Jimmy Carter Prize For the Advancement of Douchebaggery: King Richard Daley II

We are proud to bestow the Jimmy Carter Prize for the Advancement of Douchebaggery to Chicago's own (ex)Mayor Richard Daley II. Although the mayor's administration does have some noteworthy achievements, such as the beautification of downtown, past and presents acts of nepotism are so blatant and over the top that the mayor is clearly a first class douchebag. Here are but a few:

The Hired Truck Scandal, in which connected trucking companies were handsomely paid to do little or nothing. Among those indited was city employee and known mob bookie, Nick LoCoco. Not surprisingly, the mayor's brother, John P Daley greatly profited by providing insurance to 25% of the trucking firms. In addition, his brother in law, John Briatta was convicted of taking several thousand dollars in bribes to steer trucking contracts. City Clerk Walter Kozubowski, was convicted in a ghost payroll scheme for paying a total of $476,000 to six "ghosts" for little or no work over a dozen years.

Patrick Daley earned over $700,000 in a deal to provide wi-fi to O'Hare & Midway Airports. Of course that had nothing to do with the fact that he is Richard Daley's son.

Patrick Daley and his cousin Robert Vanecko secretly invested in Municipal Sewer Services, a firm that received a $4,000,000 no-bid contract.

Vanecko's firm also gained a no-bid contract to manage $68,000,000 in city pensions.

In a blatant act of nepotism, immediately after retiring, the former mayor accepted a position with the law firm that pocketed $822,760 in the questionable privitzation of the Chicago Skyway and Parking Meters. In the short run this deal infused Chicago with needed capital, allowing Daley to postpone necessary budget cuts, but in the long run it will only exacerbate the city's fiscal health.

And Daley is now being employed by the University of Chicago, which of course has nothing to do with back room deals that occurred during his time as the mayor. We can be sure that King Richard II and his family will profit from his political connections for years to come. As we say in Chicago "fersure my friend, heez da biggest douchebag I know!"

Guns, Gays & Immigration

What do guns, gays and immigration have in common? In a short period of time, judges have negated the will of voters, communities and state governments by overturning laws regarding the aforementioned issues. At its core, these cases involve a clash between various social goods and the right of self governance that offer no easy answers. And on a broader level, these cases represent the ongoing clash between forces that seek an even greater concentration of political power in the federal government, as well as the judicial branch against those who seek to maintain the rights of states and communities to manage their affairs. On far too many occasions, the left and the right alike have turned to the courts and federal government to enforce their will on communities, blind to the fact that they are granting the government increased power that may one day be used against them. And more importantly, they are eroding the principle of self governance that has been so essential to American Democracy.

The first instance involves the Supreme Court case of McDonald et al. v. the City of Chicago. The lead plaintiff was an elderly African-American man who wanted to purchase a hand gun to defend his home against gangs and criminals, but was barred from doing so because of the City of Chicago's hand gun ban. In a 5 - 4 vote, McDonald was victorious and Chicago's handgun ban was overturned. As someone who supports the Second Amendment and opposes King Richard Daley II's absurd handgun ban, I was initially thrilled. After all, the ban did nothing to keep weapons out of the hands of violent criminals and merely limited the capacity of law abiding citizens to defend themselves. But, further reflection, I became more ambivalent. I do recognize that there were times in which the intervention of courts and the federal government were necessary to address grave abuses of power by local governments, the move to end government mandated segregation being the best example. But, I also believe that in a healthy democracy, we must be extremely reserved about overturning the rights of local communities to direct their social, economic and political life. As idiotic as the ban may have been, I would have liked to see it debated and eventually overturned by the people of Chicago via the electoral or proposition process.

The second example involved Judge Walker overturning Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage. As a civil libertarian who opposes the state limiting the rights of individuals, I was pleased by Judge Walker's ruling. But, the thought of a single judge overturning the will of at least 7,000,000 voters is deeply undemocratic and is a prime example of the undue concentration of power in a single government functionary. Of course I recognize that the electorate should not have unlimited power to promulgate any law they desire, especially laws that curtail the rights of individuals. Without a doubt, a law that prohibited gays from pursuing their lifestyle and enjoying the legal and financial benefits of domestic partnership would have been a gross violation of individual rights. It would have constituted an example of the state limiting an individuals right to privacy and the pursuit of happiness. However, as much as I support gay marriage, I am not certain if a ban on it constitutes a fundamental violation of individual rights. Why? Because although democracy requires communities to tolerate behaviors that they find perverse, a community is not required to recognize or affirm that behavior. Ultimately, I would like to see communities and states support gay marriage through gradual social evolution that comes through healthy debate, but imposing gay marriage through the heavy hand of the courts will create an angry, unhealthy backlash. And progressives should bear in mind that one day the political and social pendulum may swing the other way and activist courts may overstep their boundaries and negate progressive laws and initiatives.

