Breaking: Lori Lightfoot is officially out as Mayor of Chicago. As Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson advance to a runoff. (college, authority)

[Genghis]

Johnson is pretty clearly a socialist or progressive or however you want to call it. His revenue-raising plan is pretty laughable... generate 500 million dollars through increasing government efficiency? I think we know the bloat doesn't ever go away as the politically connected are given government jobs, contracts, and so on. If elected, he'll likely try to enact policy that transfers money from the wealthy and business to minorities and the poor, but I seriously doubt the budget deficit is going away anytime soon. Businesses will accelerate their departure from Chicago but the poor might be better off.

Then we have Paul Vallas.... the ultimate insider, promising to revitalize Chicago through expanding the police force. Better than nothing, but the structural economic problems aren't about to go anywhere and it will largely be business as usual. So for me he's the lesser of two evils. I do wish other people were running. Oh well.

[Hiruko]

Originally Posted by Genghis

Johnson is pretty clearly a socialist or progressive or however you want to call it. His revenue-raising plan is pretty laughable... generate 500 million dollars through increasing government efficiency? I think we know the bloat doesn't ever go away as the politically connected are given government jobs, contracts, and so on. If elected, he'll likely try to enact policy that transfers money from the wealthy and business to minorities and the poor, but I seriously doubt the budget deficit is going away anytime soon. Businesses will accelerate their departure from Chicago but the poor might be better off.

Then we have Paul Vallas.... the ultimate insider, promising to revitalize Chicago through expanding the police force. Better than nothing, but the structural economic problems aren't about to go anywhere and it will largely be business as usual. So for me he's the lesser of two evils. I do wish other people were running. Oh well.

I highly recommend reading Not Accountable: Rethinking the Constitutionality of Public Employee Unions, by Philip K. Howard. In it, he goes through how much damage public employee unions have done to government budgets, efficiency, and accountability. He also writes about how much they have done to distort the political process by preventing politicians from actually governing or representing their constituents.

Sanitation costs are a great example. In this country, unionized trash collection costs more than double that of non-union private trash collection services! This kind of distortion is replicated in every facet of government from police to education to infrastructure. Public employee union negotiators do everything in their power to raise the cost of government, decrease productivity, and shield members from accountability. It's completely ridiculous.

[Cool Arrow]

Originally Posted by Hiruko

I highly recommend reading Not Accountable: Rethinking the Constitutionality of Public Employee Unions, by Philip K. Howard. In it, he goes through how much damage public employee unions have done to government budgets, efficiency, and accountability. He also writes about how much they have done to distort the political process by preventing politicians from actually governing or representing their constituents.

Sanitation costs are a great example. In this country, unionized trash collection costs more than double that of non-union private trash collection services! This kind of distortion is replicated in every facet of government from police to education to infrastructure. Public employee union negotiators do everything in their power to raise the cost of government, decrease productivity, and shield members from accountability. It's completely ridiculous.

You want cops to be privatized? Vallas is definitely your guy.

[quigboto]

Originally Posted by Cool Arrow

You want cops to be privatized? Vallas is definitely your guy.

I've not seen where he was calling to privatize CPD. Can you point me to a citation or article that expounds on that? He's been endorsed by the FOP. I don't really see them doing that if it is really one of his positions to privatize.

[Vlajos]

Originally Posted by Hiruko

I highly recommend reading Not Accountable: Rethinking the Constitutionality of Public Employee Unions, by Philip K. Howard. In it, he goes through how much damage public employee unions have done to government budgets, efficiency, and accountability. He also writes about how much they have done to distort the political process by preventing politicians from actually governing or representing their constituents.

Sanitation costs are a great example. In this country, unionized trash collection costs more than double that of non-union private trash collection services! This kind of distortion is replicated in every facet of government from police to education to infrastructure. Public employee union negotiators do everything in their power to raise the cost of government, decrease productivity, and shield members from accountability. It's completely ridiculous.

Sounds like a must read. Remember, FDR was opposed to public employee unions.

[Hiruko]

Originally Posted by Cool Arrow

You want cops to be privatized? Vallas is definitely your guy.

Again, making a huge leap. Criticizing the role of public employee unions or the police union does not mean that you want to privatize public services or the police.

[quigboto]

Originally Posted by Hiruko

Again, making a huge leap. Criticizing the role of public employee unions or the police union does not mean that you want to privatize public services or the police.

He must not be too critical of the FOP, because they've given him their endorsement.

[Cool Arrow]

Originally Posted by personone

If people don’t realize that Johnson would is worse than Lightfoot (outside of her extreme unlike-ability and horrible personality), it’s going to be years of more of the same…..crime, high taxes, political games. Man, I didn’t realize how good it was with Rahm until he’s gone.

Leaders who cover up murders aren't that good, but that's just my opinion.

[Nearwest]

In 2019, Lori Lightfoot ran for mayor as a mild progressive. But, she governed Chicago as a pro-cop, pro-CEO authoritarian. She did exactly what she attacked Rahmbo for doing: governing as if downtown businesses and rich neighborhoods are the only Chicagoans who matter.

Her response to the George Floyd protests was brutal. Numerous times, she would flatly lie in press conferences, by claiming to do things she hadn't and claiming outcomes from her policies which clearly hadn't happened.

Lightfoot's faceoff with the teachers' union over COVID is a stark example. She kept flatly lying in easily provable ways about what was happening and what the CTU was supposedly 'demanding' of her.

She turned 'gaslighting' into an art form.

[aga412]

Originally Posted by Nearwest

In 2019, Lori Lightfoot ran for mayor as a mild progressive. But, she governed Chicago as a pro-cop, pro-CEO authoritarian. She did exactly what she attacked Rahmbo for doing: governing as if downtown businesses and rich neighborhoods are the only Chicagoans who matter.

Her response to the George Floyd protests was brutal. Numerous times, she would flatly lie in press conferences, by claiming to do things she hadn't and claiming outcomes from her policies which clearly hadn't happened.

Lightfoot's faceoff with the teachers' union over COVID is a stark example. She kept flatly lying in easily provable ways about what was happening and what the CTU was supposedly 'demanding' of her.

She turned gaslighting into an art form.

Definitely authoritarian and an ineffective one at that, but how come we have totally different perspectives? Never would call her pro-cop or pro-business. Lori is the classic example of trying to be everything to everybody and both sides latching onto her shortcomings in line with what they prioritize.