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Post by YankeeFan on Jun 20, 2024 15:42:47 GMT
Oh, duh. Anyway, his cabinet is 44 percent black. Is that bad? It's 100 percent Democrat. That's bad. Quite an adventure taking the kids to the Cubs game and back. No idea how anyone can live in that city anymore. I used to live near the Jeff Park transit station. We had to spend an hour there waiting for thr Metra after the game. Very shithole-esque these days. Dirty, smelly, random homeless folks on the street. And that's one of the nicer sides of town. A. Why didn't you drive?? (I know you probably can't get free parking at the CFD station right there anymore, but still...) 2. COVID killed public transit everywhere. No one wants to take it, which means only those who have to take it do. Reduced ridership means reduced service, and now it's in a kind of death spiral. Despite its flaws, Chicago is still probably the best big city in America. So much to do. Beautiful city. The art, architecture, restaurants, museums, beaches, etc. It's way cheaper than NYC, D.C., Miami, Boston or San Francisco, which are its competitors. It's relatively easy to get around, and street parking is better than in any of those cities.
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Post by pallister on Jun 20, 2024 15:48:17 GMT
It's 100 percent Democrat. That's bad. Quite an adventure taking the kids to the Cubs game and back. No idea how anyone can live in that city anymore. I used to live near the Jeff Park transit station. We had to spend an hour there waiting for thr Metra after the game. Very shithole-esque these days. Dirty, smelly, random homeless folks on the street. And that's one of the nicer sides of town. A. Why didn't you drive?? (I know you probably can't get free parking at the CFD station right there anymore, but still...) 2. COVID killed public transit everywhere. No one wants to take it, which means only those who have to take it do. Reduced ridership means reduced service, and now it's in a kind of death spiral. Despite its flaws, Chicago is still probably the best big city in America. So much to do. Beautiful city. The art, architecture, restaurants, museums, beaches, etc. It's way cheaper than NYC, D.C., Miami, Boston or San Francisco, which are its competitors. It's relatively easy to get around, and street parking is better than in any of those cities. Too many in our party to drive. Otherwise, we could have parked at Engine 78.
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Post by YankeeFan on Jun 20, 2024 16:00:46 GMT
A. Why didn't you drive?? (I know you probably can't get free parking at the CFD station right there anymore, but still...) 2. COVID killed public transit everywhere. No one wants to take it, which means only those who have to take it do. Reduced ridership means reduced service, and now it's in a kind of death spiral. Despite its flaws, Chicago is still probably the best big city in America. So much to do. Beautiful city. The art, architecture, restaurants, museums, beaches, etc. It's way cheaper than NYC, D.C., Miami, Boston or San Francisco, which are its competitors. It's relatively easy to get around, and street parking is better than in any of those cities. Too many in our party to drive. Otherwise, we could have parked at Engine 78. This is a lifetime privilege? You should have rented a passenger van for the day. Would have been cheeper.
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Post by pallister on Jun 20, 2024 16:03:11 GMT
Too many in our party to drive. Otherwise, we could have parked at Engine 78. This is a lifetime privilege? You should have rented a passenger van for the day. Would have been cheeper. Recently retired brother knows someone who works there. In a few more years, it's likely there will be no more connections.
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Post by YankeeFan on Jun 20, 2024 16:07:53 GMT
Speaking of shitholes, public transit, and Big City Politics, has anyone been following the congestion pricing story in NYC. With the State's approval, they were set to charge a toll -- as high as $15 for a provate car, during peak hours -- to drive into Manhattan, below 60th St. (Midtown.) Between that, the tolls at the bridges and tunnels, and the cost to park, that's going to add up. The money raised is supposed to fund public transit. But, because it's an election year, the Governor now wants to delay implementation, for fear of a backlash against Dems at the polls. congestionreliefzone.mta.info/tollingIn a country where the car is still king, New York had stirred hope that an ambitious policy prioritizing mass transit was possible.
But that optimism unraveled this month, when Gov. Kathy Hochul abruptly halted a congestion pricing tolling program that promised to take thousands of cars a day off the streets of Midtown and Lower Manhattan while generating billions for critical repairs and improvements to the subways, buses and two commuter railroads.
