CTA Tattler

Hmm. I think they forgot the "city revenue" column...

I notice that the "operating expenses" column is taller than the column for funding/revenues even though the operating expenses are unknown. It's like saying, "Even though we don't know how much we need to spend, we will spend more than we take in."

well, on the flip side, i noticed on the "operating expenses" column that 2010 only has three ? marks instead of four on 2008 and 2009...

sometimes, we may infer too much from things that only serve a purpose as a placeholder.

This is way too abstract for me, but I gather you're saying the taxes that you said before would solve everything once and for all now won't?

FWIW, I'd assume 2008's shortfall, if that's what's being shown there, would include the funds used to avoid the doomsdays last year. But again, too abstract for me.

Of course there will be a shortfall now that they can kiss revenue from senior citizens good-bye.

BTW... Did anyone check with the Feds on this? If I'm not mistaken, reduced fares for disabled citizens are tied to fares for everyone else. And if senior citizens get to ride free, will Federal regulations allow CTA to charge higher fares for disabled riders who aren't senior citizens? Or to keep from having to repay the Federal funds used for capital projects, will CTA have to let all disabled riders ride for free as well?

If that's the case, you can plan for a bigger gap between income and expenses, and/or you can kiss any Federal funds for capital projects good-bye.

I don't think we've heard the end of this by any means.

Here's a question -- does the Tribune editorial board read its own newspaper? Anyone who has read about RTA funding would know that most of this guy's "suggestions" (http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/letters/chi-0129letters1_briefs0jan29,0,7738181.story) are already law (the 50% recovery ratio) or were addressed in the Auditor General's report (an independent audit of underfunded capital infrastructure, among other things). And while Jeff Blumenthal may be a "business economist", he's clearly never studied transit. Every world class city funds transit -- just like every government funds roads, water, and sewers -- it's a public benefit, not a business.

Or maybe this guy's professor was the economist who helped Chicago Surface Lines go into bankruptcy in the 40s.