Are you Ok with a 'little' corruption in your city government? (Chicago: how much, contractors)

[lenniel]

I was arguing over the failed Olympic bid with some guy and he agreed that corruption would have run rampant during the build up for the games had Chicago won. What surprised me though was that he was OK with that because he said 'you have to look at the big picture'.

Is this why Chicago continues to maintain it's reputation as the most politically corrupt city in the country? Because we as citizens are OK with it?

Is it possible to have a large city government with no corruption? You hear about it in New Orleans, Detroit and Chicago but not so much in LA, NY or some other big cities.

Thoughts?

[chirack]

Originally Posted by lenniel

I was arguing over the failed Olympic bid with some guy and he agreed that corruption would have run rampant during the build up for the games had Chicago won. What surprised me though was that he was OK with that because he said 'you have to look at the big picture'.

Is this why Chicago continues to maintain it's reputation as the most politically corrupt city in the country? Because we as citizens are OK with it?

Is it possible to have a large city government with no corruption? You hear about it in New Orleans, Detroit and Chicago but not so much in LA, NY or some other big cities.

Thoughts?

I think this happens because outsiders don't undserstand city politics. They wonder how on earth can we elect Daley over and over again. Chicagoans prefer political stability above all else most of the time. We don't care how much it costs. We don't care if it could be done cheaper. We do care that it is done.

This is also why the Republican party has such trouble in the city. We don't care for small government and low taxes. We do care for what services the city gives.

[Drover]

Nobody like the idea of corruption, except of course its direct beneficiaries. But reality is, it makes sense to be OK with "a little corruption" because at some point the cost of creating, maintaining and monitoring the institutions needed to weed out corruption is higher than the costs imposed by whatever corruption remains. For better or worse, some forms of corruption have efficiencies built into it. Take the most recent major L.A. earthquake for example. When entire chunks of elevated freeways collapsed, the city/county gatekeepers went straight to their politically connected contractors and those freeways were rebuilt within weeks. If they had been forced to go through the whole bidding process designed to avoid corruption, it would have taken several months or even a couple years to complete them. The phrase "the city that works" has a small ring of truth to it.

[Irishtom29]

I'm all for a little corruption when it benefits me. Note that "corruption" was the means by which people who lacked access to "respectable" means of gaining favors worked---you know, Catholics, Jews, Immigrants---people who didn't know the bluebloods and so worked out their own system of favors and rewards. Most of the so called anti corruption reforms are anti-democratic and favor the interests of a professional governing class at the expense of the common citizenry.

What's ironic is that the reforms forced by the social liberals changed corruption from a system in which the common man could get a favor to a system where only the connected now get them and now more money is squandered than ever but now through schemes involving tax breaks, development and the privatization of city services. My father was a regular guy but because he was a solid Democrat the city sent crews out to remove a tree from his yard and run a gas line for him. You wouldn't see that today.

But the big shots still get their's but because now they have to hide it they can't take care of the little guy; we must now have the appearance of honesty.

[Johnny Northside]

Originally Posted by chirack

We don't care if it could be done cheaper. We do care that it is done.

Originally Posted by chirack

We do care for what services the city gives.

Those priorities among the citizenry could prove to be the undoing of Daley.

If we go through another winter of abysmal snow removal, followed by the spring of 100,000 potholes, we might rise up in revolt.

We can ignore the corruption, but not the stuff that directly affects us. See "Michael Bilandic, 1979."

[middle-aged mom]

Corruption is everywhere.

[chirack]

Originally Posted by Johnny Northside

Those priorities among the citizenry could prove to be the undoing of Daley.

If we go through another winter of abysmal snow removal, followed by the spring of 100,000 potholes, we might rise up in revolt.

We can ignore the corruption, but not the stuff that directly affects us. See "Michael Bilandic, 1979."

Yeap, I think that is about the only way to clear daley, but I don't think he is that dumb. He changed course on snow removal pretty quick. The 100,000 pot holes on the other hand are the result of a bad winter with lots of freeze thaw. He might have to increase the street repair crew.

How a government handles it's problems is also important. Bilandic from what I heard just was unable to get the people to rally behind him.

[JoeyPants]

Originally Posted by lenniel

I was arguing over the failed Olympic bid with some guy and he agreed that corruption would have run rampant during the build up for the games had Chicago won. What surprised me though was that he was OK with that because he said 'you have to look at the big picture'.
Thoughts?

That's like saying we shouldn't support any large scale public works program in Chicago because corruption will be involved. Want to revitalize downtown, hell no, Daley and his cronies will profit from it. Want to upgrade the CTA, no way Jose, Daley will hook up his buddies with contracts. Corruption sucks, but until we root it out, which may never be, we have to go on with our lives.

[jfre81]

There's a "little" corruption in every government, in every form of government. Even anarchy would eventually get "corrupted" by some sort of government evolving. There's corruption because humanity is corrupt. There's not a whole lot you can do about it.

I don't think Chicago's 2016 Olympics (had it come to pass) would've necessarily had any more corrupt business going on than any other Olympics. Like, say, the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympics.

[JoeyPants]

Originally Posted by jfre81

I don't think Chicago's 2016 Olympics (had it come to pass) would've necessarily had any more corrupt business going on than any other Olympics. Like, say, the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympics.

As corrupt as Chicago and American politics are, it pales in comparison to 3rd world nations, although we have been catching up.