Democratic Cook County Assessor candidate Joe Berrios is really getting worked up over the challenge he's received from independent candidate Forrest Claypool. Maybe it stems from that Chicago magazine piece or Berrios' complaint with the IRS against the Better Government Association in connection with the piece. Whatever the case, Berrios has brought the sass in his latest press release addressing Claypool and his rich donors, name-checking some that were found on that Forbes list we posted on yesterday. In the statement, Berrios goes after Claypool for having a bunch of Richie Rich donors, dripping with so much sarcasm that we imagine he was doing the two-finger air quotes gesture while dictating the statement to his campaign's press liaison. more ›

Recession? What recession? Economic collapse? Pay it no mind. Job losses? Pshaw, we say! Forbes has let loose with it's annual list of people who make us feel poor and a smattering of Chicagoans made the annual 400 richest Americans list, including Tribune Company Owner Sam Zell (No. 60, worth $4.4 billion), Oprah (No. 130, worth $2.7 billion), and a slew of Pritzkers. You can check out the list here and check out the Trib's photo gallery of Chicago's reps here. more ›

Legislation allowing voters to decide if the state should double the income tax on people earning more than $250,000 a year failed 52 - 60 in the House last Thursday. 71 votes were needed. But the next day State Rep. Gary Hannig (D Litchfield) had a change of heart. “I would say that the concept was a good one, to try to raise some money by going to a more progressive tax system and asking people who have been blessed by success, to ask them to contribute more to the state of Illinois,” Hannig told the Springfield Journal Register. “It probably needed to be tweaked,” he said. “If we could improve the bill a little bit, I think I could vote for it.” more ›

Step right up, folks: the Conrad Black media circus has officially commenced, and we've already learned a few things: more ›

Sometimes, some days, there is a story or two that makes you scratch your head and ask yourself what sort of vortex exists in the world that allows for, say, an engineering professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago to buddy up with the man responsible for unleashing horrifically bland pop music sung by practically neutered, grown men onto the collective conscious. more ›

We absolutely love it when crazy rich people run for president for no other reason than they are rich and crazy. If you're like us and you're sick and tired of regular rich people running for prez, then you'll be happy to hear we have a new crazy dude running for president right here in Chicago! It's not really whether Gold Coast millionaire John H. Cox would be a great candidate that makes this a... more ›

Chicagoist was sent the listing of the Top 10 Dive Bars in Chicago as voted by what we are assuming are extremely rich people who have no idea what a dive bar is. We love dive bars, in fact, if given the chance we would live in one even though it may cause us to lose our job – that’s how much we love dive bars. The toothless gentlemen, the neverending stories, the loss of hope that pervades the entire place… ahh, who’s up for drinks? But this list has us in a tizzy. more ›

drugs. We don't have health insurance. Those things are for sick people. So why do we continue to talk about prescription drug costs here on Chicagoist? Because we detest most rich people unless they give us money, provide us with entertainment or are smokin' hot. Drug companies are richies getting richer and they don't give us money. Plus, have you ever seen a sexy drug executive? No, you haven't. Unless you are one and if so, please leave your name, gender, measurements and the amount of money you're willing to pay us to date you in the comments below. more ›

A study released today found that the CTA serves rich people better and more frequently than it serves poor people. File under: no one is surprised. See also: schools, TIFs, libraries, roads, waste management, police presence, government in general. more ›

O�Hare execs decided to roll up their sleeves and scrub toilets this week. Well, it was decided for them. Aviation Commissioner John Roberson has asked everyone with an assistant commissioner title or above to work one eight-hour shift this week cleaning the bathrooms at the airport. �Many of the approximately 20 executives on the hook, including Roberson, make more than $100,000 a year,� so God bless middle management! more ›