Has Daley finally lost his mind? (Chicago, Springfield: sales, bankrupt, private school)

[PAKennedy]

Originally Posted by mdz

From what I understand (in the paper today), 80% of the Chicago budget is health care for employees and ex-employees, personnel costs and pensions. And it's getting more expensive by the day.

This is the problem. Until we get a handle on health care, until we get a handle on perks offered to the city/state/government employees, we're doomed.

The problem there is that the health care benefits are the only reason competent people take the majority of government jobs. Good luck finding a passionate teacher after you slash the health care benefits. You think schools are bad now, just wait until private schools are literally the only option. When every child has to go to a private school to have a shot at an education two things will happen: 1) the problems from public schools become private school ones, and 2) the students who would otherwise be in school, but can no longer afford to will be in the streets dabbling in crime. That doesn't paint a pretty picture.

Slashing health care isn't the solution, better organization of city labor is. When the amount of workers gets under control, the health care issue will shake itself out.

[NYrules]

Is Chicago turning into England in the 1400's? Where the lords taxed the living crap out of everyone on his land? King Richard's idea of taxing everyone to death for everything is not the way to go about this whole thing.

Play Sim City sometime, you can learn alot about how to run a city when playing that game. I realize it is only a game, but the senarios in the game are pretty accurate to real life. Raise taxes too much and people flee, leave the roads a mess;people flee, don't create useable public transit and maintain it; people flee, leave the schools in horrid condition; you produce a bunch of dumb asses and thugs; and people flee, etc.

Now lets look at the wonderful Chicago which recently was named #2 in the country right behind LA for the worst traffic delays in the nation, housing... Well its not as bad as NY or San Fran cost wise, but we are getting there, mass transit is in dire need of repair and upgrading but has no money to do anything without the creation of a casino, and Chicago public schools have not been known for being the best or able to produce high numbers of brianiacs, and now we are going to tax the poor remaining souls to death that wish to stay? COME ON!

I think its about time we start looking at who we are electing in the very near future to save Chicago from becoming Detroit#2.

[SAI126]

Originally Posted by via chicago

sorry, but if you cant find a job in chicago you cant find a job anywhere.

That's what they used to say when I was a kid there in the 50s and 60s and I can tell you it was a lot more true then, than today. I know we all love links on message boards, but I think if you do some checking you'll find that the Chicago economy has not kept pace with the rest of the country (in terms of job growth) since about 1957. I could make this a real long post if I listed some of the major employers in Chicago when I was a kid, who are no longer there. I'm not just talking about meat packers, railroads, and steel mills either. Every time I return to Chicago for a visit, it's a mixed experience for me. The skyline, lakefront and museums are better than ever. However, when I go out into the neighborhoods, I can get very depressed. Chicago's big strength was the quantity and quality of its neighborhoods. I'm talking about areas for lower middle and middle class working people. Gentrification has definitely changed many neighborhoods that were formerly on the decline, but only for a select few. Apologists want to compare costs in Chicago to those in NYC, Boston, SF, and a few other places domestic and foreign. However, Chicago is rapidly closing the gap. It is now a city that has basically two kinds of residents, those who are well off, and those who aren't. The middle class has fled, forever it seems to suburbs that stretch deep into the farmlands of yesterday. Chicagoland traffic is as bad as any I've experienced in the US. I couldn't live in the Chicago of today, much as I sometimes want to come home. My advice for all residents of Chicago and Cook County. After you're done paying your taxes and living expenses, if there's any left over, send half to Todd Stroger, and the other half to the Mayor most of you seem to love unconditionally. They're going to get it eventually anyway.

[Mexi-in-Arlington-Heights]

Originally Posted by PAKennedy

The problem there is that the health care benefits are the only reason competent people take the majority of government jobs. Good luck finding a passionate teacher after you slash the health care benefits. You think schools are bad now, just wait until private schools are literally the only option. When every child has to go to a private school to have a shot at an education two things will happen: 1) the problems from public schools become private school ones, and 2) the students who would otherwise be in school, but can no longer afford to will be in the streets dabbling in crime. That doesn't paint a pretty picture.

Slashing health care isn't the solution, better organization of city labor is. When the amount of workers gets under control, the health care issue will shake itself out.

Public officials here are not too competant. And the job of public officials isn't to create jobs it's too protect the jobs from leaving. Illinois politicians haven't been doing much other than increasing living costs and that has in turned made many people + corporations leave the state.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by NYrules

Chicago which recently was named #2 in the country right behind LA for the worst traffic delays in the nation, housing...

Really? Musta missed that. You have a link?

[prairiestate]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

Really? Musta missed that. You have a link?

No, we're all making it up, because you know how Chicago traffic glides down the roads at the speed limit at all times.

Chicago Sun Times

Traffic delays in Chicago are... driving us crazy
An extra 32 GALLONS of gas. More than $900 in additional expenses. 203 MILLION hours lost.

September 19, 2007
BY BEN GOLDBERGER Staff Reporter/bgoldberger@suntimes.com

...And for the fourth straight year, Chicago area drivers ranked second in the nation in the length of commuting delays. The Los Angeles region was the worst...

http://www.suntimes.com/news/transportation/563551,CST-NWS-traffic19.article (broken link)

[Jesse69]

I hate Mayor Daley, and I wish a good opponent would come and replace him!

Things he did I didn't like -

Got too scared of small airplanes flying off of Miegs Field so he destroyed the airport. I'd say that airport was good for business people.

Giving the boot for 2 unpaid tickets.

Big corruption in city hiring, where you had to be an insider, connected, or campaigned for him to get a city job.

Uh... what other crappy things has he done?

[Lookout Kid]

Watch out. The black helicopters are coming!

But of course, they can't take off from Meig's Field anymore, so they may take a while...

[Brahern02]

He was not scared of Miegs Field. He just didnt like it. He used safety as an excuse to destroy it. Whats done is done. And the parking ticket thing is because the city is broke. I am not defending him, I'm just saying complaining about Chicago politicians being corrupt is like complaining that Florida is too hot and humid. Its just the way it is. There are only 2 ways mayor Daley will leave office. Either when he dies, or when he decides he does not want to be mayor anymore.

[chicagocubs]

You probably need to research what you are saying.....go back 50+ years and then you will understand.....