DICK DALEY SINGS SAD SONG

Well, apparently Chicago is screwed if we don't get the Olympics. I wonder how all the other cities in America are planning to manage without them. Chicago is SO lucky. We don't have to worry about the future. Our Great Mayor should be showered with praise for arranging this Olympic thing for all of us peasants. But be careful people. If we keep up with the questions about the real costs of the Chicago Olympics, the IOC might not bless us with this wonderful gift. King Richard said so: Stop Throwing Darts or Risk Losing Olympics

"In the next eight years of any city in America, tell me where the economic development is gonna come from. Is it gonna come from the military? The military builds in the south and southwest. It does not build in the Midwest and East," Daley said.

"You tell me one economic program that anyone has offered — both in the private sector or public sector. Every other city would love to have this—when the federal government will spend billions of dollars on infrastructure and on security. Besides that, the national and global publicity we receive from the build-up all the way to 2016. This is the only economic engine. We're talking about jobs. We're talking about contracts…coming into Chicago."

But, the mayor warned, "If people keep throwing darts at it, maybe they will not get it."

Pressed on whom he believes is "throwing darts," Daley said, "Did you read any headlines?" He added, "You beat us up."

He then caught himself and said, "I'm not gonna blame the media because then, you'll say, ‘The mayor is fighting with the media. The mayor is always so arrogant. Then, he's fighting with the aldermen.' No. People can ask questions. But, there was a misconception by the media that I signed" an agreement making Chicago taxpayers the final back-stop against Olympic losses.

Poor Mayor Daley - always the victim. The media is out to get him. He's not a bad guy. In fact, he's a reformer. It's just the media that is causing all the problems. He wishes they would just go away. Let the mayor do his job. Trust him. He hasn't done anything wrong.

Playing the victim pays off, just ask Sarah Palin: Palin Plays Victim and Reaps Rewards

Because you can gain a lot more mileage these days as a victim, even if you have to inflate your victimization..."Sometimes taking offense can be the best offense." A bounty of blessings flow to those who wear the victim crown.

Cue the violins for this victim, our dear dear mayor.

LEAVE HIM ALONE! You're lucky he will even be your mayor, YOU BASTARDS! LEAVE DALEY ALONE! Please!...LEAVE DALEY ALONE! Please! Leave Mayor Daley alone right now! I MEAN IT!

MAYOR DALEY: REFORMER MAN

There Daley goes again. Defending another one of his city employees caught doing wrong. Following Homero Tristan's resignation, Daley reiterated his earlier comments on the matter, which were merely an echo of comments he previously made about the now convicted Al Sanchez and Robert Sorich. From the Chicago Sun-Times:

Daley said he accepted the resignation of Human Resources Commissioner Homero Tristan because the “honest, hard-working” attorney did not want to become a “distraction” to the city’s efforts to implement a hiring system free of politics.

“He doesn’t want to be in the headlines. . . . He’s a wonderful young lawyer. He has good judgement. And he doesn’t want to be the ping-pong ball,” the mayor said.
...

“He didn’t do anything illegal . . . It was a minor violation. But he is not a person to say he stymied anything in city government.”

And then, Daley threw in this gem for good measure:

“If I say something, then you say, ‘Mayor Daley is not the reformer. He’s fighting the reformer.’ I’m more of a reformer than anyone else in regards to the peoples’ money in the city of Chicago,” he said.

Yes. He really said that. And it's not the first time. Remember, he is "leading by example" when it comes to open, transparent government.

From now on, I'm going to call him Reformer Man.
Maybe we can get Neil Young to change up the lyrics on his song just a little:

Reformer Man, Reformer Man
You run the show
Remote control
Direct the action
with the push of a button
You're a Reformer Man
Power in your hand
Reformer Man, Reformer Man

DON'T WORRY, DALEY'S NOT GOING ANYWHERE

Remember that Homero Tristan fellow? Well, he quit.

Human Resources Commissioner Homero Tristan vehemently denied that he tried to cover himself by lying to investigators when asked why he had failed to report an aldermen for attempting to clout a Health Department employee out of a job transfer that would have taken the employee far from home.

But, Tristan said he cannot continue to fight the “reckless” charges levelled by Inspector General David Hoffman and still ask Hoffman to sign off on his department’s performance.

