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The City of Chicago government will be closed today for lack of funds.

By: Moe Lane (Diary)  |  August 17th, 2009 at 10:30 AM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

No, really.

If you planned to check out a library book, visit a city clinic or have your garbage picked up on Monday, you’re out of luck.

The City of Chicago is basically closed for business on Aug. 17, a reduced-service day in which most city employees are off without pay. City Hall, public libraries, health clinics and most city offices will be closed.

They technically ‘moved’ this reduced-services day from New Year’s Eve, and if somebody wants to believe that they won’t have to have that day be reduced-services – or that there won’t be other reduced-service days added – well.

I had a set of suggestions for the City of Chicago to fix their problem, which mostly involved variants of Don’t spend money that you don’t have, you idiots and Start at the bottom of your list of employees, ranked by productivity, then start firing people until the budget balances – but it’s the City of Chicago.  The Democrats running that city have no intention of reforming their behavior.  So I have an alternate suggestion, and one that is directed to the voters in Chicago:

Stop electing Democrats.

Moe Lane

PS: Oddly, advice like this tends to upset Democratic partisans.  Not enough for them to do anything to fix the underlying problem, of course.

Crossposted to Moe Lane.

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COMMENTS

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  • illinois

    And, Chicago Unions required employees of contractors working at O’Hare to take 10 days unpaid leave. Hope America likes the “Chicago Way” that Barry is pushing!

  • peg_c

    Now if we could just get Congress to do the same.

  • scipio62

    Mussolini was famous for saying his government got the trains to run on time (or something along those lines).

    One of my co-workers lives in the city and I asked him why he keeps re-electing the same clowns every time. His answer: the garbage gets picked up. Except for today, apparently.

  • illinois

    From O’Hare contractor to employees:

    August 17, 2009 is an upaid reduced service day. In addition, all staff must take 6 UNPAID furlough days prior to 12/31/2009. Furlough days may not be taken as holidays, sick, personal or personal days.

  • http://www.ssce.net/Web-Articles/Web-articles-indexed-authors.html#authors-l JLenardDetroit

    The CrabGrass/Grubs discussed in: Democrat Health Care Townhall propaganda – a place to report the Dem’s Talking Points (read: Lies) and refute them with specifics will be out infesting/infecting the real GrassRoots at Townhalls all across the surrounding States from IL today.

    Amazing how the MSM now, all of a sudden, want people to believe those folks with the Professionally produced signs (from ACORN/SEIU) touting the Democrat Talking Points and/or Support for HC takeover are somehow the “real GrassRoots” out to take on the Astroturf… too funny….

    We must INVITE more (we invite, they pay to bus) friends, family, neighbors, total strangers, etc, to the TEApeats/Townhall events.

    We’ve had “reduced Services” days here in Michigan too…. Finally, days they cannot do additional damage to us. This, of course, is just the usual setup (and we will hear more about cutting Police/Fire/etc again) for Extortion (Extortion, pure and simple (to raise taxes or avoid/enact legislation)) and there are far too many STUPID (not ignorant, they have had plenty of chances to see and learn, they choose to be STUPID) that will again be willing to succumb to it and attempt to drag all of us down with them. WE CANNOT KEEP ALLOWING THIS SLIDE!!!!

    If Government workers (READ: SEIU MEMBERS) are having time off and will be using that time to work against us — we need folks to use some of their vacation time (if necessary) to get out and protect their/our interests. NOT FUN, but some of those folks won’t have jobs to take time off from if things keep going that will further destroy the Economy and/or our Capitalist foundation.

  • johnt

    if the need for shut downs is the question.
    Chicago, California, the United States, gee what would we do without liberals? Funny thing is, they hold us in contempt. Even funnier, these blind boobs call themselves “progressives”.

    What do you say about people who can’t see failure under their nose. Or is that to see it is to admit imperfection and fallibility.

    Meanwhile in Canada there are rumbles of privatization of medical care.

  • janis

    I quite admire Drudge for setting things up as he does these days. Nice grouping of Obama-duds on healthcare with the doc in Canada saying that their health care system is imploding–and in that nice red “Get a load of this” color, too.

  • bk

    Example: trash pickup.

    Does it mean they are going to skip whatever round of trash pickup is supposed to happen today? No, it just means they’ll do it a different day.

    But wait, will that involve OT pay on the day they double up? Hmmm…

    It’s kind of like boycotting a gas station one day. Does it cause anyone to drive less? No. Does it reduce gas usage? No. Does it save anyone any money or do anything for the environment. No.

    So if they do it in some logical way then fine. But of course the mayor and the supervisors and so on make out okay, and little people (workers and ‘customers’) get screwed.

    I’ve no doubt they have plenty of fat to cut, but I’m reminded of the example of the guy with the pennies on the coffee table describing some of Obama’s “savings”. Here’s how you save money – cut the budget of each dept 10% and let them sort it out. Then do the same again next year.

  • Darin_H

    You are saying that we won’t actually “save” any daylight with this daylight savings time? Hmmm, interesting.

    It’s like how Cali pushed a pay date from July 31st to Aug 1st in order to “save” on their budget.

  • http://impudent.blognation.us/blog kyle8

    Pretty soon there want be any Blue areas that are not bankrupt.

  • bk

     

  • Richard Mullins

    of “Had enough,Vote Democrat” to “Had enough,Vote Republican”. It’s worked for them and now it’s time to turn the tables

  • MNConservative

    It’s called a PRINTING PRESS… HellOOOOOOO!!! :-D

    That’s what Washington’s doing, right?

  • johnt

    Plus that’s more fun, screwing the people always gives a belly laugh to liberals.
    The printing press depends on the Feds, though I’m sure O is already shoveling some money Chicago’s way. But there is never enough if you are a rapacious liberal[?] so expect both “solutions”.

  • http://www.katjasdacha.com katja

    the city of Chicago couldn’t just have half the workforce working on alternating days, because the fear would be that people would figure out that half of the city’s jobs aren’t actually necessary!

  • ss396

    Even though the trash will get picked up another day, and possibly at OT rates, the library will not; be open an extra day. The city offices that process citizen forms (drivers license, marriage certificate, tax payments, etc.) will just perform their magic on another day, but the administrators, supervisors, clerks and such will not. This might – might – actually save a few bucks.

    And it is heartwarming that a city has finally found waste and inefficiencies somewhere besides in the police force and fire departments. That’s a first.