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Re: The proud tradition of Illinois

Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2017 2:10 am
by em2nought
In regards to all that pension & retirement money, maybe we should reword "it takes a village" to "the village is on the take" :wink:

Re: The proud tradition of Illinois

Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2017 3:57 pm
by hentzau
And now the capital building is now on lockdown because someone threw an "unknown substance" at the governor's window.

Re: The proud tradition of Illinois

Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2017 6:14 pm
by Moliere
Chicagoans celebrate 4th of July weekend by shooting each other.

102 people shot. :shock:

Re: The proud tradition of Illinois

Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2017 12:00 am
by Unagi
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh"

Re: The proud tradition of Illinois

Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2017 9:38 am
by LawBeefaroni
hentzau wrote:And now the capital building is now on lockdown because someone threw an "unknown substance" at the governor's window.
Reports are that it may have been ethics.

Re: The proud tradition of Illinois

Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2017 9:43 am
by Isgrimnur
LawBeefaroni wrote:
hentzau wrote:And now the capital building is now on lockdown because someone threw an "unknown substance" at the governor's window.
Reports are that it may have been ethics.
:clap:

Re: The proud tradition of Illinois

Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2017 9:46 am
by hentzau
LawBeefaroni wrote:
hentzau wrote:And now the capital building is now on lockdown because someone threw an "unknown substance" at the governor's window.
Reports are that it may have been ethics.
Glad I wasn’t drinking when I read that...


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Re: The proud tradition of Illinois

Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2017 10:03 am
by Jeff V
Moliere wrote:Chicagoans celebrate 4th of July weekend by shooting each other.

102 people shot. :shock:
Because GUNS! FUCK YEAH! Besides, fireworks are illegal here so how else are we supposed to make loud noises?

Re: The proud tradition of Illinois

Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2017 2:45 pm
by em2nought
LawBeefaroni wrote:
hentzau wrote:And now the capital building is now on lockdown because someone threw an "unknown substance" at the governor's window.
Reports are that it may have been ethics.
Now that's funny doesn't matter what side of the aisle you're on! LMAO

Re: The proud tradition of Illinois

Posted: Thu Sep 28, 2017 2:08 pm
by Moliere
Ald. Lopez wants city to hire 50 super ticket-writers
If each ward had one employee assigned to do nothing but write tickets, Chicago neighborhoods would be cleaner and safer and the city could potentially generate many more millions than it costs to hire the new super ticket-writers, Lopez said.

“One of the things expressed to me by my residents time and again is, `Why don’t we enforce the laws on the books? Why don’t we hold individuals in our neighborhoods who flagrantly disobey the law, refuse to pay stickers that apply to everyone else accountable,’ ” Lopez said Wednesday.

“Acting on the laws we’ve created is a better way to generate revenue. The last thing any of us want to do is enact more fees, more tax increases. Especially after residents have voiced their outrage over what they feel is nickel-and-diming them, particularly with the county’s sweetened beverage tax.”
Last year, Chicago faced a $137.6 million shortfall — the city’s smallest in a decade — that did not include the cost of saving the largest of four city employee pension funds.

Six weeks later, Emanuel lowered the boom on Chicago taxpayers by slapping a 29.5 percent tax onto water and sewer bills to shore up the Municipal Employees Pension Fund.

Now, yet another round of tax increases is virtually guaranteed for taxpayers who have already endured a $1.2 billion avalanche of increases for police, fire, laborers, municipal employees and teacher pensions and face an additional $125 million property tax hike for teacher pensions.

Emanuel has promised to seek City Council approval for a 28 percent increase in the monthly tax tacked onto Chicago telephone bills — both cellphones and land lines — to free up money to shore up the Laborers Pension fund well into the next decade.
Because more taxes on everything is always the solution.

