Daley's Olympic Dreams Overshadow Tarnished City
Issue date: 5/1/09 Section: Editorial & Opinion
With a penchant for dirty governors and sales tax that costs everything but your first-born, most Chicagoans want to scream. People can cry and moan all they want; the honorable Mayor Richard M. Daley isn't listening. He isn't concerned about dwindling paychecks, home foreclosures, or the lacking available healthcare. His attention is on gymnastics, shot puts, and the seven-year dash to the Olympics. Daley preaches that the Olympics will be our fiscal savior, takes a vow of silence when it comes to other problems. Chicagoans need help now, not the faint hope of salvation in something that's seven years away and not guaranteed.
During the first week of April, Daley presented Chicago to International Olympic Committee (IOC) members hoping to win the bid in October 2009, all the while claiming that Chicagoans' tax dollars won't pay a cent for the Olympics. However, in John Nothdurft's April 2009 Budget & Tax News article, "Chicago Olympics Bid Could Cost Taxpayers," Gov. Pat Quinn explained how at least $50 million in state funds are being set up for the Olympics, a number which could increase, he added.
Nothdurft explained that Chicago's bid guarantees $500 million in taxpayer funds to cover Olympic deficits. According to the April 2009 article by Chicago Reader writer Ben Joravsky, "An Open Letter to the IOC," London, which is hosting the 2012 Games, already expects to pay $16 billion, nearly double the original cost of its games. If Chicago wins the Olympics, then residents will be forced to foot the rest of the supposed low $3.8 billion estimate. Wright College student Sajid Patel doesn't support the Olympics at all, believing it will hurt more than help. "My tax dollars should be used for something more like schools," he said. "I don't want my tax dollars being wasted on the Olympics. I could care less about the Olympics."
The city makes some revenue courtesy of the stoplight cameras, which each cost around $25,000 to maintain, and hopes to ticket not just red light runners with cameras, but the uninsured as well. It's hard to imagine anyone driving uninsured in these pothole-filled streets. In March, KFC offered the city relief from its concave adversaries on one condition; each pothole resolution would say "Refreshed by KFC." According to the Illinois Department of Transportation's website, they filled 250,000 potholes since winter, but to even consider the idea, which of course they are, is finger-licking ludicrous. Don't listen to Colonel Sanders about fixing potholes; listen to residents who are fed up with waiting. The South Austin Coalition fixed their cratered streets themselves in April with a few shovels and a $100 worth of pavement mix. Stop trying to distract residents from the real problem. Was Daley's "Talk Like Shakespeare Day" a ploy to have citizens forget their money woes, or the city's? Daley, thy scoundrel ways shall bring a pox on us all. Tis' dangerous, thy parlaying ways of bawdy Olympic financial tales.
Don't focus on Olympic gold Daley, think about how tarnished your city's become. More than three million people live in this city. Imagine how hectic it'll be when droves of athletes and tourists take up more space. For now, residents can at least admire the inspiring Olympic ads as they wait for the bus, which is late…again.
During the first week of April, Daley presented Chicago to International Olympic Committee (IOC) members hoping to win the bid in October 2009, all the while claiming that Chicagoans' tax dollars won't pay a cent for the Olympics. However, in John Nothdurft's April 2009 Budget & Tax News article, "Chicago Olympics Bid Could Cost Taxpayers," Gov. Pat Quinn explained how at least $50 million in state funds are being set up for the Olympics, a number which could increase, he added.
Nothdurft explained that Chicago's bid guarantees $500 million in taxpayer funds to cover Olympic deficits. According to the April 2009 article by Chicago Reader writer Ben Joravsky, "An Open Letter to the IOC," London, which is hosting the 2012 Games, already expects to pay $16 billion, nearly double the original cost of its games. If Chicago wins the Olympics, then residents will be forced to foot the rest of the supposed low $3.8 billion estimate. Wright College student Sajid Patel doesn't support the Olympics at all, believing it will hurt more than help. "My tax dollars should be used for something more like schools," he said. "I don't want my tax dollars being wasted on the Olympics. I could care less about the Olympics."
The city makes some revenue courtesy of the stoplight cameras, which each cost around $25,000 to maintain, and hopes to ticket not just red light runners with cameras, but the uninsured as well. It's hard to imagine anyone driving uninsured in these pothole-filled streets. In March, KFC offered the city relief from its concave adversaries on one condition; each pothole resolution would say "Refreshed by KFC." According to the Illinois Department of Transportation's website, they filled 250,000 potholes since winter, but to even consider the idea, which of course they are, is finger-licking ludicrous. Don't listen to Colonel Sanders about fixing potholes; listen to residents who are fed up with waiting. The South Austin Coalition fixed their cratered streets themselves in April with a few shovels and a $100 worth of pavement mix. Stop trying to distract residents from the real problem. Was Daley's "Talk Like Shakespeare Day" a ploy to have citizens forget their money woes, or the city's? Daley, thy scoundrel ways shall bring a pox on us all. Tis' dangerous, thy parlaying ways of bawdy Olympic financial tales.
Don't focus on Olympic gold Daley, think about how tarnished your city's become. More than three million people live in this city. Imagine how hectic it'll be when droves of athletes and tourists take up more space. For now, residents can at least admire the inspiring Olympic ads as they wait for the bus, which is late…again.
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