While I loved spending a few days back home in Chicago this week, it was depressing to see how decades of mismanagement of the city and the State continue to take a toll on citizens and businesses. The latest absurdity is the announcement by the Illinois lottery that anyone who wins more than $600 will simply get an IOU for their winnings due to a lack of cash. Yet, the state is still encouraging citizens to play the lottery.
Illinois politicians spent decades destroying the economic well-being of the state. Among other things, politicians (including many still in office) yielded to demands for higher and higher public pension plans that ultimately bankrupted the state and city treasuries. They simply kicked the can down the road: grabbing political donations and votes from powerful unions while giving little thought to the economic implications. Now there is a budget impasse that has stopped payment not just on lottery payments but such things as wrongful conviction awards. Springfield is fighting over how to make tough decisions on the budget after decades of reckless spending.
Chicago has been particularly crippled by corrupt and wasteful policies of the Dailey Administration and later politicians, as with the disastrous give-away of the parking meter business in the city and its creation of speed traps for citizens. (for a column, click here). The Illinois Supreme Court recently refused to allow politicians to negate the prior pension agreements. These politicians have left the citizens with the worst-in-the-nation unfunded public pension liability of nearly $105 billion.
In the meantime, the city and county continue to tax businesses and citizens to record levels. Chicago next year will have the highest sales tax rate of any major U.S. city and a ridiculous rate of 10.25 percent on Jan. 1. Mayor Raum Emanuel will add to that tax the largest property tax hike in modern Chicago history. I spoke with friends with businesses in the city who are discussing closing their businesses due to the over-taxation and how the city is forcing payment for every possible element of their businesses from lettering on windows to having simple awnings. Just as the solution for years was to pander for votes with ever increasing pension plans and irresponsible city contracts, it is now a matter of simply taxing citizens for every possible purchase and pleasure.
Ironically, the City has been run with the economic integrity of a lottery system. Of course, it is a lottery system where most citizens lose and even the winners receive only an IOU.
You Won An IOU: Illinois Forced To Halt Payments On Lottery Winners Due To Lack Of Funds . . . But Continues to Run Lottery
Only the government could/can bankrupt a bookmaking operation.
When organized crime ran their various bookmaking rackets did they ever miss a pay out?
Personanongrata – when the mob ran Vegas the games were straight and the buffets were cheap.
Huckster, The first step in solving a problem is admitting you have one. Indeed, this whole exchange is a joke and a waste of my valuable time. But, for the record, if you could read, I absolved you of anti-Catholic bigotry[“I don’t get that from you”]. Those Chicago schools are horrible, their grads have poor reading comprehension. Oh, I see your Bears just got beat by a pathetic Lions team.
Nick. You got me. Can’t hide from you. I just look worse and worse. I’m an anti-Catholic bigot. I’ve never even been to Chicago. I’m under 35. I live in a high-rise. My neighbor, Mr. Goldberg, says he is from St. Mary’s parish. My neighbor on the other side, Mr. Patel, says he is from St. Joe’s. The guy upstairs, Olaf, says he’s from Old St. Pat’s. Mr. Hussein says he’s from Little Angels. Mr. Hernandez says he’s from Holy Name. Mrs. Haversham says she’s from Queen of Heaven, Mr. Populopulus is from Immaculate Conception Lamar Jones is from Holy Trinity.
The whole damn city is more Catholic than Vatican City. Can’t find a Jew, a Hindu, a Muslim, a protestant, an atheist, a Buddhist, a Greek Orthodox, a pagan in the whole damn lot.
What a joke.
Huck, All I’ve heard from you and others is “I don’t know anyone who identifies by parish.” I have, I have given examples from my personal experience, and I have given references showing that parish identity is a big deal for many Chicagoans. I get a sense that there is, from one or two of the other naysayers, some anti-Catholic bigotry. I don’t get that from you.
Let’s take the example of how this got started. I had a PLEASANT exchange w/ expat about NJ and how many in NJ identify themselves by what exit they reside. I have no doubt there are many in NJ who do not use their NJ Turnpike or Thruway exit as their geographical identity. I also don’t doubt there are Jersey folks who have never heard of that. But, their never hearing of that DOES NOT MAKE THAT FACT UNTRUE! Insular, provincial people think if they have never heard of something that makes it untrue. I usually try to avoid those people, but I am currently having to rebut false allegations by that ilk.
Finally, people switch names here all the time. Obviously you know me. I don’t ever remember dealing w/ or reading a Huckfinn. Maybe I have. More likely you have commented under other name[s]. The same holds true for Jack and Chi-towner. You and they don’t like me. I get it. I don’t care. I have enough self esteem to be able to deal w/ people who don’t like me. I also have enough self esteem to admit when I’m wrong. I’m right on this. I have been wrong on this blog and elsewhere many times and been forthright in admitting my error, Et vous? The longer this proceeds the worse you and these other folks look. “The first rule of getting out of a hole is to stop digging.”
It must be fun being the player, the coach and the umpire all rolled up in one dynamo, but in real life it doesn’t happen that way.
What’s the one word that’s on everyone’s lips when thinking of Nick? ‘Gracious” just rolls of the tongue, doesn’t it.
But the contest has been decided; Nick has determined that Nick has won.
Sounds fair to me.
Being a positive person, I always like to take a negative and turn it into a positive. There is a 1996 nonfiction book available on Amazon written by Eileen McMahon. It is Titled: WHAT PARISH ARE YOU FROM? A Chicago Irish Community and Race Relations.
I just put it on my kindle.
