My Scary Encounter With Chicago's Mayor Richard Daley

Fox News ^ | February 01, 2011 | John R. Lott Jr.

[JohnRLott]

Chicago-style politics is infamous for kickbacks, dead people voting, and thuggery. Alas, it is not just a relic of the past. In fact, witness recent stories of Chicago city workers being hired or promoted based on how well they got voters to the polls and not how well they did their official jobs, children getting admitted to prestigious city schools based on political connections, and the granting of city contracts. Unfortunately, I know first hand more than I would like about Chicago politics. A decade ago, I was working at the University of Chicago Law School as an Olin Fellow, doing research and some teaching, when I happened to cross paths with Mayor Richard Daley. As he is now about to retire from office, it is time for the facts to come out. As the author of the book "More Guns, Less Crime" and someone living and working on Daley's home turf in Chicago, I was not one of his favorite people. . . .

[Oldpuppymax]

Daley is and has always been a thug, just like his father. None of Lott’s story should come as a surprise to anyone.

[Freddd]

I feel for him, and yet it angers me.

He stayed silent.

Silence is consent.

[BatGuano]

Both Mayors Daley were thugs. The younger distinguished himself by closing Meigs Field, the Chicago lakeside airport, in the middle of the night, by sending his minions to dig trenches across the runway. Daley hardly bothered to use or further pursue legal means, he just acted like any tyrant would when they don't get their way.

I hope his rotten acts will follow him to his early grave.

You were very fortunate that you did not get thrown in one of his trenches.

[BatGuano]

Stick to your Guns. You are right.

[freekitty]

Daley and his kind stink.

[robowombat]

This was very clear when he was AG in the Land of Lincoln. The Walibby case was a particular example of his Soviet style verdict first investigation later approach to what is euphemistically called justice in Hillanois.

[denydenydeny]

At that point a woman walked over to me and asked me if I was John Lott from the University of Chicago. I said that I was, and she informed me that I was not allowed to ask any questions -- no additional explanation was offered.

Scratch a liberal, find a fascist.

Thank goodness this thug political culture is confined to one city and state, and that no one produced by it could ever be taken seriously as a national candidate. Oh wait.

[Grammy]

All of Chicago is run by thugs... not just the Mayor’s office. Mr G was working in a downtown building and some union gave him a really hard time about something... until he discovered that all the fire walls in an 80+ floor building had holes in them for the cable TV runs. They decided to leave him alone after that.

[RetiredTexasVet]

Most people are under the misunderstanding that the mob was driven out of Chicago in the 1920s and 1930s. Not so. The mob became the Chicago government.

[Timocrat]

Breaking News: Academic Freedom is a Joke!

Daley corruption is a given. One might hope to actually see some spine in a Law School Dean ( Freedom of speech anyone ) of a private university. One more confirmation of the nonsense spouted by academia about their supposed independence.

[old curmudgeon]

Although I am a figher, don’t be too hard on the dean.

Remember that a university that size has probably several million square ft. of buildings.

All of which just might fail inspection...on a dozen fronts. Sprinklers, number of exits, electricals, on and on.

And then there is the actual real estate. Codes, valuation, etc. Distance between buildings and property lines, etc.

Then there are the health laws regarding the cafeteria.....

You get the picture.

Daley could have closed the place down.

Some people can fight it, some can not. And if the dean is representing hundreds, probably more than 1,000 employees and maybe 25,000 students who might end up missing a year of school.....he was in a very bad spot.

[browniexyz]

One of the first things that happened in DC after Daley got into the WH was a WH aide’s wife was burned to death in her car in her garage....that tells us a lot!!!

[TheBigJ]

Wait til Rahm Emmanuel starts running things. This nut-job tyrant will be 10x worse.

Will Shortshanks Daley be retiring to his Grand Beach, Michigan home in the cul-de-sac on the hill? Lots of drownings out that way Dicky. Better bring your two armed escorts and life preserver.

[Lancey Howard]

I misspelled Dailey’s last name?
Opps..

[Tribune7]

Daley may be going but his protege is our President and his brother is his chief of staff.

I guess we should all be scared.

[Lazamataz]

Lulz. :) It’s easy to mispel Daylies name. :)

[marktwain]

Thank you, John, for posting this account. You have shown a great deal of courage over the years, and have suffered quite a bit for telling the truth.

It is important that this account be preserved for the future.

[cycjec]

I for one am grateful for Mr Lott finally putting the truth
out.

[cycjec]

“civility” means conservatives should voluntarily silence
themselves, and if they do not, a few threats will be
employed. this might be an early example of “civility”
in action.

[cycjec]

somehow I’m reminded of the portrayal of the character
of Getmanov, a commissar in 1943 Russia, in Vasily
Grossman’s long novel Life And Fate.