Chicagoans Opposed to the 2016 Olympics

I started a Facebook Group yesterday, Feb. 16, called Chicagoans Opposed to the 2016 Chicago Olympics. We're up to eight members in just one day! Feel free to join! The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will announce the winning bid Oct. 2, 2009. Some of the reasons I hope Rio, Madrid or Tokyo wins the Olympics:

1. Traffic. For 17 days during the Games and for about a week beforehand, Olympic tourists, media, athletes and security will make roadways almost impassable for residents.

2. Security. Chicago will be Lockdown City in a way similar to Washington is when a major international conference is in town. Per tradition, the president will attend the Opening Ceremonies. Beyond that, security is always the primary concern after the 1972 Munich tragedy and the 1996 Atlanta bombing. The world is watching, and terrorists love that.

3. Cost. The official effort to bring the Games here assumes $1 billion in revenue above and beyond every other bid city's estimate, yet there is no guarantee against revenue shortfalls. Where is all this extra money going to come from? Who knows? Will people shell out $1645 for top tickets? The mayor and everyone else involved insist, promise and swear taxpayers will not bear any costs whatsoever. Right. When has that ever been true? Furthermore, the organizers are assuming a massive influx of tax revenue associated with international visitors to Chicago without accounting for thousands of residents leaving town for three weeks. Locals who aren't home aren't spending money, either.

4. Cost overruns associated with upcoming Games. Both the Vancouver 2010 (Winter) and London 2012 (Summer) Olympic Committees are struggling with massive cost overruns. Their costs are soaring with no end in sight. London organizers are quietly regretting their decision to bid for the Games. Why would the 2016 Games be any different?

5. Security cost. The federal government provided security at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City at a cost of $250 million. The security bill for the 2016 Olympics in Chicago is estimated to be $1 billion. That $1 billion would buy a lot of ____________ (pick your favorite federal program, or invent your own).

6. Construction of white elephant buildings we don't need, don't want and won't use. The Chicago bid is planning a number of temporary structures and new construction of permanent buildings near some of Chicago's worst neighborhoods. No one will want to go down there once the Olympics end. Furthermore, permanent buildings along the lakefront will do more damage to our once-proud lakefront skyline. We only need to look at Soldier Field to realize how a bad decision by Hizzoner Da Mare can ruin our skyline for decades.

7. Hassle, headache, nuisance. Why should we put up with all the commotion? Our city regularly and proudly inhales conventioneers, sports fans and visitors of all types on a constant basis, and no one really notices. If the Olympics were to come to Chicago, everyone would notice, and putting up with it would be a major hassle. Going to work downtown or near any Olympic venue would be a major event in itself. Most of us would be unable to acquire tickets for any but the most minor events, so we would watch the Olympics the way we normally do: on tv or online. Does it make a difference if it's in Chicago or elsewhere?

8. Very poor planning. A top Chicago 2016 official referred to Los Angeles, Atlanta and Salt Lake City in a discussion of transportation. Either he has no idea what he's talking about, or he thinks we're stupid. With guys like transportation director Doug Arnot in charge, the Chicago Olympics is going to make the Iraq war look like a well-executed strategy. Here is why the comparison makes him look so bad:

Los Angeles: the 1984 Games was about one-third the size of the modern Summer Olympics. And L.A. has a much better roadway system.

Atlanta: the 1996 Games was by all accounts a logistics disaster. The transportation failed numerous times. Media, fans and even athletes were stranded, unable to reach event venues.

Salt Lake City: the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City were Winter Games. It is a much smaller set of events and offers no reasonable comparison.

9. We don't need the attention. Cities vie for the Olympics because they want the world's spotlight for 17 days. Is this something we really need? When people living outside the U.S. think of "the States," as they call us, they think of Manhattan, Hollywood and Washington. So Chicago is a second thought. And yet the crowds come anyway. Most visitors live within a 500-mi. radius. They visit for shopping, museums, sports, and the beautiful lakefront. A Chicago Tribune contest in 1987 asked for a new slogan. "Hometown heart, big-town beat" won. Thanks to Al Capone, Michael Jordan and more than a century of government corruption, we're still famous worldwide. There's no reason to pay for additional exposure.