What’s going to happen on November 4? The CTA is already sending out notices, striking fear in the hearts of many of us who ride routes that will be cut on this new doomsday. Is it likely the state government will bail out the CTA?
New Gaming Board suggested; Chicago transit bailout likely
CHICAGO - Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan suggested Monday that some kind of gambling expansion is inevitable to finance a state capital program but said a new and fortified Gaming Board should oversee the growing casino industry.
The Chicago Democrat also announced plans to revive a financial bailout plan for Chicago-area mass transit on Friday, even though a regional sales tax increase central to the plan is opposed by Gov. Rod Blagojevich and Republican legislative leaders.
[via Peoria Journal Star]
It’s possible that some kind of package will be put together that will involve an increase in sales taxes which are already astronomically high and maybe some gambling. Is gambling really a good idea in Chicago when you consider who will run it (the city of Chicago) and where that money will go (who knows?)?
Crime commission says Chicago too corrupt to handle casinos
October 16, 2007 - The Chicago Crime Commission is opposing the creation of a gambling casino in Chicago, saying the city is too corrupt to handle the job.
The commission and several other organizations came together to oppose both the Chicago casino and expansion of casino gambling around the state. All of that would be allowed by a house bill now pending in Springfield.
[via ABC7Chicago.com]
Oppose tax increases for CTA and Chicagos culture of corruption
…what is happening right here in Chicago where “real” reporters have openly embraced the PR spin in the CTA crisis, blaming the problem not on CTA mismanagement or on Mayor Daley, but on the Illinois General Assembly?
ItÂ’s the same thing. Reporters in Chicago are giving the CTA a pass. They have bought into the phony argument that the CTA crisis is the result of the legislature for failing to approve an increase in taxes.
Supporters of the CTA have proposed a punitive bailout plan to raise the sales tax imposed by the Regional Transportation Authority in the six-county area. In Cook County, the sales tax would increase a Quarter Point, or 0.25 percent, but would go up a half point, or 0.50 percent, in the five collar counties.
The problem with this situation is that the media doing the reporter is Chicago-based. The Chicago media dominates television and radio, and owns most of the so-called community newspapers in the suburbs..
[via Southwest News-Herald]
Chicago Politicians Seek New Taxes, Fees - mayor all set to dig deeper into heavily taxed citizens
CHICAGO (AP) — Life in America’s third-largest city is already expensive: Motorists pay some of the highest gas prices in the nation, and shoppers get hit with sales taxes higher than those in New York or Los Angeles. Now it could get even worse.
Mayor Richard Daley is seeking a host of new taxes and fee increases to pay for a $5.4 billion city budget. Proposals include slapping a 10-cent levy on every bottle of water, raising property taxes and charging SUV drivers $120 instead of $90 for an annual city sticker.
[via The Associated Press]
