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“I’m not sure the report’s grounded in reality,” said Mark Denzler, of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, who was part of a committee advising on the proposals.“How do you really make the system more efficient? How do you really make it work for what the needs are, as opposed to, ‘we’re going to build a brand-new shiny system.’”
Summary and audio linked here.
Chicago’s political leadership is floating a pension buyout program as evidence it is seriously addressing the city’s thirty-six-billion-dollar unfunded pension liability, but Mark Glennon, founder of the Illinois policy research organization Wirepoints, said that the proposal moves debt from one column to another rather than reducing it, and that the broader fiscal picture facing the city continues to deteriorate across every measurable dimension. Audio here.
Expect no retraction or apology. This what they do.
The state’s existing buyout program for its own pensions is the precedent for Chicago, which should be a warning: Look out for similar exaggerated claims and shoddy analysis.
Full interview and summary linked here.
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This isn’t rocket science. It looks like return to the office has peaked and ridership is down. Time to start allocating service appropriately. Increase service as needed (mid-week) and cut service where feasible.
The train that rolls unimpeded is the Gravy Train for the pals of the politicians. Metra is running trains just to give train crews something to do, as the shiny stainless steel gallery cars are relatively uncontaminated by paying customers. Add to that the friends and family who populate the bloated bureaucracy that spends more time fundraising than managing operations. These superfluous public sector employees (I refuse to use the Communist term ‘worker’) must be retained at all costs. The most hilarious part of this cauldron of denial from Sarah Freishtat, one of the Trib’s petulant children stenographers posing as… Read more »
Chicago Transit Riders Have Abandoned The System — Which Is Now A Crime Infested, Drug-Ridden, Chaos Breeding, Piss And Shit Stinking Disaster — But CTA Now Wants A Giant Tax Hike Bailout