I seem to have attracted a crowd. LOL! You people are wrong. I don’t expect you to admit it. But I played sports and coached baseball for 30 years. When I lose, I was taught to be gracious. However, we are all human and losing to some teams, or in this case, losing an argument to me, I know it can sometimes be tough to be gracious. A great coach taught me if I couldn’t be gracious to just keep my mouth shut and walk away. Apparently, that’s not possible for you ladies.
I’m not from Chicago, but I found an interesting article about how Chicago neighborhoods were named. Note that in the comments no one named their neighborhood by parish. It appears that the Chicagoans are correct.
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http://mentalfloss.com/article/55060/how-chicagos-neighborhoods-got-their-names
How Chicago’s Neighborhoods Got Their Names
Looks like this guy got his info from Wikipedia, then proceeded to act as if he knew how Chicagoans spoke. Hint, not everyone in Chicago is Catholic, even Carholics don’t describe their neighborhoods by parish. Reading a book about Chicago or reading Wikipedia does not make one a Chicagoan, much less an expert on Chicago.
Once in a Great City is a new book written by David Maraniss about Detroit in the early 60’s, when it was successful. If you want to see why the city has died, it helps to see what was going on prior to its death. You Chicago dwellers, Huck being one, might want to compare and contrast your once great city w/ Detroit. Just sayn’. I’m 23% through the book[I love the %’s Kindle gives you].
LOL! There’s the famous quote from an upper eastside of Manhattan socialite back in 1968. She declared, “I don’t know how Nixon could have won the election, NO ONE I KNOW voted for him.”
If you go to Wikipedia and type in “Chicago neighborhoods” you will see all the neighborhoods listed. After the listing, you will see ALTERNATIVE GEOGRAPHICAL BREAKDOWNS and Wikipedia describes the parish heritage exactly as I did. “I live in St. Gertrude’s but he’s from St. Ida’s” is the example Wikipedia uses. The last breakdown they describe people using is by Aldermanic Wards. “I’m from Fast Eddie’s Ward” is the one I would hear most often.
Huck, I believe you’re from Chicago as you state. However, I cannot account for your insularity. That’s on you.
“…obviously doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” -Chi- towner
…which is often the case, but to hear him tell it…
Your facts are wrong.
I was born, raised, educated, earn my living, and raised my children in Chicago. It’s not a question of ‘now’. I know Toguri’s on Belmont and the Tatoo shops. I know the real Maxwell St. and Taylor Street before so much was lost to the UofI. Old enough for you? Real enough for you?
No one I ever knew ever identified by parish, and I knew lots of Roman Catholics.
Boston people do not generally identify by parishes like Chicago. St. Paul, MN. is like Chicago in that people say, “I’m from Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, or I’m from Sacred Heart Parish.” I was not born in Chicago. However, I worked in a large, Loop. law firm that had a lot of professional and support staff who were born, bred and educated. My investigator partner was from a southside Irish family of 12 kids. When he and other hardcore Chicago people in the office would discuss where they or others grew up, it was always, “Yeah, he’s from Saint Joe’s Parish” or any of the myriad parishes. It was the same w/ people in the Lakeview neighborhood where I lived. Some said the neighborhood, I don’t deny that people identify by the neighborhood, but many would say, “I from Saint Andrew’s.” That happens to be where the Chicago Golden Gloves were held, maybe still are, in Saint Andrews Gym on Addison and Paulina.
Devon is one of my favorite streets. I should have said Roger’s Park. Ate in a Roger’s Park kosher Chinese restaurant on Devon on Easter once. The hot and sour soup had chicken, no pork of course! Just south, on Belmont is the largest Polish enclave in the US. I know a little Polish and made the mistake of going into Gene’s Sausage Shop once and speaking the little Polish I know. I had to tell the clerk as she replied in sentences I only know a few Polish words and I just said them.
Huck, I don’t doubt that people identify less by parish now, as the Catholic Church is dying. And, we agree, many identify by neighborhood instead of parish. But, identifying by parish is a longtime Chicago tradition. That’s simply a fact.
Observational skills may be failing…or it proves that one cannot ‘observe’ through the internet.
A review of the list may be in order.
Southside? No working men and women?
Westside? No working men and women?
Even the Northside is not all Lincoln Park. I believe it, too, has working men and women.
Hyde Park? They’re not all profs. Lots of working men and women there, too.
Bronzeville? More working men and women.
Bridegeport? Lots of working folks there.
Uptown? Whoa! Working men and women may be outnumbered by the unemployed.
I live two blocks from Devon. No one says they are from Devon as they shop for saris or attend Friday night Sabbat.
However, happy to have you name all the local parish neighborhoods Maybe it will ring some bells in Boston. I sure won’t recognize them, although lots of friends attended St. Mary’s and Mount Carmel. My guess is Prof. Turley’s family attended one of those churches.
LOL! Two faux Chicago people[maybe the same person?], showing they are ignorant of Chicago, by not knowing the reality of Chicago parishes and their identity significance. But what is telling is the person who names neighborhoods, identifies all the white, upscale ones and doesn’t name the ethnic, blue collar neighborhoods like Pilsen, Taylor St., Devon, Humboldt Park, and others. This person[s] is not real Chicago, probably a high rise man and never been anywhere there are black or Hispanic people. Probably not over 35 years old, white, professional, hipster. Easy to spot this genre. Proudly declaring, “I never heard of that” just makes you admit you are not true blue Chicago. I recommend you read,The Last Catholic in America and Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up? Both are hilarious books written by a real Chicagoan, John Powers.
@Huckfinn
Absolutely right. The guy who said we use our parishes to say where we hail from, obviously doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
Northside, southside, westside, gold coast, bridgeport, wrigleyville, andersonville, lincoln park, hyde park, bronzeville, greek town, boystown, uptown, lakeview, beverly, printer’s row.
Never heard anyone describe their neighborhood by parish name.