CTA Tattler

Thank goodness it failed....why must the taxppayers foot the burden of politicians and CTA management who have no financial leadership.

By the time the Olympics arrive, fares will be around ten bucks.

SB572 seems to be the wrong number. Anybody have a link to how our "representatives" voted? It's time to target every single asshole that voted No in the primaries and the general election. And we need Madigan out of the speakership and out of the legislature.

Screw Chicago, and screw this state. How big of idiots are we to actually be on the verge of cutting mass transit?

No way we get the Olympics. No way we don't sink, either, unless someone comes up with a solution.

And to all you suburbanites: I look forward to Metra going downhill, too. Suck it up.

The politicians that voted NO showed great leadership and intelligence. The CTA squanders money and has no fiscal responsibility. Where is the money Mayor Daley received from the selling of the Skyway ?

Maybe we can start selling the graffiti posted all over CTA as art and help fund it's budget.

OK. Time for Chicago reps to block all infrastructure funding statewide until those of us living in the RTA region start getting back what we're putting in to fund crap like the Prairie Parkway and all the other roads, bridges, dams, schools, that downstate and the burbs need to survive.

And we still need to dump Blagassobitch and all the legislative leaders.

"Blagassobitch"...now THAT is some creativity, Davey! lol

lmfao: Do you drive? Consider your commute to be a lot longer when all of those people that used to take public transit now drive to work. You won't be able to consider Metra because you will be lucky to get a seat if they cut services, especially during rush hour.
Yes, we need fiscal responsibility. But in the meantime, you are in favor of letting the whole mass transit system in the most important city in Illinois (and arguably the Midwest) to crumble financially, screwing the very people that keep this city thriving?
How very shortsighted of you.
I don't have any kids in the public school system, but I still foot for the bill. I have my own health care plan, but I contribute to the healthcare of others. I probably won't be getting any social security down the road, but I contribute to social security. We can't pick and chose what we should and should not pay for because it doesn't impact enough people.
This is bullshit. I came to this city because of the mass transit. So did many others.

Dear Erin, please leave this city and find CTA elsewhere !

So now what the heck is this gonna mean??? that they are gonna cut all those buses???? Man, I think Im going to have to move downtown so i can just walk to work 2 blocks.
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

It is indeed yet another sad day for public transit in this country.

Why is it that this culture is stuck in such a primitive and selfish mindset? Why must the house burn down, so to speak, before we realize that the fire is hot?

Our regional transit officials may struggle with their challenges, but the efforts must be funded properly.

For those of you frequent transit riders who are able, I invite you to join me and jump on your bicycles, scooters, skateboards, rollerblades and also walk a bit more when it's possible.

It's healthier and from the looks of things will become more dependable and affordable than our regional transit system.

If you haven't already, and heck, even if you have already, go to http://www.vote-smart.org/ and find your state senator & representative and CALL them!! If they're supporting the bill, get em off their butt to get some more supporters.

"SB572 seems to be the wrong number. Anybody have a link to how our 'representatives' voted?"

No, it's correct. The transit stuff is House Amendment No. 3 to the bill:

http://ilga.gov/legislation/95/SB/09500SB0572ham003.htm

No vote information available:

http://preview.tinyurl.com/2xhamr

If these service cuts go through, Chicago had better forget about getting the Summer Olympics. Vistiors attending the Olympics need to use public transportation and cities that it is competing against, such as Paris, have first rate public transportation.

"The CTA squanders money and has no fiscal responsibility."

Where is your proof?

Where is your proof?

Lets just look at a couple of things they've decided to waste money on that I notice on my rides, and take that to a much bigger scale of wasted money which is going on behind closed doors.

-Compasses on the redline
-Map screw ups
-Digital Displays that do nothing.
-Pigeon proofing stations and not thinking it threw. They put netting over light panels and when I asked how one would change the light bulb to the installer if needed he replied "magic".
-CTA labeled trash bags
-Plasmas in subway stations.

Where is your proof?
They spent tons of dough on a camera system no one is watching.

You know, LMFAO, maybe you should run for office. You seem to have about as much piss and vinegar as the rest of them. Maybe YOU could make a difference. Maybe YOU could have prevented this. Maybe it's time to stop hiding behind a moniker and actually make a difference.

Oh, wait, I forgot. People like you spend their days writing comments in blogs instead of making a difference. Or is that the difference you're making?

