
Dealing with my ongoing Subaru problem is taking up more time. It has kept me from going to any meetings today.
But I did read the news.
And while our Federal government considers reducing the budget for the Department of Defense I hope someone (a Congressman or Senator) throws into the discussion the unintended/unforeseen costs of our volunteer army and over use of the National Guard. Mostly I’m thinking about the medical consequences of multiple deployments of soldiers and the life altering consequences of major disabling injuries.
IMO responsibility for protecting our country should be a duty shared by everyone, male and female, no matter what their economic standing.
But then a sense of community and shared civic responsibility is very important to me. That’s why I undertaking this “Year of Living Civically” and writing this blog.
Meanwhile on the local front, the Emanuel administration is handing our goodies to the good ol’ friends of gone-but-not-indicted Richie Daley. From today’s Chicago Sun-Times, “ A clout-heavy contractor with two generations of ties to the Daley family has been awarded a $115 MILLION NO BID CONTRACT to operate and maintain the O’Hare Airport people-mover system, continuing a nearly two-decade long stranglehold.”
At the same time, Emanuel is reneging on a deal to keep the public libraries open (half-days) on Mondays. He cut about $6.7 MILLION from the library operating budget but the city is still building more libraries. Could this be because construction companies give contributions to politicians but children doing their homework in libraries don’t?
It’s Friday afternoon and I’m off to some gallery openings in River North. New art and cheap wine. TGIF.
But I did read the news.
And while our Federal government considers reducing the budget for the Department of Defense I hope someone (a Congressman or Senator) throws into the discussion the unintended/unforeseen costs of our volunteer army and over use of the National Guard. Mostly I’m thinking about the medical consequences of multiple deployments of soldiers and the life altering consequences of major disabling injuries.
IMO responsibility for protecting our country should be a duty shared by everyone, male and female, no matter what their economic standing.
But then a sense of community and shared civic responsibility is very important to me. That’s why I undertaking this “Year of Living Civically” and writing this blog.
Meanwhile on the local front, the Emanuel administration is handing our goodies to the good ol’ friends of gone-but-not-indicted Richie Daley. From today’s Chicago Sun-Times, “ A clout-heavy contractor with two generations of ties to the Daley family has been awarded a $115 MILLION NO BID CONTRACT to operate and maintain the O’Hare Airport people-mover system, continuing a nearly two-decade long stranglehold.”
At the same time, Emanuel is reneging on a deal to keep the public libraries open (half-days) on Mondays. He cut about $6.7 MILLION from the library operating budget but the city is still building more libraries. Could this be because construction companies give contributions to politicians but children doing their homework in libraries don’t?
It’s Friday afternoon and I’m off to some gallery openings in River North. New art and cheap wine. TGIF.