According to this Chicago Tribune story, there are talks of “revitalizing” downtown and spending 15.5 billion on transportation improvements and parks, commercial improvements, and other perceived goodies.
Ok. Since when does:
- …Downtown need to be revitalized? We’re not in Detroit or Los Angeles. Chicago’s so loop-centric that the south and west sides are continually ignored and neglected. Now they want to pour more money into downtown? The downtown that already has Millennium Park, the Art Institute, and easy access to tourist destinations and shopping? That downtown needs revitalizing…?
- …Does Chicago have 15.5 billion dollars to spend on superfluous junk like this? They just leased their parking meters for 75 years to get some quick cash, and i’m sure it wasn’t for a “revitalization plan.” This will all come down on the taxpayers.
As one, I have no problem if funds I give the state and city are allocated responsibly. The article states that “The city’s portion of the $15.5 billion total is $6 billion to $8 billion.” So where’s the other 6 to 8 billion come from?
Improvements and expansions to the CTA? Sure - I’m all for that - but they can’t be redundant (there already ARE trains to both airports!!) and they need to be elsewhere in the city! Chicago is a big place. Let’s consider something more like this - bringing Chicago together by rail and rivaling NYC for a better subway / elevated system. Or at the very least, fill the fucking potholes.
I don’t know how much of this is olympics-centered, the article claims some will move forward regardless of the olympic decision…but it stinks all around of wasteful spending and corruption.
Tags: chicago, corruption, taxes
