Account for every transit dollar spent

Marni Pyke should be commended for her efforts to smoke out questionable spending habits at the RTA and Pace ("Looking over Pace, RTA travel expenses," Oct. 4).

Transit employees are being reimbursed for taxi rides, New Yorker magazines, and high-end hotel stays.

In many cases, we're being asked to pay for transit employees' travel and lodging expenses so they can turn around and ask another level of government for more taxpayer subsidies.

The CTA/RTA bailout tax hike is still fresh in the minds of many Illinoisans, yet the stewards of that money are not using it as wisely as they should be.

Our organization offered several proposals to inject transparency, accountability and common sense cost savings ideas like competitive bidding for contracts - all were rejected. Before taxpayers hand over another dime in taxes, we deserve to know that what government has already taken from us is being used effectively and efficiently.

That's clearly not the case now.

Kristina Rasmussen

Executive Vice President

Illinois Policy Institute

Chicago