Better watch out because it appears that the cash strapped state of Illinois is strapping on it’s strap-on and is about to give it’s citizens an anal ram job sans lube.
Those in the know and the power control have decided to let Chicago have it’s way (surprise surpirse) once again -however, they get away with getting their way by including the townships of Schaumburg and Aurora as well- by allowing the state tax rebate to be withheld and deducted from if you happen to owe money, say, for parking tickets or other bills outstanding like stop light cameras and such that you may have outsatnding. The state already stops allowing you from renewing your license plate sticker and/or your license for that matter if you owe anything from parking tickets to toll violations. Isn’t that nice of them. Even though if you miss paying one of these tickets they raise the price astronomically, like the toll-way authority charges a 25 dollar fine -to start with- on every missed toll NOT paid with-in 7 days. What the fuck is that?! The toll is only a 1.50 (WAY OVER PRICED) and they somehow get way with a 25 dollar fine per toll that only goes up when you don’t pay it in the allot time they give you. So, say, you missed the toll, you don’t pay in 7 days they raise it 25 dollars more (remember that’s per toll) and then they send you a letter saying you have thirty days (NOW THIS IS IMPORTANT) from the date of the letter, the problem here is that you may get that letter two weeks or more from the time it is dated. So now you miss that date and they raise the fine 50 dollars on top of the 25 you already owe and then start the process all over again. Now, for all you nay sayers out there that scream about how you should pay your fines I somewhat agree with you, but, how the fuck is this fair. How are we suppose to pay a fine that grows at such a rate (remember its per violation. So 25 per missed toll then 50 more per toll), not only that, it’s not like the toll-way authority sends out notices in a timely matter either. Back when they first stated this whole IPASS debacle the Authority would wait until you incurred a set amount before they started sending out notices. So, once again, if you were one of those people who do pay their fines right away you might not find out until you owed over 200 dollars worth in fines. Again, how the hell is this fair? Where is our right to a hearing? That little thing that is granted for all Americans because of the Constitution. Oh, they get around that -the same way the stop light cameras do as well- by sending out a picture of the violation. Sometimes that pic is so fucking dark and grainy it could be anything. And good luck calling because you’ll be on hold until you die and if you are lucky -or patient- enough to get a fucking human to talk to they are either unwilling or uncaring to actually help.
Again how is that fair? Why is it thrust upon our shoulders because the assholes we -for whatever the fucking reason- elected into office to represent us can’t seem to fill the gap in the budget or even bring in new job markets to build up the tax base?
It’s not. But for some unfathomable reason we still seem to stupid at seeing that these fools need to be shown the door when it comes to voting. Maybe we are just afraid of change; maybe we are to fat and lazy now to care; or maybe we are so disenfranchised by it all that we just get in the booth and do as we are told by the magic idiot box that is and has become television.
Maybe we should start voting for politicians the same way we do for American Idol, make the whole process of campaigning the same way. Maybe then we might get some new blood in office.
At the moment I am up for anything.
Ah the irony of it all.
I have to laugh at what has become “The Year of the Protest”. Whether it’s the rise in the Arab world or the Anti-Wall Street protester that have seized upon the financial district; the Arabs and thier hate of almost anything Western (I’m not saying all of them or even most, they just happen to be the loudest), and the those that call themselves “Occupy Wall Street” and their hatred of corporate America, Big Business, and Billionaire CEO’s, of how the two groups have spread their word (Arabs) through via the (Western) internet and when you see the protesters along the streets of New York large portions of them have their iphones glued to their ears or are texting/tweating their agenda. I mean, really? If you hate corporate America I think the last product you want to use would be anything Apple, the corporation that happens to come out with a new version of the phone they are on every six months or so. Isn’t that feeding into the greed you are supposed to be protesting about?
And lets not forget the terrorists anti America/Western Society agenda that they spread through their Facebook/Twitter accounts.
I mean if you are so against all these things why use them. I can understand the terrorists, how they are using our technology against us, but with the “Occupy Wall Street” people I just don’t understand how they can stand there lecturing me or anyone else on the evils of corporate greed all the while having their iphone or Android or Tablet or whatever the latest tech happens to be in their pocket or bag or even sitting at home.
Not to say that I am totally against everything they stand for. I’m completely against the government propping up the banks and businesses with our tax dollars all the while we toil with high unemployment and foreclosures with nothing more than a song and dance and a pat on the back by the Administration. But I do have a problem with how this so-called “Grassroots” group can continue to support the Unions that wholeheartedly helped put us in the mess we now face with unsustainable contracts that they refuse to budge on when it comes to trying to negotiate something new. How can we continue to pay for people the kind of money they are getting in retirement. I’m not talking the 9 to 5 guy that put in his time busting their ass. No, I’m talking about the ones that didn’t and don’t that reap the same benefits.
Also I find it absurd that “Occupy Wall Street” isn’t put into the same category as another “so-called” grassroots group of the “Tea Party“. I mean when they came on to the scene that were vilified as racist -even though there are many ethnic supporters, and terrorists that have held the country “hostage”. What a fucking joke. So far I’ve seen far more Wall Street protesters arrested in the last couple of days than I have Tea Partiers ever. And I know for a fact that both the Parties have all kinds of skeletons in their closets. Not that I’m saying I like them either. Far from it. They seemed to be loud mouths like everyone else seems to be (with me included…lol).
There are no easy answers to the mess we are in. Obama has said so countless times already and will continue to do so until the next election where he and his party will blame Bush (again and again) for the problems that they have helped along for the last four years while the Republicans will blame the Democrats when they haven’t the slightest idea of how to fix as well. I just happen to find it funny from the irony of it all and of all of these groups of fools that say they know better than I do.