The third example of court intervention, when a federal judge overturned several key components of SB1070, Arizona's immigration enforcement is the most complex and contentious. Even though I question the wisdom and effectiveness of this law and I recognize that immigration policy is fundamentally the responsibility of the federal government, I am troubled by the heavy handed action against a state's efforts to address a very real problem. This must be looked at in the context of a federal government who for lack of political will or ability has done little to address the challenges that Arizona faces as a border state. What also troubles me is that in spite of their rhetoric, the federal government's actions appear to be driven more by political than constitutional concerns. If the Obama Administration's concern were that states and communities were usurping the role of the federal government, they would be equally critical of sanctuary cities like Chicago that have enacted de-facto amnesties, as they are of localities that seek to enforce existing federal immigrating laws.

Yes, there are times when the federal government or the courts must override the will of states and communities, but if we are to remain vigilant against a dangerous centralization of power, this must be the very rare exception. We must err on the side of allowing self governance, only intervening when local policies offer a clear and present danger to individual liberty. And conversely, to allow a sole individual or organization to so readily use the courts to overturn any law that they view unfavorably will make governance even more costly, litigious and inefficient. Even when communities are able to win court battles and uphold their desired laws, the astronomical cost of their legal defense has a chilling effect on the democratic process. The thought alone of facing months or years of costly litigation will make other cities and states unduly cautious in crafting laws and policies to address the social and economic ills that their members face. To this many progressives will respond - why is the abuse of power on a federal level any worse than the abuse of power on a local level? In the case of ill governed cities and states, individuals can vote with their feet. That is, if they are sufficiently alienated with their local government and see no prospect of change, they will leave and seek out localities that reflect their values and visions. This is precisely what the millions of Americans who have fled Chicago and California have done. But, when the federal government imposes terrible policies across the land, to where can aggrieved citizens run?

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/08/04/california.same.sex.ruling/index.html?hpt=T2

http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/supreme-court-overturns-chicago-handgun-ban/19533572/

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/07/06/arizona.immigration.law.sponsor/index.html

Hypocrisy in the Windy City

Well, what do you know, several politicians who promote a ban on hand guns have maintain handguns for personal protection. Gun control has great moral and intuitive appeal, after all who wouldn't want to see a reduction in violent crime. But, in cities like Chicago its effectiveness is questionable. Paradoxically law abiding citizens who could use a handgun to protect their family would respect gun control, while criminals can and easily do obtain black market handguns. How we can eliminate this pernicious black market is the question that politicians should be asking, not how to disarm law abiding citizens. But, in the world of "progressive" policies, intentions matter more than results.

Gun Control, Chicago-Style

The shameless hypocrisy of Windy City politicians

Steve Chapman November 23, 2009

Last week, the body of Chicago school board president Michael Scott was found in the Chicago River with a single bullet wound in his head. The big story was that this powerful, well-connected public official had, according to the county medical examiner, committed suicide. The less-noticed story was that he did it with an illegal weapon.

After all, handgun ownership is not allowed in the city of Chicago, which has one of the strictest gun control laws in the country, and Scott killed himself with a .380-caliber sidearm.

Unlike most Chicagoans, Scott could have been a legal handgun owner. Because he had it before the ban was enacted, he was allowed to register and keep it. But the police department says he never did. By having it in the city, Scott was guilty of an offense that could have gotten him jail time.

Amazingly enough, he was not the first local public official to take the view that firearms restrictions are something for other, ordinary people to observe. Chicago politicians are zealously committed to gun control in law but fairly relaxed about it in practice.

In 1994, State Sen. Rickey Hendon had an unregistered handgun stolen from his home in a burglary, and he didn't feign contrition about his disregard of the ordinance.

"I have a right to protect myself," he declared, noting that he had been burglarized before—and forgetting that the state legislature of which he is a member allows Illinois cities to deprive their citizens of that right. Asked if he would replace the lost piece, Hendon said, "No comment." The police were kind enough not to charge him.

