CTA Tattler

News flash, Blago's an idiot. This is more of his populist nonsense. Now he will be able to say in his re-election campaign (if he's not with his predecessor by then) that although he was forced to raise taxes after single-handedly bailing out the CTA twice at least he was able to provide free transit to seniors. How about those on welfare, students, etc.?
Now lets get the real facts on the new CTA, how many new hires vs. layoffs since last April? How much do the new employees make as compared to the old? How much is now spent on consultants vs. before last April.

A lot of seniors are better off than a lot of working people. Their children are grown and no longer need to be supported by them. They do not have to finance their children's college education. Why should they get a free ride?

This is nothing but re-election fodder for Blago to spew at his campaign rallies.

Wow is this guy lame...

What Jim said.

...Though I really don't support having any incremental fares based on income.

Students already get a bargain; high schoolers are paying half fare, and college students are on the U-Pass, which is an even better deal than half fares especially for those who ride every day.

In my opinion, the best thing Rod could have done was just sign the bill as it was written, and do it right away yesterday. Instead, always the populist (though a vastly unpopular one at that), he had to make a major change at the last minute. I sincerely hope this doesn't prevent the deal from going through.

I seriously wonder about the constitutionality of the blow dried idiot's idea.
of course it should be means tested!
But Chicago does the same thing with water bills.
Seniors with single family homes get a 33% reduction.

Emptying death row didn't keep George Ryan out of prison. Pandering to seniors is not going to get Blago reelected.

What a phony!!

If the legislature doesn't come back to sign off on his changes, then this thing is going to land squarely on Blago's head. I don't want Doomsday to occur and thousands to lose their jobs, but I'm also very much liking the idea of it all landing on his head.

My grandmother told me quite emphatically when I mentioned this to her last night that the seniors did not ask for this, most of them will not want it, and added that she hopes people don't get mad at them (the seniors) for any delay in the funding or fare hikes. She shares my low opinion of the governor & did wonder about the gap in fare revenue.
(Just to give some background: she's an active woman in her 80s, but on the typical fixed income--not dire, to be sure, but grateful for the tax freeze & the break on prescriptions. But well able to afford the bus.)

Mike--you'd think he'd try to avoid everything landing on his head; it would mess up his hair!

This is all a game to expand Blago's executive powers. After the big to-do about his amendatory veto power when they passed the "budget" he's looking for ways to set precedent on this power. He knows the legislature will approve it. They can't afford not to. Now, if sued over his unconstitutional powers again in the future, he'll have precedent that Madigan and friends have approved these powers in the past.

i voted for Rod when he was my congressman, i voted for him the first time he ran for governor, and because the opposition was such a bad alternative i voted for him again when he ran a second time. but no more.
where does he get off flying between chicago and springfield at tax payers' expense, shifting around the budget, and now withholding the much need long overdue funds for public transportation so seniors can ride for free? don't they already ride at greatly reduced rates? maybe people with ocular issues should ride for free, or pregnant women, or guardian angels.
can we start a movement here to recall Blago?

I somewhat agree that things should be more income based, especially in that SOME seniors are way better off than younger people, etc.

But yes, being a student, I would love for my rides to be free, but my Upass which is practically invaluable was cheap to buy and so I don't think free rides for students is necessary. Hell, in my opinion my Upass was almost free for the value of the rides it provides.

Also, why is it seniors ride free, but other groups that I think deserve it don't? Such as handicapped, et al?

Are you sure Blago isn't trying to wreck the deal?

I'm a senior, and I wrote to Blag and my "representatives" that the free rides are a terrible idea that should be dropped. Being old doesn't mean being poorer than a lot of other people, and seniors already have reduced fares if they want them.

All this will do is make old folks look like the leeches who made mass transit fail. Blag is trying to transfer his own culpability to a whole class of citizens who didn't ask for, and don't want, this "special" treatment. The idea is insulting and divisive. If the governor really wanted to help seniors he'd have worked to assure fast, safe, reliable transportation for everybody in our region. Instead he and his legislative counterparts have done nothing but destroy it.

If he thinks he's won support from seniors by this pathetic ploy he is sadly mistaken. I don't know any "beneficiary" who is not digusted by it. I hope, if the legislature doesn't stop it, the courts will strike it down.

The transit agencies get a "reduced fare" subsidy, will it get larger because the gap between fare rate and fares paid is larger, or will it get smaller because there will be fewer people paying "reduced fares."

The regional patchwork of dial-a-ride with many areas unserved and the under various contracts with different service hours, fares, and eligibility would be a better focus than free fares for those who already take transit. Many seniors lived in UNSERVED AREAS. Let's focus on regional coverage.

The service boards have average a 50% farebox recovery ratio. This means that they theoretically have to collect another $1 in fares for every additional $1 in operating subsidy. How will they achieve this when this new funding rolls in, since they're barely meeting this now? When a whole market segment pays no fares, this will be even more difficult.

Bad policy. The governor should have asked someone about this, not just dreamed it and did it when he woke up.

Another day, another instance of Blagojevich bringing together the citizens of Illinois by making everyone across the board want him out of office as soon as humanly possible...

Honestly. He must surely know it's a terrible idea; otherwise, why all the nonsense subterfuge and mystery up until the grand reveal? Sheesh. Maybe the Neo-Futurarium needs a ham actor and can take him off our hands.

What is the greater issue here? Which is worse?

1. A demographic group, that is not entirely the neediest of the needy, getting free CTA fares at considerable cost to an alredy-broke system.

2. Those same seniors having to walk a mile to catch a seldom-running, broken-down bus because no one in any political position in this state can get their act together and pass something.

I'm sorry I voted for G-Rod.

Where in the hell did Blago come up with this idea? Was it in a brainstorming session to think up ways to make CTA/RTA funding an even bigger mess than it is? Was he high or drunk when he thought of it? Or is he just a psychotic meglomaniac who wants chaos to continue because he believes it gives him more power?

One thing for sure. He's not on the take on this one. There are plenty of special interest group lobbists willing to slip some money to the gov for a plumb deal, but this isn't one of them! Plenty of groups out there that are more in need of, and would be more appreciative of a free ride, and he comes up with this!

And he's probably so out of touch with the world that he has no idea of how silly he looks, and how much outrage his proposal is causing.

What an idiot.

Remember the good old days when the only thing that would hold up a bill like this would be a free ride for legislators and their staffs? Don't you just yern for those days of old, when politicians were just corrupt, and not mentally defficient meglomaniacs?

You think we have problems with the homeless on the CTA now!

http://capitalfax.blogspot.com/2008/01/blagojevich-creates-new-homeless.html

Let's impeach the bum!

http://www.impeachblago.com