Friday, January 11, 2008

The CTA “Doomsday” crisis has apparently been averted as long as we let all old people ride for free. That’s Governor Blagojevich’s idea to make raising sales taxes in Cook and the collar counties easier for people like you and me to swallow. I’m not sure how that will make me feel better, but I’m sure it will get the old people to vote when he runs for re-election.  He’s nothing if not an opportunist--with nice hair, I’ll give you that. I still say that the CTA needs to charge more for a ride. $2.00 to get to and from work is a good deal these days. Other than biking, walking or hitchhiking, I dare you to find a cheaper and more dependable way to get to work.

Of course, I’m no expert on public transportation. I haven’t taken a bus or even a train in quite some time. I have been lucky enough to be able to provide my family and myself with private transportation for many years now. If I’m wrong about $2.00 being a fair price for a ride to work, then I am really sorry. I don’t think I am, however. It costs about $200 a month just to park downtown in a semi-decent lot. Then there’s the car payment, gasoline, maintenance, and insurance. Hell, I might start taking the train.It seems like a pretty good deal, and a great way to save up for a new car, since just paying the additional .5% Cook County sales tax on a $20,000 car will cost an extra $100. That’s 50 free bus rides for an old lady.

I have been contemplating taking a trip by train to somewhere. Every time I’m about to pull the trigger on a train ride, though, one derails somewhere. Maybe I’ll just hop on the Burlington this weekend and ride it out to Aurora and back. I say Aurora only because I go downtown every day. Then again, everything looks different from the train, so I’m sure my trip downtown would be different than my ride in on the Stevenson. The tracks always give you an interesting view of life. It’s a chance to look in people’s back yards without being chased away by them, their dogs, or the police. If there was a train that got me to work by 5:00 AM, I might even think about taking that, so I could fall back asleep on the way to work.