U.S. Sen. Roland Burris, another Chicagoan, has endorsed a nationwide ban on handguns and, in 1993, organized Chicago's first Gun Turn-in Day. But the following year, while running unsuccessfully for governor, he admitted he owned a handgun—"for protection," he explained—and hadn't seen fit to turn it in along with those other firearms. Lesser mortals apparently can protect themselves with forks and spoons.

Scott was shot in the abdomen while chasing a burglar in 1988, so it's understandable that he would appreciate the value of having the means to defend himself against criminals. But that understanding didn't extend to the needs of ordinary Chicagoans. When the city gun ban was challenged in court, the board of education that he headed filed a brief defending Chicago's right "to prohibit classes of arms in order to prevent crime and protect public safety."

A law banning handguns, in Scott's view, was necessary to protect public safety. But when it came to protecting his private safety, he somehow perceived the law to be a hindrance, not a help.

Does his attitude carry the distinct tang of hypocrisy? Yes, but that's not out of the ordinary for Chicago politicians. Under a state law dating back to 1872, mayors and aldermen are designated peace officers. And, conveniently, peace officers are permitted to not only own but carry handguns.

That makes aldermen a special class in Illinois, one of only two states with an almost complete ban on the carrying of concealed handguns. In most places, an adult with no criminal record or history of psychiatric commitment can get a concealed-carry license after taking a training class.

But here, we have a unique system. You want to be able to pack a weapon in public for your safety? Fine. All you have to do is 1) run for the city council and 2) win.

Why the state assumes that aldermen are fit for this prerogative is a mystery. "Law-abiding" is not the very first word that comes to mind when you think of the city council. Since 1972, 27 of its members have been convicted on charges involving malfeasance, misfeasance, nonfeasance, disfeasance, and anti-feasance with mopery aforethought.

It would be hard to come up with a group of people that has proven itself less deserving of blanket trust. The most recent convict, Arenda Troutman, got four years in prison for bribery after being caught on tape attesting that "most aldermen, most politicians are ho's." At a 1991 neighborhood meeting that got rowdy, Ald. Dorothy Tillman reportedly pulled out her handgun and waved it pugnaciously.

In Chicago, only criminals and aldermen are armed. Forgive me for being redundant.

http://reason.com/archives/2009/11/23/gun-control-chicago-style

Why Was Shanna Gayden Murdered?

Pictured Above: 13 Year Old Murder Victim, Shanna Gayden

Chicago is one of many cities that has adopted a sanctuary policy that prohibits police officers about inquiring about an arrested individuals immigration status. In many cases this is a sensible policy, because the police do not have the time or resources to become immigration agents. The limited resources of the police should be focused on violent criminals rather than visa violators. And equally, without a sanctuary policy, many people would be too afraid to report crimes to the authorities. But, in some instances, sanctuary policies have led to some truly terrible consequences.

The Chicago Police Department's unwillingness to cooperate with the INS indirectly led to the death of 13 year old Schanna Gayden at the hands of Imperial Gangster, Mwenda Murithi.

During his prior 27 arrest, the CPD did not see fit to report Murithi to the INS for his violations of immigration law. If they had done so, he surely would have been deported back to his native Kenya and Schanna's life would have been spared.

Proponents of amnesty (for hard working, non-criminal undocumented immigrants) have some good points, but there is no rational reason in the universe why local authorities should not have done everything possible to facilitate the deportation of this violent, drug dealing gang banger. The only reason I can think of is cheap ethno-politics.

Passing buck on immigration cost teen's life

By Eric Zorn

Prosecutors allege that Mwenda Murithi was a leader in the Imperial Gangsters and on the evening of June 25 he gave the order to shoot at a rival gang, killing 13-year-old Schanna Gayden, an innocent bystander.

Murithi, 26, was charged with first-degree murder along with the alleged gunman, Tony Serrano, 19.

The question at trial will be whether there is proof beyond a reasonable doubt that Murithi is guilty of that charge.

The question I have, though, is why Murithi was in the country at all that night.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement records show he emigrated from Kenya on a student visa at the end of 1999 to study civil engineering at the University of Wisconsin at Platteville. That visa was valid as long as he continued his studies.