Re: The proud tradition of Illinois

Posted: Thu Sep 28, 2017 9:18 pm
by LawBeefaroni
Moliere wrote:Ald. Lopez wants city to hire 50 super ticket-writers

“One of the things expressed to me by my residents time and again is, `Why don’t we enforce the laws on the books? Why don’t we hold individuals in our neighborhoods who flagrantly disobey the law, refuse to pay stickers that apply to everyone else accountable,’ ” Lopez said Wednesday.
Because more taxes on everything is always the solution.
What a laugh. They won't pursue or prosecute carjackers but they'll assign a special squad for parking violations.

I guess a dead tourist won't leave a bad Yelp review. A tourist who can't park will.


How about enforcing gun laws? 5-time offenders get booked into the no-vacancy hotel and end up walking around with disabled ankle bracelets as a badge of pride.

Re: The proud tradition of Illinois

Posted: Fri Sep 29, 2017 9:02 am
by Punisher
LawBeefaroni wrote:
Moliere wrote:Ald. Lopez wants city to hire 50 super ticket-writers

“One of the things expressed to me by my residents time and again is, `Why don’t we enforce the laws on the books? Why don’t we hold individuals in our neighborhoods who flagrantly disobey the law, refuse to pay stickers that apply to everyone else accountable,’ ” Lopez said Wednesday.
Because more taxes on everything is always the solution.
What a laugh. They won't pursue or prosecute carjackers but they'll assign a special squad for parking violations.

I guess a dead tourist won't leave a bad Yelp review. A tourist who can't park will.

How about enforcing gun laws? 5-time offenders get booked into the no-vacancy hotel and end up walking around with disabled ankle bracelets as a badge of pride.
I also suspect they would have a better chance at getting revenue from parking tickets then they would from criminals..

Re: The proud tradition of Illinois

Posted: Fri Sep 29, 2017 9:26 am
by LawBeefaroni
Punisher wrote:
LawBeefaroni wrote:
Moliere wrote:Ald. Lopez wants city to hire 50 super ticket-writers

“One of the things expressed to me by my residents time and again is, `Why don’t we enforce the laws on the books? Why don’t we hold individuals in our neighborhoods who flagrantly disobey the law, refuse to pay stickers that apply to everyone else accountable,’ ” Lopez said Wednesday.
Because more taxes on everything is always the solution.
What a laugh. They won't pursue or prosecute carjackers but they'll assign a special squad for parking violations.

I guess a dead tourist won't leave a bad Yelp review. A tourist who can't park will.

How about enforcing gun laws? 5-time offenders get booked into the no-vacancy hotel and end up walking around with disabled ankle bracelets as a badge of pride.
I also suspect they would have a better chance at getting revenue from parking tickets then they would from criminals..
It's killing the golden goose because the eggs aren't enough.


The aldermen just can't stand all the calls from residents in permit parking areas. Maybe if they hadn't sold the city parking rights for the next 100 years for pennies in the dollar they'd have a self-sufficient parking Dept. Still, they probably still think it was worth it. Jobs for family and cronies at Morgan Stanley is the theft that keeps on giving.

Re: The proud tradition of Illinois

Posted: Sat Sep 30, 2017 2:18 pm
by Rip
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ ... story.html
Housing construction already is being affected, he said. With construction costs high and demand muted, only 7,511 single-family homes were built in the Chicago metro area during the 12 months ending with July.

Before the recession, 40,000 new homes were being constructed each year. Normal demand is closer to 15,000 to 20,000 new homes a year, Ramella said.

“We really need stability in our government, and I don’t know how that’s going to happen,” he said.

Ramella contrasted most of the Chicago metro area with Lake County, Ind., which has experienced heavy housing growth that Ramella attributes to a flight from Illinois taxes. Housing construction in northwest Indiana increased 18 percent this year over last, and in 2016 the number was up 19 percent over 2015. Meanwhile, Cook County is down 6 percent this year over last, and home construction in many other Illinois counties is flat, he said. DuPage County experienced an upturn of 5.9 percent this year.