“I’m resigning because I believe I’ve become a bit of a distraction,” Tristan said today.

“The inspector general’s report is grossly erroneous and questionable in its legality. My primary responsibility is to clear my name and reputation and defend the integrity of the Department of Human Resources under my leadership. I can’t do them both simultaneously.”

Man, all it takes is one little Inspector General report and this guy goes running.

And here, we have countless federal investigations and all sorts of scandals and shady dealings surrounding the mayor, but Daley just won't go away. Dude's like a cockroach.

I'm still waiting for someone to step on him. Patrick Fitzgerald?

DALEY'S STILL HUNGRY

Watch your kneecaps. Daley is coming for his money. Collection Agencies May Soon Call on Chicago's Debtors:

The same bill collectors who pester debtors on behalf of credit-card companies are being recruited by Chicago City Hall to go after anybody who owes money to the cash-strapped city.

Just months after pushing through highly unpopular parking meter rate hikes as part of a lease -- and in the midst of a recession -- Mayor Richard Daley's administration is looking for private collection agencies to track down people with unpaid parking tickets, delinquent water bills and other debts.

Last year alone, past-due fines and taxes amounted to tens of millions of dollars, including almost $95 million in unpaid water bills alone. The debts are piling up as Daley faces a budget shortfall his aides peg at about $300 million.

Daley's like The Very Hungry Caterpillar, except I'm pretty sure he won't be transforming into a beautiful butterfly.

















photo by Johnye West


He sold the Skyway. But he's still hungry.
He put TIFs all over the city. But he's still hungry.
He tickets and tows our cars. But he's still hungry.
He charges us fees. But he's still hungry.
He taxes our cigarettes and booze. But he's still hungry.
He taxes our entertainment. But he's still hungry.
He sold city parking garages. But he's still hungry.
He raised our property taxes. But he's still hungry.
He taxes bottled water. But he's still hungry.
He sold the parking meters. But he's still hungry...

DALEY IS HUNGRY. FEED HIM YOUR MONEY.

WTD PRESENTS: A MAYOR DALEY RANT - "MAYOR DALEY IS A SNAKE"

This person gets it. He has all sorts of videos about Daley posted on his youtube page.

Here are my favorites:

Mayor Daley is Chicago's 3 Cobra Snake




Mayor Daley and Illinois Corruption

Let's talk about Mayor Daley. It's only a matter of time, I believe,...before what's due to him, comes to him. And that's nothing personal. What it is, is just knowing that here we have someone who is in power, who has strategically and blatantly ignored the safety of the community...

It goes back to the Aldermen, though. They are the ones who are giving him the green light to anything that he wants to do...

It is just so many issues, you guys. A lady I was talking to, she said "I think Mayor Daley is doing a good job." And I told her, I'm not going to debate it with you. If you don't see, you probably won't see, even after I get through explaining it to you.

Daley Machine Need Like This

BOOT DALEY.


Don't worry. There are more. Check out some of the other videos this person has posted:

Chicago City Officials Need Shower

Mayor Daley and youtube

Mayor Daley and Charity Aeroplane

Time is Change, Chicago Need Change

Daley Sale Parking Meter, Now Planning to Sale Sidewalk

Daley Machine

Daley Machinery Moved Resident's Car and Parked Own Cars to Go See Cubs Games

Daley's Machine: Corrupt or Not?

DALEY DAMAGE CONTROL

The Gazette Chicago chimes in on Daley's Olympic dreams: Mayor's Vision of Olympic Rings Not Exactly Golden:

The City Council and the public have yet to see solid numbers on what the costs will be — and the Council and the public will not be shown those figures for around 60 days, giving us all a short window of time to react before the International Olympic Committee decides which city will get the Olympics. We are expected to have faith in numbers we have not seen.

Once again, whether concerning costs or contracts, City decisions are being made in a hurry, in a vacuum with no transparency and no scrutiny.

What does Chicago’s government machinations usually come up with—the best-case scenario, or the worst? Think about that the next time you’re parking at a meter.

...

Mayor Daley may have gotten President Barack Obama to stump for the games, but he has not gotten him to guarantee one cent to pay for them. The City already is stuck with a 75-year parking deal that’s going to drastically reduce its revenue. Add a Montreal-like potential 30-year Olympic debt, and you have more than a recipe for disaster; you have a recipe for municipal bankruptcy.