When he dropped out of U.W.-Platteville before the 2002-03 school year began, he was no longer legally in the United States. ICE, which now operates under the umbrella of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, formally terminated Murithi's visa Feb. 12, 2003, said Carl Rusnok, central-region spokesman for the immigration agency.

He became not just an uninvited guest in this country but a most unwelcome one: Chicago police records show Murithi was arrested 27 times from June 2003 until his arrest in connection with Schanna's slaying on a Northwest Side school playground.

The charges weren't horrible -- mostly possession of cocaine, possession of marijuana, obstruction of traffic, drinking alcohol on a public way and other offenses commonly associated with the career of drug-dealing gang-bangers. Police said four of the charges were felonies; the Cook County state's attorney's office said Murithi had two misdemeanor convictions, one of which resulted in 30 days in jail this spring.

But still. It's disquieting that anyone with that kind of track record for trouble spent so little time behind bars. And it's outrageous that Murithi was still in the United States June 25, more than four years after he became an illegal immigrant and began racking up arrests.

There's a good debate about whether honest, hardworking immigrants should be allowed to stay if their only crime is related to their immigration status. But there's no debate, at least in my mind, when it comes to criminal illegal immigrants.

Murithi should have gone straight from jail this spring into federal detention and then back to Kenya.

"If he was charged and did time, how come ICE wasn't notified so they could detain him?" asked Brian Perryman, former head of the Chicago office of what is now ICE. "Why wasn't he taken into custody after he served his sentence? And if ICE wasn't notified, why not? That's a big mistake."

Not us! said the Chicago Police Department. "We don't ever ask about immigration status," said spokeswoman Monique Bond. "We leave that up to the courts."

Not us! said the Cook County state's attorney's office. "We don't check," said spokesman John Gorman. "That's for [ICE] to do. We're not involved."

Not us! said ICE. "Law enforcement agencies can contact our Law Enforcement Support Center for timely and accurate information" 24 hours a day, Rusnok said. If "the person who is being inquired about is subject to removal, [ICE] can place a detainer with the Police Department ordering the department to hold the person ... to allow ICE officials to take the person into custody and begin removal proceedings."

ICE has employees who screen cases for immigration violations at the Criminal Courts Building, but they are on duty only during business hours, Rusnok said. He said security regulations prevented him from saying how many agency employees there are to check the immigration status of all those charged or convicted of serious crimes in Cook County.

Not enough, though, clearly. Schanna Gayden paid for this joint abdication of responsibility with her life.

Next time the anti-violence protesters take to the streets, here's an extra chant for them to direct to the mayor, the state's attorney and immigration officials:

"Throw the bums out!"

http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/2007/07/passing-buck-on.html

2nd Big Trade Show Leaves To Save Cash

Although I fully support the right of workers to organize, we cannot escape the immutable law of capital - business and jobs will flow away from locations that offer higher costs and regulatory burdens. In this case, high costs and inflexibility imposed by unions have driven two major conventions away from McCormick Place. Adios tax dollars.


2nd big trade show leaves to save cash

'A VERY SERIOUS LOSS' Daley demands more from unions

November 18, 2009

BY SANDRA GUY AND FRAN SPIELMAN Staff Reporters

A plastics trade group announced Tuesday that it is leaving Chicago's McCormick Place Convention Center for Orlando to save up to $20 million.

The SPI: Plastics Industry Trade Association cited "lower costs, simpler work rules and more flexible logistics" that would help the show draw more participants and allow larger, more elaborate exhibits.

It's the second major trade show in two weeks to say it's leaving Chicago. The announcement set off a cascade of events. Mayor Daley demanded yet another round of concessions from McCormick Place unions to cut trade-show operating costs.

Hours later, officials of the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, also called McPier, which runs McCormick Place, announced a task force will start meeting today to come up with ways to make Chicago a more competitive destination for conventions.

"It's a very serious loss," Daley said. "It's a major show. They were very upset with a lot of the rules and regulations that . . . McCormick Place has. When I met with the [trade show association] president and others, they were very concerned about the cost factor compared to Orlando, Atlanta and Vegas."

McPier CEO Juan Ochoa vowed that "everything will be on the table," but none of the McPier, tourism and union representatives at the announcement offered concrete action plans, and they even raised the idea of seeking an operating subsidy from the cash-strapped state or the city.

Chicago Federation of Labor President Dennis Gannon said the unions will "work a little bit harder" to see that Chicago stays competitive.

