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Restaurant Salt Ban Is Purely a New York Thing
Wolves Could Be Making Return To Illinois
New Exhibit Storms Into the MSI
As some commenters pointed out in our Burris Book post, the U.S. Atttorney's office has called a 2 p.m. press conference to announce a new indictment of a political figure. The Sun-Times is reporting it'll be against Ald. Ike Carothers (29th), who also serves as the chairman of the City Council's police and fire committee.
Here's our look from early this year at Fitzgerald's investigation into Ald. Carothers.
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They could announce corruption charges every day for 2 consecutive weeks and still not hit every official that deserves them.
More please! We want some more!
Perhaps Illinois should try not having a government for a while. We couldn't get any worse, right?
You don't see the real picture, I'm afraid.
We don't have any government. We've not had it since, at least, the turn of the century. We have a relatively small group of shameless insiders (Madigan among the main assholes) who, despite the self-inflicted troubles our last two governors have faced, and wave after wave of mostly impotent voter outrage, continue to operate the state as their own personal honeypot despite widening deficits and debts.
Me, I would like some real state government, just to see what it's like. I mean, those roads won't fix themselves, and money for pensions and healthcare isn't falling off trees, is it?
it is reassuring that the us attorney's office has clearly decided to take public corruption very seriously and actually investigate and attempt to prosecute
well he is Daley's second "HNC", but while I'd love to see him in cuffs, especially for such brazen criminality while representing one of the poorest wards in the city, My question is why don't they ever hook any of the big fishes. John Kass pointed to this.
First you have to find someone willing to implicate the big fish. Bob Sorich and Al Sanchez clammed up and I doubt they will have financial worries for the rest of their lives. If I were one of them I would have said f--- Daley and cooperated to keep myself out of prison.
I'm sure Andy Shaw heading up the BGA will give us "real state government". I don't know Tildietill, but again "we get they type of government we deserve" ala Lincoln.
But I think it won't get better until "mainstream" citizens learn to prioritize. In other words not being so damn preoccupied with reality TV, da Cubs, Da Bears , Gucci purses, finding the best ironic t shirt, etc. It also means getting on the train with real news papers and not turning immediately to the sports page. I’m talking about having a passion for learning more and wanting to know what’s going on in detail, and reading constantly like it’s an addiction.
Maybe it’s just too late for us and it has too all fall apart completely before it can get better.
But way to mention Madigan. No one has a clue how government really works and they don’t care.
Any way, I’m done, off the soap box
Agree with you Spook. Probably happens more often than you think, especially when you type in clear sentences.
Devil's advocate, though: Your second paragraph implies there was a time when citizens were occupied with more important matters. Not sure that was the case, as mindless entertainment and other forms of destructive diversion existed well before TV and the RedEye, and newspapers of old were not always dignified, smart or idealistic. But I still see your point and agree with it, especially the falling apart stuff.
I also agree, but really wonder what constitutes "completely falling apart". Things seem to be pretty fragmented now. Just wondering out loud here....
Bankruptcy. Effective collapse of all state-backed pensions. Minor capital programs that don't keep up with needs. Massive tax hikes to simply keep our heads above water. Gutting of state programs including law enforcement.
Wait, I guess we are 80% there.
"Things fall apart; the center can not hold. ... The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity."
That last seems an apt description of media and public discourse in the so-called information age. Surely, some revelation is at hand.
(The Blake quote inspired me.)
Another silent clap for Yeats.
Ahhh J Tilla, lets ignore the fact that we agree more often than not. Least we spoil the fun of lobbing cyber spit balls at our perspective cyber forts. Ahhhh I miss those summer days of playing the dozens on the corner!
But I will answer your “devils advocacy”,
Yea, historically America’s always been preoccupied with material superficiality and the need to denigrate, subjugate, and exploit those who are different.
Both Henry James and Melville (among others) wrote about this.
But it seems (mostly from my readings)that up until the late 70’s, there’s always existed a cross section of folks bearing a prophetic democratic tradition and brave enough to reject the status quo and fight to further democracy.
I don’t seeing this today-in terms of movements, and those very same people have either retreated behind walls of material comfort and complacency, or have adopted a “get rich or die trying” mentality, i.e. Jessie Jackson.
add this with Americans reading less and less and watching more TV, that at best has no moral compass. In short Archie Bunker and MASH have been replaced by Jerry Seinfeld.
Like Tupac said “Still feel me”?
p.s. its good we all love Yeats, but you gotta give some dap to Chinua Achebe too with his novel Things Fall Apart.
I can see Yeats now reading that novel while listing to the Roots Album "Things Fall A Part" Now that's a tradition worth fighting for!
Well said, Spook.
Reminds me of a print of an old Pogo cartoon at my dad's house. I think the quote is, "We have met the enemy, and he is us".
Opps "respective" cyber forts ;-)
actually I like the sound of cyber forks in cyber roads better
Can't we just do something like corporations do when they're trying to shed salaries without layoffs? When an alderman gets taken down, just don't fill the seat. It shouldn't take long before we get down to a more efficient, manageable number of alderthings - 15 or 20 maybe. It'd be like Aldermanic Survivor.