Support in Chicago for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games has dwindled, with residents now sharply divided over whether the city should host the Games, a Tribune/WGN poll has found.
Nearly as many city residents oppose Mayor Richard Daley's Olympic plans, 45 percent, as support them, 47 percent. And residents increasingly and overwhelmingly oppose using tax dollars to cover any financial shortfalls for the Games, with 84 percent disapproving of the use of public money.
Now, the first thing this means is that about one third of this city is fooling themselves or just down right stupid. There's no question that the city will use tax payer funds to fund the games. So, if 84% are against using tax payer funds, then 31 of the 47% that favor the games are deluded, new to the city, or have not been paying attention.
Our mayor is corrupt. Nothing he's said has ever been true. Millenium Park went over budget by 300%. The games will have similar results. We know this because the mayor is corrupt. I can't say that enough and I can't stress it enough. Corruption leads to waste, bloated budgets, and overruns. I can tell everyone that in all budget projections there's none that adds in half a billion dollars for Daley corruption. (of course Daley corruption is likely to be a lot more than that) So, once we add in Daley corruption, the budgets don't add up and tax payer money WILL be used.
The poll results reveal something else. The only organized group against the games is No Games Chicago. That's a group of citizen activists that all volunteer to maintain a site and a media campaign. That's it. There's no talk radio, fox news, or powerful bloggers to get their word out. The city of Chicago has the entire government apparatus to run a propaganda machine on the city. That's exactly what they've been doing for years. For years, the Mayor guaranteed that not one cent of tax payer funds would be used to pay for the games. He wasn't challenged by any of the mainstream media. Then, he signed a contract that put the tax payers on the hook for all costs. None of this was challenged. There was almost no outrage from the media in the city. More recently, there was a scandal reported involving a major player in the Olympic bid, Michael Scott. That story dominated the news for a couple days, and then, after Scott assured everyone that he had no conflicts, the story went away. That's the sort of media attention the games have received. Then, the city just finished holding town hall events in all fifty wards of the city. That's the media apparatus that they have. Yet, barely a plurality want the games.
Keep in mind, the first instinct of any citizen of the city is to want the games. They're prestigious, extravagant, and exciting. So, the average citizen that hasn't been following the story is likely to overwhelmingly support the games. Despite this, only half want the games. Most of those actually believe that their money won't be used to pay for the games. So, just imagine what the poll would show if we had a city of informed voters. What this poll really reveals is that this city needs better informed citizens.
Thank goodness for nogameschicago, because people would never hear both sides of the issue. Where are the people who actually get paid to protect us?
ReplyDeletethey're in Daley's back pocket.
ReplyDeleteOh, and I loved the "there are many ways to count support, like contributions," (not sure of exact quote) half of which come from a whopping 39 people!
ReplyDelete