The state should absolutely deny the CTA any further funds until they get their house in order. The entire organization needs a top to bottom restructuring. And I think it best to start at the very top: Daley. I don't want to hear anybody who voted for Daley complain about the CTA, its poor operation or its lack of money. Daley put his buddy, Frank Krusei, in charge of the CTA for years and, despite his utter mismanagement, kept him there until the entire system got to the point of near collapse. This is the kind of thing that happens when people tolerate cronyism. You can see it at the national level with the Bush Administration and at the local level with the Daley Administration. As much as Bush and Daley themselves are to blame, those who carry the most blame are those who voted to reelect them. You knew what you were getting. You made your bed, now lie in it and shut the Hell up.

At this point, it would be best to just let the CTA collapse under its own weight. Then it can be reformed as a new organization. People will get by just fine without it. Sure it will be rough for a while, but we will adapt. Private van service will replace it in many areas, offering better service for the same or lower prices. The CTA is totally antiquated and does not need to be preserved in its present form. The losers who work for them can find productive work at McDonalds.

I guess it is going to require for the cuts to actually take place and the reality of the harmful effects to be seen before the will to solve the problem will actually be there.

Oh, what fantastic news.

LMFAO: Your goodwill towards your neighbors is touching.

As for those remarks implying that people who are angry about this are somehow in denial about CTA mismanagement, they are wrong. I don't know anyone who thinks that either Block 37, a magical O'Hare express line, ponies and unicorns on the Circle Line, or anything like that is more important than, say, fixing the existing Red Line tracks so it doesn't take 70 minutes to go 5 miles. If you ride it, you know it sucks. And, for the record, Daley didn't get my vote. Not that it mattered.

Now, can we quit with the schadenfreude about hah, hah, those poor suckers who don't drive, and fix the freaking mass transit?

Private vans will replace the CTA? When you can figure out how to provide rides for 800-1000 people at 3 minute intervals with private vans, on Chicago's current road system, you call me...I'll fund it.

In other news, no surprise. You didn't see this coming 10 miles away? We're fucked.

I think the CTA should just continue to provide what they can as they're doing now. Forget the cutbacks that will affect people unequally. Just wait until the money runs out, and shut the whole system down.

There are too many people who don't understand what affect the CTA has on their lives, or on the economy as a whole.

Perhaps the answer is a Federal bail-out. Many people who never set foot in Illinois, much less Chicago, indirectly depend upon the CTA.

If the Feds can recognise the importance of a single bridge in Minneapolis, they certainly should be able to recognise the importance of viable mass transit in a hub of national commerce like Chicago.

And if it takes shutting down the system to prove the fact to the idiots, then so be it.

48 short-sighted political hacks in Springfield shouldn't have the power to make such a huge negative affect on the American economy.

Can you imagine attracting any new major employers to the Chicago area without a viable mass transit system? And how many employers are considering moving their operations to more hospitable environs?

Without proper funding of the CTA, losing the Olympics will be the least of the region's problems.

Regarding the latest loss, here is a letter I just sent Senator Frank Watson, the Republican Leader. I also copied Julie Hamos, the sponsor of the bill. If even half of you who have posted comments would write a letter (it doesn't have to be as scathing as mine - just a real expression of why you're so disgusted), we could make an impact. Please consider doing so...don't lose hope that "regular citizens" can make a difference. You know what Margaret Mead said - it's the only thing that ever has.
Frank's e-mail is: citizensforwatson@
sbcglobal.net
Julie's is: julie@juliehamos.org

My letter:
To Senator Watson -

I am sending this to you in your role as Minority Leader, with the hope that you will pass this message on to your Republican colleagues.

Tonight I learned of the defeat of the public transit bill sponsored by Representative Hamos. I am disgusted with your party's apparent lack of understanding of and concern for your constituents, and equally embarassed to call myself an Illinois citizen because of your primitive style of playing politics. The entire country is watching as you cavalierly try to diminish Chicago as the first-rate city it's become. I am not happy with our Governor either, but his antics are no reason to stoop to his level.

Since people's livihoods, lives and financial situations are clearly of no concern to you, let me remind you of an "in your backyard" fact you cannot escape by riding in your air-conditioned limo:

When, overnight, 400 bus lines are cut, and CTA rides cost 33% more, people will flat out, be out of jobs. When that happens, they will turn to a life of crime. And, your district's constituents will experience more crime, because it knows no district boundaries.

My apologies for being quite elementary, but I have no evidence that you or any of your colleagues understand anything but.

I will be watching, along with millions of other CTA riders, to see if you can grow up in the next couple of weeks, put your political agenda aside and remember that you were put into office to do what's best for the majority of Illinois' citizens.

