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Eminentoes
Fame and Infamy in Chicago
Dead meat in the heat doesn’t smell pretty.
We’re stuck here in Chicago as I’m writing this, stranded for a few extra days because the CNN weather map yesterday projected some scary red tornado splotches scattered along the Capitol Limited tracks we take to Pittsburgh.
It looked even worse on holytornado.com, with a giant red rectangle directly over our pathway.
I didn’t hear anything about our train blowing off the tracks. But Amtrak didn’t have a bedroom on the Capitol for three days, so we’re here for an extended stay in the land of Oprah, Obama, Al Capone and 48-ounce porterhouses. Last night, there was a Kobe beef hot dog on the menu at Rosebud’s for $14.95.
Not far from our hotel, Rod Blagojevich was in court and heard U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. provide evidence that the former governor was a shakedown artist.
Ironically, Jesse Jr. was called by Blagojevich’s defense team in order to say he didn’t know anything about a prosecution claim that the former governor was maneuvering to pocket $1.5 million in exchange for installing Jackson in the U.S. Senate seat formerly occupied by President Obama.
Jackson said he knew nothing about the alleged deal, thereby distancing himself from the supposed wrongdoing.
But then Jackson went on to explain that his soured relations with Blagojevich stemmed from his refusal to give the former governor a requested $25,000 payment in exchange for his help in getting Jackson’s wife appointed as director of the Illinois lottery.
Mrs. Jackson didn’t get the job. Jesse Jr. testified that he ran into Blagojevich months later, and the former governor, after doing his Elvis imitation by way of tilting his head and snapping his fingers, said, “You should’ve given me the $25,000.”
“Dead Meat is a big Elvis fan,” explained Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass, referring to Blagojevich.
The story of the demand for $25,000 was supposed to make Blagojevich look like a crook, but I thought Jesse Jr. looked like the bigger thief, seeking to transfer hundreds of thousands of dollars to his wife from the taxpayers by way of sticking her in a job for which she had zero qualifications.
Rahm Emanuel, Chicago’s new mayor, also was in court, called by Dead Meat’s lawyers to swear he was never asked by the former governor to do anything crooked. Emanuel agreed, thereby distancing himself from anything improper.
There was also the grand finale here of Oprah’s three-day farewell to Chicago and her TV show. Alessandra Stanley at the New York Times was a little snotty about it all, saying “there hadn’t been such an over-the-top display of self-celebration since 2005, when Ms. Winfrey released a six-disc DVD collection of her greatest moments, timed to the 20th anniversary of her syndicated show — unless it was her 50th birthday celebration in 2004, which featured 2,000 roses, a 400-pound cake and testimonials from the likes of John Travolta and Nelson Mandela.”
I never saw Oprah’s show, but I’d guess that the editorial in the Chicago Sun-Times got it more right than the Times: “The Oprah Winfrey Show was really about inspiring ordinary people, especially women, to be their best selves. Winfrey has been a cheerleader for hard work, for a healthy sense of self-esteem, for giving back, for good books. She has been a role model for millions of women and girls — and most especially for African-American women and girls.”
And in latest economic news here, the state treasurer announced that the free-spending pols in Illinois have now amassed nearly $200 billion in state debt — $42,000 per household.
That includes $140 billion in unfunded pension and health benefits for public employees, $45 billion in bond debt and $8 billion in unpaid bills.
Just the late-payment penalties on those unpaid bills are now running $60 million a year.
About the Author
Ralph R. Reiland is the B. Kenneth Simon professor of free enterprise and an associate professor of economics at Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (18) | Leave a comment
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Mike Hawk| 6.8.11 @ 6:16AM
Life in Obamaville., now infesting DC. If we don't fumigate soon, it's going to be a long suffering return if ever.
Dan Hirsch| 6.8.11 @ 8:17AM
After five decades of Illinois politics circling and then finally going down the drain, I left. As have most of my siblings and children. We represent well over a quarter million of that Illinois debt. OF which we never got a nickel, and Illinois still owes us tax overpayment refunds...Good riddance!
Louis Jenkins| 6.8.11 @ 8:48AM
"Rod Blagojevich was in court and heard U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. provide evidence that the former governor was a shakedown artist."
You made me laugh! The pot calling the kettle black.
Dan Hirsch| 6.8.11 @ 9:10AM
Damn, racist pot!!!
Hee Haw...
dc| 6.8.11 @ 9:43AM
Dan, what took you so long? My family and I could only tolerate 5 years in the Illinois SSR; I resented every cent of taxes I paid from my work in central IL to the Chicago mob/union bosses, who suck every potential bit of prosperity and decency out of the rest of the state. But the reality is, the state continues to vote in, tolerate, and even revel in its filth, decay and corruption. So I left for a deep red southern state, where freedom is still celebrated, crooks resign or go to jail, there's no state income tax, and the population is armed to the teeth. Much, much more comfortable. Let the rotting upper Midwest stew in its own sewage, and even better, why not secede? They (Rahm, Jesse Jr. Maobama, Blago-slave) know so much better than the rest of us, and their subjects appear to enjoy serving such masters. Take your fellow Rustbelters and socialist Yankees and leave the rest of us alone.
