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How the Chicago Way Reveals the Bigger Picture
Reading many fine posts on Ricochet regarding national issues ranging from Cuban relations to tax policy, I wonder if a discussion on how things go in Chicago might help fill in the big picture. As the largest city in this nation founded by actual Americans, as opposed to shifty Dutchmen (sorry, Rob) or dramatic but seductive Spaniards, Chicago has some quirks.
Normally, nonresidents, save the communists in town for the annual Conscious Capitalism Conference (mark your calendars for April 6, 2015, you can crash at Milt Rosenberg’s place…probably), need not care about these nuances. However, with so many Chicagoans running the show these days it’s important to understand some of these idiosyncrasies if you want to know why things are happening the way they are happening.
One area that I think is worth an education is how Chicagoans view their city government and how the mayor and city council view Chicagoans. This discussion can help shed some light on what is occurring in many national affairs.
- You’re not supposed to care about policy as long as your garbage gets picked up on time. If the street lights work and the alleys are plowed, what do you care about the wider policy positions of those in charge? It’s really none of your business and, generally, does not impact your day to day life, so don’t question them!
- Business does not happen without government. Whether you want to open up a deep dish joint or move in an international headquarters you do it with City Hall. There are so many regulations and regulations regulating the regulations that step one in business is working with the City. The interaction has become so cumbersome that we are at the point in the rabbit hole where the city offers workshops to help you navigate its own regulations. It’s like criminals offering classes on how to be an effective victim.
- Politics is won via divide and conquer. Chicago is comprised of 50 wards, each with its own alderman. The way you win office is you find the 26 wards you need for election, give them some goodies, and play them against the remaining 24 wards. Goodie example, you say? How about Casimir Pulaski Day to garner the Polish vote? Do you know of any other county outside Cook that celebrates such a random figure of the Revolutionary War? And, I don’t want to hear about Evacuation Day which is, technically, only celebrated in Boston on March 17 but, in reality, we all celebrate with plenty of booze… at least, I think that is why we are boozing.
Essentially, Chicago is less a city of this republic than a fiefdom ruled by sometimes benevolent, and sometimes not, princes vying for power similar to how principalities did in medieval Europe. So, please don’t take what is going on nationally personally, it’s just the way things work in the city that works.
If protesting the ways of Chicago would bring you some comfort, for dinner tonight, I suggest you add some tomato product to your pig intestines or consume a slice of that oversized, disgusting, thin crust, fold-over garbage that our friends on Manhattan Island call “pizza.”
Published in General
In re: pizza zinger…
When Obama was elected I read Mike Royko’s “Boss” because of his connection to Chicago politics. 6 years later I feel that it was a harbinger of what has taken place nationally. I was so depressed after reading that book, I couldn’t sleep that night.
Hey now! Let’s keep the gloves on and leave the pizza smack-talking at home, shall we? How about we all abide by the “It’s not wrong, just different” mantra in the pizza department, even though NY thin crust pizza is clearly superior…and meant to be folded! It’s really the only respectable way to eat a slice.
I went to a well regarded Italian restaurant in the North River. Il Fornaio it wan’t. More like Italian ingredients done by Poles. Maybe that’s a metaphor for the whole town.
Agreed, Randy! The Chicago Museum of Fine Arts is magnificent, as is the architecture. Restaurants are great too! I also loved the Bean! I have such lovely memories! Disappointed I didn’t run into Sean Connery!
I haven’t heard of a Chicago Museum of Fine Arts. Might you be thinking of the Art Institute of Chicago, on Michigan Avenue? I’ve been there a few times. My favorites though, are the Museum of Science & Industry and Adler Planetarium.