Zero Hour Approaching

[Busjack]

There's one thing all legislators should also consider, both Downstate and Chicago, while they're all squabbling like children for various reasons, they are endangering capital funds on the national level. It's been reported in the SunTimes, if I'm not mistaken, and I think the RedEye that Illinois stands to lose $1.5 billion in capital funds for Metra's Star Line proposal and capital projects among the other transit agencies. The FTA has said that until the Illinois legislature can get its act together and appropriate the proper matching funds, that money will be put on hold. The federal government is not going to have unlimited patience like the state thinks everyone else has. If they keep up this nonsense that money will just go to another state.

If a few hundred million dollars doesn't light fire under their rears, maybe the prospect of endangering one and a half BILLION will. But their behavior for yesterday's special session doesn't leave much hope of that.

That was my understanding. You used to hear the line that "the legislature will not leave federal money on the table" in defense of studies for New Starts when the existing CTA infrastructure (especially the north branches of the Red and Blue Lines) was falling apart. You don't hear that anymore.

That is why even CTA says it wants a capital bill.

You also have the situation that the New Starts are competitive, and apparently no federal money gets appropriated until a project gets through all the studies and the FTA enters into a full funding agreement. While I have said that this just proves that the current Transportation Act is just a consultants' relief act, it does establish that all the listed projects are not assured, and if Illinois doesn't get its projects in order, there will not be any federal funds to be left on the table; they will go to other states. That is not to say that some things added to the federal transportation bill for political reasons, such as the Ogden Trolley, shouldn't be put quickly out of their misery, as not having any justification when passenger demand is considered. However, justifiable projects, such as the Red Line extension, are also placed in jeopardy.

[Guest]

That was my point that the CTA board didn't use public transit. But now that Carole Brown has started using the 157 which is also on the cut list. she is at least getting some idea of what a lot of riders are facing. How big an idea is still up for question.

As for our legislators, Rickey Hendon has been running unopposed for years but not this year. There's at least two who showed interest in challenging in the primaries next month, if last month's news story about the two who were dispute over whether one sabotage the other's intended bid is any indication. One of them has actually filed the paper work to be on the ballot apparently. I'm ecstatic. I've been hoping for someone to run against this bum for years. Now it's just a matter of whether the rest of the black people living in my community can get past supporting supporting a candidate just because he share's the same skin color like I've learned to do. So what the other guy is white and I'm black, but if he can convince me he can do better for the community than Hendon, he has my vote. Same thing for my representative in the state House. He has some competition for the first time in a long time as well.

This giving support because of skin color is part of the mentality that helped Todd Stroger get elected with his overwhelming support in the city. In the surburban areas of Cook County he was trounced. And look at the mess Stroger has Cook County in now. The county is basically screwed because of black politicians sending their generals out into the black communities telling them that John Stroger's primary opponent, Forrest Claypool wouldn't look after their communities as much as the elder Stroger and later Todd Stroger would. Let alone the question over Todd's experience in government given his status of just completing his one and only term in Chicago's City Council at the time when he was put on the ballot to replace his dad.

This whole mess has changed my political thinking somewhat. As a lifelong Democrat I'll still be leaning in that direction on a national level. However on the state and local levels, I'm going to be more of an independent. At least we can say our national representatives of both parties from Illinois have been getting it done for the homefront to some degree.

There's one thing all lesiglators should also consider, both Downstate and Chicago. While they're all squabbling like children for various reasons, they are endangering capital funds on the national level. It's been reported in the SunTimes, if I'm not mistaken, and I think the RedEye that Illinois stands to lose $1.5 billion in capital funds for Metra's Star Line proposal and capital projects among the other transit agencies. The FTA has said that until the Illinois legislature can get its act together and appropiate the proper matching funds, that money will be put on hold. The federal government is not going to have unlimited patience like the state thinks everyone else has. If they keep up this nonsense that money will just go to another state.

If a few hundred million dollars doesn't light fire under their rears, maybe the prospect of endangering one and a half BILLION will. But their behavior for yesterday's special session doesn't leave much hope of that.

I hope Rickey Hendon is voted out. He is a bum! He is a piece of garbage, I do not like the fact that he uses the term "racist" all the time to try to get his point across. That is not being a good politician! That is downright dirty and unprofessional !! There is no place for that type of politics.