* Sometimes, I think that Gov. Blagojevich acts just like a spoiled child. His temper tantrum yesterday only reinforced that notion…
It was a very angry Governor Blagojevich going off on mostly the CTA Wednesday. He says the CTA should stop lying to the people and stop breaking promises made in order to get a sales tax increase. Wednesday’s heated words came one day after Mayor Daley pointed fingers at Blagojevich for offering free rides to senior citizens.
“Go back to the CTA and tell them to stop lying to the people. They already broke their promise because they laid off some workers. And now they’re talking about a fare increase, which is yet another broken promise,” Blagojevich said.
A heated Governor Blagojevich accused the CTA of lies, lies and more lies after CTA president Ron Huberman announced a $40 million budget shortfall Monday.
Blagojevich said he plans to “make some changes” to his appointments on the CTA board in an effort to provide more oversight and block a possible fare increase. The transit agency has blamed Blagojevich for some of its budget woes, and warned this week that fare increases may be necessary to cover increasing fuel costs and to pay for a program he pushed that gives free rides to thousands of senior citizens.
The governor said the CTA was exaggerating the impact of the free ride program and accused the agency of lying to lawmakers when pursuing a sales-tax increase to prevent a “doomsday” scenario earlier this year.
“They ought to stop blaming senior citizens, and they ought to stop being dishonest to the public,” Blagojevich said at a news conference on the city’s Southwest Side. “They said if the General Assembly gave them that sales-tax increase that they would not increase fares, that they wouldn’t lay people off and that they wouldn’t cut service, but already we know that they’ve broken that promise.”
As I wrote yesterday, the governor is mostly right on the actual issue. But, as usual, he feels the need to demonize anyone who would dare disagree with him or call him out. This is not the behavior of a reasonable human being.
Maybe it’s because he was handed everything early in his political career. He was made a state legislator and he was made a congressman. He never had to do any real legislative work in either venue because he had such a safe seat and because he didn’t have the temperament.
“…tell them to stop lying…”
“They ought to stop blaming…”
“…they ought to stop being dishonest to the public…”
When a public official says things like this, they are also saying that they are powerless to do anything about the situation.
Governors should know what they want to do and how to do it. As a result, you usually do not hear them pleading or being wistful. Blagojevich has been uncovered as a ambitious politician but also as a lazy intellectual and an ineffectual governor. Regardless of party or individual, we all do worse when we have someone similar to him in a place of decision making.
And what’s with the hair? How much longer do we have to look at that 1980’s-styled mop?
“They said if the General Assembly gave them that sales-tax increase that they would not increase fares, that they wouldn’t lay people off and that they wouldn’t cut service, but already we know that they’ve broken that promise.”
Of course, they said that before the Gov. tacked on a major unfunded mandate and then further cut funding for reduced fares.
The CTA is certainly burdened by its history — a point of fact with which the current management team is very aware. There is always real inefficiency and waste to be rooted out in any agency. Higher fuel costs are real. The free rides for seniors forced upon transit systems by the “governor” — and now sans the state funding he promised — are equally burdensome. If the state won’t pay for the free rides they mandate, the rest of us will.
The notion of leasing or privatizing the CTA (or Metra or Pace, for that matter) is farce. CTA was created in the 1940s to take over from private transit companies; Metra in 1983 to take over commuter rail service from the railroads. State funds for transit are as legitimate an expenditure as state funds for roads — and don’t kid yourselves: “free” highways aren’t. We pay for them, and pay again and again in congestion, pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
The larger problem is that this situation is the price we pay for A) electing and re-electing the “leaders” we do, and B) 50 years’ worth of scorning public transit as a legitimate way to move people around the region.
There’s something interesting here, though. Much of the management of the CTA is drawn from the political power bases in the African-American community. Is he picking a fight with what was at least once his last bastion of support?
Rich, your assessment is right on target, particularly relative to, well, the relative help he got early in his career….was Blago the author of the song…”I DONT WANT TO WORK”……
How totally and completely disingenuous. This doensn’t become an issue until the Mayor says something to hurt his feelings. Now the CTA is the problem. What a joke.
Where are the spin sisters when they’re needed… Also, Mayor Daily should take a tip from us southerners. We just look at folks like Rod and whisper, “poor guy, he’s just not right,was he hit by a bus when he was young?. Bless his heart”. Can you imagine reading that quote in the Trib?
I think it was deceitful to allow the increase in the sales tax and then turn around and stick the CTA with an unfunded assistance program. It seems to me the CTA is more realistic about its budget than Blagojevich is about the state’s budget. His fiduciary decisions are self-aggrandizing, his opportunity to present himself as the savior to the elderly, to the uninsured and to children all the while letting contractors gobble up tax payers $$. What a sham. Plus his hair is too long in front.
- lucinda - Thursday, Sep 11, 08 @ 10:51 am:
The CTA is always trying to squeeze the rest of the state for money. I can understand why the Gov is disgusted. We should be too.
