Voice of the People

The State Legislature is being pressured to enact taxation to collect several million dollars yearly to provide an extension of the NICTD or South Shore to Valpo and Lowell.

After observing what the legislators enacted in previous sessions where they butchered the law of eminent domain, denying citizen protection from condemnations, I believe their first priority should be the checking of their members daily for the use of controlled substances. Those testing positive should not be allowed to serve in the legislature.

Tax money for said expansion? Does the service accommodate everyone? The NICTD or South Shore passes a steel mill at New Carlisle, at Burns Harbor and at Midwest Steel with no stops scheduled. It can hardly be deemed a commuter line.

Let us use some hind sight. The South Shore is a product of Tom Insull’s days. Tom was a big real estate developer. He sold stocks, bonds and shares in his venture. With your money and my brains, we can go far. The South Shore was just transportation to and from Chicago for his clients. The jet set of the day or flappers.

The NYC RR commuter trains or dummies were the commuter line. They operated between Chesterton and Chicago. Operating back and forth with every shift change and stopping at all industries. There was even service between Elkhart and Chicago for the 8-5 crowd. Remember 741 every morning to Chicago.

The spin doctors convinced the commuters to switch to autos and they lost this service.

Tom Insull’s empire crumbled in the depression of the 30s. The investors lost their money. The South Shore with income from NIPSCO coal business kept operating.

The South Shore or NICTD does not benefit all, just the few working in Chicago, but it is a great promotion for builders, developers and real estate agents to get people who work and live in Chicago to move here. The extension to Valparaiso and Lowell is for the same purpose. A real estate agent’s commission of six percent on a $300,000 home is $18,000. How much of this should go to rail expansion?

J.F. Schrader

Posted 11/29/2007