CTA Tattler

I, too, wonder why they spend money on certain things when they are hurting for funding, but they had most of this in place already and its a nice idea. Think of it this way: its somewhat of a marketing ploy that may entice more riders, who will find that the CTA does need funding, and will help support the rest of us in the long run. Until then, enjoy the lights and show some cheer!

This train is an insult to the over 2400 workers that will be getting layed off in Janurary. The cost might be minimal, but it sends a bad message, it makes an amusement park ride a priority over regular service. Maybe this train has become a tradition, but so are the 81 bus routes that will be cut.

Could you imagine how depressing this world would be if the only entities that were allowed to decorate for the holidays were those that weren't in financial trouble?

The additional cost of the holiday train also represents a far smaller ratio of CTA money than what the typical person or business spends on holiday decorations.

I'm willing to bet that the most expensive part of the holiday train will be the time spent by staff on accounting for, and defending the holiday train when all the Grinches try to use it as some sort of perverted symbol of waste.

If everyone who complains about the cost of the Holiday Train were to simply toss a single dollar in the pot, my bet is the pot would have enough money to cover the cost of the Holiday Train for the next decade or more.

I got "stuck" on the holiday train last year while the entire tracks from Armitage to the loop were a total clusterfuck...literally an hour to get from Armitage to the loop. And the whole time, the train was blasting the most awful, generic, non-offensive holiday music EVER. It was painful. Decorate how you want, but for the love of god, please don't make us listen to Mariah Carey against our will while we sit on a track for 45 minutes.

Thank you Steve. It's not about the money, it is the principle. It is disrespectful to the 2400 layoffs, and the regular users of the soon to be eliminated 81 bus routes. That train just might be costing us our state funding. A downstate legislator will look at that train, and would be very reluctant to help transit, when they see this waste. The final nail the coffin will be hammered. BTW, Happy Thanksgiving to all.

I don't think Christmas should even be a federal holiday, so don't expect me to get all excited about what is still a waste of time and effort on the part of the CTA. It's not wasting millions of dollars, but it still redirects money (do they decorate the thing on their own time also?) that could be spent on some necessity.

Thank you Cheryl. Happy Thanksgiving

Do you honestly think the holiday train is really going to cost the CTA state funding? Even the tractor pull crowd downstate isn't that dumb. Every year there are people who want to piss on the thing. My guess it has more to do with the miserable state of their own lives than concerns over fare increases, service decreases, or people being laid off. There are people who complain because it gives them something to do.

From what I've read, it's a volunteer effort and I know in years past, it was used to deliver food baskets to the needy. So lighten up and enjoy it - the CTA needs the goodwill the train provides.

Blagojevich is still talking like he's the big hero: "I'm running out of options where I can unilaterally bail out the CTA and stave off what could become a terrible situation for riders."

Paging the King of Spain!

"Do you honestly think the holiday train is really going to cost the CTA state funding?"

No, LP, it's not going to cost them state funding. I don't care if it only costs them $10, it's $10 that should be spent elsewhere.

And could you lose the personal attacks? I'm just stating my opinion here.

I agree with Cheryl, using state/city/federal resources for a religious holiday is not a good thing. If the CTA was flush with money a lawsuit would be good to stop it. But I think everybody just feels sorry for the CTA now.

I bet Chavez would get the CTA in shape (they're expanding the Caracas metro system as we speak).

Bill, unless you're one of those 2400 employees that MAY be layed off, you don't really have the right to speak for them. I've always understood that the employees that decorate the train and staff it do so on their own time. They're doing it because it makes them happy and it makes a lot of other people happy. The train and getting to work on it is a morale booster for the employees involved... with things the way they are, can't some of you just let them have that?

I have to agree with Patrick here.

My thoughts:
The holiday train brings an unmeasurable amount of Joy to many kids all over Chicago. The amount of money actually spent by the CTA on it has to be so nominal, I would assume they could get that donated if they had to. The bottom line to me is that it's one of the few things that the CTA does that genuinely inspires people. Leave the poor holiday train alone.

Holiday Train = The bomb.

It's so stupid looking and pisses me off so much when I see it coming that I'm starting to really like it.

Where does it end though? They had more than enough money for Frank Kreusi to do a Sox train for Carole Brown in the middle of a funding crisis...

"I agree with Cheryl, using state/city/federal resources for a religious holiday is not a good thing. "

"Christmas" is a Federal holiday. How you celebrate it is what makes it a religious holiday or just a day off from work.

Despite growing-up Catholic, I no longer practice any religion. To me, Christmas is the celebration of the consumer spirit, and a big part of what makes our economy great.

If you want to consider it a religious holiday, and go to church that day, that's fine with me. But whether you do or don't, the secular aspects of the holiday are quite profound.

