Yet another Chicago-area airport option

By Jack Mabley of the Chicago Daily Herald

Friday, August 09, 2002

"I am opposed to the expansion of O'Hare International Airport, though probably not for the reasons you think," states Steven Burgauer, Libertarian party candidate for U.S. senator.

"I am also opposed to construction of a new airport in Peotone, though I'm sure you'll find my reasons frustratingly practical.

"Illinois already has three major airports serving the Chicagoland megalopolis, four if you count Milwaukee.

"Why not start running the three airports—Midway, O'Hare, and Gary/Chicago—as if they were one?

"Why not continue the upgrade of the DuPage Airport to support commuter traffic? For a relatively low cost per mile, we could build a limited-access monorail system to connect the four airports and squeeze out economies of scale for years to come."

Voters who are disgusted with both major political parties frequently express their frustration by voting for a third-party ticket.

Once in a while a third party can lose big but still swing an election. Example: Ralph Nader in Florida in 2000.

The Illinois Libertarian party may take enough votes away from Republican candidate for governor Jim Ryan to assure Rod Blagojevich's election.

I print this long quote from Burgauer because it makes so much sense. The two Senate candidates and Ryan and Blagojevich wouldn't dare back such a plan because it would offend the big-money interests who finance their campaigns.

The Libertarian basic philosophy is to reduce government to minimal necessities.

It's a nice ideal, but I don't think it is practical because we need more government to protect us against crooks and connivers and law benders and crooked politicians.

But the Libertarians have some great ideas, and this airport approach is one.

The mechanics for such a plan are already in place. The Chicago/Gary Regional Airport Authority was established in 1995 by Mayors Richard Daley and Scott King of Gary.

Daley notes that "the Authority is dedicated to the coordinated growth of all Chicago-area airports."

Chicago attorney Earl Neal chairs a 12-member board, appointed from Illinois and Indiana equally.

Except the state of Illinois is trying to ignore the authority, failing to appoint our state's authority board member.