No Help For You
Dec 29th, 2005 at 5:07 pm by Susie
God forbid, we should acknowledge that people are hungry, broke and cold in America:
Chicago, Dec 28 - The Chicago Transit Authority is refusing an opportunity to alleviate commuting costs for hundreds of thousands in the Windy City’s low-income neighborhoods. Instead of accepting deeply discounted fuel from the Venezuela-owned Citgo Petroleum Corporation, the city is instead raising fares to solve budget shortfalls.
In an October meeting with representatives from the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), the city’s Department of Energy and other city officials, Citgo unveiled a plan to provide the Chicago with low-cost diesel fuel. The company’s stipulation, at the bidding of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, was that the CTA, in turn, pass those savings on to poor residents in the form free or discounted fare cards.
But two months later, despite claims of a looming budget crisis, the CTA president “has no intent or plan to accept the offer,” according to CTA spokesperson Ibis Antongiorgi. She gave no explanation.
According to Venezuela’s consul general in Chicago, Martin Sanchez, the CTA has yet to inform his office of its decision to decline the discount offer.
In place of the proposed discount, which the CTA apparently does not want Chicagoans to even know about, budget shortfalls will be addressed by fair hikes. Chicagoans who are unaware of the Venezuela offer will be hit with an increase of 25 cents per ride next month, and discounted route-to-route transfers will be eliminated for passengers paying cash.
UPDATE: FYI, Mayor Richard M. Daley
Office of the MayorCity Hall - 121 N. LaSalle, Room 507
Chicago, IL 60602 Phone: 312-744-3334 Fax: 312-744-8045
Shhhh, it’s a secret.
It’s a matter of principle. We’d rather see you walk than take that commie fuel!
(We, of course, will ride — in limos.)
Time to get some rope….
How much you wanna bet Bush threatened them with some sort of retribution if they accept the offer? Chavez already shamed him into providing heating oil assistance in another part of the country.
Chavez is at least a little crazy, but he is crazy like a fox.
Chicago is its own little City State. The Reason is always Power. Daley has his own good reason. He wants to stay alive. He saw what happened to New Orleans. But this may not be over… Daley is good at taking care of the city. Because it is His. This may be a leak to make the deal happen.