In other Olympic news, Chicago 2016 officials are going to hold public meetings:

Mayor Daley’s Olympic team will hold a series of public meetings around the city in the wake of the erosion of public support for the proposed 2016 Olympics following the city’s open-ended financial guarantee.

Working with local aldermen, public meetings are being scheduled so that residents in all of the city’s 50 Wards can meet with the Chicago 2016 organizing committee, aldermen and even Olympic athletes, to talk about the city's bid for the Summer Games.

A Chicago 2016 official pooh-poohed the notion that this was damage control in the wake of Mayor Daley making a surprise announcement that he would sign an Olympic host-city contract that would leave taxpayers on the hook for any losses.

Kurt Summers, chief of staff for Chicago 2016, said this is about keeping the public informed with just 90 days before the International Olympic Committee votes for a host city.

Various meetings are in the works. You can find a schedule here.

No word yet on if these meetings will be like the ones Chicago 2016 secretly held with our aldermen. You know, the same meetings one alderman called a "bullshit" Olympic propaganda briefing.

I'm hoping these Olympic people will let the public take a look at their financial analysis and answer all the questions we have about the real costs of the Olympics in Chicago. But if these meetings are anything like other public meetings in Chicago, I highly doubt it will be much more than a lengthy presentation by the Chicago 2016 folks. Remember what Tom Tresser said in this rant:

Congratulations Mr. Mayor, your lap dogs at the Park District and Chicago Plan Commission have sullied public process and honest government once again. Your appointees to these bodies have shown us that clout and law breaking is what drives policy decisions in your administration. You have appointed hacks and cronies to every agency that is supposed to serve the public. Instead, they are fleecing the public. Your way of governing looks more like Stalinist Russia and Communist China than main street America. This body and the Plan Commission are stacked with your minions who vote in lock step after zero true public debate. This very meeting was called early to cut short public protest.

photo via Gazette Chicago

SURVEILLANCE CREEP: DALEY IS WATCHING YOU

photo by Johnye West

Have you ever noticed all the surveillance cameras in Chicago? Mayor Daley loves him some surveillance cameras:

A highly advanced system of video surveillance that Chicago officials plan to install by 2006 will make people here some of the most closely observed in the world. Mayor Richard M. Daley says it will also make them much safer.

"Cameras are the equivalent of hundreds of sets of eyes," Mr. Daley said when he unveiled the new project this month. "They're the next best thing to having police officers stationed at every potential trouble spot."

I'm trying to be more aware of all the cameras when I'm walking around outside. They are everywhere. And it's even more creepy when you think that the city has the potential to link into the private cameras throughout the city. I don't know about you, but I don't like it.


































And I'm not the only one who is concerned: On Chicago Streets, Cameras are Watching:

But others do worry. Chicago is the largest of a growing number of cities to use surveillance cameras to fight crime. Increasing concern for homeland security has helped tip the balance in favor of the new technologies. But critics see the trend as one more example of the way privacy rights are being sacrificed for the sake of security - a false security, some say - and one more step toward an Orwellian future where all activities are monitored by the government. They call it "surveillance creep."

Others wonder if Mayor Daley is installing surveillance cameras instead of hiring more police officers. Are Blue Light Cameras Replacing Beat Cops?

"Mayor Daley came up to me recently and said, 'Look, I like these crime cameras that you guys are doing in New Orleans. They're cheaper than hiring more police officers and we're gonna do them in a big way in Chicago,'" New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin said.

...

There are scattered success stories with these cameras, but each of them can cost as much as $35,000 to install, and more to maintain. That is still far less than an officer's salary and benefits, but there are many who wonder whether investing in technology rather than police officers on the beat is penny wise and pound foolish.

Chicago Magazine also has an interesting read on Chicago's surveillance cameras: Can Cameras Replace Cops?

So much surveillance raises serious privacy issues, of course, and every technological development seems to push society closer to the dreaded Big Brother universe. But from a strictly law enforcement perspective, the criticism of camera surveillance starts with an obvious but essential fact: A camera cannot make an arrest. Beyond that, how often does a camera prevent a crime? On some streets, criminals are confident that, even though they’re being recorded, their crimes will go unpunished. “In some parts of my ward the guys are so bold they’ll commit crimes right underneath the cameras,” says Alderman Walter Burnett Jr. (27th). “They know where the blind spots are.”

