Message of the Day – An Elephant

In reporting the 57-53 defeat of the bill to force every Illinois citizen to pay $30 to subsidize the CTA/RTA last Thursday, the Chicago Tribune had this sentence: ”Senate President Emil Jones earlier called the construction and gambling package the … Continue reading

Message of the Day – An Elephant

In reporting the 57-53 defeat of the bill to force every Illinois citizen to pay $30 to subsidize the CTA/RTA last Thursday, the Chicago Tribune had this sentence: ”Senate President Emil Jones earlier called the construction and gambling package the … Continue reading

The Missing Senate Bill 307 CTA/RTA Subsidy Roll Call

In the “Isn’t that special?” category is the Legislative Information Systems’ failure to post the roll call on the CTA/RTA bailout bill last night. Even this morning when I called to ask why, it wasn’t up. There was an asterisk … Continue reading

The Missing Senate Bill 307 CTA/RTA Subsidy Roll Call

In the “Isn’t that special?” category is the Legislative Information Systems’ failure to post the roll call on the CTA/RTA bailout bill last night. Even this morning when I called to ask why, it wasn’t up. There was an asterisk … Continue reading

Reaction to CTA /RTA Bailout Analysis

Besides posting my little analysis of the Tom Cross-Mike Madigan-Richard Daley-Rod Blagojevich CTA/RTA bailout plan on McHenry County Blog, I put it up on Illinoize. Hosted by Rich Miller, Illinoize is a blog on which he allows various folks with … Continue reading

Reaction to CTA /RTA Bailout Analysis

Besides posting my little analysis of the Tom Cross-Mike Madigan-Richard Daley-Rod Blagojevich CTA/RTA bailout plan on McHenry County Blog, I put it up on Illinoize. Hosted by Rich Miller, Illinoize is a blog on which he allows various folks with … Continue reading

$30 to CTA/RTA for Every Man, Woman and Child

So, what’s the potential downside for voting for the Mike Madigan-Tom Cross CTA-RTA bailout deal? $385,000,000 coming right off the top of the Illinois General Revenue Fund. No replacement money identified. More pressure to pass an income tax hike or … Continue reading

$30 to CTA/RTA for Every Man, Woman and Child

So, what’s the potential downside for voting for the Mike Madigan-Tom Cross CTA-RTA bailout deal? $385,000,000 coming right off the top of the Illinois General Revenue Fund. No replacement money identified. More pressure to pass an income tax hike or … Continue reading

Family PAC Attack

So, what should Family PAC’s Paul Caprio do? Declare victory because his campaign to kill the RTA sales tax hike succeeded. House Speaker Mike Madigan has played medical examiner and pronounced it dead. Instead of raising sales taxes in the … Continue reading

Family PAC Attack

So, what should Family PAC’s Paul Caprio do? Declare victory because his campaign to kill the RTA sales tax hike succeeded. House Speaker Mike Madigan has played medical examiner and pronounced it dead. Instead of raising sales taxes in the … Continue reading

Primary Opponent Pressures Schmitz On CTA Tax Hike

With the filing deadline for state legislator being Monday afternoon, most potentially vulnerable incumbents will probably think they vote for a CTA/RTA bailout or tax hike with impunity. After all, no one can get 1,000 signatures after the vote and … Continue reading

Primary Opponent Pressures Schmitz On CTA Tax Hike

With the filing deadline for state legislator being Monday afternoon, most potentially vulnerable incumbents will probably think they vote for a CTA/RTA bailout or tax hike with impunity. After all, no one can get 1,000 signatures after the vote and … Continue reading

Social Engineering, Beta Version

Recently Illinois House Republican Leader Tom Cross has reportedly suggested using the sales tax now collected on gasoline and diesel fuel to subsidize mass transit. Maybe that makes as much sense as using that sales tax on health care or … Continue reading

Social Engineering, Beta Version

Recently Illinois House Republican Leader Tom Cross has reportedly suggested using the sales tax now collected on gasoline and diesel fuel to subsidize mass transit. Maybe that makes as much sense as using that sales tax on health care or … Continue reading

RTA Sales Tax Increase 200%

I was struck by the number 266% in last Wednesday’s Chicago Sun-Times columnist Mark Brown’s headline. The incredible Chicago Democratic Party tax hiking machine, this time embodied by Cook County Board President Todd Stroger, wants to impose another two percentage … Continue reading

More Mass Transit Thoughts from Overtaxed Suburbia

Some have suggested that I have merely re-fighting a battle I lost in 1974. Whatever the reason, mass transit thoughts keep rising to the surface of my consciousness. Today I offer three ideas, one political and two substantive. The political … Continue reading

More Mass Transit Thoughts from Overtaxed Suburbia

Some have suggested that I have merely re-fighting a battle I lost in 1974. Whatever the reason, mass transit thoughts keep rising to the surface of my consciousness. Today I offer three ideas, one political and two substantive. The political … Continue reading