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Remember when all the county hacks on the payroll were running around like chickens with their heads cut off, crying about how Forrest Claypool was going to destroy Cook County by laying off everybody? Remember when progressives and reformers were begging people to vote for Tony Peraica and all the DINO pork-choppers were saying that he was Ronald Reagan reincarnated, hell-bent on destroying the social safety net of Cook County? We hate to say we told you so....
At Tuesday's County Board meeting, prosecutors from the Cook County State's Attorney office showed up, en masse, to demand the raises they were promised by the Toddler some 5 months ago, only to be told that there was no money available. So sorry. Maybe next month. Meanwhile, Stroger pushed through a series of contracts with other county employees that will grant them 15% raises, free parking, and county financed meals for them and their friends.
As if that weren't enough, the Toddler is now indicating that a new round of tax increases will be necessary to keep the county solvent should the prosecutors actually get a raise.
The easy swipe to take at the Toddler, the cheap shot really, is to accuse him of being a corrupt puppet of the Daley-Beavers machine that is holding all of us hostage. The fact of the matter, though, is that the blame lies squarely on a group of Cook County Commissioners - Republican and Democrat alike - that sold us out on this year's budget. (Yeah, we're looking at you, Mike Quigley!) If there was ever a time to start standing up to the corrupt group of thieves that are running the county these days, it's now. Instead, they all want to dance around the issues, avoiding the tough decisions and potential political fallout from actually making a painful choice. Tragically, we can expect several more years of this bullshit.
Image via Extra!
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I had a gutt feeling they would have to raise taxes.
Endure only "several more years..." Unfortunately, it will be more than several. This BS has been ongoing for decades and really shows no signs of slowing down. All we hear about every election is how the board and local politics need reform, yet you've got all these idiots who keep putting the exact same people in power. Now we've got this true whack job for a county president, put there by the very people he is going to hurt the most- yet they are the ones who will vote him right back there next election if they are told to.
When were progressives and reformers begging people to vote for Tony Peraica? I seem to recall all the progressing running around like chicken little screaming that he was going to ban abortion from Cook County! Who cares if he was qualified for the job... he was a REPUBLICAN! THEREFORE HE MUST BE EVIL!
We as the voters are getting what we deserve on this one.
I'll have you know, Guest #3, that as a progressive, I voted for Peracia.
I knew plenty of so-called progressives who fell for the abortion propaganda, or who someone though Tony Peraica would come after gays. These are college educated people with good jobs, too--not some leftist dolts finishing their 12th year in grad school.
A few more years? Uh, yeah. Try a few more decades, at least.
Not entirely, 1:45/2:07. I am a lifelong Dem who voted for Peraica, because I knew Stroger was a tool from the start.
First time I ever voted for a Republican. Fat lot of good it did.
This is what we get for voting for a man who suffered a debilitating stroke a week before the election. In fact, where is John Stroger now and what is his prognosis? I haven't heard anything about him since his meathead son won. For the record I voted for Forrest Claypool in the primary and wrote him in on my election ballot.
I can't believe that there is a law on the books that prevented Claypool from getting the nomination, but I guess it was so if you lost, you couldn't have your competition "removed" and get the nomination.
I'm with #4 and #6, a lifelong Democrat who voted for Peraica because I'm not a blind idiot. I knew what this would be ... anyone with half a brain would have known. Unfortunately, the majority of Cook County can't claim half a brain between them, so this is what we get. And yeah, we'll get it again ... and again ... and again.
I'm a staunch democrat and voted for Peraica. The nepotism of installing the Toddler and long history of Stroger cronyism turned me off.
sorry. No sympathy for those prosecutors who pulled this stunt on behalf of their boss Dick (Torturer Enabler) Devine and got away with it. Maybe these same prosecutors should first prosecute
Mr. "To Cover up is Dick Devine", first for rail roading innocent Black folks onto death row for the best part of their lives after being brutally tortured first by Jon Burge. And the hits never stop as Devine then had the
crass racist tumidity to defend Burge in a civil suit brought because of Burge torturing innocent men, Yea, I voted for Stroger and still say he was the best of the bunch. Oh. but that's right, I'm suppose to ignore the stench of human righs abuse to beat up on Stroger
the only reason Peraica lost is due to the fact that simple minded fools fell for the old line that republicans are evil no matter what and at every political level. While it looks like many people in the editorials crossed the line and voted for Peraica, I know of many others who couldn't stand the fact they'd vote republican. It really is a shame. On the flip side I had no trouble as a republican switching to vote for Claypool because I saw the big picture. It's a shame others weren't able to do the same. I really hope after the latest upcoming tax increases people finally get off their schnide and start a little voter revolution. As Claypool said "It's your tax dollars" don't let them squander it.
thank you very much to the morons who 'wrote in' claypool on the general election ballots. IT DIDN'T COUNT! YOU THREW YOUR VOTES AWAY!
Oh. but that's right, I'm suppose to ignore the stench of human righs abuse...
and by ignoring the stench of human rights abuse, Spook, you are referring to the cesspool of hopelessness in the Juvenile Detention Center? The same horrible JTDC that John Stroger helped create, and Todd Stroger has perpetuated, in spite of the fact that they are condemning an entire generation of young black men to crime, poverty, and a lifetime of bad choices? Just looking for some clarification on your position here.
Kevin:
I plead the 5th,( smile) but on the real, seems like alot of people are perpetuating the JTDC, like a thousand chuches both Black, Latino and white, and politicans including Jesse Jackson, Daley,etc- by their silence on the issue.
Honestly I'm not beefing against your honest critique on these issues, I'm just wondering how much different it would be systematically under Clayfool or Tony Paranah? Seems like we are just interested in placing a nice light pink and blue blanket over these issues( like the Chicago Public Schools, and CHA) so we can go back to sleep in the safety of mostly nortside neighborhoods
And this is why Chicago will never get past its race issues, people like Spook who refuse to look objectively at what people in power are doing solely because they're black. Sure, Daley's evil and all the northside aldermen are evil and Claypool and Peraica are evil. Fine. That doesn't make Stroger any less evil.
Chicago's black population needs to show it can be a reasonable as anybody else, that it can clean up its own house, and that it doesn't operate under any special rules. Todd Stroger is the most corrupt, most inept politician I have ever seen, anywhere. Don't give him a pass simply because of his skin color.
Hey "Guest" why don't you learn to read critically first, I give no passes( to white or black) especially on stupidity
It's funny that Devine and the media keep referring to every affected employee of the State's Attorney's Office as "prosecutors." This is spin. Most of Devine's underlings do not prosecute crimes. They are (1) non-lawyers and (2) lawyers who do not practice criminal law.
"Most of Devine's underlings do not prosecute crimes. They are (1) non-lawyers and (2) lawyers who do not practice criminal law."
This statement is flat-out wrong on both counts #17.
First, there are about 1400 employees (after the 144 who were recently laid off) with about 800-850 of them being lawyers. The rest are support staff and investigators. The investigators are unionized and have a contract. The support staff recently unionized (primarily because they have not received COLAs either) and are presently negotiating their contract.
Second, approximately 85, or TEN percent, of the lawyers work in the Civil Bureau defending the County. There are also approximately 50 lawyers who prosecute child support cases in civil proceedings against dead-beat parents. The rest practice criminal law.
Stop making things up.