Letter from Mary MacElveen re Chicago rejection of fuel aid for poor.

[acmejack]

I know you know what needs to be done! Thanx....

Dear Folks,

On our site, VHeadline.com, I read where the Chicago Transit Union has refused an opportunity to alleviate commuting costs for hundreds of thousands in the Windy City's low-income neighborhoods. This is unacceptable. To read our article in full, please go to this link: Chicago is refusing Venezuelan discounted oil to low-income neighborhoods After you have read our article in full, I am strongly urging all of you to take action to demand that the elected officials I wrote below take action and accept that aid package coming from CITGO oil and President Hugo Chavez.

The contact information is provided for your use below. I ask that you pass this on to others also urging them to contact them as well. Thank you,Mary!

Mayor Richard M. Daley
Office of the MayorCity Hall - 121 N. LaSalle, Room 507
Chicago, IL 60602 Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone]
Email: http://tinyurl.com/cqbc6

To Mayor Daley, December 30, 2004

It has come to my attention that on December 28th, The Chicago Transit Authority refused an opportunity to alleviate commuting costs for hundreds of thousands in the Windy City's low-income neighborhoods. Instead of accepting deeply discounted fuel from the Venezuela-owned CITGO Petroleum Corporation, the city is instead raising fares to solve budget shortfalls. That is simply unacceptable, Mayor Daley and it is up to you to fix this on behalf of those who elected you to office.

I am of the belief that this is purely a political move since there is heighten tension between Washington, D.C. and Venezuela and the citizens of your city should NOT be caught in the crosshairs. As a journalist for VHeadline.com which is a Venezuelan news site, I was sent to the Bronx to cover that delivery and to see the faces of those who would receive this oil was phenomenal.

A woman even came up to me and said: “Thank you, President Chavez” When I saw the CITGO oil truck roll up after the signing ceremony, my first thought was, the Calvary has arrived. I felt that way and so did others since Bush is doing nothing to help the poor in this country. Even Representative Jose Serrano stated: “America is not taking care of its own” Both Representative Jose Serrano and Representative William Delahunt should be applauded for brokering this deal with President Chavez and CITGO when President Chavez traveled to this country back in September.

They both put people before politics and you should do the same. As I type this letter, I know that residents in both Boston and in the Bronx are being kept warm and they have President Chavez and the CEO of CITGO Felix Rodriguez to thank. I will be sending a copy of this letter out to Governor Blagojevich, Senator Obama, Senator Durbin and out to many political activists.

I will also be sending this out to those within the Chicago media.

Sincerely, Mary MacElveen
Columnist for VHeadline.com [email protected]

Governor Blagojevich
207 State House
Springfield, IL 62706
Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone]
Email: http://www.illinois.gov/gov/contactthegovernor.cfm

Senator Barack Obama
Washington D.C. Office
713 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: http://obama.senate.gov/contact/

Senator Dick Durbin
Washington, DC
332 Dirksen Senate Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone]
Email: http://durbin.senate.gov/contact.cfm#contact

[cal04]

1. Chicago is refusing Venezuelan discounted oil

(thanks for posting)
Chicago is refusing Venezuelan discounted oil to low-income neighborhoods...

In an October meeting with representatives from the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), the city’s Department of Energy and other city officials, CITGO unveiled a plan to provide the Chicago with low-cost diesel fuel. The company’s stipulation, at the bidding of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, was that the CTA, in turn, pass those savings on to poor residents in the form free or discounted fare cards.

The Chicago Transit Authority is refusing an opportunity to alleviate commuting costs for hundreds of thousands in the Windy City’s low-income neighborhoods. Instead of accepting deeply discounted fuel from the Venezuela-owned CITGO Petroleum Corporation, the city is instead raising fares to solve budget shortfalls.

In place of the proposed discount, which the CTA apparently does not want Chicagoans to even know about, budget shortfalls will be addressed by fair hikes. Chicagoans who are unaware of the Venezuela offer will be hit with an increase of 25 cents per ride next month, and discounted route-to-route transfers will be eliminated for passengers paying cash.

“This is going to hurt the poor and the minority people, like me,” said Dorothy Chew, resident of Humboldt Park, where one-third of residents live below the federally recognized poverty level -- currently just $16,000 for a family of three. Chew relies on the CTA to get to work and to Chicago Commons, where she attends classes daily in preparation for taking her GED. Since she rarely has money to invest in a fare card, she will be forced to pay for transfers the majority of the time.

http://www.vheadline.com/readnews.asp?id=47544

[NoFederales]

2. When the buses and the L become ghost vehicles, what then Chicago?

NoFederales