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As Mayor Daley is on thin ice, Patrick "Phat" Levar has salted streets

Clout Chicago Side Street.jpg This is a Chicago side street of an Alderman with Clout. His street is salted like Mayor Daley's. In fact, if you understand clout in Chicago, it includes the unfair and illegal use of services. Maybe Patrick Levar needs to run downtown and vote like the rest of our lousy Alderman that just rubberstamp Mayor Daley's sale of all our valuable assets. Billions of dollars of taxpayers' money looted like a drunken sailor. I think it is time the Chicago Newspapers take this bully to task, enough is enough. It is also funny Patrick "Phat" Levar does not visit the Sunnyside Yard anymore, must be the lack of "Hired Trucks". Could also be the changing of the guard at the Department of Water Management? Everyone pays too much for taxes in Chicago, demand equal bang for the buck. Patrick McDonough

Comments

Leave it to Beavers on December 6, 2008 8:41 AM
Plowing 1 inch of snow is not news.

niceplan on December 6, 2008 10:31 AM
Note from reading story closely: no side streets to be plowed. No garbage was picked up in my neighborhood this weekend as well. The City is broke.

pvr on December 6, 2008 10:47 AM
It does in the age of media hysteria. They'll use any sensationalism to lure people in. I don't like to sound like an old codger, but when it snowed to the eaves and we were stuck at home, that was news.

ig on December 6, 2008 12:26 PM
I'm happy about it as thats my old man in the background, being in the UK I don't see him often so this is a cool festive treat!

Johnny on December 6, 2008 12:43 PM
I still dont understand why the city cant plow side streets when I seen every single plow truck driving down the streets not even plowing or putting down salt on the busy roads. They spending money driving around doing absolutly nothing now when they could be spending the time going through each sidestreet. This is pathethic

Russell Edwards on December 6, 2008 1:39 PM
I want to thank & Welcome all the people that moved here to chi area this is our only minus for some living here .snow cold wind thats why they call windy city some love it go sking ice skate etc, sure beats huricanes,fire,Floods,Tornados,Extreme high heat areas ,get out
& have some fun . great city lot to do. Be safe dress warm slow down cltv asked me what i thought about side streets while I was carfully cleaning sidewalk this morning I forgot to tell them they just installed speed humps on my street, people beg for them to make people slow down , now mother nature help out with snow to make people slow down now people crying. Go figure . This is The Chicago weather deal with it .

joe frm chi on December 6, 2008 2:08 PM
Gov. Blogo reported has a 13% approval rating. What do you think Daley's is???

todd stroger on December 6, 2008 2:17 PM
Memo To Rich:

Hey boss I was thinking why don't we sell the snow plows and let the buyer charge the suckers of Chicago for snow removal.

J.S. on December 6, 2008 3:44 PM
FYI Russel, the weather is NOT the reason Chicago got labeled the "windy city". It was because of our crooked politicians who are always blowing hot air. We pay some of the highest taxes in the country and we can't even get our streets plowed and salted. Pfffft...

Leo on December 6, 2008 4:25 PM
Can one inch of snow be "plowed"? It's about time the city cut snow removal cost in half by ignoring side streets. Unless it's 4 inches of snow or more, doing side streets is a waste of tax dollars, benefitting only the bank accounts of city workers. The amount of money wasted over the years on oversalting city streets and "plowing" each little snowflake off the side streets is staggering--far more than was wasted in the Hired Truck Scandal.

Ralph on December 6, 2008 5:47 PM
It is a 24/7, 365 world. Time to end single shift, M-F, work schedules. On the next contract, require the plow drivers, garbage collectors and various other service employees to work schedules that do not require overtime. Police, Fire, Doctors, nurses and various other professions work 24/7, 365.

Jose on December 6, 2008 5:54 PM
Has anyone driven on the side streets? The streets are atrocious. Does the city not realize that this snow is going to turn into ice as the temperature drops? We only received an inch today, but add that to the ice that accumulated this past week. This administration is joke. Please conitunue to vote for the same politicians.

buzz on December 6, 2008 5:57 PM
you can still remove snow and ice on side streets on weekends,use seasonal drivers have them work wednesday-sunday for straight time. And have the salary big shots work that won't cost the city nothing. (look up what these salary bosses make, that's one of the reasons the city is in debt.)