There is no way we will get the Olympic bid now. I love how Daley shrugged off today's vote and said how other cities got federal transit money for holding the Olympics. Yea CAPITAL money for new projects, not operational funds that are constantly flowing in!! Thats what I don't get. The republicans supposedly voted the sales tax bill down so they can get their statewide road funding projects bill instead and claim they will allow transit funding to be included. It is a one-shot capital funding bill to rehab train lines, buy buses etc over the next few years. That is badly needed too, but that is NOT in any way shape or form a guaranteed constant funding stream into Metra, Pace, CTA's operating budget. Its a total farce to the voters to tell them that the Casino plan or closing corporate loopholes will fix the transit funding mess. It will mean EACH and every year the CTA's operational budget will be subject to the whims of state budget negotiations and passing. We all know how well that went this year. Amtrak goes through that sort of mess every single year with Congress. Not knowing if they are going to shut down, get more or less money, etc.

I wish Julie Hamos, the mayor, Madigan would point out to voters that even if a capital bill goes through, it will not solve the yearly transit operational budget crisis. A guaranteed source of additional revenue must be found.

The worst part of all this is just around the corner following the Sept. 16th cuts. The CTA is going to be issuing its 2008 doomsday budget within the next couple months. That one is going to be VERY ugly. Count on probably another $1-2 fare increase and every major bus route and train line having serious service reductions. Now if those go through, there will be significant economic hardships for nearly everyone one way or another. I personally will be starting my plans to leave Chicago if the huge cuts next year go through.

When ya'll went to the polls and voted overwhelmingly for "The Lord High Mayor" and
Governor "Gee Golly Wow" (Daley and Blagovich) and the rest of those " bozos "
that comprise the Illinois General Assembly
didn't yo'all see this coming. Those fools
don't have a rat's keister idea of what they
are doing or what they are supposed to be
doing in the interests of their constituents.
We voted for them in good faith and all they
have done is voted themselves raises and
enjoyed a " kegger " at taxpayers expense.
They are using O.P.M., other peoples money
and don't answer to anyone but themselves and
their moneyed friends so don't expect any
governmenting from these yokels any time soon. Mebbe they can reform Gorvernor Grumpy
(George Ryan) and bring him back.

Where is the Skyway money ????

Great managers don't need tax increases and fare hikes to operate a business....this whole town is a joke. (at our expense)

lmfao: I'm LMFAO that you took issue with my rather innocuous giggle towards Davey's play on our govna's name. You clearly are a blog troll. Dear lmfao, please leave this blog and find a captive audience elsewhere!

It really seems the only way to actually get the legislature interested in solving the operational shortfall is playing hardball.

CTA/Metra/Pace should have run their normal services until their operating budgets ran out then either shut down or instituted pricing that reflects actual operations costs. You can bet the legislature would be paying attention then.

Good Idea g. (seriously) Another hardball tactic would be for the CTA unions(Pace, too?) to go on strike right now in support of all of the drivers ready to be laid off. Yes, transportation would be beyond awful for say, 3 days, but perhaps our Illinois reps, businesses, and fellow citizens would actually notice how importatant a functioning public transportation system is. If that doesn't work, we could take the London approach, and go for another 3 days next week, and so on and so on. Blah!

They CTA workers really should strike in protest at that! What better way to prove mass transit's (and their) importance to our economy.

All of the people posting here saying that the CTA is grossly inefficient so it shouldn't be given more money: you do realize that the exhaustive state audit of the CTA a while back came to a different conclusion, right? Do you think the auditors were in cahoots with Daley and Huberman and the transit unions in a conspiracy to rob you of your tax dollars? Do you think anyone in their right mind would give more weight to a a small collection of random observations than a thorough financial analysis?

To John T. - Great idea (about the strike), but I just asked a CTA worker on the Belmont platform this morning if they would consider that, and he said that their contract does not allow them to strike, because if they strike, they lose their jobs.

What distressed me more about the conversation is that he openly told me he doesn't care because he has seniority and will not be among those cut.

This is the attitude that has gotten us this far. Only those who are directly affected seem to care. It's an extremely powerful antidote to maintaining a Democratic Society.

Sent to the Guv and my Assemblyman and Senator:

"I was extremely upset and angry to hear of the failure of Senate Bill 572. No other legislation under consideration this session has as direct an impact on my life as this does. I write to request that you contact me with regards to how you voted on this matter, and furthermore advise you that if you voted against it, I will cast my vote for your opponent or for a third-party candidate when next you are up for re-election.

