this post was submitted on 30 Oct 2023
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Chicago is held hostage by a 75 year lease of its parking meters to Morgan Stanley, impacting public transport and alternate transportation funding.

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[–] [email protected] 61 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Yet another example of how terrible privatizing public infrastructure turns out in most cases.

[–] [email protected] 39 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I just googled that, assuming it must be something from the 50s or maybe 60s - but 2008? What the fuck is wrong with you guys over there?

[–] [email protected] 11 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

I mean, it is tempting if you are a soulless politician that only thinks as far as the next reelection. In 2008 the economy and therefore city finances were just a tiny bit under the weather. If you are then able to pull a deal that nets the city over a billion dollars, that's great. You won't be there to see the repercussions and you bolstered the balancesheet for a year, what's not to like? /s

[–] [email protected] 29 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I heard about this situation a couple years ago and thought it sounded like a terrible deal for Chicago. Turns out it's even worse than I thought! Hopefully the city can find some way to mitigate the damage caused by it.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I was living in Chicago at the time. Everyone knew it was a terrible deal but Mayor Daley ruled the city with an iron fist and did whatever he wanted.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Mayor Daley ruled the city with an iron fist and did whatever he wanted.

Exactly. Just ask Meigs Field.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Story still pisses me off to the day I heard about it.

TL,DR: in the dead of night bulldozers physically tore up portions of runway. Standing 50+ airplanes. FAA approved using taxiway to evacuate

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

I always appreciated it because it's probably the only time a politician specifically fucked over the ultra rich for the benefit of the general public.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Don't miss standupmaths side of this collab. Caught both on premier but the poking fun at climate town's video style is hilarious.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 10 months ago

The whip cut with Matt turned the wrong way was chef's kiss perfect.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 10 months ago

That brick wall gag was incredible. Matt Parker & Rollie Williams as a duo is too powerful

[–] [email protected] 15 points 10 months ago

At least this is a lession for other cities

[–] [email protected] 7 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Matt Taibbi piece that ops video probably pulled from. For those to whom this is news, don't pay yourself on the back, municipalities and states all over are doing this and have been for a while: https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/exclusive-excerpt-america-on-sale-from-matt-taibbis-griftopia-47769/

If you like the piece, Taibbi was one of the few who dug into and wrote about the great bailouts and all the scamming of American public at behest of lobbyists, the powerful and the "elected". He's got lots of other good work.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Nothing mentioned in the sources about this being a source. Not cited. I don't think this video was pulled from that. Sorry, nothing against the piece (never read it), but this is definitely Climate Town's bread and butter. It's just what they do.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago (3 children)

The author of the article I linked literally won a national magazine award as an investigative journalist in 2008 for several pieces he wrote, that includes what happened to chicago's streets, which he then went on to publish in a book Griftopia and several others. Video is an important format but your video has youtube folks that care about a subject talking about well documented issues, that people like Matt Taibbi helped unearth. As long as people learn about it that's fine, but just becuase a youtube channel who brings on an expert "matt from matt's youtube channel" doesn't mean it's the same quality.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago

I'm sorry, this is probably my neurodivergence speaking, but that's not evidence that Climate Town pulled from that book.

Listen, it's not even relevant, because it's not even the intent of your original comment. That could just be like, "Hey guys, if you think that's crazy, you should check out this book that goes into this happening not only in Chicago but across the entire United States." But you're insistence that that book IS the source is just completely throwing me. Why? I guess I don't understand why the need to exaggerate the connection between the two. They both cover the same topic, that was all the in you needed to plug that book/article.

And your reply comment is an appeal to originality and an appeal to quality. It's fallacious and irrelevant to my point. And kind of disappointing that you're disparaging good content to make your thing look better.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago

I'm not sure what you're on about. Just because the guy won awards you think the video must have used his stuff as a source, even though the videos sources don't list it? https://www.climatetownproductions.com/chicago-meters

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

There are timestamped sources in a link in the description.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

He kind of went off the deep end with the twitter files though about hunters laptop