- VanillaMan - Thursday, Sep 11, 08 @ 10:55 am:
“…tell them to stop lying…”
“They ought to stop blaming…”
“…they ought to stop being dishonest to the public…”
When a public official says things like this, they are also saying that they are powerless to do anything about the situation.
Governors should know what they want to do and how to do it. As a result, you usually do not hear them pleading or being wistful. Blagojevich has been uncovered as a ambitious politician but also as a lazy intellectual and an ineffectual governor. Regardless of party or individual, we all do worse when we have someone similar to him in a place of decision making.
And what’s with the hair? How much longer do we have to look at that 1980’s-styled mop?
- WonderBoy - Thursday, Sep 11, 08 @ 10:59 am:
Quite a valid point, VanillaMan.
- Dan S. a Voter and Cubs Fan - Thursday, Sep 11, 08 @ 11:06 am:
Blago questioning someones credibility? The pot calls the kettle black.
- Six Degrees of Separation - Thursday, Sep 11, 08 @ 11:23 am:
Quite a valid point, VanillaMan.
What, on the CTA commentary, or on the hair?
- Lee - Thursday, Sep 11, 08 @ 11:25 am:
“They said if the General Assembly gave them that sales-tax increase that they would not increase fares, that they wouldn’t lay people off and that they wouldn’t cut service, but already we know that they’ve broken that promise.”
Of course, they said that before the Gov. tacked on a major unfunded mandate and then further cut funding for reduced fares.
- Railfan - Thursday, Sep 11, 08 @ 11:33 am:
The CTA is certainly burdened by its history — a point of fact with which the current management team is very aware. There is always real inefficiency and waste to be rooted out in any agency. Higher fuel costs are real. The free rides for seniors forced upon transit systems by the “governor” — and now sans the state funding he promised — are equally burdensome. If the state won’t pay for the free rides they mandate, the rest of us will.
The notion of leasing or privatizing the CTA (or Metra or Pace, for that matter) is farce. CTA was created in the 1940s to take over from private transit companies; Metra in 1983 to take over commuter rail service from the railroads. State funds for transit are as legitimate an expenditure as state funds for roads — and don’t kid yourselves: “free” highways aren’t. We pay for them, and pay again and again in congestion, pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
The larger problem is that this situation is the price we pay for A) electing and re-electing the “leaders” we do, and B) 50 years’ worth of scorning public transit as a legitimate way to move people around the region.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Sep 11, 08 @ 11:33 am:
There’s something interesting here, though. Much of the management of the CTA is drawn from the political power bases in the African-American community. Is he picking a fight with what was at least once his last bastion of support?
- Levois - Thursday, Sep 11, 08 @ 11:45 am:
Temperament? He must have always been the way we’ve seen him now? This is probably one game he should have never been a part of.
- 2ConfusedCrew - Thursday, Sep 11, 08 @ 12:31 pm:
Show of hands
Blagoof is starting to give sociopaths a bad name.
YUP
- You Go Boy - Thursday, Sep 11, 08 @ 12:34 pm:
Rich, your assessment is right on target, particularly relative to, well, the relative help he got early in his career….was Blago the author of the song…”I DONT WANT TO WORK”……
- 2ConfusedCrew - Thursday, Sep 11, 08 @ 12:51 pm:
Just watched the Blagoof video
Looks like that face is getting a little puffy and he may be using some wrinkle cream under the eyes
Lots o pressure
- Greg - Thursday, Sep 11, 08 @ 1:52 pm:
Speaking of America’s favorite governor, look who’s headlining The Page right now
- 2ConfusedCrew - Thursday, Sep 11, 08 @ 2:12 pm:
Hop over to the Trib…Blagoof just endorsed Palin. That should derail the McCain Train
- JohnnyC - Thursday, Sep 11, 08 @ 3:30 pm:
How totally and completely disingenuous. This doensn’t become an issue until the Mayor says something to hurt his feelings. Now the CTA is the problem. What a joke.
And that hair is particularly bad right now.
- Big Mama T - Thursday, Sep 11, 08 @ 3:58 pm:
He really does live in his own private little world. Scary
- Ugh - Thursday, Sep 11, 08 @ 4:33 pm:
Where are the spin sisters when they’re needed… Also, Mayor Daily should take a tip from us southerners. We just look at folks like Rod and whisper, “poor guy, he’s just not right,was he hit by a bus when he was young?. Bless his heart”. Can you imagine reading that quote in the Trib?
- Emily Booth - Thursday, Sep 11, 08 @ 5:43 pm:
I think it was deceitful to allow the increase in the sales tax and then turn around and stick the CTA with an unfunded assistance program. It seems to me the CTA is more realistic about its budget than Blagojevich is about the state’s budget. His fiduciary decisions are self-aggrandizing, his opportunity to present himself as the savior to the elderly, to the uninsured and to children all the while letting contractors gobble up tax payers $$. What a sham. Plus his hair is too long in front.