I can’t think of one reason why I would want the Olympics in Chicago. Seriously, this would be the greatest monstrosity in this city since Mrs. O’leary’s cow kicked over that fucking candle. Everyone keeps saying that it will bring tourists and make the city money. Guess what? We have to pay for all the shit that goes into hosting the Olympics, like building a giant stadium and other venues that will be as useless as Elton John’s dick in a room full of horny naked women after it is all over. They say it will be bankrolled mostly by private donors and there is already a $4.8 Billion budget (London’s budget for 2012 is $18 Billion) and a construction schedule. This city can’t even fucking fix potholes and they are going to build all this shit (15 new venues) in seven years? It is going to mean more taxes and other revenue boosting maneuvers. You think they are fucking you with street cleaning tickets on public streets now? And think of the traffic and the congestion. It will be like having the Taste of Chicago for a month except it won’t be just one small area of the city it will be the whole goddamn thing as well as the surrounding suburbs. The interstates will be parking lots all the time. Anyone else concerned about security? Let’s just put a giant target on the Sears “Willis” Tower instead of hosting the largest international event in the world. I don’t want to get blown up trying to get a taco because Mayor Daley wants to put the city on the map. All it will do is cost us money, make us frustrated as fuck, and let the world see that we are a corrupt, disfunctional city that has shitty public transportation. Make a bus show up on time and then we will talk about hosting an international event.
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this is awesome!
here here….i also dont want to get blown up.
Most Chicagoans are up in arms about Mayor Daley signing the required agreement that the City will cover any over budget costs, but we knew that going into the bid process. Chicagoans simply chose to ignore it until it happened. Chicago will also getting money from the federal government. If Chicago gets this Olympic bid on Friday they will be able to put to work a lot of people in the urban planning, construction, transportation and engineering fields almost immediately. In an economy where people are struggling to pay bills, drink as much as they used to and put food in their bellies more jobs now is a good thing.
In addition, the Olympic plan includes upgrades to infrastructure that are much needed and would happen anyhow in the future. If you look at cost/benefit analysis for past Olympic cities, the results are typically the same — cities don’t “make money,” but come out ahead in other ways. They gain a lot of public goods in the process of building the Olympic villages and stadiums/arenas. Most importantly, Chicago has one of the best Olympic breakdown plans of any other city that has hosted the Olympics in the past. Many of the large scale stadiums/arenas will be built so that upon completion of the Games they can be broken down and used by the communities they are built in, eg the currently run-down/struggling Washington Park community area. The Olympic Villages where the competing athletes stay have been planned to be converted into affordable housing as well as market rate condos and apartments. This allows the city to replace much of the torn down CHA units that Chicago’s Department of Community Development was already in the process of replacing.
Yes, there will be traffic, congestion, etc…But the benefits of the Games to the City and many of its residents far outweigh the month of small “annoyances” that some of us might experience. I’m all for it!!
agreed. unless that new stadium can replace the “field” where the National League ballclub plays
winner winner chicken dinner!