Welcome back campers for another addition of "Am I insane, or just ahead of my time?" (Sadly, we all know the answer to that) I'm freshly back from Fish Creek, WI (cue the Deliverance banjo) and I never thought that I would long for Chicago drivers, but I found myself doing just that on the drive home from Wisconsin on Sunday. (Don't worry, you aren't reading Sux in the Stix--Wisconsin) Why can't Wisconsin drivers use the left hand lane correctly? That was rhetorical of course, but if any of you has a theory, I'm all ears.
As I was watching Sunday's 10 o'clock news, the story of Monday's furlough day came on. In case you don't know what I'm referencing: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-chicago-furlough-18-aug18,0,214093.story With it came an interesting point of view from a Bucktown woman who was asked her opinion on the city's furlough day: (and I'm paraphrasing here) "It's funny how the city can afford to bring in the Air and Water Show, but it's forced to have city workers sacrifice a day's pay to make the city's ends meet. If money is such an issue, why not cancel a needless show and save money that way?" Bravo, Bravo! She sounds like a Sux in the City reader! Honestly, I sat up in bed and said aloud, "Great question!" I couldn't have said it better myself. The most preposterous thing about the Air and Water Show is the fact that admission is FREE. That's right, in the city where nothing is free, there's no admission fee for attending this event. I love Chicago logic!
I must confess, I have more questions than answers for Czar Daley concerning the furlough days. Such as, weren't we just given $1 billion dollars by the federal government as part of its stimulus package? Where, oh, where did that money go Dick, excuse me Rich? I'll get back to that in a second. Also, weren't we also given another $1.5 billion dollars by privatizing the city's parking meters? Where, oh, where has that money gone, your Czarness? Has $2.5 billion dollars already been allocated and is the city really out of money once again?
Logically, since the city is broke, they are making a gigantic bid to host the 2016 Olympic games. (I admit that I have my own selfish reasons for wanting the Olympic games held here--none of which includes me telling more out-of-towners how to get back onto Lake Shore Drive, or where Wrigley Field is). Let me wrap my mind around this mess, we don't have enough money to fulfill the city's payroll--hence the inception of the furlough day--but we do have enough money to pay for the massive construction costs to prepare for the 2016 Olympic games (if we should get them)? Either the city has the money but is saving it for the Olympic preparation and doesn't want to pay their employees, or the city doesn't have any money and 2.5 billion dollars disappeared quicker than a corn dog in Kirstie Alley's hand. It has to be one or the other doesn't it? Either way, this is down right despicable behavior, but hey, that is the Chicago way.
Maybe it is high time to start thinking outside of the proverbial box here, Mr. Mayor. Maybe the next time Kentucky Fried Chicken offers to fix our potholes for free (a sentence that I never thought I would type in my lifetime), you'll actually contemplate the idea instead of asking them for $50 million for the right to fix our potholes for free. Or perhaps you could hire someone honest to look after that $2.5 billion so it just doesn't up and disappear again. After all, that is an awful lot of zeros to be left with our fine Chicago politicians, is it?
*******I apologize for the layout of this post, but the format on my blog has been giving me problems lately********
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