Sheila Tracy, a Chicago optician, said the recent income tax hike as well as the sweetened beverage tax implemented by Cook County in August both seem like desperate governmental attempts to deal with unresolved financial problems.

“It was the last straw,” said Tracy, who plans to relocate away from the state once she retires in three years. “They say the soda tax is about my health, but they aren’t fooling people.”

Re: The proud tradition of Illinois

Posted: Sat Sep 30, 2017 7:27 pm
by LawBeefaroni
That's killing the golden goose. People are fleeing the taxes.

Re: The proud tradition of Illinois

Posted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 6:28 pm
by Moliere
In the name of protecting homeless people from do-gooders Chicago has prevented a man from offering shelter to these people.
A suburban Chicago resident who was offering up “slumber parties” in his basement for homeless people in his neighborhood during dangerously cold weather says city officials have given him an ultimatum.

Stop the “slumber parties” or the house will be condemned.

Greg Schiller, of Elgin, said he began letting a group of homeless people sleep in his unfinished basement last month during brutally cold nights, offering them food, warm beverages and a cot to sleep on while watching movies.

“I would stay up all night with them and give them coffee and stuff and feed them,” he said, adding that no drugs or alcohol were allowed inside his residence during the evening events.

Re: The proud tradition of Illinois

Posted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 6:51 pm
by Isgrimnur
"While we appreciate those who volunteer to provide additional resources in the community, Mr. Schiller’s house does not comply with codes and regulations that guard against potential dangers such as carbon monoxide poisoning, inadequate light and ventilation, and insufficient exits in the event of a fire," city spokesperson Molly Center said in a statement.

Schiller said city officials and police officers came to his home with a warrant Tuesday and went into his basement. There, he said they found his ceiling height too low and windows too high and too small to be an egress.

Re: The proud tradition of Illinois

Posted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 6:57 pm
by noxiousdog
Isgrimnur wrote: Thu Jan 04, 2018 6:51 pm
"While we appreciate those who volunteer to provide additional resources in the community, Mr. Schiller’s house does not comply with codes and regulations that guard against potential dangers such as carbon monoxide poisoning, inadequate light and ventilation, and insufficient exits in the event of a fire," city spokesperson Molly Center said in a statement.

Schiller said city officials and police officers came to his home with a warrant Tuesday and went into his basement. There, he said they found his ceiling height too low and windows too high and too small to be an egress.
Is that more or less dangerous than the dangerously cold weather?

Re: The proud tradition of Illinois

Posted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 7:02 pm
by Isgrimnur
noxiousdog wrote: Thu Jan 04, 2018 6:57 pm
Isgrimnur wrote: Thu Jan 04, 2018 6:51 pm
"While we appreciate those who volunteer to provide additional resources in the community, Mr. Schiller’s house does not comply with codes and regulations that guard against potential dangers such as carbon monoxide poisoning, inadequate light and ventilation, and insufficient exits in the event of a fire," city spokesperson Molly Center said in a statement.

Schiller said city officials and police officers came to his home with a warrant Tuesday and went into his basement. There, he said they found his ceiling height too low and windows too high and too small to be an egress.
Is that more or less dangerous than the dangerously cold weather?
No one can be held liable for dangerously cold weather. And that's all the city cares about. If they knew about the place, knew it wasn't up to code, and people died, all of the relatives of these people that don't care about them would be lining up to sue the crap out of the city.

Re: The proud tradition of Illinois

Posted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 7:20 pm
by Smoove_B
Exactly. They find out or someone makes a complaint, now they're obligated to go and investigate. That's how I ended up in a makeshift brothel - because people were calling about the line out the side door on the weekends. I'd actually forgotten about that one; so glad to now have that memory back.

Anyway, while I know it's not the same and that a portion of the of the homeless population avoids public shelters, Chicago should already have "Code Blue" plans in place for these individuals. Or in the great tradition of NYC, they can simply give them a one-way bus ticket to destinations elsewhere.

