Fuck Cars @lemmy.world Voyajer @lemmy.world 11 mo. ago

Chicago Doesn’t Own Its Own Streets

Chicago is held hostage by a 75 year lease of its parking meters to Morgan Stanley, impacting public transport and alternate transportation funding.

23 comments

Yet another example of how terrible privatizing public infrastructure turns out in most cases.
- And how terrible cities are. And how terrible First Past the Post is, which is what enabled an incompetent mayor to rule qith impunity.
  
  Cities are fine. Cities built around cars sucks. Cities built around people are phenomenal.
I just googled that, assuming it must be something from the 50s or maybe 60s - but 2008? What the fuck is wrong with you guys over there?
- I mean, it is tempting if you are a soulless politician that only thinks as far as the next reelection. In 2008 the economy and therefore city finances were just a tiny bit under the weather. If you are then able to pull a deal that nets the city over a billion dollars, that's great. You won't be there to see the repercussions and you bolstered the balancesheet for a year, what's not to like? /s
I heard about this situation a couple years ago and thought it sounded like a terrible deal for Chicago. Turns out it's even worse than I thought! Hopefully the city can find some way to mitigate the damage caused by it.
- I was living in Chicago at the time. Everyone knew it was a terrible deal but Mayor Daley ruled the city with an iron fist and did whatever he wanted.
  
  Mayor Daley ruled the city with an iron fist and did whatever he wanted.
  
  Exactly. Just ask Meigs Field.
Don't miss standupmaths side of this collab. Caught both on premier but the poking fun at climate town's video style is hilarious.
- The whip cut with Matt turned the wrong way was chef's kiss perfect.
That brick wall gag was incredible. Matt Parker & Rollie Williams as a duo is too powerful
At least this is a lession for other cities
Matt Taibbi piece that ops video probably pulled from. For those to whom this is news, don't pay yourself on the back, municipalities and states all over are doing this and have been for a while: https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/exclusive-excerpt-america-on-sale-from-matt-taibbis-griftopia-47769/

If you like the piece, Taibbi was one of the few who dug into and wrote about the great bailouts and all the scamming of American public at behest of lobbyists, the powerful and the "elected". He's got lots of other good work.
- Nothing mentioned in the sources about this being a source. Not cited. I don't think this video was pulled from that. Sorry, nothing against the piece (never read it), but this is definitely Climate Town's bread and butter. It's just what they do.
  
  The author of the article I linked literally won a national magazine award as an investigative journalist in 2008 for several pieces he wrote, that includes what happened to chicago's streets, which he then went on to publish in a book Griftopia and several others. Video is an important format but your video has youtube folks that care about a subject talking about well documented issues, that people like Matt Taibbi helped unearth. As long as people learn about it that's fine, but just becuase a youtube channel who brings on an expert "matt from matt's youtube channel" doesn't mean it's the same quality.
- He kind of went off the deep end with the twitter files though about hunters laptop

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