Monday, October 13, 2008

My list of ideas to improve the Chicagoland area

After much thought, here is my list of ideas which can help fix certain problems in the Chicagoland area...
  1. Chicago aldermen will have their salaries reduced to $55,000. At this time, Chicago aldermen make about $100k each, costing the City about $5 million per year. Reducing their salary to $55k would save the City about $2.25 million per year. Hey aldermen, if you don't like this, tough shit. Get a real job or a real second job and quit whining. Most citizens in the City work significantly harder than you ever did and they make far less.
  2. Mayor Daley, while I overall like you, your salary should be reduced to $75,000. You currently make $170,000 per year, but since the City has a budget shortfall, it is time you make a small sacrifice. If there are any objections, see my comment for Chicago aldermen above.
  3. Chicago Police need to enforce all of the traffic laws. This applies to motorists as well as cyclists. Maybe our budget would be closer to balanced if you guys did your damn job and nailed people for going way way way above the speed limit, yacking on their damn cell phones while driving, or any of the other laws which can raise money for the City.
  4. All bicyclists must obey the rules of the road while riding on public streets. While this is currently STATE LAW, it unfortunately needs to be placed in this list.
  5. ALL Chicago Police officers need to meet some sort of minimum fitness standards. No offense, but police sometimes have to engage in physical activity while carrying out their duties. I would prefer our officers not to have a heart attack while chasing after a suspect or beating a suspect almost to death.
  6. ALL Chicago Police officers need to improve their shooting. A few months ago, the media was going crazy with stories about a cougar on the loose in the city. That cougar was shot and killed by Chicago Police. Unfortunately, the officers put a minimum of 18 rounds into nearby garages and other property before actually hitting and killing said cougar. A police officer, who has undergone significant training, should be able to hit a cougar at close range and not expend that many rounds into nearby property.
  7. Mayor Daley's handgun ban needs to go. Personally, I disagree with this ordinance. The handgun ban does not work: criminals and gang members have hand guns, and are getting them from other sources (i.e. out of state dealers, stolen property, back alley cash sales...). Also, criminals commit crimes with weapons other than firearms, such as golf clubs, baseball bats, knives... yet those items can be purchased in any K-Mart. The ban only serves to punish otherwise law abiding citizens who have already passed the stringent background checks required by the state of Illinois to own and purchase a firearm.
  8. Any alderman who repeatedly drafts stupid ass ordinances needs to be replaced. Sorry, but bans on foie gras, trans fat, or metal baseball bats do not serve the citizens of the City. Instead, such bans are simply retarded. These ordinances overstep the boundaries of law.
  9. Lower the Cook County sales tax. While I realize corruption at the county level costs money, maybe you corrupt bastards could find the funds elsewhere and leave us citizens alone.
  10. Todd Stroger needs to go. In addition, all people who are in any way related to Todd Stroger should be immediately banned from working for Cook County. This ban should be made retroactive the second Todd Stroger took office.
  11. All members of the Cook County board should be replaced too. While we are at it, the salaries of the Cook County board members should be cut to under $55,000. Once again, if there are any complaints, see above commentary for Chicago Aldermen.
  12. Pay raises for aldermen, county board, mayor, or similar positions should be approved by ballot initiative only. Let me be clear: if the civil servants who run the City or County want a pay raise, the citizens should decide by popular vote.
Now, the list above is anything but complete. However, I feel that implementation of a majority of the items would significantly improve the quality of life for the citizens of the Chicagoland area.