Re: The proud tradition of Illinois

Posted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 10:46 pm
by LawBeefaroni
Not an Illinois thing. That's a Chicago thing.

Re: The proud tradition of Illinois

Posted: Fri Jan 05, 2018 2:01 am
by em2nought
Image

Re: The proud tradition of Illinois

Posted: Fri Jan 05, 2018 11:35 am
by ImLawBoy
Smoove_B wrote: Thu Jan 04, 2018 7:20 pm Anyway, while I know it's not the same and that a portion of the of the homeless population avoids public shelters, Chicago should already have "Code Blue" plans in place for these individuals.
FWIW, this was in Elgin, a suburb of Chicago. I believe Chicago does have some sort of plan in place for these types of occurrences (although that still doesn't bring in everyone from Lower Wacker).

Re: The proud tradition of Illinois

Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2018 2:13 pm
by LawBeefaroni
Don't campaign unarmed...

An armed robber’s target in Chicago happened to be a candidate running for Illinois attorney general.

The candidate, Aaron Goldstein, 42, was robbed Thursday at gunpoint while he was taking promotional photographs for his campaign, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The Tribune reported that the robbery happened about 3:30 p.m. in the 4600 block of North Albana Avenue. Three men in their early 20s approached Goldstein and his campaign workers. One of the men showed a handgun and demanded the camera equipment and other personal property from the group, police told the Tribune.

Re: The proud tradition of Illinois

Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2018 3:16 pm
by Zarathud
Aaron was Rod Blogojovich's defense counsel and beat Rod's father-in-law Dick Mell for the Ward Democratic Committeeman seat. Unfortunate....

Re: The proud tradition of Illinois

Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2018 4:28 pm
by LawBeefaroni
Zarathud wrote: Fri Jan 12, 2018 3:16 pm Aaron was Rod Blogojovich's defense counsel and beat Rod's father-in-law Dick Mell for the Ward Democratic Committeeman seat. Unfortunate....
And probably not random. It is Chicago, after all.

Re: The proud tradition of Illinois

Posted: Fri May 04, 2018 1:22 pm
by Moliere
Chicago Mayor Pushes for Police Drone Surveillance of Public Gatherings
Illinois passed a law three years ago requiring police to get warrants before use drones for most surveillance purposes. But a bill being pushed by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and his allies in the state legislature would blow a massive hole in these restrictions by allowing the government to use drones to monitor protests and large gatherings.

The American Civil Liberties Union is raising hell, noting that the change in the law would allow Chicago police (who have a history of secret surveillance against political activists) to take pictures, record video, and even use facial recognition tools against protesters.
...
Representatives for the mayor's office say this is all about "ensuring the safety" of people attending large events.
Think of the children!

Re: The proud tradition of Illinois

Posted: Fri May 04, 2018 2:27 pm
by LawBeefaroni
An ATF agent investigating on the South side was shot in the head today. But what we really need are drones. :roll: It's just another fat contract to hand to cronies.

They just scrapped a swipe program for the CPD before it was ever implemented. Rank and file knew it was dooomed from the start but it was a good way throw a free millions at friends.


He won't be the mayor much longer. A runoff is all but inevitable and he will get crushed.

Re: The proud tradition of Illinois

Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2018 12:17 pm
by Jeff V
If I were a Elk Grove Village taxpayer, I'd be pretty pissed. $400K to sponsor a game only the player's parents are going to watch?

Re: The proud tradition of Illinois

Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2018 12:46 pm
by LawBeefaroni
Jeff V wrote: Wed Aug 01, 2018 12:17 pm If I were a Elk Grove Village taxpayer, I'd be pretty pissed. $400K to sponsor a game only the player's parents are going to watch?
Seems like a pretty good deal as far as Illinois goes. Normally $400K would just get you the consultant to determine if you should engage in considering sponsoring a bowl game.

