http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/clout_st/2009/01/no-debate-as-al.html Guess this is one more reason I'm glad I escaped the greater Chicagoland metropolitan area when I did. Does anyone still think the boondoggle of chasing the Olympics is a positive thing for Chicago? Heaven help you if you get it!
I'm very happy to see my property tax dollars being used for something fantastic and historic, which will showcase our wonderful city to the world. Rest assured that the Games will come to Chicago. PS: I'm also a volunteer for the 2016 Olympic Games.
I am still hoping it will not happen. Then, maybe I can manage to get the hell out of this cesspool of a City (and state) before it happens and retire in some nice place.......
Whoa, dude! This is one of the best cities in the world. Maybe you're living in the wrong spot. Still, if the Olympics do come I think I'll rent my house to some wealthy European sports fans while I go spend a couple weeks in Italy.
I meant the administration's city,state and county(Cook in particular) pricks in power. Fumigate the city from these pests and it would be one of the prettiest in the Country......
I am not a supporter of the Olympics in Chicago. It will not help my business, may even hurt it, and will result in even higher taxes. Lets face it any reason to increase taxes in Cook county will be happly exploited by our fearless leaders.
+1 I left one of the wealthiest countries behind for a reason. I chose Chicago deliberately and never regretted my decision. There are very few other cities around the world of this beauty. Anybody who doesn't see that, well has a bit of a narrow perspective. Spot on! I'm always stunned by all the negativity on here about the Olympics. First off taxes aren't the measure of all things in life and second it is hard to believe these comments are coming from citizens of the same nation that is a constant leader in the Games with countless medals to its name. I could understand if Jamaicans wouldn't be into bob sled racing (oh wait, they are)... In all likelihood we all will only have one chance in our lifetime to watch the games from our own city. What an incredible chance and opportunity yet people here bicker over some taxes. PS: I'm glad and proud I was at the opening ceremony for the World Cup Soccer when it was here. But that will be child's play in comparison to the Olympics.
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This is the "cesspool" I had in mind,not the architecture or skyline of a City that does not deserve the human waste that rules it and the County it belongs to....
And I'm sure this will help the common man. Perhaps lower taxes, and governmental fees.......I THINK NOT! There are very few that will benefit from having the Olympics in Chicago, and it ain't most of us; the common folk!
Some common folk actually work in the many industries that will serve the olympics: Restaurants, hotels, taxis, airport, CTA, the City of Chicago, telecomm, event planners, project managers etc etc. Aside from the direct economic benefit, there is of course the fact that this is the greatest sporting event in history on the planet. And everybody can get tickets to visit our athletes in action without having to fly to another country etc. How is that not benefitting the common man? Without trying to bore everybody with my life's story, here the Readers Digest version of it: I grew up in Switzerland and made several trips to the US in my High School and College years. I spent many weeks traveling the country and looking at all kinds of places from the West Coast to the East Coast. I decided that I wanted to live my life here because of the beauty and the possibilities offered in this country. Not so much economic (I would have probably made more $$$ staying put), but the liberties you have here with everything. People who never leave the US don't realize how free the life here is. And I can't help but think how petty discussions over some tax raise can be. As I said before, taxes and $$$ isn't everything, there are much more important things in my life. Things I can only enjoy in the States. If I were so focused on taxes, I should have just stayed in Switzerland, but I would have never had the chance to see the Olympics in Zurich. Anyhow after I finished College it was time to find an employer and I looked for a global player who could eventually place me into the States. That chance came and I had some options on where to go and picked Chicago for its beauty. I call it the "Swiss Version of NY": It is a bit smaller than the big Apple, but kept very neat and orderly. A decision I haven't regretted. In the long run though I'm with absent: Retirement has to be in an area of the States where you don't have to live through -22 Celsius days (I'm still converting the Fs into Cs in my head).
LOL. I thought I was the only one. I know what fifties feel like, but I still prefer Celsius. The metric system just makes more sense. It does boil down to that. This is an unbelievably cool country with liberties and opportunities unlike any other and people should really cherish that. In a way I wish every American born in the States would have to spend half a year in Europe: Not only would it open their horizon, but it would also show them the differences and they'd return in a much deeper and profound love for this country. I could enumerate countless examples, but I won't bore you guys anymore with this. Instead I'll end my comment with what I often say to Karen in some key moments: "I love this country!"