Why would electrical costs for one booth for one exhibitor be $4,000 in Orlando, where the trade group previously had a show, and $40,000 in Chicago? Those numbers were quoted by the sponsor of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society show, which announced last week it's moving from Chicago to Las Vegas.

David Causton, general manager at McCormick Place, didn't deny the numbers, but said that electrical service prices vary widely depending on the type of extra work needed to set up a booth. In Chicago, he said, union electricians install trusses and exhibit lights as they have historically done. In Orlando, such work might be handled by stagehands, he said.

"I think there is a misunderstanding" about price differentials," he said.

Ochoa said Chicago operates at a disadvantage because its rivals' convention centers receive government subsidies, and McCormick Place does not. It might also seek debt-service restructuring, he said.

The task force gave no timetable for action except to prepare a proposal for the spring legislative session.

Already facing a downturn in convention and tourism business, McPier announced a 20 percent cut in its work force earlier this week. Last year, McCormick Place used $19 million in state sales tax revenue to cover its debt obligations after tourism taxes fell short. This year, McCormick Place faces a projected deficit of $34 million.

Signs of the Apocalypse!

The divine mandate of Obama, Oprah and King Richard Daley II was challenged by the Olympic Committee! Truly this is one of the signs of Apocalypse!

Déjà Poo?

The citizens of Vancouver Canada were promised that the Olympics wouldn't cost them a dime and it was plunged into more than a billion dollars in debt. Daley promised the same and the only question is not if we'll pay for it, it's how much new debt and taxes we will face. But that's no surprise, because kings and emperors from Egypt to China to Chicago bled their people in their efforts to construct monuments to their glory. Click on the link below to hear a brief report on the parallels between the Vancouver and the proposed Chicago olympics and you will experience a case of Déjà Poo - different mayors, but the same bullsh*t!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8gtUJfb3PM

The Three O's of the Chicago Olympics!

Oprah...Obama...and...Oh Daley you are so full of sh*t!

Mayor Daley's New Olympic Sports!

At 1st I wondered why Daley wasn't fixing the potholes and taking care of basic city services, but then I realized that this played into his plan for the Olympics. Specifically, Daley will inaugurate several new competitions:


1. Pole vaulting over potholes!


2. The 100 yard ticket dash - in which athletes compete to see how many parking tickets they can plant on the cars of unsuspecting Chicagoans!


3. The 1,000 yard Englewood dash - in which athletes dodge bullets as they race through the streets of one of Chicago's worst neighborhoods!


4. The Cook County Triathlon - in which athletes compete with local residents and businesses to see how fast they can flee the crushing taxes of Cook County!

Just Say No (to the Olympics)!!!

The official position of the Chicago Freedom Forum is "Just Say Not to King Richard Daley II and his bid to host the 2016 Olympics in Chicago!"

Here are but 10 reasons why liberals, conservatives and all conscientious Chicagoans must oppose the hosting of the 2016 Olympics in Chicago:

1. The Daley Machine has basically guaranteed a blank check to the Olympic Committee: this means that losses would be public, while profits would largely remain private.

2. You cannot trust Daley's financial projections: I cannot think of a single major project that was completed within the allotted budget and time frame. For example, Millennium Park was budgeted at $150 million, but ended up costing the tax payers $475 million and was nearly 4 years late! And if we cannot trust Daley to properly manage the privatization of parking meters, how the hell can we trust him to manage billions in tax payer Olympic funds?!?

3. Tremendous potential for long term losses: the city of Montreal hosted the Olympics in 1976 and it took over 30 years to pay off the $1.5 billion debt it incurred!

The 2012 London Olympics has not even started and already the budget of $4.9 billion has surged to $13.5 billion! Even the minister for the Olympics, Tessa Jowell admitted that in hindsight the city of London made a mistake by bidding for the Olympics.

4. Clout, corruption & nepotism: dominate the distribution of contracts within Chicago. We can be certain that the vast majority of the contracts and profits will go to cronies of the Daley Administration. As we see in petro-states like Nigeria and Iran, the infusion of capital into a corrupt system benefits very few people and actually worsens corruption. The only difference is that instead of oil fields, Daley will pump money from the already beleaguered tax payers.

And surprise, surprise the City Council has appointed Alderman Ed Burke (14th ward) to head the financial committee. If that's not the lion appointing the wolf to guard the chicken's coop, I don't know what is.

