Hmmmm…
http://www.southtownstar.com/news/1116455,082008lipinski.article
If they buy EJ&E, will they give the former EJ&E locomotives sublettering like they do with WC, DM&IR and IC? The only problem with Class Is buying shortlines, is that all of the cool power they have gets retired [V]
However remember the Congressman that is supporting this is a member of the Cook County Machince. They do NOTHING UNLESS YOU GREASE THEIR PALMS. Remember a couple years ago Lipsinskli was AGAINST CREATE yet all of a sudden he is for the CN buying the EJ&E someone got a HUGE campaign contribution or something.
Since I reside in Dan Lipinski’s district, I feel obligated to respond. Both Dan Lipinski and his father have long supported Federal transit funding for the Chicago area as a whole. Lipinski Senior was also one of the authors of the CREATE program but couldn’t drum up enough local support from beyond Cook County. This isn’t surprising since the collar counties have historically had a Pavlovian opposition to anything that originated in Chicago or Cook County. Both Lipinskis have long looked at transit and transportation needs from a regional outlook rather than the “keep the riff-raff out” attitude of the collar counties.
The mass hysteria in New Lenox conitinues to be fueld by the mayor and trustees who are nearlly guilty of inciting riots with their hysterical cries of pollution, haz mat wrecks and potential loss of life at blocked crossings. The localpaper had a poll last week withthe three choices being the purchase is bad, horrific or life threatening as we know it. I wrote them a letter stating not everyone opposes this since it runs through farm fields while the ROck Island runs through town blocking the same streets with four times the trains projected for the EJ&E and nobody blinks an eye. Apparently it hit home becasue they will publsih it in next weeks editio.
Take this from some one that lives SOUTH of I-80. We down here feel that you could take Chicago the collar counties and all the Politicains and have them since seats are passed father to son or daughter. Take the case of Todd Storrger. He had a stroke from all reports turned him into a VEGGIE yet he somehow could right that he wanted his son to take over as Cook County President. Now we have King Emil Jones the man who has blocked all Ethics reform at the State level including the right to RECALL our Governor guess who he is replacing himself with HIS SON. Cook Lake and all the other collar counties around CHi town as far as I am concerend are nothing but a cesspool of some of the most crooked politicans in the nation. Anymore those of us that live south of 80 here in Illinois feel that we get ignored simply because all the big shots in power here in IL ARE FROM CHICAGO OUR GOVERNOR ATTY GENERAL TREAUSER COMPTROLLER SEC OF STATE BOTH US SENATORS 14 OF 22 US REPS PLUS OUR SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE AND SENATE PRESIDENT. Now you wonder why we feel like stepkids.
Yeah but you fotgot the one bright thing. If Barry wins the presidency we lose him a senator and I won’t puke everytime he opens his mouth about all he has done for us in his 140 some days as a senator
Hey edbenton:
Do you know if Gary Dahl is a state senator? He started Double D Trucking over in LaSalle years ago and the last I heard he was now in politics.
ed
Yes he is and HE IS MINE. Actually I like him and will continue to vote for him. For the simple reason one HE DONATES HIS ENTIRE SALARY TO CHARITY INCLUDING HIS PER DIEMS. 2 HE REFUSES TO TAKE ANY MONEY FROM ANY LOBBIST. 3 He knows what it means to also start from nothing and build a succesful company up and the last one instead of renting a hotel on the taxpayers dime like everyother State Senator he instead lives in his personal RV instead and pays for it out of the proceeds he got from selling DD Express.
Politics over there sound like Pennslyvania on steriods. I empathize.
edbenton:
I am glad to hear of your opinion of Gary. I got to know him pretty well back around 15 years ago (selling to him). He struck me as an honest man and a hard working businessman…and fair. It is good to know there are politicians out there that are not in it for their own welfare.
Who did he sell out to? Is it employee owned? That was what I heard.
ed
American Political System (local to national) = The best money can buy!
Correct he sold it to the Employees of the Company for 10% less than what it was worth book Vlaue. Ironic thing was he had a couple of the big LTL carriers try to buy him IIRC like Yellow and Roadway he managed and his employees have managed to run them out of that area now. ABF is the only one hanging on now and barely why because DD gives the customers the service they need and for a price that does not break the bank.
Sounds like a good person, however, regarding the EJ&E merger, I don’t think the STB will go along with CN’s October 15th deadline. I think it will be very close whether they can get it done by the 31st or not. I think CN will have to work out backdoor deals with towns along the line, much like they already did with Joliet.
Not wanting to get into politics, but now you know how those of us south of 36 have always felt. Seems we can’t get anything done without greasing Chicago’s politico wheel. It’s just the last few years have gotten even worst.
inch
As far as the CN/EJ&E’ I hope it’s approved. Part of CN’s plans [if I remember right] was to increase traffic thru Memphis for quicker routing to the southeast. The only problems there might be with that plan is that most of the Chicago-Cairo line is single tracked now. So some bottlenecks could be possible causing delays for Amtrak.
inch