* Last week, we talked about how the US Transportation Secretary directed his staff to “give preference to communities with marriage and birth rates higher than the national average” when awarding grants, loans and conracts.
Illinois’ birth rate is lower than the national average, as is its marriage rate.
* Greg Hinz followed up…
Another [local transportation official], who also asked not to be named, laughed off the move, noting that while the DOT has substantial discretion in awarding some kinds of funds, others are carefully negotiated in Congress with a deal struck between rural and urban lawmakers that eventually is enacted into law.
The truth is no one rightly knows amid a flurry of executive orders and the like from the Trump administration, said Illinois Rep. Mike Quigley, who serves on the House Appropriations Committee and is the ranking Democratic member of its key Subcommittee on Transportation.
Quigley said he doubts Duffy can do all of this on his own, but isn’t sure at this point. “I’m hoping this idea fades away.”
Regional Transportation Authority Chairman Kirk Dillard, whose agency supervises and funds the CTA, Metra and Pace, said he’s not sure either — “there are many federal funding formulas, and this needs to be assessed” — but rejected the notion that Chicago’s needs are less important because some other cities are growing more quickly.
The governor’s office did not respond, preferring to wait for more details.
Discuss.
- TheInvisibleMan - Thursday, Feb 6, 25 @ 8:52 am:
Well this worked so well when Ceaușescu tried to base governing decisions loosely around this same concept.
But it seems maybe someone didn’t read on to the end of that experiment?
“I’m hoping this idea fades away.”
It’s more likely we will get our own ‘Decree 770′ before this idea fades away.
- Downstate - Thursday, Feb 6, 25 @ 8:58 am:
Does it make sense to allocate more infrastructure dollars to those areas that are growing in population?
- Arsenal - Thursday, Feb 6, 25 @ 9:07 am:
This is more creepy Quiverful stuff from guys who want the federal government to promise them publicly-funded girlfriends, but I suspect these guys don’t have the rigor to turn this into a policy that meaningfully changes transportation funding.
- Northsider - Thursday, Feb 6, 25 @ 9:10 am:
Welcome to the “find out” phase of our nascent idiocracy.
- sal-says - Thursday, Feb 6, 25 @ 9:14 am:
As usual & expected since Jan 20, let’s pick our favorites. Heck with democratic concepts.
- Candy Dogood - Thursday, Feb 6, 25 @ 9:17 am:
If the goal is to increase the number of children being born this is simply the stupidest policy proposal I have ever heard of in an effort to reach that goal.
“Tired of potholes? Well, how about you and all of your friends have some more children! Then we’ll fix your potholes.”
“Would you like us to help extend your communities bus routes? Well get to [redacted] and when the next census rolls around maybe we’ll be able to help you out.”
If the goal is to give lots and lots of money to Mormon communities, this is a very good policy proposal.
- JS Mill - Thursday, Feb 6, 25 @ 9:34 am:
On the one hand the democrats need to be more measured and less triggered in their responses to some of this silliness.
On the other hand they need to remember and get control of the house and senate during the midterms and then return the favor. This is just silliness and un-American.
Also, will people read a History book? All of this, and I aeman all of it, has played out in the past.
Shakespeare was spot on when he wrote the phrase “Whereof what’s past is prologue…” and it has never been more accurate.
- Norseman - Thursday, Feb 6, 25 @ 9:39 am:
Government funding transportation needs was to help with the economy. IL’s favorite son was one of the biggest proponents. So, the geniuses of economic growth think depriving needed funding to major urban economic areas is good for Making America Great.
- JS Mill - Thursday, Feb 6, 25 @ 9:57 am:
=Never mind much easier to just blame Republicans=
Feel better Bruce?
The current governor received little support from rural Illinois yet he continues to invest heavily in those areas.
Compare that to the current president. Not only does he actively seek retribution for not getting votes, he spent his last presser blaming the last admin for everything.
I’ll wait.
- Norseman - Thursday, Feb 6, 25 @ 10:00 am:
=== Also, will people read a History book? All of this, and I aeman (mean) all of it, has played out in the past. ===
JS, that’s what scares the bejeebers out of me. Clearly, the bad guys are learning from history. People moved on after each upheaval after some time. Unfortunately, people suffer during these times, their stories are heartbreaking, and the number of victims increase. We now have weapons that can literally destroy humanity. We are also seeing an existential threat from climate change.
At least JS is making a difference by working to educate our next generations.
- Thomas Paine - Thursday, Feb 6, 25 @ 10:04 am:
They are not backing down on this.
Project 2025, Musk, Trump, and Vance are wed to “The Great Replacement Theory.”
They want the federal government to pay women to have babies.
While, at the same time, gutting Medicaid.
https://www.counterextremism.com/content/great-replacement-theory
- JS Mill - Thursday, Feb 6, 25 @ 10:26 am:
= educate our next generations.=
Thanks. A lot of people are tring. Some days I wonder though.
- H-W - Thursday, Feb 6, 25 @ 10:26 am:
Since pregnancy rates are conditional upon getting and being pregnant, will women now be required by some states to register their pregnancies? /s
- Demoralized - Thursday, Feb 6, 25 @ 10:45 am:
This has got to be one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard. I would sue the crap out of the federal government over this nonsense.
- Just Me 2 - Thursday, Feb 6, 25 @ 10:49 am:
It is worth noting that the Republican still believe LGBTQ people shouldn’t be allowed to get married, so if the GOP gets their way this new funding approach discriminates against gay people.
Moreover, LGBTQ people are more likely to live in urban areas where they are less likely to be a victim of a hate crime or face discrimination so the proposal also discriminates against communities that value diversity.
And before people laugh at me and say gay marriage is a settled issue I would remind them the same was said about abortion four years ago.
- Hyperbolic Chamber - Thursday, Feb 6, 25 @ 11:18 am:
Instead of marriage rates, maybe the ‘party of family values’ should direct funding to the states with the LOWEST divorce rates (CA, IL, MA, MI, MN, NJ, NY, PA, VT & WI) and away from states with the HIGHEST divorce rates (AL, AR, CO, GA, IN, KY, LA, MD, NC, OK, TN & WV)…
- StarLineChicago - Thursday, Feb 6, 25 @ 11:37 am:
=== Does it make sense to allocate more infrastructure dollars to those areas that are growing in population? ===
Births are a component of, but not the sole metric, that determines whether a population is growing or not. How they match with death rates and how immigration (domestic and international) factors in are also critical components of demographic changes and projections.
- Mason County - Thursday, Feb 6, 25 @ 12:37 pm:
=“give preference to communities with marriage and birth rates higher than the national average” when awarding grants, loans and conracts. =
Please tell me this is an early April Fools joke. Because reight now I am not laughing.
- very old soil - Thursday, Feb 6, 25 @ 1:10 pm:
wait until they find out that black and Hispanic women have higher birth rates than white women. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr68/nvsr68_01-508.pdf
- Huh? - Thursday, Feb 6, 25 @ 1:33 pm:
“https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr68/nvsr68_01-508.pdf”
Where did you get such spurious and slanderous information? Obviously this is a link that should have been erased from the CDC website. /s
- Leslie K - Thursday, Feb 6, 25 @ 2:18 pm:
@Invisible @8:52–Impressive (and on the mark) reference.