CTA and it's

The handout by Blago giving free rides to seniors is an absolute disgrace. Seniors as a demographic have more money than anyone - maybe not income - but wealth. And for him to then turn around and cut the state subsidies is an additional outrage. It's obviously a desperate grab for votes by an increasingly unpopular governor beleaguered by scandal and defection within his own governing party, that working riders of the CTA are going to end up paying for.

I am an infrequent rider. I have a card because if you don't have one then you pay more for a ride on CTA trains and busses. I just found out today that one of my cards expired July 1, 2008 with $8.00 on it and I CANNOT GET my money transferred to a new card. The money is lost forever because of CTA policy - NO REFUNDS. I am not looking for a refund. I just want to use my $8.00 on a future ride. Like I said I am an infrequent rider, you would think that a 1 year validity is enough time but it is not and CTA should not be able to keep my money. What if I had more on there? Is this CTA answer to keeping the customer happy by keeping their money? If I don't get to a machine before the card expires, I should automatically get a new card the next time I am at a machine. This is not fair and I would like to get a new card with my money on it. Any suggestions???