Chicago

I am a Chicagoan.

Part of what makes a Chicagoan is an acceptance that corrupt politics is as American as apple pie. Y'know, ya gotta do things to get things done. Sometimes stuff happens (wink, wink).

We all have our breaking point, however.

When the aldermen are sent to jail for taking bribes, I chuckle. Most Chicago aldermen were mediocre attorneys (at best) who went into public service for the steady paycheck. Do the math. You make over $100,000 for a part-time job. The work is easy. Just vote “Aye” when Mayor Daley tells you. You get all types of free, legal perks, and you’ll never have your car towed while in office, which is for life. Unless you piss off Daley. Or the Jacksons.

With all of that, if you have to steal, you deserve to go to lockup. Chicago being Chicago, you’ll get sent to some joint with tennis courts and Chinese food Thursdays.

When the governor bites the hands that fed him and gets impeached, I snigger. Dude, you are a white ethnic Northsider. You married into the Machine. Those two facts mean you know how this game is played. Were they after you? Yep. Did you get played? Probably. Again, you had an easy, part time job. I don’t know about other states. The former governor of Illinois spent more time at home in Chicago than former President Bush spent on vacation in Texas. We see how that worked out. For both guys. Why are you mad? You knew when you got in the game that it wasn’t on the strength of your ‘do. The last guy with nice hair who played the Machine after it got him elected? The subject of many conspiracy theories and one really long movie. You got lucky, Rod. Enjoy the tennis. I hear the Egg Fu Yung is pretty good.

When a has been public official with strong ties to the Machine become a US Senator, I grin. Only here. Only in the land where we impeach an unindicted, unconvicted governor can the same pull this off. Only here will the powers that be protest in public and sigh in relief in private. We gotta have a two senators. And we better get somebody who knows the game.

This is Chicago. The mob runs the town. Elected positions are passed down from one generation to the next. The firefighters videotape themselves doing racist pantomines at the station. The mayor can’t spell. Everybody is on the take. The citizens don’t care as long as the garbage gets picked up and the free summer concerts in Grant Park stay free. We turn a blind eye to almost anything.

Almost.

When an off duty cop can abuse two young teenagers on a playground, and uniformed cops that arrive on the scene arrest the KIDS? Then the reports are fudged? Oh, they weren't arrested. Just put in cuffs, hauled to the station and treated like Thirtieth Street Mo after a rug joint goes up in smoke? Finally, the Superintendent of police risks lockup for contempt because he refuses to turn over evidence related to the case?

It’s time to move.

These police misconduct suits are going to bankrupt a city that has already sold off many of its assets. They are wholly avoidable. Corrupt politicians and a very backward system are slowly moving this place into a police state. I don’t mid a bit of honest theft. The thieves usually get caught. We have 10% sales taxes, a high crime rate and school kids getting murdered. The best the cops can do is cover up for one of their own that intervened in a playground altercation? The best the pols can do is remind us we should be thankful for Obama?

I love this city. Lately, though, it’s like being involved with a woman on crack. Sooner or later, something bad is gonna happen, and she’ll drag you down with her.

So long, Chi. I’m headed someplace where corruption has standards.