This a must read.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Peotone airport: Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn's budget offers hope for backers of proposed Will County facility
But, the political battles continue, with Will County officials wanting to run the new airport, and a opposing, more rational proposal coming from the Abraham Lincoln Airport Authority.
There should be no question what route to take: The Abraham Lincoln group has lined up two major international developers will to plan, finance, build and operate, at no cost to taxpayers. The Will County group would depend on more uncertain public funding.
The Chicago Tribune article is here.
There should be no question what route to take: The Abraham Lincoln group has lined up two major international developers will to plan, finance, build and operate, at no cost to taxpayers. The Will County group would depend on more uncertain public funding.
The Chicago Tribune article is here.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
"GOP-linked front group using O'Hare expansion to smear stimulus plan"
This may be the wackiest explanation ever made for why people oppose O'Hare Airport expansion. To link the opposition to Karl Rove, Republican big-wigs, neo-cons and--this is rich--opposition to the stimulus plan is goofy in the extreme and an affront to the facts.
Truth is, the airport is backed by a coalition of Democrats and big-business, county-club Republicans, including the convicted former Illinois Gov. George Ryan and Illinois GOP establishment central committee chairman. Truth is, the opposition is much more grass-roots that the expansion's supportors. Truth also is that among the leading opponents are environmentalists, who consider O'Hare expansion a major threat to health and quality of life. Truth is that the grass-roots opposition rose from hundreds of owners and renters who have been booted out of their homes in an affordable, blue-collar neighborhood to make way for the expansion.
The article lays out a conspiritorial, paranoid view of the long-fought battle over O'Hare expansion. The fact is that the political connections of whoever is publicizing the opposition is immaterial to the substance of the debate. If whoever wrote this nonsense had bothered to acquiant himself with a few of the facts, instead of being guided by whatever ideological agenda burns fevorishly in his head, he would have noticed that the long-standing grass-roots opposition has more in common with the green agenda than the politically-connected and wealthy expansion proponents.
Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley has quashed every reasonable alternative to relieve the mess at O'Hare because he cannot tolerate the billions of dollars of jobs and contracts going to anyone else but his cronies and his corrupt political machine.
The true solution to aviation capacity problems in the Chicago area is reasonable improvements at O'Hare (e.g. improved controller systems) and the construction of a south suburban airport.
Truth is, the airport is backed by a coalition of Democrats and big-business, county-club Republicans, including the convicted former Illinois Gov. George Ryan and Illinois GOP establishment central committee chairman. Truth is, the opposition is much more grass-roots that the expansion's supportors. Truth also is that among the leading opponents are environmentalists, who consider O'Hare expansion a major threat to health and quality of life. Truth is that the grass-roots opposition rose from hundreds of owners and renters who have been booted out of their homes in an affordable, blue-collar neighborhood to make way for the expansion.
The article lays out a conspiritorial, paranoid view of the long-fought battle over O'Hare expansion. The fact is that the political connections of whoever is publicizing the opposition is immaterial to the substance of the debate. If whoever wrote this nonsense had bothered to acquiant himself with a few of the facts, instead of being guided by whatever ideological agenda burns fevorishly in his head, he would have noticed that the long-standing grass-roots opposition has more in common with the green agenda than the politically-connected and wealthy expansion proponents.
Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley has quashed every reasonable alternative to relieve the mess at O'Hare because he cannot tolerate the billions of dollars of jobs and contracts going to anyone else but his cronies and his corrupt political machine.
The true solution to aviation capacity problems in the Chicago area is reasonable improvements at O'Hare (e.g. improved controller systems) and the construction of a south suburban airport.
Stifling an Opportunity
More propaganda from Gary
This article renews some tired, old talk about expanding Gary Airport, as if it could be the third major Chicago airport, or a substitute for the proposed South Suburban Airport. Although the article suggests that Gary is further ahead in its planning, it should be noted that the Federal Aviation Administration and the states of Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin previously considered the idea and rejected it.
Gary's problems were many: It lacks the size to become a major airport and is too constrained by nearby industrial, commercial, residential and transportation activities. Expanding it into Lake Michigan would create major environmental problems. It biggest problem, though, is that's airspace would conflict with O'Hare Airport's, the same problem that killed Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley's lunatic proposed airport in Lake Calumet.
Chicago taxpayers, who are facing another financial crisis, need to be constantly reminded that Daley has funneled millions of dollars into the "Gary/Chicago Airport," in an attempt to kill the South Suburban Airport. It should be noted that the same FAA/tri-state study that ruled out Gary had settled on two sites as the preferred location of the new airport: a "bi-state" site that straddled the Indiana-Illinois border and the--guess what--the South Suburban site. The Indiana governor at the time vetoed the idea, so it came down to the South Suburban site.
Planning and development work had begun on the south suburban project until Daley, as the newly elected Chicago mayor who was indignant that the any jobs and contracts should go to the suburbs and not his cronies, politically "put a brick" on its development.
As anyone who uses O'Hare can tell you, we have been paying for it ever since in terms of diminished Chicago-area aviation capacity.
Gary's problems were many: It lacks the size to become a major airport and is too constrained by nearby industrial, commercial, residential and transportation activities. Expanding it into Lake Michigan would create major environmental problems. It biggest problem, though, is that's airspace would conflict with O'Hare Airport's, the same problem that killed Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley's lunatic proposed airport in Lake Calumet.
Chicago taxpayers, who are facing another financial crisis, need to be constantly reminded that Daley has funneled millions of dollars into the "Gary/Chicago Airport," in an attempt to kill the South Suburban Airport. It should be noted that the same FAA/tri-state study that ruled out Gary had settled on two sites as the preferred location of the new airport: a "bi-state" site that straddled the Indiana-Illinois border and the--guess what--the South Suburban site. The Indiana governor at the time vetoed the idea, so it came down to the South Suburban site.
Planning and development work had begun on the south suburban project until Daley, as the newly elected Chicago mayor who was indignant that the any jobs and contracts should go to the suburbs and not his cronies, politically "put a brick" on its development.
As anyone who uses O'Hare can tell you, we have been paying for it ever since in terms of diminished Chicago-area aviation capacity.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
More "ringroad" news
Wait, didn't Chicago assure everyone that the "ringroad" around O'Hare Airport would go on airport property? I seem to recall that assurance being issued whenever Elk Grove Village warned that the only place that it could go would be through its industrial park.
Now we read here that the Illinois Department of Transportation is showing that an "alternative" route could go through the industrial park.
Hey, DuPage County President Bob Schillerstrom, what do you think about the expansion, now that you and other county governments are about to loss tax revenues from the expansion. That didn't seem to be a problem when you switched sides and pushed through the board a resolution favoring the expansion.
Now we read here that the Illinois Department of Transportation is showing that an "alternative" route could go through the industrial park.
Hey, DuPage County President Bob Schillerstrom, what do you think about the expansion, now that you and other county governments are about to loss tax revenues from the expansion. That didn't seem to be a problem when you switched sides and pushed through the board a resolution favoring the expansion.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Ill. hasn't sought transit stimulus cash - Chicago Breaking News
But we know that Mayor Richard M. Daley wants $50 million for his O'Hare Airport expansion. Read it here .
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
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