Remember this is Chicago and Illinois we are talking about here, and one of the most corrupt cities and states in the Union.
I think that investigator heading the Blagojevich case sums it up well. Maybe the National Guard should be used to police Chicago City Hall and the State Legislature? That is where the major crime is taking place. Personally, if more law enforcement officers were hired it would help in curbing the crime. There is no need for National Guard on the streets of Chicago or any major American city for that matter. It is ridiculous that politicians would taut this alternative as a viable option. All I see here is another feeble attempt at local government officials shirking more of their responsibilities. What happened to the stimulus money? I am very certain the city of Chicago got a major chunk of that.
Daley breaks down Chicago's stimulus share
According to City of Chicago bean counters, the city will get a little over $1 billion from the federal stimulus plan, which is aimed to jump start the economy.
abclocal.go.com.../politics&id=6707012
One would figure that with the spurt of revenue in the city budget it would be adequate to hire more police officers to curb the violence? However, according to a friend of mine who is a Chicago police officer, there has been a hiring freeze for quite sometime. Here is something interesting from Mayor Daley about where the money is going.
Daley breaks down Chicago's stimulus share
He indicated that most of the money will be paid to private companies that contract with the city.
abclocal.go.com.../politics&id=6707012
Private companies who contract with the city? Could those be private friends of the Mayor and his minions? Hired Truck Scandal part two? It seems rather easy for this money to end up in private hands, and then recycled back to corrupt officials in cash filled envelopes and suitcases. Remember cash is king in Chicago. Still, the National Guard policing the streets is outrageous, and a telltale sign of mismanagement of tax payer funds in the city of Chicago.
Note: Links provided above seem to not be working, but the article is still listed on the ABC7 Chicago official web page. Go to their site's search option or use the Google search option. Sorry for any inconvenience.
[edit on 26-4-2010 by Jakes51]
