CNN occaisionally reports on things that are a little too obvious. Like, for example, Lewinsky says her past has hurt her love life. Duh.

My paper for class today is a complete joke. I got home from work at 11:30 last night (I had to stay to see Henry V), and was not in the mood. So it's three semi-coherent paragraphs and a bunch of numbers that I made up.

Yesterday my brother sent me a link to The Meatrix approximately 2 minutes after I had finished watching it. Great minds think alike, and the internet works in mysterious ways. But you should all watch: it makes a very good (very important) point without preaching.

Yesterday Chicago alderman agreed to a fee hike. (I think you need to subscribe to read the article about it in the Trib). The increases mean
1) SUV owners will have to pay $90 for their city stickers (vs. my $75)
2) there's a new restaurant tax of .25% on top of the 8.75% we already pay.
3) Parking meters in MY NEIGHBORHOOD ONLY now demand money evenings and Sundays.
4) Water is more expensive.

My opinions? I know you want them...The city needs money, and these are good strategies. As a non-property owner I wouldn't care if property taxes increased, but that's just because I'm selfish. But I'm still going to whine.
#1 is great. But it only applies to SUVs that weigh 4,500 pounds or more. In other words, according to the city of Chicago Explorers, Mountaineers and Grand Cherokees are not actually SUVs.
Also this ignores the fact that I deeply resent having to pay a fee just for the privilige of parking in the city. Those of you who don't drive here should note that this is in ADDITION to the yearly plate renewal fee (over $100) and the yearly parking zone stickers if you live in a zoned neighborhood ($30-50).
#2 is a little ridiculous. Although it doesn't change the "double the tax to get the tip" rule. But that feels like a huge tax on top of an already high sales tax.
Don't get me started on #3. In some ways it is brilliant, solving congestion and fiscal issues all at once, but it also may increase traffic problems like double parking, circling, and so on.
Also, it points to a system wide inequity--the fee for an expired parking meter is $100. The fee for parking without a zone sticker is $50. huh?

Okay, enough about city politics. Half of you don't care, half of you don't drive, and the other half...wait...

As Sean Connery would say "many things are half the battle. Lets talk about what's all the battle."

hee!
- posted by Heidi @ 8:18 AM