John - it is the city going on DESPITE the ruling class, not because of them. Just as the Great Chicago Fire WAS a horrible tragedy that the people rose above and built greater and grander, I see them as prospering well outside the leadership there. It all goes back to the 30s with all the gangster empires choosing Chicago and the general area as their headquarters. It was central to shipping all over American and the illegal booze that funded them found warehouses and distribution networks to get anywhere easily.


Mayor Daley (Sr) carried this political-machine era forward decades after the good-government types had cleaned up most city halls, and after nearly a century the graft and favoritism and collusion has gone from criminal enterprise to a tradition! It is amazing that this does not color the city more, but folks just ignore the bastards for the most part and go on and live their lives, I think.

Americans are morons. We have no memory. We have no wisdom. We have no shame. We will continue to commit political, economic and social suicide until the last billionaire scoops up the last pittance of the last wages of the last line worker and locks the gate on us all. - California Jane