Quite often, the true meaning of a statement is lost when you translate it from one language or dialect to another. So, as a service to our readers I would like to translate a recent pronouncement from the Chicago City Council from the Chicago vernacular to standard English.
In the event that the Olympics would be held in Chicago, the council agreed that 30% of the contracts would go to African-American contractors and 10% to women.
Or translated: as usual, Chicago will squander billions in contracts directed towards politically connected individuals. And by setting aside contracts based on race, the contracts will become even less competitive and more inflated to the detriment of the tax paying public. And the recipients of the set-aside-contracts will certainly not be "small, aspiring African-American entrepreneurs," they will be be businessmen who, just like their white counterparts became connected to the Chicago Machine through questionable means. And in some cases they will be companies with white owners who made the relatively small investment of hiring an African-American front man or woman, in order to obtain lucrative city contracts.
And even if Chicago does not exercise economically rational management, most contractors do. In other words they will use the cheapest, most productive labor, rather than focus on "investing in their communities." So, contract set asides are at best a feel good measure that does little to benefit impoverished minority workers and communities.
http://www.suntimes.com/sports/olympics/1499090,chicago-2016-olympic-contracts-032709.article
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