Chicago MMXII

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-south-side-man-scores-in-locker-auction-2-bulls-championship-rings-20120424,0,421039.story

LOL Todd Stroger can't pay his storage space bill.

Err I guess John Stroger's estate can't pay his storage space bill.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/12103989-418/council-overwhelmingly-approves-mayors-city-financing-plan.html

"HMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmeow." - je55e

the city of chicago, brought to you by ________________

That article was light on actual information. Great reporting suntimes.

Couple paragraphs of editorializing at the end, too.

I'm not opposed to the idea of privatization if it works and doesn't end up ruining everything.

Big if.

I wonder why Waguespack opposed.

From his website, he seems to have concerns about oversight and "key shortcomings." I'm inferring based on a post from Monday. He hasn't posted a response yet.

So vague.

I am v against privatization.

the city of chicago, brought to you by ________________

― Silky Slim (dan m), Wednesday, April 25, 2012 7:44 AM (3 hours ago) Bookmark

Welcome to Doritosburgh.

This trust thing seems ridiculous and awful, but the details are so vague that I can't really be sure.

that is exactly why i don't trust privatization ^^
details shadowy and vague, likely to remain so

That's also how our city government works. And they are corrupt, largely disinterested in impact on citizens, and they can't get anything done while infrastructure crumbles around us.

I don love privatization as a solution, but I don't think it's going to be any worse.

The lack of detail bugs me the most, but that's coming from our existing government.

At least there are rules in place (even if they're not applied) for oversight of govt abuse of power -- not so with these trusts, private companies.

Also please know that I am still slogging through that Blackwater book, so I'm comfortably seated in paranoid nutjob territory when it comes to privatization of public services.

I can't deny that it's troubling. I am coming from the "I have seen the inner workings of government and it's worse than you think" perspective.

A better government is obv the best solution but I don't even know how to make that happen.

And I'll admit that I will happily ride The Dorito's Cool Ranch Elevation Train if Doritos pays to make stations accessible to people with disabilities. (So they'd have to do better than Apple, those shitbirds.)

North & Apple Redline isn't accessible?? Is there not an elevator?

What if the Doritos train donates a portion of their hefty corporate profits to a super far right organization that you totally disagree with (for instance, one that limits reproductive rights), but you have no choice but to ride the Doritos train to go to work, so you are in effect contributing to the far right organization against your will?

This shit keeps me up at night! AGH

Also privatizing infrastructure funding is maybe not as problematic/murder-encouraging as privatizing police and law enforcement and military a la Blackwater.

xp NOPE. It's got half an escalator and then steps. You can't get to the surface without taking some steps. Basically Apple shined up the outside and left the rest as a filthy, inaccessible shitheap.

True, but man do I dislike privatization.

What if the Doritos train donates a portion of their hefty corporate profits to a super far right organization that you totally disagree with (for instance, one that limits reproductive rights), but you have no choice but to ride the Doritos train to go to work, so you are in effect contributing to the far right organization against your will?

This shit keeps me up at night! AGH

What if the government where I live passes laws that limit reproductive rights and I have no choice but to pay taxes and support their transit program?

Again I am not pro privatization. I'm mostly saying this is maybe not the worst thing. But kind of pointlessly since there are like no details of the whole plan. Maybe they are selling the CPD to Blackwater, in which case I would agree w/ you completely.

What if the Doritos train donates a portion of their hefty corporate profits to a super far right organization that you totally disagree with (for instance, one that limits reproductive rights), but you have no choice but to ride the Doritos train to go to work, so you are in effect contributing to the far right organization against your will?

I assume most of the companies I buy stuff from do this anyway. Eh, what can you do? Hopefully everything will cancel out and we'll all be deleted.

I don't wanna be deleted
I don't wanna be deleted
I don't wanna be deleted
I don't wanna be deleted

is that a fugazi ref?

yes

strange, cuz I listened to that album last week for the first time in a bunch of years. still awesome, obv.

If they privatize the El I will bike instead and that's no bull.

The private institutions that should be funding things like public transit are the companies who profit immensely by having workers that can travel to their offices downtown or elsewhere (relatively) quickly and safely on a publicly available system. They should fund that system by paying their fucking taxes instead of getting into bed with Rahm et al and putting more ads up with no other foreseeable improvements.

Or drive.

xp

okay that's old news now because look

http://chicago.eater.com/archives/2012/04/23/lakeview-starbucks-to-serve-wine-and-beer.php

Privatized infrastructure
Starbucks serving wine and beer
Cats and dogs living together

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y273/earthman606/MISC/Zuul.jpg

I am actually very excited about starbucks serving booze and I will frequent once they open. Chicago lacks cafes where I can get drunk and this always bother me, but I guess it takes someone with the $$$ of starbucks to get all the licenses and stuff.

It is pretty nice to have a place to stay a while and work or just hang out with a glass of wine that isn't a bar.

I doubt I will partake in starbucks beer. That starbucks is always stupid crowded anyway and the seats smell funny.

Why are you sniffing the seats?

It envelopes. It overwhelms.

ok i can laugh about this now but blackwater is terrible
also this made me lol Chicago lacks cafes where I can get drunk and this always bother me

actual lol @ carl's pic

so i guess a bunch of nobel laureates are in town for some big summit, and some of them are staying in the hotel that makes up the lower floors of our building. my boss got turned away from one of the building's exits because there was security stuff going on, and she turned around, and the dalai lama ran by with a procession of monks behind him.

Haha wow.

Gorbachev is here too, I heard. They're at UIC.

whoa that's bananas!

I doubt I would recognize a Dali lama.

yeah CPR has been covering the summit a bit, Jimmy Carter is here too

I love Jimmy Carter.

I also love the name Jimmy. And the verb jimmy. Jimmy.

I had to explain to my students what it meant to "jimmy a lock." I also used the term "DIY" and they didn't know what that meant either. This is not to suggest that my students are dumb. Just that it's good to be reminded that not everybody knows what I know.

I also love Jimmy Carter.

This one goes out to La Lechera

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zqlCP_Qu2M

Also Polly Vaughn
http://www.contemplator.com/scotland/pollyv.html