CTA Tattler

Since when did this become MetraTattler? (I'm just joking. It is relevant.)

Ran into this aticle about Toronto's rapid transit woes;

http://www.thestar.com/News/Ontario/article/284811

Did you see the Chicago Tonight debate last night regarding the gambling expansion (which - of course - is necessary for the RTA bill to get through)? Throughout the segment, filled with petty insults, childish snipes, and ridiculous stubbornness, all I could say to myself was "fuck me."

The quality of our lives is about to go substantially downhill becuase we are represented by children.

That why we need to be able to recall these bums.

I am amazed at how stupid we, the voters, have been in letting these so-called leaders represent us.

Pitchforks and muskets, my friends: That is what we need now, and I am only half joking. This has moved way beyond absurb to the absolutely harmful, not only for us, but for the future of our state.

Nice to see our congresspeople going to bat for Metra, but not Pace or CTA.

Durbin has been warning and pleading about the impending loss of big fed bucks for months now, with no response or even acknowledgment from our state "leaders". Now that our state has reached and surpassed the level of a banana republic maybe we can apply for foreign aid. Or better yet, take up Miller's suggestion and throw the bums out by force.

Or best of all, recognize that Illinois is no longer a functional unit of government and take Cook (and Lake, should they choose) out of state financial control. Seriously. We're supposed to be getting a constitutional convention. Now's the time to let IL go its own way.

If the state leaders can't even get their act together to fund a basic service, do you seriously think they'll be able to rewrite the consitution?

"If the state leaders can't even get their act together to fund a basic service..."

Just remember, come election time, they'll become surprisingly adept at raising funds for their re-election campaigns.

We can't just be outraged now. When election time comes, we have to be even more outraged, and be willing to put in the time, and the money to back any decent alternatives.

Incumbents have the advantages in an election. They have name recognition ("there is no such thing as bad publicity"), and many people will go with the crap they're used to, rather than take a risk on something new (which is proven every day in fast food restaurants).

Those running against them will need money and workers who'll trumpet their names, and the incumbents will need to be painted as not just bad, but cockroach and plague bad.

Apathy and underfunded campaigns will just get us more of the same. We all have to be prepared to give up some money, and a lot of time when the next election comes around, or all the bitching and complaining here will be for naught.

Start planning now.

Adam, as far as I know they wouldn't be the ones doing the writing.

Keep in mind that all those "state" leaders come from Chicago -- Tom Cross is only an ant in all this. The problem is that Madigan, Jones and Blagojevich can't come to an agreement.

So the thought of Cook and Lake seceding makes no sense.

The bigger issue is that the whole state is represented by crooks. The idea that CTA riders are being extorted by the gambling mob would be outrageous in any other state.

Remember your incumbents come election time. Anyone who isn't saying "I regret having voted for the [pick Speaker of the House or Senate Majority Leader] should be defeated. Bring new blood AND new leadership to the legislature.

Um, if nothing's happening till Jan. 7th anyway, why do we need the casino bill to get RTA operating funds? By January 7th the operating funds will only need a simple majority vote to pass, and all the suburban and downstate legislators who've been holding it hostage up until now by virtue of the 3/5 vote requirement can be told to stick it where the sun don't shine.

Seriously, what are we getting out of the capital bill on January 7th? Not votes we need for transit funding, that's for sure.

My god, our legislators have done us all the tremendous inconvenience of waiting about 18 months to get around to solving this problem. If we've waited this long we might as well at least collect on the silver lining of not having to buy off the downstaters.

Is the CTA actually at risk of losing any matching funds? Or is Metra the only agency up for them?