CTA Tattler

I wish they hadn't passed it, just to ruin Blago's sh*t. I am glad to see they are refining the free ride program

What? Our politicians didn't think it was such a good idea to see a major portion of buses shut down for CTA and Pace on the coldest days in January? Thank goodness it passed, too bad people who provide and rely on these services had to go through multiple rounds of wondering if they either could get to their job next week or even had a job next week.

Hopefully a capital funding bill will get passed in Illinois next. Metra, Pace, and CTA could really use it, and we could use some for schools and roads, etc. Betcha the MainStreamMedia(MSM) will be focusing on that casinos idea instead.

The answer to why it received more votes in the Senate this time around is in this story...

http://www.sj-r.com/news/statehouse/2008/01/17/mass_transit_funding_bill_routed_toward_another_vo/%22

Means testing the senior free rides would put me full-square in favor of the program. There is nothing lonelier and more isolated than a destitute senior. And establishing that there has to be some kind of qualifying criterion means that they would also establish that there has to be an ongoing barrier to fraud.

Means testing (and enforcement) is going to create a whole new burearcracy, and cost the taxpayers more money. It may be less expensive to just let it go.

Of course either way -- letting it go, or creating the new bureaucracy -- is going to be expensive. In letting it go forward without means testing, reduced revenues will mean CTA/RTA will require bigger subsidies. With means testing, there would be less lost revenue (but still some lost revenue), but the cost of administering the program could be tacked onto the Governer's office's budget instead of coming out of trasit funding.

The best course of action would be to simply repeal the free rides in seperate legislation. And such legislation would become politically popular when CTA/RTA run out of money because of the lost revenues.

All this because Blago isn't mature enough to understand that you can never say never. Pledging never to cheer for the Packers might be possible. Pledging never to raise taxes no matter what the state's needs are is not a pledge that any sane person can keep.

The crisis is far from over, and we're still worse off than we should be because of Blago.

I'm happy that the bill passed since the alternative would have been absolute chaos.

Having said that, the bill is much less than perfect. While I sympathize with the whole free ride for seniors deal, it's not a free offering to the rest of us. Thus, not only are we paying more in sales tax and in property transfer tax, we're now possibly facing increased fares to offset the seniors deal. Further, not all seniors are destitute, and there's other riders (disabled, low income, students, etc.) who can make an equally valid claim for lower or free fares.

What bothers me most is the 40% increase in property transfer tax. Daley has already hiked my property tax bill by 20%, and now we're getting hit again. Also, the direction of these funds is to bail out the CTA pension plan. I've worked for a few companies in the last few years, and not ONE has had a pension plan....why does CTA still offer what amounts to being a relatively antiquated benefit, that the rest of us are paying thru the nose for?

I'm confused about something. The news explains the conflict and calls the bill a "bailout" but if all the money is coming from around Chicago, how is the state bailing out anyone? If anything, Chicago is just being permitted to burden itself. Does the bill simply allow Cook County to raise tax, or is the state itself raising and collecting and then distributing the tax money?

HOW MUCH CAN I MAKE STEALING SENIOR CITIZEN PASSES? IT SEEMS LIKE THEY WOULD BE QUITE EXPENSIVE.

re: Dwindle's question, I think the fact that identifiable agencies--the CTA, the RTA, Metra, Pace--will be getting the funds, and that one of them at least has the reputation of being badly managed, makes it tempting to call the bill a "bailout." But I also think, pardon my cynicism, that anything that benefits the city is more likely to be called that. If the Tollway Authority, for example, ever runs out of money and has to be kept afloat by the state, it will be interesting to see if the B-word flies about so freely.

I was under the impression they were just going to take over the administration of the reduced fares for seniors--you know, with the official CTA Sr IDs--and use the bureaucracy in place for the free rides for seniors.

Re senior pass. Do what they do in other countries - restrict the free travel to non-rush hour. That way, most seniors riding free would not be working seniors who can afford to pay, and free riders would travel when trains/buses are empty.