...

City officials won’t reveal the exact number of surveillance cameras in place in the city’s 234 square miles, claiming they don’t want to reveal blind spots in coverage. Nor is it easy to determine how much the city spends on surveillance. Much of the network has been paid for with federal money or tucked into various city department budgets. On a neighborhood level, for instance, aldermen can set up cameras with money from their ward budgets, and there doesn’t seem to be anyone specifically accounting for these local expenditures.

And then of course, the city will probably start using all these cameras to generate more revenue. One idea has already been floated: use red light camera to check for car insurance and - of course - fine drivers who are uninsured.

Or worse:

WTD PRESENTS: ANOTHER MAYOR DALEY RANT FROM A STRANGER - "EPIC DICK MOVE"

I came across the blog driftglass the other day and I just had to share this hilarious post about Mayor Daley and his Olympic lies: Epic Dick Move

And I don't believe it is simply that no one ever explained to Hizzoner the difference between "broke" ...

broke (brk)
v.
1. Past tense of break.
2. Nonstandard A past participle of break.

Adj. 1. broke - lacking funds; bust, skint, stone-broke, stony-broke, poor - having little money or few possessions

...and "broken"

bro·ken (brkn)
v.
Past participle of break.
adj.
1. Forcibly separated into two or more pieces; fractured: a broken arm; broken glass.
2. Having been violated: a broken promise.

Because when you strip away this brand-new batch of smooth, fast-talking promises (OK, the slow, awkward, mumbly-talking promises) what is really going on here is actually pretty simple.

Da Mare is broke – so broke, he says, that he has to sell off the city’s roads, airports and parking meters, fire enough people to populate a small town, and make the rest of his employees take weeks of unpaid “days off” just to keep the doors open – but he also wants to buy a big, shiny new house.

A big, shiny new house in a notoriously volatile market, where mistakes, dumbassery or bad timing have already cost very clever people billions and billions of dollars.

So what do you do when you just gotta have that fucking house, but when the closing date rolls around, for all of your slick patter, the bank still demands that you to put up waaaay more cold, hard cash than you have?

Well, as you bust open their piggy banks, you start making a lot of lavish promises to your children that this time somehow it’ll all be different.

That this time the value of the big, shiny house will just go up and up and up regardless of past history, present circumstances or future uncertainty.

That this time everybody will go home in limousines because...because this time nothing whatsoever will go wrong.

Da Mare is doing nothing less than taking out the biggest fucking subprime mortgage in the history of the world, and putting the City up as collateral.

Because, hey, we all know how well that genius strategy has worked out so far.

The rest of the post is just as great - as are many others on the blog. So check it out.

Plus, I thought the above picture - also from driftglass - was awesome.

NOT DOWN WITH DALEY

See, I'm not the only one that thinks Daley's "record isn't as pretty as the flowers he's planted." Before a Daley re-election bid in 2002, Chicago Magazine made The Case Against Daley:

Now it's re-election time again...Daley will run. Not only that, he'll win. There are no serious challengers in sight.

Too bad for Chicago.

For the past decade, Daley has refused to debate his opponents. Now it looks as if he won't even have anyone to refuse (the only announced candidate so far is a computer consultant named Pat McAllister, who has quickly faded into oblivion).

No debates, no real campaign, no airing of the issues, no holding the mayor to account, no competing visions.

"Opposition tends to dwindle after a couple of re-election wins," says Dick Simpson, the former alderman who teaches political science at the University of Illinois at Chicago. "With more and more power, the mayor becomes like a czar."

This isn't right. No matter how good Daley looks from a distance, he has plenty of warts up close-and they should be examined. His record should be evaluated. What's more, Chicagoans deserve to know how he plans to face the bushel of serious problems confronting the city.

So, while there are compelling reasons why Daley should be returned to power, we present ten compelling reasons why he should not.

1. He's an arrogant, antidemocratic autocrat

...

2. Contract croynism

...

3. He bungles big projects

...

4. The O'Hare mess

...