Re: The proud tradition of Illinois

Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2018 12:55 pm
by Isgrimnur
The Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl will take place in Nassau, Bahamas on Dec. 21, 2018 at Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium between teams from Conference USA and the Mid-American Conference.
Well, they have the trademark:
This is a brand page for the MAKERS WANTED trademark by Village of Elk Grove Village in Elk Grove Village, IL, 60007.
And they follow in the great footsteps of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen.

Re: The proud tradition of Illinois

Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2018 12:09 am
by Zarathud
Small towns can be just as corrupt as big ones.

Re: The proud tradition of Illinois

Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2018 11:05 am
by Isgrimnur
WaPo
An Illinois state lawmaker stepped down Wednesday after he was accused of posting a former girlfriend’s nude photos on an Instagram account to “catfish” other men.

State Rep. Nick Sauer, a first-term Republican and member of a task force combating sexual harassment, announced his resignation hours after Politico reported the allegations from his ex-girlfriend, Kate Kelly.

In a complaint filed with the state’s Office of the Legislative Inspector General, Kelly accused Sauer of sharing private naked photos and personal details about her on a fake Instagram account to lure men into “graphic conversations of a sexual nature,” Politico reported. Sauer allegedly used the account to send direct messages to men “who believed they were communicating with me,” Kelly wrote in the document obtained by Politico.

The report prompted Illinois lawmakers and the governor to call for Sauer’s resignation.

Re: The proud tradition of Illinois

Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2018 9:57 am
by Moliere
The Most Notorious Towing Company in Chicago—Maybe in America—Gets the Boot
CHICAGO—In a city known for gangsters, bootleggers and corrupt politicians, residents will tell you the most reviled actor on the North Side is a tow-truck company.

For more than half a century, Chicagoans have said Lincoln Towing Service—locally known as the Lincoln Park Pirates—has hauled away cars for no reason, overcharged motorists to get them back and taunted owners who complained.

One woman spent two years in court pursing a complaint after she said Lincoln towed her car from her leased space one winter when she was pregnant, and accused her of being a drunk. A child-protection investigator said after Lincoln towed his car, employees at its lot laughed at him when he pointed out he had been on official business at a police station.

On Wednesday, a state commission revoked Lincoln’s commercial vehicle relocators license. Chicago cheered. Twitter bubbled with schadenfreude.

“Oh, man that’s great news!” said Andrew Bani, a cabdriver from Nigeria who said Lincoln towed him four or five times over the years. “I’m happy, I’m happy, I’m happy. I don’t know if it’s karma or what, but they tormented people for years. For years!”
...
“They were like little mobsters, ‘We tow your car, you have to pay,’ they could care less if the car was parked legally,” she said. “They were really mean and nasty and there is no reason why those people should be in business.”

A commerce-commission report found that between July 2015 and March 2016, Lincoln towed 9,470 vehicles. Of those, more than 800 were unauthorized—cars towed by unlicensed drivers, for example, or relocated without a property owner’s consent or towed from lots where other companies had contracts.
Image

Re: The proud tradition of Illinois

Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2018 10:53 am
by hentzau
Moliere wrote:The Most Notorious Towing Company in Chicago—Maybe in America—Gets the Boot
CHICAGO—In a city known for gangsters, bootleggers and corrupt politicians, residents will tell you the most reviled actor on the North Side is a tow-truck company.

For more than half a century, Chicagoans have said Lincoln Towing Service—locally known as the Lincoln Park Pirates—has hauled away cars for no reason, overcharged motorists to get them back and taunted owners who complained.

One woman spent two years in court pursing a complaint after she said Lincoln towed her car from her leased space one winter when she was pregnant, and accused her of being a drunk. A child-protection investigator said after Lincoln towed his car, employees at its lot laughed at him when he pointed out he had been on official business at a police station.

