My Blog

Category: Society

  • The Rahm Situation, Part I: Enforce the Law

    The surest way to get a bad law repealed is to enforce it strictly.
    — Abraham Lincoln

    While editorial boards, talking heads, and policy wonks from near and far are condemning the recent Appellate Court decision removing Rahm from the ballot based on emotion, there has been little discussion in the media as to what the law actually says.

    It’s time we acknowledge, our city and state governments have passed a lot (a LOT) of poorly worded, half-baked laws.  As someone who’s read a few laws in their day I can tell you that many of our laws as so poorly written that even our best judges struggle to figure out what the law really is.  This leads to more appeals and costs everyone money.

    I read both the majority opinion and the decent of the Appellate Court.  Then I reviewed the actual code.  In the end, I believe the Appellate Court got it right.  There are two requirements to run for office in this city and one of them is residency.  As John Kass wrote his headline today, “The law, at least, doesn’t care who sent ya.”

    Further, I’m against judicial activism.  I believe judges should rule as the law “is” and not what they think the law “should be.”  We should follow Lincoln’s advice and strictly enforce the law as it is written.  And then, we should change the law, so that we don’t have this problem again.

  • Unions Investment in Chicago (Elections)

    Four years ago, SEIU spent almost $2.5 million in Council races, spearheading a union effort that helped depose Daley allies like Madeline Haithcock, Shirley Coleman and Dorothy Tillman. Asked about the budget for this election, Balanoff said SEIU expects to be involved “at the same level as last time.” Total expenditures by SEIU and other labor groups, including the CFL, could top $4 million, union sources told the CNC.

    (Full story here.)

    Just ask yourself, why would unions spend $4 million of their members money on municipal elections?  Because it’s worth it.  They get an excellent return on their investment.

    The union makes millions in political donations and they get multiple millions in return.

    So who’s looking-out for the taxpayer?

  • Wisconsin ‘Open for Business’

    Wisconsin is open for business. In these challenging economic times while Illinois is raising taxes, we are lowering them. On my first day in office I called a special session of the legislature, not in order to raise taxes, but to open Wisconsin for business. Already the legislature is taking up bills to provide tax relief to small businesses, to create a job-friendly legal environment, to lessen the regulations that stifle growth and to expand tax credits for companies that relocate here and grow here. Years ago Wisconsin had a tourism advertising campaign targeted to Illinois with the motto, ‘Escape to Wisconsin.’ Today we renew that call to Illinois businesses, ‘Escape to Wisconsin.’ You are welcome here. Our talented workforce stands ready to help you grow and prosper.

    —  Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker

    (Full story here.)

    Wow!  Thanks to the trifecta of stupidity known as Quinn, Madigan, and Cullerton we can begin to shed even more jobs from Illinois.

    Of course, we can’t really blame Quinn, he ran on the platform of raising taxes.  So it says more about us (and by us I mean the people, not including myself, who voted for him) than it does about him.

    Despite the fact that the state voted these people into office, we really, honestly, deserve better than this.

  • Robbery using Pepper Spray (instead of handgun)

    Three men attempting to rob a Loop Old Navy store Tuesday by deploying pepper spray fled without stealing anything.

    Three men entered a retail store at 35 N. State St. about 7 p.m. and one of them deployed pepper spray or a similar chemical agent on three patrons in an attempted robbery, police News Affairs Officer Veejay Zala said.

    (Full story here.)

    I wouldn’t normally post this (it’s really just another crime in the city) but it goes with the story below, about guns not being the problem.

    Bad people will do what bad people do.  Should we read this story and demand a nation-wide ban on pepper spray?  Of course not, that’s not the answer.

    The answer is to demand a nationwide ban on criminals.  We need to enforce the laws we have on the books already regarding not just weapons but robbery, auto theft, assault, etc.  The Cook County Courts system must stop being a revolving door where criminals go in and out month after month.

    Until we get serious about crime, banning handguns, high-capacity magazines, pepper spray, knives, 2×4’s, is making it more difficult for law abiding people to protect themselves in a city that is short 2,500 police officers.

  • Daley: Giffords Tragedy Show Need for More Gun Laws

    Mayor Richard Daley expressed sadness and outrage in the wake of the Arizona shooting rampage, and said the incident is yet more evidence that stronger gun control is needed.  …

    “But unfortunately, events like this happen far too often in America. We have to come back with some common sense gun laws. I mean no one should have that type of weapon, that kind of magazine on the streets of America.”  …
    “It isn’t what your beliefs are, it’s basically access to guns . . . we have a killing machine going on because of guns,” he said.

    (Full story here.)

    I was waiting for the right time to respond to the Giffords tragedy and I guess this is it.

    First: Rep. Gabrielle Giffords did not deserve to be shot.  Let’s get that clear.  The situation is a national tragedy.  My heart goes out to not only the injured and their families, but everyone who was at the scene and has to live forever with that memory.  It must be brutal.

    Second: despite calls for civility for over 200 years, mudslinging is part of politics.  Free speech is the law of the land (thankfully) and the Supreme Court has ruled — many times ruled — that the solution to bad speech is more speech, not less.  You got a problem with someone you talk it out.  You do not shoot them.

    Now then, with that out of the way…

    Daley’s reaction, and the media’s reporting of the story as a whole, is itself abysmal and tragic.  Is this news?  Of course.  But this story is blown way out of proportion.

    First: Daley’s quote,  “It isn’t what your beliefs are, it’s basically access to guns . . . we have a killing machine going on because of guns,” shows just how dumb this guy really is.   This event occurred because of guns about as much as DUI’s occur because of cars.  If this lunatic drove a van full of explosives into the crowd and went boom would the mayor want to ban vans?  Of course not.  This event happened because of one thing, an evil man.