5. Chicago is already facing a $2 billion budget deficit: so we are clearly in no position to risk expanding that deficit with very costly projects.

6. Chicago's streets, schools & infrastructure are in dire straits: so, it would be criminal to siphon off badly needed tax revenue to fund projects of questionable benefit.

7. Affordable housing: residents of Washington Park and Woodlawn fear that this will drive up the cost of housing in their neighborhoods and spur their exodus.

8. Compromise of parks and public space: Daniel Burnham's vision of broad boulevards and open park space would be violated by the construction of stadiums and Olympic buildings in Washington Park. And the construction will surely limit the public's access to these parks.

9. Costly Olympic construction runs the risk of long term under-use: for example, China constructed a $500 million stadium for the Beijing Olympics, which has only been used once or twice and is scheduled to be demolished. Economist Huang Yasheng stated:

“They wanted to build ‘the world’s biggest this’ and ‘the world’s biggest that,’ but these buildings have almost zero long-term economic benefit."

10. When traffic gets worse because of the Olympics I will lose my f*ck*ng mind!

http://www.suntimes.com/news/cityhall/1758702,chicago-2016-olympics-finance-chiacgo-0908.article


http://nogames.wordpress.com/2009/09/10/endorses/


http://fieldnotes.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/09/30/2083662.aspx


http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/sports/2009/feb/Beijing-s-Empty-Venues-Reveal-Heavy-Cost-of-Olympics.html

http://www.chicagoansforrio.com/

http://nogames.wordpress.com/

http://www.ncbg.org/public_works/millennium_park.html

http://www.suntimes.com/news/cityhall/1758702,chicago-2016-olympics-finance-chiacgo-0908.article

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_Stadium_(Montreal)

http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/sports/2009/feb/Beijing-s-Empty-Venues-Reveal-Heavy-Cost-of-Olympics.html

http://www.suntimes.com/news/cityhall/1758702,chicago-2016-olympics-finance-chiacgo-0908.article

Mayor Daley Discusses Uptown Riots

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIS1tTZTxx0

New Seal of the Mayor of Chicago

In light of the numerous corruption scandals that have plagued Chicago, the Chicago Freedom Forum recommends that Mayor Daley should adopt a new official seal...

Feds probe city pension deals with Daley's nephew

SUBPOENAS Mayor Daley's nephew Robert Vanecko and ally Allison S. Davis are at the center of grand jury probe on how they snared city employee investments

May 30, 2009

BY TIM NOVAK Staff Reporter

City pension officials have been hit with subpoenas from a federal grand jury trying to determine how a start-up company co-owned by Mayor Daley's nephew won $68 million in pension investments.

The grand jury issued the subpoenas Wednesday, nearly two months after city pension officials refused to comply with similar subpoenas issued by the City of Chicago's inspector general, David Hoffman.

Hoffman said Friday that he and federal investigators are now jointly investigating the pension fund investments with DV Urban Realty Partners, a minority certified business co-owned by one of the mayor's top African-American allies, Allison S. Davis, and Daley's nephew Robert Vanecko.

This is the second joint investigation that Hoffman and federal authorities are conducting into Vanecko's businesses.

The other investigation involves the hidden ownership stake Vanecko and the mayor's son, Patrick Daley, held in a sewer-cleaning company that won millions of dollars in no-bid contract extensions from City Hall. Vanecko and Patrick Daley have said they sold their investment in the company in late 2004 when Patrick Daley enlisted in the Army and Vanecko went into business with Davis.

Hoffman began investigating Vanecko and Patrick Daley in the wake of Chicago Sun-Times investigations into the mayor's son and nephew during the last two years.

Davis, 69, and Vanecko, 43, set up their company hoping to get money from public and private pension plans for real estate investments. But they were rejected by several private and government pension plans until 2006, when the five city pension funds agreed to invest $68 million with them.

Davis and Vanecko are guaranteed $8 million in management fees -- they've been paid $2.7 million so far -- under the eight-year deal that expires Dec. 31, 2014. They can also share in any profits from their real estate investments.

They've invested the pension funds in eight Chicago properties, but all of their real estate deals have declined in value, partly because of the recession.

Davis and Vanecko are also trying to prevent the loss of $7.9 million in pension funds they invested in a stalled project to build a Dominick's grocery store and condos at 3030 N. Broadway. They have been feuding with the developers, Michael O'Connor and Jon Zitzman, and are trying to find people to buy out O'Connor and Zitzman at an auction set for June 5 in the law offices of Patrick Daley Thompson, another mayoral nephew.

