Senior citizens sure have clout in this state. They stared down lawmakers and Gov. Pat Quinn when it came to the possibility of losing their free mass transit rides. Sturdy legislators turned to Jell-o when facing the voting booth wrath of Illinois geezers denied gratis bus and train rides. Quinn, too, waffled after transit agencies thought they had an agreement to restrict the free rides to low-income seniors and half fares for other seniors.
For all of you who thought there was no free lunch, talk to Illinois pols. They fear seniors mainly because they vote. A lot. While the nation's youth vote may have propelled then-Illinois Sen. Barack Obama into the White House, they only come out when they're energized on an issue or candidate. Seniors don't care. They just vote. A lot. Which is why seniors get so much free stuff and reduced rates for everything from hotel rooms to national park entrance fees.
A group of seniors storming Springfield sends shivers down the spine of normally unswayable pols. Which is why the two-year-old free rides for seniors 65 and older is still running. When faced with re-election prospects, pols err on the side of seniors and their growing numbers (see, Boomers, Baby).
Chicago Transit Authority officials believe the free rail rides instituted by former Gov. Rod "The Apprentice" Blagojevich has cost them some $60 million. They were hoping to recoup that. Guess again. Now the CTA is looking at service cuts and fare increases.
We like what one lawmaker unconcerned with geezer rage said: "There is no free ride on a bus that doesn't exist." Who said seniors are in their golden years? Not The Hound.
The 'free' rides were a result of Blago's making another one of his famous 'populist' ploys to get him a badly-needed boost in the polls. It was also part of his deal with Chicago so that they could get another Springfield bailout when they faced still another funding crisis.
Now that the senior citizens were given this 'gift', they don't want it taken away. Sorry to say, but unless the CTA could prove that it wouldn't actually damage their revenues, the 'gift' should never have been offered; or it should have been less generous. It's like trying to renegotiate union contracts in Chicago. Nobody will give up anything and the pols are just too weak-spined to stand up and be honest about the state of finances. Every special interest group, and that includes seniors, believes that their constituency deserves 'free' this and 'free' that, and it's always somebody else who will pay for it.
Take away the 'free' rides and offer reduced-fare rides. That'll bring some revenue to the CTA; and allow churches and other social organizations to offer their own city transportation for citizens, without worrying about the city's monopoly on mass transit. Then start looking at the bureaucracy in the CTA and start modernizing/automating functions, and cut senior management staff and salaries.
THE HOUND SAYS: Who doesn't like a free ride? Or a free lunch?
Having recently entered Geezerdom myself, I can tell the Hound this: There's good reason to fear us. We made it this far, and nothing's going to stop us now (well, almost nothing). We meticulously honor our two primary civic duties: Pay Taxes and Vote. We've been (figuratively speaking, of course) thrown under the bus so many times, we ought to get the chance to ride it for free...at least once.
That having been said, there is some merit in offering a free ride to a group whose numbers include some who shouldn't be behind the wheel any more. Then again, were this a perfect world, we'd all be able to pay to ride because we wouldn't have been taxed to death in our pre-golden years to subsidize all the rest of those pesky social programs.
Thus, the vicious circle continues...from cradle to grave.
THE HOUND SEZ: Hah, Irene! Free rides are nothing compared to the other freebies seniors get. Show your AARP card at most places and you get reduced rates. You can get in free at national parks. You can get a free fishing license in Illinois...if you're older than 70. Don't forget Senior Citizens Day sponsored by the Lake County Forest Preserve District. Every township has its own senior programs. We cater to seniors in this country and there's more of them turning geezers every day because of the baby boomers. And, as you pointed out: Geezers vote.
While the free rides for seniors may have been a knee jerk side show by then Gov. Blagojevich, if seniors are willing to lobby to keep them, they must be serving a need. Also, since senior transit riders were probably transit riders throughout their adult lives, it does stand to reason that they paid their fair share of fares (no pun intended) over the years. Therefore I'm less troubled by this than I am the deplorable state of current Illinois finances. Why are they paying bills so late and putting not only the transit system in jeopardy, but also school systems, hospital systems and any other entities that do business with the state. If they get on a 30 day payment schedule and stick with that, you will see a lot of systems within the state of Illinois improve. The time value of money is critical and what needs to be studied and fixed in Illinois.
THE HOUND SAYS: Ellen, why didn't you pass petitions and run for office! You sound sane, however. Most of our state politicians aren't however, because, as you note, the deplorable state of Illinois finances. The Hound guarantees our lawmakers and governor don't balance their family finances the way they do our state's.
I agree with Ellen - if there is a need for subsidized rides are needed for seniors, then more power to them. However, I also feel that this need would be appreciated by students, single working mothers and fathers, etc. Where do we draw the line? I am all for helping out those who are in need - but is an age based system the best approach? I work in the health care industry and each day I hear stories from people of all ages who are struggling to pay their medical bills and heat their homes. As a country we need to bring equality to all of our citizens.
THE HOUND SEZ: What's up, Doc? Equality to all citizens when it comes to struggling to pay medical bills and heat homes sounds like redistributing the wealth. The Hound agrees about age-based freebies, especially when the baby boom geezers start taking the bus to the doctors' offices. Those transit agencies' budgets are going deep into deficit country.