Keyes, Obama back Peotone

[question everything]

www.suntimes.com

http://www.suntimes.com/output/elect/cst-nws-sen18.html

August 18, 2004

BY SCOTT FORNEK Political Reporter

Democrat Barack Obama and Republican Alan Keyes are in different worlds on most issues, but the rival U.S. Senate nominees agreed Tuesday that the South Side and south suburbs need help -- and a third airport could be the answer... Keyes said he is still making up his mind about what needs to be done to relieve congestion at O'Hare Airport, but sounded like he was moving closer to supporting a third airport in the south suburbs.

(snip)

In his op-ed piece, Obama embraces both a third airport and new runways at O'Hare... The airport issue has been a thorn between the two Senate hopefuls since Keyes moved to Illinois from Maryland last week to enter the race. Obama has chided Keyes for failing to have a position on the important issue.

Obama had not made much of his own views on airports until Tuesday. His position is one that should please two Democratic allies -- Mayor Daley, who wants more runways at O'Hare, and Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.), the chief booster of a third airport.

(snip)

But the former presidential candidate from Maryland said he agreed with Jackson that a new airport could be a long overdue economic engine for distressed South Side and south suburban communities.

(snip)

[madrchsod]

1. you can`t have it both ways

o`hare will get the new runways because united and american do not want peotone and no one has agreed to move their operations there. peotone and the transit/road system to downtown chicago and suburbs is at least 10+years away, probaly more like 20. maybe a good idea 10 yrs ago but now there isn`t a dime to start it...

[poliguru]

2. Plus, south siders aren't even necessarily for it

A lot of us are concerned that we'll hear nothing but airplane noise if Peotone opens, depending on where they route the traffic. I worked at a school near O'Hare a few years ago, and I don't know how people stand it.

[Parche]

3. Ohare

With United in bankruptcy and American close to it,
no way will they change hub airports, its way too expensive

[barb162]

4. several years ago

I talked to a guy (GOP) who was in the US House and basically the land needed for Peotone was bought up by both Dems and GOP a long time ago as they were going to profit. Both sides, judges, congressmen, all of them. Where is the money for this airport coming from? The taxpayers. It costs billions to make an international airport. Yeah, and the airlines are going bankrupt like flies. Plus the people who live around there don't seem to want it. But that vested interest, the ones who already bought the land, they will see that airport gets built.

O'Hare; if they stop trying to squeeze 10000 flights in between 4-7pm there would not be constant backlogs at that airport. When you look at where Peotone is, it makes no sense to have an airport there.

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

5. Why not just really expand the Gary Airport....

...lot of underutilized industrial land there, plus transit (South Shore Line) and freeway connections close in. ..

on edit, heres a pix..looks pretty close to Chicago

[poliguru]

6. It is pretty close

The problem is that since it is in a different state, there is no public trans. that goes between Chicago and Gary, and not even a possible plan in the works. And the logistics of it, involving two state legislatures, would be a nightmare.