City pension officials refused to comply with Hoffman's subpoenas, arguing he had no authority to demand records from them. The federal grand jury stepped in, demanding records from the pension plans for Chicago municipal employees, laborers, police officers and firefighters, even though the firefighters pension fund refused to invest any money with Davis and Vanecko.

The other two pension funds that invested with Vanecko and Davis -- Chicago teachers and the CTA -- haven't received any subpoenas from Hoffman or the grand jury.

If I may Translate...

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

Camera Enforcement in the Shitty of Chicago.

One of the many eyes of big brother!

Mayor Daley announced his plans to install cameras in the offices of all Chicago politicians starting with his own. He stated "for years we have subjected the citizens of our fine city to cameras, to ensure lawful behavior. We've are debating whether to expanded this to include the documentation and fining of motorists who do not have car insurance. Fair is fair, so in order to ensure the lawful conduct of public servants we installed cameras in the offices of each and every politician and city worker, starting with me. Any city worker official in acts of corruption, nepotism, sloth or incompetence will be recorded and fined. After reviewing several hours of recordings from my own office I was horrified by my own behavior and have decided to resign from office.







http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-cameras-insurance-scofflawsmar17,0,936367.story

Chicago & Cook County Stimulus Plan

"Hey Richy, you won't believe this, in DC you can print up money, pass it out to your buddies and call it a stimulus plan without getting arrested by the feds for graft and counterfeiting!"

As previously discussed, in 2007 Cook County lost more people than any county in the nation and Chicago lost a staggering 5.5% of its population. A population loss that evenly represented different socio-economic sectors would pose no financial ramifications, because losses in revenue would be offset by savings in government services. But, an exodus of educated, middle class families equals a devastating loss of tax revenue, which is a notable factor in the $420 million dollar budget deficit that Chicago faced in 2008. Educated entrepreneurial individuals disproportionately fund city and county government not only through property and sales taxes, but through the creation and support of small businesses. There is no question that it would be an enormous financial benefit to the city and county to reverse this exodus. The only question is how can this be accomplished?

As a residential rental agent I have had countless conversations with prosperous couples who were leaving Chicago for the suburbs. Each of these couples had three things in common - they loved Chicago, they were expecting a child and lamented having to leave the city because of the "simply awful public schools." Many of them had explored the idea of moving to nice northwest side neighborhoods like Portage Park that offered spacious and relatively affordable homes, but quickly backed out when they visited the schools. Others looked into private schools, but the combination of high property taxes and high tuition would have broke their bank.

Based on my these conversations, I am quite certain that many of these families (and their precious tax dollars) would remain if they had school choice. A voucher plan that allowed them to send their children to Chicago's fine parochial and secular private schools would allow them to remain. And of course it would also expand educational opportunities to Chicago's poor and working class families whose children languish in sub-par public schools.

As men of upstanding character and principles, I am certain that Daley and Stroger will resist the influence of teacher's unions and do what's educationally and economically best for Chicago and Cook County...or they'll just spend us into oblivion like Obama.

http://chicago-freedom-forum.blogspot.com/2009/02/voting-with-their-feet.html

http://archives.chicagotribune.com/2008/jul/30/local/chi-daley-chicago-budget-30-jul30

http://archives.chicagotribune.com/2008/oct/06/local/chi-chicago-budget-analysis-06-oct06

Da Ghost of Daley!

Da ghost of da first Mayor Daley was spotted at Obama's cabinet meeting. During da debate he turned tah da cabinet and said "if yooz want tah secure da votes of generations tah come fer da democratic party, yooz got tah give out jobs tah yer friends. Y'see when someone depends on yeh, dey will always vote fer yeh!"

Obama turned to the ghost of Daley and said "but what if they accuse us of massive patronage and pork barrelling?"

If dey accuse yooz of dat, tell dem knuckle heads dat dose jobs are fer da benefit of da people!

Obama smiled and said "we'll say that it's part of our "stimulus package." But what if they try to cut them after the crisis passes?

Dats da beauty of a government job...it's like a lady of da night...as she gets old and outlives her usefulness, she gets bigger and more bloated."

Thank you Mister Daley!

No, tank yooz Barack...fer taking our beautiful Chicago traditions all da way ta Washington!