No
Games Chicago has sent the same team who went to Switzerland In June
to meet with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Copenhagen
to do it again. I was one of the delegates who went to Lausanne and
I'm part of the team again.
Ourpurpose then and now is to take a simple message to the members ofthe IOC -- thepeople of Chicago do not want the 2016 Olympics. 84% don't want them,according to a recent poll conducted by the Chicago Tribune. 45%don't want the games under any circumstances and 84% don't wantpublic funds used for the party. Since the city has already spent orcommitted over $240 million for the games (see our tally at the endof this piece), that threshold has already been crossed. Hence 84% ofthe people of Chicago oppose the bringing of the 2016 Olympics toChicago, That's a big number, too big, we think, to be ignored.
Weddn't come on a chartered jet and we're not wearing clothes designedby the First Lady's dress maker. No TV crews saw us off and none willwelcome us back. We did grassroots fund raising up the last moment topay for the trip.
Whenwe went to Switzerland in June we took 100copies of our "Book of Evidence" (download your very own copy --12MB PDF file) that laid out our arguments as to why Chicago wouldnot be an ideal host for the 2016 Olympics. Each of these arguments hasbeen strengthened by developments since then. We're bringing updates to the "Book of Evidence."
Willthe members of the IOC listen?
Willthe arrival of President Obama blind them to the defects in Chicago'sbid and the angry mood of the people who feel abandoned by theirgovernment?
Willthe press continue to fawn over the bid team and repeat their spin asgospel?
Standby for further details.
$243 million and counting ...
$86million for purchase of Michael Reese Hospital site. Lori Healey, president of the Chicago 2016 committee, has said the purchase of the site has nothing to do with the bid, butat the 2016 community meeting at the Palmer House on August XX PatRyan was quizzed by a No Games member and he revealed that theyapproached the city when their plans for siting the athlete's villageover rail tracks proved too expensive.
$11million for demolition of the site.
$1million for securing the site.
Unknownmillions for cleaning up the site (medical waste)
$110million for improving the site.
$35million from the Chicago Park District for the construction ofthe velodrome and kayaking course.
Butwait, there's more ...
$12million in lost revenues from 1,600 boat slips taken off line forthree seasons.
$1billion (probably much more) for security.
Unknowncost for destroying acres of priceless park land and making themunavailable to Chicagoans for years.
Andif there are significant shortfalls or cost overruns, $500 millionfrom the city and $250 million from the state (plus another $250 million for downstate pork projects to mollify the non-Chicago legislators.