Sen. Hendon prioritizes free rides over jobs

by Ferman Mentrell Beckless

When State Senator Rickey Hendon was campaigning in the Democratic primary to be the Democratic nominee for Lt. Governor, he boasted that he successfully fought to keep free rides for senior citizens.

He also boasts on his web site that he was the youngest African-American male ever appointed to serve as Assistant Majority Leader in the Illinois State Senate. Are these the only two accomplishments that matter to the people of the State's 5th Senatorial District in particular and the State of Illinois in general?

On Wednesday, Sen. Hendon was seen gloating again about his efforts to keep the free rides for seniors alive. Arguing, along with his Democratic pals on a panel that narrowly rejected a Republican push to prevent affluent seniors from skirting fares on buses and trains and tying the free rides program to a retiree's income would be unfair in a bad economy, the dumb, er sleeping Democratic majority won out again.

Wednesday's bill, sponsored by Senator Minority Leader Christine Radogno (Lemont), would require single seniors receiving an income of less than $27,610 annually, to continue receiving the free ride perk. Single seniors making more would be required to ante up at the fare box.

More distressing is the fact that most seniors in Hendon's West Side Senatorial District would continue to qualify for the free ride. I have driven through that area and haven't seen anything that looks affluent to me.

So if affluent seniors are required to pay, it would appear that hardly anyone in Hendon's district would have to pay.

Commenting on the free rides program as it is, Radogno said "It's the poster child for ineptness and misnagement. And if we can't do something this simpleas as a means test for free rides for seniors, we shouldn't be here."

Democrats on the panel, led by Hendon, insists: "It's outrageous that in these tough economic times that we would allow anybody -- CTA, RTA, the rest of them -- to come and try to take this one, itty, bitty little thing away from our dear poor, struggling senior citizens at a time of economic crisis."

Maybe Sen. Hendon hasn't noticed the spike in unemployment, particularly the unemployment rate in the State's 5th Senatorial District.

Take for instance the Feb. 6 cutback of Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) service that cost 1,200 jobs of men and women who look a lot like Sen. Hendon.

When former Gov. Rod Blagojevich introduced legislation two years ago that included the free rides for seniors, he predicted that the CTA would lose as much as $20 million. The CTA has argued that it has lost in excess of $60 million annually due to the free rides.

I say the numbers the CTA is putting out is conservative.

For example, as a CTA Bus Operator, I saw on numerous occasions where a grandmother would usher a grandchild onto the bus and tell that grandchild to go and have a seat while inserting a "Senior Free Ride Permit" in the fare box then exiting the bus. That grandparent would then yell to that grandchild to "call me when you get home."

What I saw as a teen riding, and a senior using a "Senior Free Ride Permit" for that teen to ride. Isn't that just one of the many abuses this program opened the door for?

Another example is the teen getting on the bus and using grandma's "Senior Free Ride Permit" to ride with. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to determine that this is abuse in the first degree.

While this is going on, Sen. Hendon continues his fight to keep the perk for all senior citizens while his able-bodied neighbors are standing in line at the unemployment offices, applying for meager means to pay bills.

When the CTA announced that it was being forced to layoff thousands of workers due to a $300 million budget deficit, Sen. Hendon was bragging during his campaign that he saved free rides for seniors.

I had no clue that State Seniors were elected solely to protect the interests of senior citizens.

I also would lke to know where was Sen. Hendon when CTA officials lobbied Gov. Pat Quinn for money, $54 million to be exact, so that fares would be frozen during an election year while CTA prepared to lay off 1,200 workers. Shouldn't Sen. Hendon and his colleagues in Springfield been fighting to save jobs during an economic era that has seen millions of jobs just vanish?

I know exactly what has been happening.

During an election year in which Sen. Hendon ran for Lt. Governor, he knew if e didn't win that office that he still had his seat in the Senate. And it appears to me that he was running for the job of Lt. Governor as more of a concerted effort to prevent Sen. Art Turner from winning the primary.

For those who have been asleep. Sen. Hendon and Sen. Turner have been feuding for years and Sen. Hendon's candidacy for the Lt. Governor's job could have been an effort to split the African-American vote or just an effort to stop Sen. Turner from succeeding in his efforts to ascend to higher office.

Sen. Radogno's efforts provided Sen. Hendon with an "out." But he is obviously either too blind to see or he isn't concerned with anyone other than senior citizens, who just may be the only qualified voters in his senatorial district that do get out and vote.

Joining Radogno in an effort to amend the legislation requiring affluent seniors to pay is Steve Schlickman, executive director of the Regional Transit Authority (RTA). Schlickman told the Senate Executive Committee that "This (free rides for all seniors) will become an unsustainable burden to the system in the future.

When the CTA announced it had a $300 million budget shortfall, it planned to cut thousands of jobs. The CTA, in turn, went to Gov. Quinn and asked for money to prevent a fare increase. Gov. Quinn granted the CTA $54 million that it would not have to pay back, money that allowed the CTA to freeze fares for two more years.

The CTA, after receiving the money from Gov. Quinn, then determined it had a $95 million budget deficit for the current year and proceeded to cut services and lay off hundreds of hard working men and women in order to balance the budget.

Meanwhile, hundreds of African-American workers, along with Hispanics and a few Caucasions, were laid off from the CTA.

While the feud between Turner and Hendon continues, Hendon remains in office. Turner, whose seat was up for reelection, didn't take the safe route and not run for Lt. Governor. He gave his seat up.

This article is mainly about Sen. Hendon because he has been outspoken in his quest to become a hero. What he doesn't know is that he could become a bigger hero if he somehow championed jobs for all ad succeeded.

I deplore Sen. Hendon to wake up and smell the coffee. Or, should I say: "Wake up and drink the coffee."

It is high time hat Sen. Hendon and all of his fellow sleeping colleagues in Springfield are held accountable for their inactions during the worst economic era of our lifetime. If these sleeping Democrats don't wake up, I am sure it won't be long before that 37-22 Democratic majority in the Senate vanishes -- just like the thousands of jobs in Illinos