Beg, Borrow Or Steal

Two longstanding budget problems were resolved today that impact my life, and as usual I'll weigh in on each. First of all, the senior university faculty here in Israel ended their 90 day strike, reaching an agreement with the government that will provide 16.8% compensation for salary erosion due to inflation over the past decade. The compromise was drafted by the head of Israel's uber powerful Histadrut labor union. Needless to say, I am relieved that the academic year will not be canceled, as that would have had catastrophic effects on the country in the following years. As it stands, the beginning of next fall's semester will likely need to be pushed back to accommodate the start of the semester at a time when it was supposed to be ending. Nor will there be a break between the semesters to come. However, a greater disaster has been averted.

Meanwhile back home in Chicago, the RTA will receive the money necessary to avoid the so called "doomsday scenario", which would have involved huge fare increases, service cuts and layoffs. That would have meant job loss all over the city, and it would have been a death knell for public transportation in Chicago. I am something of an advocate for public transit, and I don't really think the bill goes far enough in addressing the problems. It doesn't provide any money for capital projects, so maintenance and development will continue to sit on the back burner. Even so, service cuts will not go into effect, which was crucial for the health of the city.