The real realist on December 6, 2008 6:09 PM
Duh leo - why bother with the main streets then--With the weather this cold, one inch of snow can turn to a sheet of ice..accidents, deaths, insuance claims up ...no---we don't need no salt...I can't wait for the next election!

max on December 6, 2008 6:23 PM
If I did my job half as poorly as Dick and his idiot govt partner todd ... I'd have been canned LONG ago

Ducy K.R on December 6, 2008 6:51 PM
This is nothing - Chicagoans should be embarassed complaining about snow removal for 1" snow. The big story - the real story - will potentially be Tuesday into Wednesday - supposedly, according to Skiling, if everything stays on course, we're going to be in for a doozy of a snow storm. THAT will be the real test of the efficacy (or lack thereof) of the city's new removal system.

Terie on December 6, 2008 7:01 PM
People! Don't you know we need to save money in order to have the privilege to host the Olympics. Now, which is more important -- getting city services to the taxpayer or getting the Olympics for King Daley! And while I'm being sarcastic . . . I hope King Daley continues to beautify Chicago with all the plants in the summer and lights in the winter -- Yeah, those things are MUCH better than PLOWING THE STREETS TO MAKE THEM SAFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

in chicago on December 6, 2008 8:52 PM

Ralph on December 6, 2008 5:47 PM

It is a 24/7, 365 world. Time to end single shift, M-F, work schedules. On the next contract, require the plow drivers, garbage collectors and various other service employees to work schedules that do not require overtime. Police, Fire, Doctors, nurses and various other professions work 24/7, 365.

Ralph
Police and Fire ALL get overtime!!!!!

in chicago on December 6, 2008 8:54 PM

niceplan on December 6, 2008 10:31 AM

Note from reading story closely: no side streets to be plowed. No garbage was picked up in my neighborhood this weekend as well. The City is broke.

Niceplan - garbage is NEVER collected on the weekend.


Kelly in Chicago on December 6, 2008 9:40 PM
I drive to work. I used to take the bus until I was beaten and robbed on the #94 California bus 5 years ago.

I'm pregnant and work 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. This past week was horrifying for driving, especially at night. I don't want my baby to be harmed, I don't want anybody to get hurt because of this nonsense. The City wants to clear snow only during "business hours"? What are business hours?

The streets were always cleaned at night, the trucks were always out at night when I drove home after 11. I saw them as my sentinentals standing watch and protecting us from the harms of nature.

I am afraid to take the bus home late at night for obvious reasons.

December 6, 2008

BY FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter fspielman@suntimes.com
No wonder Mayor Daley is so touchy about the subject of mortgaging Chicago's future.

He has now unloaded four of the city's most valuable assets for a $6 billion mountain of cash and saddled taxpayers with $5.8 billion worth of long-term debt.

The great Chicago sell-off started with the Skyway ($1.83 billion), continued with downtown parking garages ($563 million) and Midway Airport ($2.5 billion) and culminated this week with the sale of Chicago parking meters ($1.15 billion).

More troubling for future generations is the fact that the mayor plans to spend at least $425 million of the parking meter windfall over the next five years -- and $324 million more if the moribund economy is slow to bounce back.

Daley has also increased the city's long-term debt by a whopping 178 percent over the last decade -- from $2.1 billion to $5.8 billion or $2,006 per person.

And Chicago has more than 150 tax increment financing districts that siphoned $555.3 million away in 2007.

The bottom line is that Daley's successor will be boxed in by heavy debt, a diminishing tax base and precious few money-making assets.

"He's handcuffing future mayors. Whoever comes in is going to find an empty cupboard," said a longtime observer, who asked to remain anonymous.

Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd), one of five aldermen to vote against the parking meter lease, argued that taxpayers would have made as much as $4 billion by raising rates and keeping the meters.

"You have five years of mid-term budget relief. But what happens after that? We're losing a great revenue stream for the next 70 years," he said.

Daley is not concerned about the future -- not when he has a mountain of cash to keep building while other cities are cutting back.

