Ten things Chicago should tackle post-Olympics loss
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Chicago, it’s time to move on. If Mayor Daley and the Chicago City Council could please get back to work, the city is sorely in need of attention. Starting with,
1. The Police. The Chicago Police Department has been working for two years without a contract, under a leader they don’t trust, and are woefully understaffed.
2. Violent crime. Taking care of the police is a pretty good start, but certainly not enough. More people are dying here than soldiers in Afghanistan or Iraq. Do something. See above.
3. Frivolous laws. Stop wasting valuable time passing laws against raising chickens in the city, serving foie gras or keeping barking dogs. There are more important things. See above.
4. Shut up and listen. Start using this time to actually hear the people of Chicago and what matters to them. We want safe streets, good schools, jobs and a way to get to those jobs. You know, the things city leaders are supposed to focus on.
5. Transparency. Stop brokering deals in back rooms and sneaking around in the dark of night tearing up things you don’t like. Just stop it.
6. Oversight. Stop spending taxpayer money without any oversight. That means TIF money. Reform the program, put a moratorium on declaring new TIFs and get real estate tax revenue flowing back into the parks and schools where it belongs.
7. Transportation. Get to work on the CTA and stop blaming the state. It’s the Chicago Transit Authority. Without it, we’re Los Angeles with crappy weather.
8. Commercial development. Show some support for local business, not just friends and family of campaign contributors. Small retailers and independent operators make the city unique and keep dollars in the neighborhoods, where it does the most good.
10. Start being honest with the citizenry. This may be more difficult than stopping gang violence, but all our elected leaders claim to love this city and the people in. Now prove it.
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Chicago: the capital of crime and corruption, the mismanaged midwestern mockery of a democracy, the lawless leech of larceny led by a dishonest undignified wanna-be deity – has become nothing more than a machine that converts government into cash for the corrupt – and then outputs errant crap about loud dogs while public officials like policemen rob and beat citizens without consequence… What did “change” leave Chicago to go do exactly?
“Get to work on the CTA and stop blaming the state. It’s the Chicago Transit Authority. Without it, we’re Los Angeles with crappy weather.”
All incredibly good ideas… but this one had me lol.
Second City Cop is giving you some love.
http://secondcitycop.blogspot.com/2009/10/another-quarter-heard-from.html
(What DID happen to #9, anyway?)
If I was the kind of person who “lol’d,” I would do that here. But I’m not, so I’ll just say, Second City Cop should be my copy editor. No. 9 went missing in an flurry of revising and never seemed to make it back into the final post.
I’m open to suggestions though, if someone wants to create a No. 9 to round this out.