Posted on 02/19/2010 11:23:07 AM PST by iowamark
New study provides insight into 141+ years of political hijinks
Cook County has been a "dark pool of political corruption" for more than a century, a new study by the University of Illinois at Chicago says.
Nearly 150 employees, politicians and contractors in the nation's second-largest county have been convicted on corruption charges since 1957, according to a report released Thursday by the university and the Better Government Association (.pdf)
The 33-page study gives a history of corruption, starting from 1869 when county commissioners were jailed for rigging a bid to paint City Hall. It also details hiring scandals, including some under Cook County Board President Todd Stroger. Stroger hasn't been charged with any crime.
In the last 36 years, 31 sitting or former Chicago alderman have been convicted of corruption or other crimes. The last was Ike Carothers (29th), who earlier this month plead guilty to charges he accepted gifts in exchange for his votes on zoning issues.
The study says reforms could turn things around, including stricter campaign finance laws and amending a county ethics ordinance.
The only surprise is that the UofI-Chicago (Ayers’s base) unertook the study, much less published it. The profs and students better watch their backs.
What do you think the stimulus money was spent on? I mean, at least 5 jobs were created, albeit temporary.
So “...reforms could turn things around...” Yeah. I’m SURE Shortshanks would be all FOR that!!
“What historical event started the corruption?”
I don’t really think any specific historical event could be fingered as the beginning - Chicago machine politics just kind of evolved.
Up until the ‘60’s or so, Chicago was largely a city of ethnic neighborhoods - if you told me your address, I could make a pretty good guess as to whether you were Irish or Polish or Italian or Lithuanian or Black or Mexican, etc. - to a certain extent, you can still do that a little bit today.
The various ethnic groups were able to trade their votes as voting blocs for pieces of political power; over a period of time, trafficing in political influence became more and more the standard for local governance, hence the Democrat machine.
The same thing happened in most other big cities - you had the Tweed gang in New York which evolved into the LaGuardia machine; in Boston you had the Curley machine; I’m sure there were lots of others.
The pols in Chicago were just better at it than most - part of that had to do with the original Mayor Daley, who tolerated incredible corruption, but lived in a bungalow in his modest neighborhood of Bridgeport (which in fact was corruption central for the machine). The first Daley kept the city running relatively efficiently, but the corruption was so firmly embedded that once he kicked off, the whole racket got worse, but city services pretty much began to deteriorate as well.
To give you an idea how screwed up the city is - it’s got just about the worst school system in country, neighborhood shootings are an almost daily occurence, the transit system is in a constant state of near-collapse, streets are pot-hole ridden — and every last one of the 50 alderman in the city council is a democrat, they all have been for the last several decades, and they all will continue to be as far as the eye can see.
But at least we’re not Detroit.
Two of us answered at the same time: "Elect them."
LOL! Great minds and all that. ; - )
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