    Second:  Six people dead and 14 injured.  That happens nearly every week during the summer in Chicago.  Every week in June, July, August.  Over and over and over again.  Year in and year out.  And where is the national story, the outrage, the discussion by the talking heads?  Where’s the policy wonks talking about why and how to solve?  Why isn’t Dianne Sawyer on location in Lawndale interviewing survivors?

    A one time spree killing by a madman is going to happen from time to time.  Such events simply cannot be prevented.

    Another national tragedy is that we’re allowing hundreds of our youth, mostly African-American males, to be gunned down in the street and it receives little to no attention.  Either the media doesn’t care, or the society doesn’t care.  Either way it bodes badly for our city and for America.

  • Your in Debt, Your Children are in Debt

    Tribune ran a great story this week about how the city is hopelessly in debt.  The story is worth reading and can be found here; but what’s really interesting is a chart (actually a series of charts) attached to the story.  Here’s what you need to know:

    • Chicago’s cash debt is about $6,87 Billion or around $2,371 per person.
    • We know from previous stories that our past due pension obligations are apx. $7,000 per person

    So your total CITY obligations are about $9,371 per person.  This naturally does not take into account continuing interest on the debt, the 2010 city budget, or ongoing pension obligations.

    The people of this city have a choice, they can bury their head in the sand and continue to elect these numb-skulls or do what’s necessary to turn this place around.

    We know from today’s previous story, that raising taxes will only scare people and job creating businesses away.  We need pro-business, pro-middle class tax policies and we need them now.

  • Yes Virgina, People Flee High Taxes

    The results of the 2010 Census are coming in and show:

    First, the great engine of growth in America is not the Northeast Megalopolis, which was growing faster than average in the mid-20th century, or California, which grew lustily in the succeeding half-century. It is Texas.

    Its population grew 21 percent in the past decade, from nearly 21 million to more than 25 million. That was more rapid growth than in any states except for four much smaller ones (Nevada, Arizona, Utah and Idaho).

    Texas’ diversified economy, business-friendly regulations and low taxes have attracted not only immigrants but substantial inflow from the other 49 states. As a result, the 2010 reapportionment gives Texas four additional House seats. In contrast, California gets no new House seats, for the first time since it was admitted to the Union in 1850.

    There’s a similar lesson in the fact that Florida gains two seats in the reapportionment and New York loses two.

    This leads to a second point, which is that growth tends to be stronger where taxes are lower. Seven of the nine states that do not levy an income tax grew faster than the national average. The other two, South Dakota and New Hampshire, had the fastest growth in their regions, the Midwest and New England.

    Altogether, 35 percent of the nation’s total population growth occurred in these nine non-taxing states, which accounted for just 19 percent of total population at the beginning of the decade.

    (Full story here.)

    You cannot tax your way to growth and prosperity.  People will (a/k/a already have and continue to) leave high tax areas like New York, Massachusetts, California, and Illinois for low taxes places like Texas, Nevada, and Florida.  High debt plus high taxes means the loss of the middle class, jobs, and everything a city (or state) needs to survive.  In Chicago we have the trifecta, debt, taxes, and corruption.

    We need real change and we need it now.

  • Illinois, Worst for Retirement

    The list, with Illinois leading the pack, comes from website TopRetirements.com. According to John Brady, president of TopRetirements.com, the 10 states earn this dubious distinction largely because of three factors: fiscal health, taxation and climate.

    (Full story here.)

    Fiscal health?  We’re bankrupt.

    Taxation?  We’re taxed to death.

    Climate?  We’re heading into 5-6 days below freezing.

    Yep, we hit the tri-fecta.

    Just think, if they added crime and corrupt politicians into the mix we could have had the quinella.

  • Little do to in Property Tax Battle?

    In an article with technical problems over at the Sun-Times, Terry Savage writes under a headline, “Little you can do in property tax battle”:

    While home values are down, many homeowners are shocked by the increases in second-half-of-the year tax bills. Fingers are pointing at the assessor’s office, the Cook County Board and the state’s tax equalization factor.

    (Full story here.)

    I disagree.  There is plenty you can do.  You can vote out of office every corrupt self-serving politician who’s served more than two days in office and create a fresh start.

    On the city level you get that chance in less than 90 days.

  • You Owe $11,647, & That’s Just for Pensions

    Part 1 of 2 on just how completely broken the City’s pension system has become.

    Chicago’s public pension funds are teetering on the brink of insolvency in large part because city officials and union leaders repeatedly exploited the system, draining away billions of dollars in the last decade to serve short-term political needs….

    As a result, the funds soon may not be able to keep promises that are codified in the state constitution, threatening the retirements of tens of thousands of rank-and-file union members and leaving taxpayers on the hook for billions of dollars owed to teachers, police officers, firefighters and others.

    …

    Even if all retirement benefits were cut off today, every man, woman and child in Chicago would owe more than $7,000 to cover obligations already incurred — an amount that doesn’t include state pension debt of about $60 billion.

    (Full story here.)

    According to the U.S. Census Bureau there are 12,910,409 people living in the State of Illinois.  Take the state’s pension debt of $60 billion and divide and you get $4,647.41 in state pension debt per person.  Add that to the $7,000 for us city folk and you get $11,647.

    But that’s not all the debt.  Oh no, far from.  According to these people here, the state debt per citizen is $12,136 (as of this writing.)  So us city folk owe at least $19,000 a-piece in debt between the city and state.  That doesn’t include any Cook County or Federal debt either.

    Think about that — nearly $20,000 every person in this city already owes.

    If you’re not already very angry, you will be shortly when you’re asked to start paying the bill.