Dan Hirsch| 6.8.11 @ 2:18PM
TRADITION! Tradition...(Think Fiddler on the Roof...)
Silly me.
Old Guy| 6.8.11 @ 9:30AM
I watched - no, listened to - Oprah once. In a doctor's office while waiting for my wife, and intentionally sat with my back to the TV. She did a "survey" for which the first 15-20 minutes were questions about one's sex life. One exhibitionist volunteered that she'd had sex just before coming to the show. Good for laughs and giggles. Then Oprah got to the serious stuff with a question about "How often do you pick your nose?" I almost changed doctors for submitting me to that crud. Yes, my doctor is in the same office.
J.C.Eaton| 6.8.11 @ 11:50AM
Great restaurants, good horse parlor, beautiful lake-shore, pretty fair theatre, lovely museum, world-class aquarium, a pretty good major league baseball team, Da Bears, Bulls, and Blackhawks. All that finery shielding a sociological and governmental cess-pool.
Dan Hirsch| 6.8.11 @ 2:21PM
J.C.
"a pretty good major league baseball team"
Well, which is it? South Side or North Side? There is NO middle....and there are two major league baseball FRANCHISES in Chicago...Gotta pick, gotta pick!
J.C.Eaton| 6.8.11 @ 4:31PM
Good catch Dan, who else but the SOX! Even they were crooked!!!!!!!!!
CharlieEcho| 6.8.11 @ 12:03PM
One reason the pols in Illannoy do not allow concealed carry in the state is they know how stupid most of the voters are. You can't trust someone that stupid to carry a gun. Please, I know most of the state is not that stupid, but someone keeps voting these crooks into office.
J.C.Eaton| 6.8.11 @ 12:11PM
And the really bizarre thing is that they are PROUD of it!
Pellingrino`| 6.8.11 @ 5:29PM
I remember a black woman advising and helping? soon-t0-be former Air Force guys at Scott Air Force Base in southern Illinois (not far from St. Louis).
She was part of a team of morning presenters who were aiding with military-t0-civilian career information. The room was filled with airmen and some soldiers who would be civilians in 60-90 days.
She was an Illinois state employee. She spent her 20-25 minutes waving IL state employee applications in her hand and saying, "You'd nevah have to fear bein' out of a job! No, sir! Easy work. Maybe not get-rich-tomorrow pay, but job security from now to e-t-e-r-n-i-ty!"
"You'd be a fool not to apply today!"
She practically said: Doesn't matter if you've been a complete flub in the military and you have no significant work qualifications, you'll be hired!
A job for life. Ample medical time off. Generous number of vacation days right from year 1 of employment, only 8 hours per day or very well paid overtime, almost impossible to get fired.
It was embarrassing to have to hear this. Not hard to understand how Illinois taxpayers are suckers for entitlement-entitled Illinois state workers.
Jack in Wi.| 6.8.11 @ 5:36PM
Very intresting? I think the Chicago gang is doing to America what they have done to Chicago and Illinois. A Daley goes to the Whitehouse to be Chief of staff. Emmanuel goes from Chief of Staff to the Mayors office.
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Chris Pedersen| 6.11.11 @ 10:44AM
Oprah is a sellout, never said a word in public about the Mob's "Hired Truck Scandal" where they embezzeled 35-40 million dollars, which ended the "Minority Jobs Program".
See "Mafia Made Member" Fred Roti et. al. and all of his "Family Ties" to the Daley's 11th Ward & 1st Ward "Friends Of Ours" of the La Cosa Nostra 26th Street Crew. MikeTobin, Fred Barbara, Bruno Caruso,[all cousins and nephews.
Also see The Laborers Chicago District Council AFL-CIO [Trumpka]
Race Pimps like Obama, Oprah, Jackson's[father and/or son] nor Sharpton don't squeeze the Olive Pickers now do they?
Italian Trunk Music isn't their kind of Boom Box Rap I guess!
Marc Jeric| 6.12.11 @ 12:41AM
I worked in New Orleans for the Port Authority there (it is a state agency) and met corruption by politicians on multiple levels. The Port needed an issue of $30 million of state bonds in order to begin new port construction. To get the votes a dozen parishes with no waterways had to be given bond money, so that the final bond issue was for $80 million. Parts of our plans were stolen by local architects and presented as their work for additional dollars. Corruption in the design and construction of the dome was beyond belief - the initial cost estimate started at $35 million; the final cost was $150 million.
And all that is small potatos when compared to Chicago.
insanity | 6.13.11 @ 11:00AM
good to hear that