This is not meant to sound like a ranting screed. But Chicago is on the cusp of a massive collapse in transit funding, and the Illinois General Assembly and Senate utterly and completely failed. Your purpose is not to consolidate and keep political power. Your purpose is to serve the people who put you into office. Thanks to infighting between Democrats, and feuding between Democrats and Republicans, Chicago mass transit is going to be massively cut on September 16, and it runs the risk of suffering a much more severe collapse when 2008 begins.

Mass transit has a considerable effect even on those who do not use it. You have heard this from others, so I probably need not say much other than it has a direct, one-on-one relation to (a) the ability of the working poor to go to their jobs; (b) the state of congestion on Chicago's thoroughfares, both internally and on nearby highways; and (c) the attractiveness of Chicago and the surrounding area both for (i) tourists and (ii) residence. And, of course, as Chicago's economic health goes, so does Illinois'.

It's important that all of you realize one thing: the average citizen does NOT care about you personally. You are a name, and a face, but we have no vestment in you, personally, and your stay in office. What makes us want to vote for you or against you is how we fare while you are in office. For the sake of political infighting, party protection, and personal politics, both the Governor and the Illinois Senate and General Assembly have let mass transit suffer an absolutely devastating loss.

This will not be forgotten at the next election by the millions of Chicagoans and residents of Chicago suburbs whose lives will be utterly and irrevocably damaged. Both for the sake of the welfare of the citizens whom you are to serve, and for the sake of the longetivity of your residence in this political position, I very, very strongly urge you to take any and all possible steps to ensure the passage of Senate Bill 572, so that Chicagoland mass transit may be ensured the necessary operating funds it needs to continue."

I just heard that the CTA is in its bad financial shape because of all the fabulous pensions that they give to its employees, at least the ones they are currently paying now.

Can anyone verify if pensions have wiped out a lot of available money and have caused such a financial hardship to their budget.

PookieMarie, from SaveChicagoTransit.com:

"A side effect of years of inadequate transit funding is the unfunded liability in the CTA pension fund. In order to avoid service cuts over the last 15 years, the CTA talked itself into optimistic investment return projections and therefore lower contributions to the pension fund. This strategy seemed OK during the bull market of the tech bubble, but came crashing down along with the dot-coms. At the same time, the collective bargaining process between the CTA and its unions, which is by law stacked against the CTA, resulted in dramatic pension benefit increases without additional contributions from workers. In 2006, a state law was passed requiring the CTA to pay more than $200 million into its pension fund starting in 2009. This could mean another round of massive service cuts."

is there a "sit-out" planned for some day around the 16th? everyone who relies on public transit for their livelihood should sit at home and let the state see just how much productivity is lost if the cta is not adequately funded. actions always speak louder than words - and right now our legislature is not listening.

I'm delighted the Illinois House stood with the taxpayers and said "no" to Rep. Julie "I Love Taxes" Hamos.

The legislators should cut corporate welfare, like the subsidy that supports Arlington Park. Whoever heard of subsidizing a gambling operation? The last thing taxpayers need is yet another tax increase.

Ken, and yet the Republicans want to fund transit by expanding gambling. Interesting indeed.

Grrrr. I'm beyond frustrated with the people down in Springfield right now. What their rich a**es don't realize is their hypocrisy: they can't find funding for mass transit, yet when the last budget passed, they still voted themselves a pay raise. WTF gives?
This vote was a vote AGAINST the future of Illinois and its people. I'm angry--beyond angry. The cuts will hit the working poor, students (like myself), the elderly, and others who depend on transit because they can't afford to drive the hardest, while Blagoassbitch (love that) gets flown around in state-funded trains and driven around in a phalanx of black gas-pig SUVs. Cut those and make him take the bus!

Hopefully, Allie, being a student, you can get a U-Pass? If not... that sucks.

Nope. I'm at a community college, which doesn't offer them. It does give me a nice discount on the CTA 30-day pass, partially underwritten by the student activity fee. What will suck is when and if the cuts go into effect, Pace (which I use a lot) won't take CTA cards, which means it wouldn't take the U-Pass. Gah.

damn... yeah, I wish all colleges/universities, community college/junior college or not, would participate in U-Pass.

since I don't know this, doesnt Pace currently take U-Pass? and so you're saying if the cuts go into effect Pace won't take CTA? that's B.S. I didn't know that...