5. The middle-class squeeze

...

6. The have-nots

...

7. Murder capital, USA

...

8. The police department

...

9. The heat wave

...

10. School days

...

Look, we're happy to give Daley some credit. Running Chicago is incredibly complicated. No one's record is going to be perfect. Maybe he really is the best guy for the job. He's grown in office tremendously. But if you strip away the public relations, this mayor's record isn't as pretty as the flowers he's planted. At the least, his record ought to be debated in a healthy, contentious campaign. He should be challenged by a smart, loyal opposition that would rescue the city's political culture from its one-man rule. That, to us, would produce a stronger Chicago.

Unfortunately, I don't have a subscription, so I was only able to see the first page of this lengthy piece. But it's a pretty comprehensive first page. Check it out for more on each of the items in the above list. Yes, it's not the definitive list of Daley ills, but a good list nonetheless. Certainly reason enough to question our great leader.

PAY TO PLAY, THE SONG

"Pay to Play" - another song inspired by Chicago politics. Mayor Daley makes requisite appearance at the 1:32 mark.



"Pay to Play Politics in Chicago: It's Just a Group of Cheaters, Killing Us All, Slowly"

MORE OLYMPIC BULLSH*T

As usual, Ben Joravsky of the Chicago Reader knows what's up. His article this week provides a timeline of Daley's dance around the truth about how much the Olympics will cost and who will pay for them: On the Hook: Did Mayor Daley ever really believe the public wouldn't have to pay for the Olympics?

Let’s take a moment to doff our hats to the International Olympic Committee, which has accomplished what no one in Chicago—not the press, the City Council, other politicians, or the voters—ever has: it’s made Mayor Daley tell the truth about city finances.

On June 17 the IOC wrested a public confession from Daley that the city of Chicago would have to guarantee any cost overruns if it ends up hosting the 2016 games—even if the ultimate price tag is in the billions of dollars.

It’s a conclusion realists quickly reached after Daley began unveiling his Olympic dreams in the fall of 2006. But that was just months before the February 2007 mayoral election, and back then he promised that not one dime of public money would be used for the games.

...

Well, you know what happened. And just in case you forgot, let me remind you. The mayor was reelected in 2007 with more than 70 percent of the vote. And within two weeks he flip-flopped on his no-public-money pledge.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Mayor Daley is a liar. DO NOT TRUST THE MAN. Don't trust him when he says the Olympics will only cost $4 billion. Don't trust him when he says the Olympics will be privately funded. Simple rule - if it involves money, don't trust him. Chicago taxpayers will pay. And my guess is, it will be a lot more than the $500 million and $250 million already pledged by the city and state, respectively.

Mick Dumke also reports on the private meetings Chicago 2016 and the mayor have held with Chicago aldermen, offering up a great quote from an unnamed alderman:

In closed-door meetings with aldermen, mayoral aides tried to get everyone on message. “These ‘briefings’ were bullshit—we were just given a list of talking points to help us pitch this thing,” one alderman told me. “I said, ‘You have got to be kidding—you think that’s going to work?’ I’ve supported the Olympics bid, but no one believes anything they say anymore.”

You hear that Chicago? Bullshit! Don't believe the hype.

CHICAGO CITY COUNCIL DOIN' WORK

photo via Chicago Tribune: Chicago Aldermen tackle the pressing issue of bathing suit lengths in 1929

Looks like the City Council has been busy. I'm not saying they accomplished anything, but they certainly are keeping themselves busy.

With news that Chicago is grossly overpaying for the transport of dead bodies in the city, some aldermen are wising up:

"I think it’s time to start at zero and justify every single expenditure in the budget,” said 20th Ward alderman Willie Cochran.

Good idea.

The City Council's approval of mandatory furlough days for non-union employees also gave some aldermen the opportunity to voice their displeasure with the city's finances:

Lacking a complete picture of the city’s finances makes voting on budgetary matters difficult, several said.

Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th) referenced the Department of Budget and Management’s “evasion” and “lack of preparation” and said departmental staffers failed to provide information about the furlough proposal aldermen had asked for.

Ald. Leslie Hairston (5th) said budget staffers had shown an “unwillingness to provide information.”

“We need to start creating our own numbers,” she said. “I do not trust the budget department.”

