It's Not About the Money

Of course it isn't:

• Motorists who are stopped by police while chatting or texting on handheld devices now face higher fines in Chicago.

  The City Council approved the measure yesterday.

  Drivers caught on handheld mobile phones in Chicago could face fines of $100. It was $75 before.

  If someone gets into an accident while on the phone, the maximum fine more than doubles, from $200 to $500.

  But, Mayor Richard M. Daley insists it’s not about the money. He says it's an issue of safety.

And on Thursday, we saw a wondrous sight. Not one, but two CTA supervisors out writing tickets in honor of Lincoln's Birthday. The CTA supervisors were not writing cars parked in bus stops, but rather Rush Hour Parking Restrictions (7am-9am or 4pm-6pm) along the route.

On a city holiday.

We're sure that was all about safety, too, and not hammering a few hundred citizens who might have taken the opportunity to sleep in with the kids off school and many businesses closed.