"The aldermen should respond [by building] a new school, a new library, water, sewers, senior centers, affordable housing now -- not in 50 years. The people own the asset to be used today . . . not for 2050," the mayor said.

Civic Federation President Laurence Msall is all for the sale of "non-core" city assets. But only if proceeds are used to cut the city's operating budget, retire debt and improve the condition of shaky employee pension funds.

"These are one-time revenue sources that the city is using, in some cases, to prop up its operating budget. They're not gonna be available once they're spent for any future administration or future crisis," he said.

Interest from a $400 million long-term reserve will replace the $20 million in annual parking meter revenues. But, the private operator gets the growth, through steep rate hikes the City Council was "afraid" to impose when the meters belonged to the city.

Hey Pat.
All of this is snow crap, Daley wants to save Money? he spent $490,000. All on 2.1 inches according to the weather service at O'hare, this is so easy to fix. Ready for this? You have a ward which is divided into 4 sections, as per city of Chicago snow removeal plans. (its a booklet that is giving out to plow drivers-I have a copy of this booklet)So getting back to this story, you get 2 drivers in each of the 50 wards during the day (seasonal driver)and you let these drivers salt the side streets, at regular pay!! I have done that in the past, when I was salting the side streets in the 36th ward! I done 3 sections per 8 hours (no overtime hours)Now imagine if they use this plan, and that was when we just recieved over 6 inches of snow. It can be done. The Mayor wants to get rid of the pickle(Picardi-streets and sans commissioneer) man in my opinion, why do you think he does this crap of not salting the side streets, The Mayor already has a person watching over the shoulders of the Pickle man. It can be done at no overtime whatso ever. it was done and I will testify to that because I HAVE DONE IT ALREADY,that plan works the whole city could be plowed in 2 days!!! But I have another question for the dumb mayor in my opinion, which costs more, salt spreading, of lawsuits from the citizens? (DUH)
I think it would be better to spread the salt!!! Capt. Patty pass this around to the reporters !!!

JOIN THE NRA TODAY!!!

A LITTLE GUN HISTORY


In 1929, the Soviet Union established gun control. From 1929 to 1953, about 20 million dissidents, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
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In 1911, Turkey established gun control. From 1915 to 1917, 1.5 million Armenians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
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Germany established gun control in 1938 and from 1939 to 1945 , a total of 13 million Jews and others who were unable to defend themselves were rounded up and exterminated.
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China established gun control in 1935. From 1948 to 1952, 20 million political dissidents, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated
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Guatemala established gun control in 1964. From 1964 to 1981, 100,000 Mayan Indians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
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Uganda established gun control in 1970. From 1971 to 1979, 300,000 Christians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
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Cambodia established gun control in 1956. From 1975 to 1977, one million educated' people, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
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Defenseless people rounded up and exterminated in the 20th Century because of gun control: 56 million.
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It has now been 12 months since gun owners in Australia were forced by new law to surrender 640,381 personal firearms to be destroyed by their own Government, a program costing Australia taxpayers more than $500 million dollars. The first year results are now in:

List of 7 items:

Australia-wide, homicides are up 3.2 percent

Australia-wide, assaults are up 8.6 percent

Australia-wide, armed robberies are up 44 percent (yes, 44 percent)!

In the state of Victoria alone, homicides with firearms are now up 300 percent. Note that while the law-abiding citizens turned them in, the criminals did not, and criminals still possess their guns!

While figures over the previous 25 years showed a steady decrease in armed robbery with firearms, this has changed drastically upward in the past 12 months, since criminals now are guaranteed that their prey is unarmed.

There has also been a dramatic increase in break-ins and assaults of the ELDERLY. Australian politicians are at a loss to explain how public safety has decreased, after such monumental effort, and expense was expended in successfully ridding Australian society of guns The Australian experience and the other historical facts above prove it.

You won't see this datum on the US evening news, or hear politicians disseminating this information.

Guns in the hands of honest citizens save lives and property and, yes, gun-control laws adversely affect only the law-abiding citizens.

Take note my fellow Americans, before it's too late!

Did Obama side street get plowed?