Ald. Manny Flores (1st) even lashed out against corporation counsel Mara Georges during his statement.

“We can’t have a partnership where there is no trust,” he said, his voice rising.

And then, of course, the City Council finally got around to their due diligence on the parking meter lease. Not that it matters now. Chicago Parking Meters: Aldermen Scrutinize Deal After the Fact

Acknowledging fears of political repercussions, aldermen spent Thursday reviewing their quick decision to approve the now-controversial lease of Chicago's parking meters to a private company.

Council members devoted a four-hour hearing to the issue Thursday after spending a mere two days in December considering and approving Mayor Richard Daley's deal to get $1.15 billion upfront from a firm that will reap revenues for the next 75 years from steep rate hikes at all 36,000 parking spots across the city.

The parking meter system's new operators botched the transition, however, leading to a public outcry. And some aldermen said Thursday that business owners in the city's wards believe higher parking fees are driving away customers.

"It's important that we get this right because it will have a damaging effect on metered retail communities, which are the lifeblood of our neighborhoods," said Ald. Thomas Tunney (44th), who's also a restaurant owner.

Better yet, check out John Kass' take on the aldermen's better late than never approach: Long-Winded Aldermen are Short on Memory:

Chicago aldermen spent hours ripping out their chest hair, one painful yank at a time, to protest Mayor Richard Daley's whopping parking meter rate increase, which they had the foresight to overwhelmingly approve a few months ago by a vote of 40-5.

OK, they didn't actually rip out their chest hairs. But they sure screeched like it.

"Utilization has fallen through the floor! We have nobody using these meters. It's not working. If you're going down Belmont, no one's parking on the street," Ald. Thomas Tunney (44th) cried at a hearing on Thursday. He was one of those who foolishly supported Daley's 2016 Olympic Dreams Hidden Parking Tax Increase.

The aldermen were all yelping the same song: No one's using the meters! They really shouldn't have approved his plan!

Anyone thinking about getting out of this meter deal, think again. From the Reader's Clout City blog:

“So how do we get out of this?” Tunney asked the city lawyers and budget officials there to testify.

Their answer: we don’t.

As city attorney Jim McDonald explained, the agreement doesn’t specify any process for “unilateral termination.” “We’d have to negotiate it,” he said. Which means that the tab for tearing the deal up would would almost certainly exceed the $1.157 billion the city got to outsource the meters.

So Chicago Aldermen, what did we learn?

“This is the worst deal I’ve ever seen, but never again—it’s taught us something.”

Which brings me to my next point: Only 11 aldermen have signaled their support for Alderman Manny Flores' ordinance that will cap Chicago taxpayers' liability for the Olympic games at $500 million.

That's 12 aldermen total. We need that number to get up to 26. It better get up to 26. I don't know how the city can even guarantee $500 million when our budget looks the way it looks, with no relief in sight.

For now, you can congratulate these aldermen for having a functioning brain: Bob Fioretti (2nd Ward), Leslie Hairston (5th Ward), Freddrenna Lyle (6th Ward), Sandi Jackson (7th Ward), Willie Cochran (20th Ward), Ricardo Munoz (22nd Ward), Sharon Dixon (24th Ward), Scott Waguespack (32nd Ward), Richard Mell (33rd Ward), Eugene Schulter (47th Ward), Joe Moore (49th Ward).

If you don't see your alderman on this list, call him/her and ask why.

Never again, City Council? Haven't you learned by now?
Prove it.

"F*CK YOU. PAY ME."

This picture was seen on a parking meter somewhere in Chicago and posted at Chicagoist.

You think Daley has seen Goodfellas?



