In my view, in Chicago and to a lesser extent Illinois, Jesse Jackson was for many years, our progressive leader. His child born to a woman not his wife ended his belief that he could be effective in that role. And besides by then he had moved on into the national stage.
Continuing, in my view, David Orr assumed at times and in bits and pieces, and more Chicago, the role of progressive leader.
The person that had for the most, best and longest time filled the role of progressive leader, since the untimely demise of Harold Washington, was Jesse Jackson Jr.
How do we get a leader? A truly natural leader will self select them-self and create an organization around themself. Jackson Jr. was moving in that direction. He has not attempted, as far as I can see, to continue that process since the Tribune and other conservative media declared him incapable of assuming that role. For whatever reasons he is granting the other side the power to choose our leaders.
I suppose that Pat Quinn could assume the mantel of progressive leader of Illinois and by extension Chicago. While some might be put off that he would be doing it in a top-down fashion, what counts will be who rallies around his leadership rather than the means of creating that leadership. At least as far as I'm concerned.
It would be nice if the progressives of Illinois and Chicago could get together and make a leader for us. I don't see that happening.
The Chicago Reader has a sensational story in it today, but, as usual in this town, the story with the real impact on the lives, services and taxes of Chicago's citizens is probably going to go virtually unnoticed right next to it.
The story titled "Transparency in Action - How a bill intended to expand the state Freedom of Information Act was bastardized to expand the mayor's shadow budget", by Ben Joravsky, talks about how the state legislature snuck in an extreme extension of some of the City of Chicago secret slush funds known as TIFs, from a generational 24 years to a nearly two generation long 36 years. And people that this blog would consider 'friends' helped.
Last year, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, after bum-rushing the City Council to fill a supposed multi-hundred million dollar gap in the city budget, sold the city parking meters for, potentially, a billion dollars less than their worth. At the time he claimed that there was no other way for us to come up with that money. This year he is threatening lay-offs and/or furlough days for hundreds of city employees because he said there was no other way to close the city's fiscal gap.
At a meeting tonight sponsored by IVI-IPO (Independent Voters of Illinois-Independent Precinct Organization), Cook County Clerk David Orr, Alderman Scott Waguespack and Chicago Reader reporter Ben Joravsky will reveal over 500 million dollars of city tax money hidden away in slush funds around the city, money that could easily close those gaps.
Surprised that you haven't heard anything about this? The answer is you probably have, but haven't understood what Tax Increment Financing Districts (TIFs) are and how they are abused. By David Orr's account last year, there's over 550 million dollars of city tax money sitting in these accounts that are administered in the least transparent way that you can imagine. Tonight's meeting gives you the opportunity to find out about an abuse that costs you and me a fortune, and creates headaches like the parking meter deal, and then ask these three experts what can be done about it.
Date:
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Time:
7:00pm - 8:30pm
Location:
Logan Square Public Library
Street:
3030 W. Fullerton
City/Town:
Chicago, IL
If you are not able to make it, there are people who are expected to be posting from the event. Check IVI-IPO's facebook page for more info. Hope to see you there.
What is Pat Quinn up to these days? Have we heard from Jan Schakowsky or Jesse Jackson lately? What does David Orr have to say about Cook County government? When will hear something from Carol Ronen about the state budget? Has Joe Moore passed on the progressive baton to a new leader in the council?
In short, why is our progressive leadership so silent. Why are they not leading? What is the game plan for Illinois progressives? You don't really know what a progressive is? Fine then call it whatever you want but where is our leadership? Are they missing in action? Then where's the battle they were lost in?
They are busy you say, it's just that the media doesn't report on progressives? OK. Then why aren't they using the one media outlet open and active and waiting to hear from them, waiting for our marching orders? Why are they not present, here then, and accounted for, on the blogosphere?
Why do we feel a disconnect between the leaders and the led? Or is it just me, sitting here and not getting out in the world to hear and join in the struggle to overcome top down machine and money politics?
Quite a bit ago Peter Daou postulated that the blogosphere in conjunction with progressive politicians could work together to influence the main stream media and effect a progressive conventional wisdom. So how's that going?
These are some of the questions I would like to ask the Illinois progressive "leadership" if I encounter them at the yKos convention.
Back in 2002, a Cook County judge appointed special prosecutors to investigate the allegations of torture against former Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge.
Now, four years and $5.5 million later, the prosecutors want to release their findings. Not surprisingly, attorneys for Burge and other former officers, accused of using electric shock and suffocation techniques on suspects, don’t want the report to be made public.
For those keeping track, it’s been 13 years since Burge was fired for torturing Andrew Wilson while Wilson was in police custody more than 25 years ago. The allegations of torture surfaced some 35 years ago. Beginning to see a pattern?
These allegations and attempts to cover them up smelled back then just as they do today. After decades of being denied the complete truth about Burge’s alleged atrocities, the public has a right to finally hear it - now.
I applaud the city’s African American aldermen for providing leadership on this issue - one that impacts all of us.