What Governor Hairclub fails to realize is that his moronic healthcare plan (is anyone really dumb enough to trust the State of Illinois with their health?) and cutting transit are actually related issues. Inadequate infrastructure will cause companies to rethink staying or relocating to Chicagoland. Fewer companies mean fewer jobs and less tax revenue from those companies and their employees. Unemployment will rise and more people than ever will actually need a healthcare safety net and the state will have no way to pay for it. Those of us who can leave if we cannot find new jobs will leave and Illinois will become Michigan West. Great job, Rod!

Mark: "All of the people posting here saying that the CTA is grossly inefficient so it shouldn't be given more money: you do realize that the exhaustive state audit of the CTA a while back came to a different conclusion, right?"

Do you mean THIS audit?

"Oversight of mass transit in the Chicago region is deeply flawed, hobbled by weak leadership, competition instead of cooperation between the transit agencies, wasteful duplication of services and skewed priorities, according to a state audit report."

Doesn't sound like a different conclusion at all.

http://www.ctatattler.com/2007/02/ctarta_audit_re.html

Do you mean THIS audit?

"Oversight of mass transit in the Chicago region is deeply flawed, hobbled by weak leadership, competition instead of cooperation between the transit agencies, wasteful duplication of services and skewed priorities, according to a state audit report."

One of the main features of the current transit bill is that it is specifically designed to correct this problem by giving RTA more oversight and authority over the 3 systems.

OK, anyone who wants to send a last-minute email to one Rep. Cross, here is his address:

tom@tomcross.com

Or so the nice lady on the phone assured me...

Forgot to add: I'm sending one to him & Blagoytoy, as they are currently id'd as the 2 major blocks to getting the funding. For different reasons, of course!

John T:

CTA employees strike? Don't make me laugh. Then they wouldn't get paid to stand around and complain.

People, don't be taken-in by the media's
" doomsday " senario. If you take a look at
the thirty-nine bus routes that are being
eliminated they are routes that duplicate
existing routes as express or routes that
serve railroad stations, museums, or special
locations within the loop, or other such
places. Your regular bus will show-up but
maybe not as frequently as before and you'll
have to dig down for an extra quarter or
fifty cents. The damn busses and trains will
still be there. Think about it, can the powers that really afford to let the CTA
collapse completely and expect people who need to get to their jobs, doctor visits,
school, and other destinations ? I don't think so. Even Mayor Daley's cohones aren't
that big, neither is Ron Huberman's. Think of
the repercussions and the voter backlash.

I hope You'll forgive me for not proofreading my last post I was typing and watching the Bears/Chargers game. It should have read "
Can the powers that be really afford to let
the CTA collapes completely and expect people
who depend upon it to get to their jobs,
doctor visits, schools, and other destinations to stand-by and wring their hands in fustration and weep I don't think so. "

Mario: not all are duplicated bus lines--yes, a lot of the expresses are (& won't that be fun, watching the 11,000+ people from the Western Express trying to cram on the regular one--Red Eye stats, 9/10/07). One being cut by me, the 86, is not an express, does not have a cross bus every 1/4 mile (Armitage doesn't come that far west, for example), and there is no bus to the west for a mile (Harlem). I thank God I didn't get that job south on Narragansett b/c I wouldn't be able to get to work next week! That'll probably cut some business to the retail down that way as well...

OK, I read all of the comments here about making sure to spend as much energy contacting our legislators. If you go to the Illinois House GOP web page, they will ask you to sign a petition for a Gas Tax Holiday. ?!?!?!

I was talking to a acquaintance of mine who
is a bus operator that works out of Kedzie Garage and she told me that her first run of the day is at 3:50 A.M. when she pulls the 1st Roosevelt Road bus of the day out of the garage and
heads east to pick-up riders along the route and deposit them
at the Red Line and other points east.
But she says that run has been changed.
She will now pull the 1st bus out and instead head
west towards Cicero and Monitor which is the
end of the line. Why the switch ?
Is there a deliberate ploy afloat by the CTA
to piss-off riders hoping they will in turn
light fires under the Springfield Social Club that masquerades as the Illinois General Assembly ?

an add-on to Susie's comment:

a while back, I sent a passionate letter to our elected officials, using one of those forms you can personalize. The only answer I got was from Tom Cross, who actually sounded encouraging at the time. After that, I got the GOP newsletters in my inbox. I canceled it after about 3 of them, b/c it was all "it's the Democrats' fault for blocking us"-nothing about alternatives, just blame the other party (to be honest, I'm sure the Dems' newsletter probably says much the same.) Not at all helpful. And of course, he is one of those blocking the funding. Go fig.