In fact, some religious folks have been so put off by the secular aspacts of the holiday that they have made a big deal whenever someone doesn't acknowlege their narrow, religious view of the day.

Perhaps we should move the holiday celebrating consumerism to some other day, and make Christmas just another work day. But until we do, consumers and Christians are celebrating a holiday on the same day. And there are some other religious-based holidays in the same part of the year that generally make-up the holiday season.

But how ever you view the day and the season, it's still a season for goodwill. Pissing on the happy times of others is simply a character defect. And people who feel that the Holiday Train is a big deal are just sadly misguided people who must identify with The Grinch before he realized that the celebration will still go on despite all their efforts to piss on everyone else's fun.

I don't think anyone expects Grinches to go away. Nor do we expect them all to learn a lesson when Christmas joy comes despite their efforts. But it just would be nicer if all the Grinches practice what they expect everyone else to do, and keep their feelings to themselves. Some of us are trying to cope here, and a little happiness goes a long way.

But of course, soon the next set of Grinches will come along, and we'll have to listen to them complain about how everyone wants to celebrate the holidayS, instead of just their holiday.

What an unjoyous place this world is becoming.

Okay, so I'm pretty much a misanthrope, avowed atheist and overall fairly hostile to religion getting into people's lives when it's not invited.

But seriously, some of you people...lighten up.

Personally, i'm unmoved by the Holiday Train, but i have better things to worry about than this.

The CTA employees like it.
Most riders like it.
Most tourists like it.
Some of us don't.

Does life need to be a joyless exercise for everyone?
So a few thousand dollars gets frivolously spent out of a billion dollar budget.
Big deal. This doesn't matter.

In the same way some of you were howling earlier this year about the the CTA monogrammed trash bags.
Like that's REALLY the problem.

Overall the Holiday train is fairly (and wisely) secular in nature.
Reindeer and candy canes, folks, not a creche with an admonishment to celebrate and devote yourself to our baby savior.

Agreed, many bad choices can lead to some big dollars that could have been spent better.
But you people are AGONIZING over pennies.

And before ANY of you start with the "it's the principal of the thing" argument...
STFU.

You sound as irritating as that Bible-thumping asshole on Michigan Ave with the megaphone; telling me i'm going to Hell for smoking a cigarette or smoking a pole.

Get over your self-righteous bullshit.

Bah. Humbug.

Thank you, crankyd. You've spared me from having to type everything you just did.

Agreed crankyd....well put.

"Okay, so I'm pretty much a misanthrope, avowed atheist and overall fairly hostile to religion getting into people's lives when it's not invited.

But seriously, some of you people...lighten up."

Amen...Oh No! I mean - well said ;)

Dear Humans:

Don't mess with the holiday train. I rather like it. Also, it makes people think happy thoughts when they see a CTA train, and heck - even I have trouble pulling that off!

Happy Hannukah.

I heard the music on the christ train playing music glorifying christ - NOT SECULAR AT ALL.

And our economy sucks, in case you hadn't noticed - the consumer hasn't made us strong, but indebted to China.

You heard a little three-minute ditty about Jesus...(sinisterly wedged in between a reindeer and snowflake song)...are you now converted against your will? Are you damaged forever?

I just heard me some demon rock 'n roll...i guess now i'm a helpless zombie and must submit to cocaine use and rampant sex.

"Oh...music...we are powerless against your almighty death grip...we are now your obedient servants."

Higher fuel prices have increased the cost of my drive to work. Higher fuel prices have increased to cost of mass transit services in Chicago. Why do I, as a downstate Illinoisian, have to subsidize Chicago mass transit? Nobody is helping me with my higher fuel costs.

Wesley, while your fuel costs may not be recieving a direct subsidy, the roads you drive on are subsidised by the urban dwellers.

If transportation costs were divided up based on where the funds came from, your county couldn't afford the roads you drive on. While it's true there are more roads, and higher construction costs in Chicago, even after you toss in the cost of mass transit to abate the traffic on the highways, when you divide the cost over the population, you'd find that the downstate population isn't large enough to afford those roads.

But a transportation system benefits not just those who actually use it. A strong transporation system is essential for a strong economy. That's why people in Chicago pay for downstate roads, and people downstate are expected to help with mass transit in Chicago.

If you really want to go the self-sufficient route as you imply, you would regret it. There are many rural employers who would need to move to an urban area if that transportation system that you rural folks couldn't pay for alone was gone. And even if your employer isn't one that would need to move, you'd be competing with all the people who would lose their jobs.

But I guess that would solve your problem of paying for fuel to go to work. You could scratch that expense off your list if you didn't have to drive to work!

So are you sure you want to be selfish? Or do you think there are no consequences?