Chicago parking meter rates to quadruple next year

In justifying the quadrupling of parking meter rates when the City of Chicago hands over parking meter management to a private firm, Hizzoner Da Mare Richard M. Daley insisted that 80 percent of the meters are downtown, and the neighborhoods aren’t really affected. Actually, the Tribune reported, the exact opposite is true—80 percent of the meters are in the neighborhoods. This makes the mayor a Big Fat Liar, horribly misinformed, or just plain stupid. I’ll take the first option for $100, Alex.

My mom made an excellent point: by selling off the city’s resources to private firms, the mayor is mortgaging the future of the city for quick financial gain. His financial management of the city is so miserable we have already endured numerous tax increases during his administration, plus the revenue loss from the sale of the Chicago Skyway, Midway Airport, and now all the parking meters. Future mayors are going to be hunting for fresh revenue sources because this mayor is selling all the revenue sources we currently have.