Want to rent a car? F*ck you. Pay Daley.
Want to own a car? F*ck you. Pay Daley.
Want to put gas in your car? F*ck you. Pay Daley.
Want to park your car? F*ck you. Pay Daley.
Want to stay at a hotel? F*ck you. Pay Daley.
Want to go to a concert? F*ck you. Pay Daley.
Want to go to the theater? F*ck you. Pay Daley.
Want to go to a sports event? F*ck you. Pay Daley.
Want to dine at a restaurant? F*ck you. Pay Daley.
Want a beer? F*ck you. Pay Daley.
Want a cigarette? F*ck you. Pay Daley.
Want some bottled water? F*ck you. Pay Daley.
Want to perform on the street? F*ck you. Pay Daley.
Want to peddle goods on the street? F*ck you. Pay Daley.
Want to open a business? F*ck you. Pay Daley.
Want electricity in your house? F*ck you. Pay Daley.
Want phone service? F*ck you. Pay Daley.
Want to fly on a plane? F*ck you. Pay Daley
Want to sell your house? F*ck you. Pay Daley






















photo via Timeout Chicago

ILLINOIS POLITICS - IT'S ALL IN THE FAMILY

The nepotism in Illinois politics is like nothing I have ever seen. From Cook County Board President Todd Stroger and Cook County Commissioner Robert Steele, to Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and our very own Mayor Richard M. Daley.

Check out this pretty comprehensive list I came across over at Windyshitty.

U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinksi replaced his father, Bill Lipinski, in the 3rd Congressional District on the city's Southwest Side and suburbs.

Cook County Board President Todd Stroger was handpicked by party leaders to ultimately succeed his father, John Stroger.

Cook County Commissioner Robert Steele succeeded his mother, Bobbi Steele, when she was promoted to acting board president between the Stroger administrations.

House Speaker Michael Madigan helped his daughter, Lisa, become a state senator and then state attorney general.

Former Cook County Assessor and 19th Ward committeeman Thomas Hynes helped pave the way for son Dan to become state comptroller in 1998.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich is the son-in-law of Chicago Ald. Richard Mell (33rd). Now Mell's daughter, Deborah, is running for state representative. (WTD edit: Deborah Mell is now State Representative for the 40th District)

Ald. Sandi Jackson (7th), wife of U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.(D-Ill.).

Ald. Carrie Austin (34), replaced late husband Lemuel.

Ald. Margaret Laurino (39), replaced father Anthony.

State Rep. Michael McAuliffe (R-Chicago), son of late state Rep. Roger McAuliffe.

State Sen. Mike Jacobs (D-Moline), son of former state Sen. Denny Jacobs.

State Sen. Deanna Demuzio (D-Carlinville), wife of late Sen. Vince Demuzio.

State Rep. Frank Mautino (D-Spring Valley), son of late state Rep. Richard Mautino.

Impressive, isn't it? Can you think of any others that belong on this list?

MAYOR DALEY, IN YOUR FACE

I really enjoyed this post from Mick Dumke at the Chicago Reader: Olympics? Budget? Whatever: Mayor Daley Keeps it Copacetic

But wait, I asked him—what was the agreement you signed on to in Switzerland?

“I signed nothing!” Daley cried out. He ran from behind his podium and stopped directly in front of me, shouting and giggling inches from my face. “I signed nothing! Please! Write that—the Reader! Please! I signed nothing! I signed nothing! I don’t know where you get that—I signed nothing!”

My mistake—he merely promised to sign something: an agreement that the city would cover any cost overruns if it hosts the games.

Frightening. I wish this was on video.

THANK YOU COMMISSIONER PERAICA

Thanks to Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica for the Twitter love on this post.
Keep up the good fight!

DALEY LIES ABOUT CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Mayor Daley would like you to believe Chicago Public Schools are doing great. He said just that at a recent press conference:

"I am proud that every year, schools are improving in every neighborhood across the city in measureable ways...I have made the education of our children my highest priority as Mayor. Of course, there's more to accomplish, but let's give credit where credit is due: It has been a very good year for Chicago Public Schools," he said.

However, a recent report by the Civic Federation has quite a different view. Greg Hinz for Crain's reports:

Chicago Public School reform largely has failed, with the vast bulk of students either dropping out or unprepared for college and apparent gains at the grade-school level more perceived than real. That's the bottom line of a blockbuster report released Tuesday by the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club, a report that directly challenges the legitimacy of one of Mayor Richard M. Daley's major claimed accomplishments.

Titled "Still Left Behind," the report freely uses terms like "abysmal" to describe the true state of public education in Chicago. The report was prepared by committee President R. Eden Martin, a lawyer, with analytical support from Paul Zavitkovsky of the College of Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Half of the students drop out by high school, and of those who remain until 11th grade, 70% fail to meet state standards, the report says. In fact, "In the regular (non-magnet) neighborhood high schools, which serve the vast preponderance of students, almost no students are prepared to succeed in college."

