes, you hear him say they need more of YOUR money to keep the system running. You think to yourself, here we go again.
And you think about all that expensive advertising the CTA does to scare the hell out of you. Like the new sign above. Talk about fear advertising. And it's YOUR money they're using to 'do it' with.
Scare tactic advertising, with YOUR money! Twice in one month now. How much does all this fancy, laminated, glossy printing and flyering cost the taxpayers? Not to mention the full-page newspaper ads.
Do you have more money to give the CTA, the city, the county, the state, the phone company, the gas company, the electric company, bottle water, tap water, beer, liquor, Taste of Chicago tickets, parking, etc? Do they think money grows on trees? Will the taxpayers finally stand-up and say 'enough is enough''? What do you think is going to happen?
BLOGNOTES: Remember this, this, this and this, when thinking about how much the CTA cares about it's rider-ship.
6 comments:
From the Tribune....> "Timing is everything, and since the mayor and aldermen don't face an election for another three and a half years, if you're going to raise taxes -- there's no time like the present."
I heard that they are seriously considering raising the property taxes, but until they do, the CTA one way fare may go up to $3.00.
Craig, really? The CTA should just close its doors, eh?
I would much rather people lose their jobs or spend more money on cars they can't park because the CTA can't get a few extra bucks.
I am so through with CTA's nonsense. Yesterday, I experienced all kinds of delays and problems getting to and from a meeting I had to attend. The fact that Huberman rides CTA, as reported in the RedEye, doesn't impress me.
I ran into a woman over the weekend who organizes the annual Black History celebration at the Loyola Park Fieldhouse. She is an activist who is aligned with an organization designed to give consumers more control over public transportation. The state of CTA is really troubling to her, since she is in a wheelchair, and raises in the paratransit fares are unacceptable to most disabled persons.
She told me that in Los Angeles, there was a similar movement done by citizens to shut down fare hikes and cuts in service, and it worked. When I find the flyer the woman gave me, I'll post more information about the organization.
The political "leadership" in this city/state is absolutely disdainful. Period. The citizens of Illinois (esp. Chicago) are being motherfu*ked at every turn by a corrupt machine that should been left back in the early 20th century where it belongs. Everywhere else in America, I'm a proud Democrat. In this city I'm a "Libertarian Republican" b/c I'm ashamed to be associated with the likes of Hizzoner and JoMo...and the rest of those crooked GD pigs at the trough. If "Da Machine" went to bat for working people like it did back in the day, that would be one thing. However, today it only goes to bat for the monied interests, itself, and its crony supporters. "Democrats"...please. JFK and FDR would turn over in their graves at the likes of people like Blago, Daley and JoMo.
The CTA might not be experiencing a budgetary crises were they not fronting the cost of the Block 37 el "superstation" that is already many millions over its already-obscene budget, that would have almost paid for an entire new rail line.
The city might have more to contribute to daily operations of this absolutely essential utility were it not for the $42 Million that was allocated to the superstation, and the hundreds of millions of more in tax funded gifts via TIF districts and other corporate welfare, and for other of the Da Mare's monument-building projects.
The City of Chicago was not quite so "prettified", even though it was still extremely beautiful, when I arrived here in 1987, but services were much, much better then.
Absolutely every essential muncipal service has deteriorated steeply since 1987, the CTA being the worst off.
Another thing is that this city was solvent, with low taxes relative to surrounding suburbs, in 1987. Now it constantly is on the verge of insolvancy.
Our leadership, from Da Mare on down, has utterly failed us, and is squandering the incredible advantages of wealth and place that Chicago possesses.
Daley is like a householder who maxes out the credit cards on rugs and electronics while the furnace and the wiring need to be replaced and the front lawn is a patch. Let's work on replacing this guy with someone with well-ordered priorities, who can balance the checking acct.
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