I am a Facebook junkie. I have been enjoying the political discussions taking place as people take sides in the upcoming mayoral race. Just prior to the Feb 4 primary, I had pondered why I hadn’t seen a single sign on the streets to re-elect the current mayor. 

There are undercover Rahm supporters throughout the black neighborhoods. 

But people get paid to put those signs out, and it is a reminder that the mayor doesn’t really have foot soldiers. Other than a letter from Rahm arriving at my house prior to the February election telling my son, who was a city employee, that his voting record had been checked and he hadn’t voted in every election, I didn’t see a single piece of literature involving the mayor’s re-election. Why is that? 

I am curious. How is white Chicago viewing Rahm’s re-election commercials? Is he focusing so much on the black vote via those commercials that he is taking the white vote for granted? 

Will white voters decide to opt for Commissioner Jesus “Chuy” Garcia because his commercials are more appealing, along with his calm demeanor? 

The vote on April 7 will tell.

I like that Commissioner Garcia is willing to get rid of all the red light cameras. 

Rahm has taken a few out of service. I acknowledge that Chicago needs the revenue, and I would like to suggest that Chicago focus on a couple of things. 

First are the folks driving with those cellphones in hand. Their attention is diverted and they cannot pay attention to the road as they attempt to dial that number or look at the Instagram picture or respond to the Facebook post.
I would like to see a new statewide job open that will ticket people, similar to the red light camera, simply for having that phone in their hands. 

The job would be on commission. Each motor vehicle would be equipped with numerous cameras to document, via video, that the person was on the phone. Just like the red light camera, the ticket would go to the car owner. 

But the owner would be able to see who was driving their vehicle via the camera system. 

The tickets need to be of a substantial nature. $500 for those driving commercial vehicles and $300 if the person is driving a regular automobile. 

 The person who is in the enforcement vehicle would receive something like $175 for the commercial vehicle and $125 for the regular automobile.
As I drive to and from work daily, I am constantly behind the person on the phone who is so into their conversation that they can’t pay attention to the road. 

Most scary are the truck drivers. It is alleged that the deaths of the woman and two children on the Southwest Side a couple of weeks back were due to the trucker being on his phone. 

I also want one new camera installed. I am so tired of the people who are traveling from the Eisenhower to the Dan Ryan and cross that white line at the last second, cutting in front of a driver. 

If a major accident happens at that spot, the entire Eisenhower would be backed up. Traffic could move a lot faster and smoother if folks obeyed the traffic law.

Last, I want the bike lanes removed from South Chicago Avenue and Elston Avenue. Those streets, which offered alternatives to the Dan Ryan and the Kennedy expressways, used to move until those bike lanes were put in place. 

With gas still an expensive purchase, the ability to move traffic swiftly and safely through the city is imperative.