The report directly challenges widespread claims by current and former CPS officials that local students have shown substantial progress over the last decade on standardized tests.

More lies from Daley? Well that's not surprising. As the joke I have often heard goes: How do you know Daley is lying? His mouth is moving.

Of course, the victims here are the children of Chicago. If the education of Chicago's children was really Daley's "highest priority as Mayor," then he probably wouldn't be stealing CPS money through TIF districts all over the city. I guess Daley only likes these kids when it's convenient. Like when it's time to move the Children's Museum to Grant Park. Remember when he said this:

"You mean you don't want children from the city in Grant Park? Why? Are they black? Are they white? Are they Hispanic? Are they poor? You don't want children? We have children in Grant Park all the time. This is a park for the entire city. What do you mean no one wants children down there? Why not? Wouldn't you want children down there?"

MAYOR DALEY IS A BAND

Mayor Daley rocks.

A DICK DALEYISM

You've heard of the Bushism. Behold the Daleyism:

Council Threatens Own Budget Analysis. Daley: responds "They can analycize anything"

Burned by the parking meter fiasco and spurned in their demand for specific information about city contracts, aldermen are making noises about hiring their own budget analysts and generating their own spending plan to rival the mayor's version, just as they did during Council Wars.
...

Daley said he has no problem with aldermen hiring their own budget analysts, and he even made up a word to prove it.

"They can analycize anything. You know that," he told reporters.

But, the mayor took issue with aldermanic claims that his budget advisers had deceived aldermen or concealed information from them.

Eat your heart out Mayor Mumbles.

CHICAGO: OF THE CONNECTED, BY THE CONNECTED, FOR THE CONNECTED

You may have noticed by now that I abhor all the nonsense that goes on in our city government, including the man pulling all the strings - Mayor Richard M. Daley. One thing I just cannot stand is the people in this city that say "That's just how it is in Chicago" or "If you don't like it, move."

I say, why should I have to move? Don't we all have a right to a government free from corruption? And don't we have a right to question our corrupt government? The government is supposed to serve us. You know, all that "of the people, by the people, for the people" stuff. I mean, wasn't it Abraham Lincoln that said that? Isn't Illinois the Land of Lincoln? The least our politicians could do is live up to the words of our favorite son, the principles upon which this very nation was formed.

And just because corruption is how it is - or always has been - doesn’t mean it needs to continue that way. Until people wake up and realize that the corruption is costing all of us, nothing will ever change.

Now, you may be wondering, just how much does corruption cost us? Well former Chicago Alderman and current UIC professor Dick Simpson has an answer, what he likes to call the "corruption tax." Corruption Imposes Hidden Tax on Illinoisans

It’s the “corruption tax” – the extra money Illinois residents pay because of dishonest public officials.

People pay the tax when politicians give government jobs to unqualified cronies and contracts to expense-padding donors. They pay when public employees take bribes to overlook violations, when law enforcement spends millions prosecuting crooked politicians and when people are injured because of government misconduct.

And in the Chicago area alone, this corruption tax costs taxpayers $300 million every year. (Interesting note: What is the size of the estimated budget hole in Chicago this year? Oh, that’s right. $300 million.)

If you are interested, there is a great report by Dick Simpson and others in the UIC Political Science Department - Curing Corruption in Illinois: Anti-Corruption Report Number 1

What has come to be called "The Chicago Way" of corruption has also undermined the sense of political efficacy in voters. Why apply for a city or state job if you know only patronage employees or politician's relatives will be hired anyway? Why report corrupt officials, if you know they won't be punished and they may turn the powers of the government on you? Business owners-especially vulnerable businesses like restaurants and bars give campaign contributions to the aldermen because they are afraid of the city health inspectors or they might lose their liquor license if they don't.

Voters may laugh at times at the antics of public officials but in the end they feel powerless, lose their faith in government, and vote less often because the "fix is in."

It is time to end "The Chicago Way." There are many specific reforms to be enacted. But beyond all the individual reforms is the commitment to change. After more than a hundred years of graft and corruption, it is time truly to become the land of Lincoln rather than the land of "Where's Mine."