The governor’s decision came amid a fierce outcry from opponents, including many drivers from the boroughs and suburbs outside Manhattan. In doing so, she punched a $15 billion hole in the capital budget of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, leaving long-planned work on the subway in limbo.
The last-minute decision to call off congestion pricing, which was decades in the making, has turned what was supposed to be a major win for mass transit into a cautionary tale. It has also renewed conversations among city and transportation leaders and experts about the future of transit systems around the country and how to pay for them.www.nytimes.com/2024/06/16/nyregion/congestion-pricing-delay-effects.html
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Post by YankeeFan on Jun 20, 2024 16:15:08 GMT
And, in NYC, it's not the "Wall St. Billionaires" who are most opposed to the congestion pricing. They can afford to pay it. It's the city workers -- including the Teachers Union -- who are fighting it. (And, teachers, cops, and firefighters, almost all get free parking, even if they technically park illegally.) New York City’s teachers union is trying to halt this spring’s planned implementation of congestion pricing, joining a lawsuit on Thursday with the Staten Island borough president.
The lawsuit claims that the congestion pricing plan — which will toll drivers who enter a swath of Manhattan to help finance public transit improvements — was created in a “rushed and hurried process that violated the comprehensive review requirements that a federal agency must take under federal law.” Seven teachers, who are plaintiffs in the suit, alleged that the “regressive and discriminatory pricing” of the tolls violates their constitutional rights.
Transit advocates blasted the lawsuit, arguing that congestion pricing will improve commutes for school staff and families.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s board voted to approve tolls last month for vehicles entering Manhattan south of 60th Street, including a $15 daily fee on cars between 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends. (Under the proposed tolling structure, low-income drivers will receive a discount on the congestion charges.)
After a 60-day comment period, including public hearings from Feb. 29 through March 4, the MTA’s board will take a final vote.
“Teachers, firefighters, police officers, EMS workers, sanitation workers and other public sector workers who are essential to the fabric of New York City would be forced to shoulder the burden of the MTA’s latest fundraising gambit,” the lawsuit claims. www.thecity.nyc/2024/01/04/teachers-union-files-lawsuit-congestion-pricing/
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Post by Ridiculously Dull Bobby on Jun 20, 2024 16:44:14 GMT
COVID killed public transit everywhere. No one wants to take it, which means only those who have to take it do. Reduced ridership means reduced service, and now it's in a kind of death spiral. Minor point of order: Public transit is still awesome in DC. And, despite WMATA’s best efforts to shit on its customers at every turn, ridership is higher than it’s ever been. Up 25 percent just from last year.
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Post by sharky, Hunter’s text buddy on Jun 20, 2024 18:04:56 GMT
Outside of the general absurdity of this, check out the poor girl in the background fainting. Or maybe she was overwhelmed with the holy spirit.
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Post by pallister on Jun 20, 2024 18:43:38 GMT
COVID killed public transit everywhere. No one wants to take it, which means only those who have to take it do. Reduced ridership means reduced service, and now it's in a kind of death spiral. Minor point of order: Public transit is still awesome in DC. And, despite WMATA’s best efforts to shit on its customers at every turn, ridership is higher than it’s ever been. Up 25 percent just from last year. The alternative is the 10th Circle of Hell.
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Post by batman on Jun 20, 2024 22:57:11 GMT
Oakland's mayor got a knock on the door from the FBI today. Not a ton of details, but it seems connected to a waste management company that has the trash and recycling contract for the city, and possibly some Vietnamese business groups.
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Post by batman on Jun 23, 2024 21:57:15 GMT
Jamaal Bowman has a potty mouth.
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Post by YankeeFan on Jun 25, 2024 13:35:50 GMT
A. She looks hot. 2. She looks better in her better in her booking photo than she does in her official head shot.
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Post by YankeeFan on Jun 25, 2024 13:55:53 GMT
The throwing of the tarantula is much less dramatic than I was expecting.
But how can you not love her?
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Post by Ridiculously Dull Bobby on Jun 25, 2024 13:59:39 GMT
The Crazy Eyes. They never lie.
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Post by elcircogrande on Jun 25, 2024 15:39:37 GMT
The throwing of the tarantula is much less dramatic than I was expecting. That was disappointing.
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