On Wednesday, a state commission revoked Lincoln’s commercial vehicle relocators license. Chicago cheered. Twitter bubbled with schadenfreude.

“Oh, man that’s great news!” said Andrew Bani, a cabdriver from Nigeria who said Lincoln towed him four or five times over the years. “I’m happy, I’m happy, I’m happy. I don’t know if it’s karma or what, but they tormented people for years. For years!”
...
“They were like little mobsters, ‘We tow your car, you have to pay,’ they could care less if the car was parked legally,” she said. “They were really mean and nasty and there is no reason why those people should be in business.”

A commerce-commission report found that between July 2015 and March 2016, Lincoln towed 9,470 vehicles. Of those, more than 800 were unauthorized—cars towed by unlicensed drivers, for example, or relocated without a property owner’s consent or towed from lots where other companies had contracts.
Image

Re: The proud tradition of Illinois

Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2018 3:54 pm
by pr0ner
Defrauding the taxpayer via toilet is a new one, even for Illinois.
J.B. Pritzker, the billionaire Democratic candidate for governor, engaged in a “scheme to defraud” taxpayers when he removed toilets from a Chicago mansion as part of a property tax reassessment that saved him $330,000, according to media reports citing a local government report.

The review by Cook County Inspector General Patrick Blanchard, first reported Monday by the Chicago Sun-Times , also found that family members and associates made “false representations” to the county assessor about the condition of the Chicago mansion that sits adjacent to another Pritzker owns.

Blanchard also obtained an October 2015 email in which contractors contended that Pritzker’s wife, M.K. Pritzker, wanted to declare the mansion uninhabitable and directed that toilets be removed before a property tax reassessment.

Re: The proud tradition of Illinois

Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2018 4:05 pm
by LawBeefaroni
pr0ner wrote: Tue Oct 02, 2018 3:54 pm Defrauding the taxpayer via toilet is a new one, even for Illinois.
J.B. Pritzker, the billionaire Democratic candidate for governor, engaged in a “scheme to defraud” taxpayers when he removed toilets from a Chicago mansion as part of a property tax reassessment that saved him $330,000, according to media reports citing a local government report.

The review by Cook County Inspector General Patrick Blanchard, first reported Monday by the Chicago Sun-Times , also found that family members and associates made “false representations” to the county assessor about the condition of the Chicago mansion that sits adjacent to another Pritzker owns.

Blanchard also obtained an October 2015 email in which contractors contended that Pritzker’s wife, M.K. Pritzker, wanted to declare the mansion uninhabitable and directed that toilets be removed before a property tax reassessment.
It's old news for most of us in the City but the recent campaign ads it has spawned have been priceless.


Re: The proud tradition of Illinois

Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2018 4:08 pm
by pr0ner
Oh that commercial is priceless.

Re: The proud tradition of Illinois

Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2018 4:03 pm
by LawBeefaroni
And now comes the double-down:

Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner is launching a new TV ad on Tuesday that’s provocative for its use of a bleeped-out profanity to describe the future of Illinois if Democratic challenger J.B. Pritzker wins and serves in government alongside House Speaker Michael Madigan.

The scene is a wedding ceremony with look-alikes for Pritzker and Madigan standing in front of an officiant who gives them their vows.

...

Then the officiant looks straight ahead into the camera and says, “By the power vested in me, I now pronounce Illinois f-----.” The character is clearly seen using the F-word, and the “F” is audible before the rest of the word is bleeped out.

An announcer then says, “Mike Madigan and J.B. Pritzker, an unholy union Illinois can't afford.”

In other news, Pritzker recently passed Meg Whitman as the all time ego spender.
Democrat J.B. Pritzker has pumped more of his own money into a campaign than any other self-financing candidate in U.S. history.

The Gold Coast billionaire’s $146.5 million has bought him a place in the record books, breezing past Republican Meg Whitman, who set the previous record in 2010, when the former eBay honcho churned $144 million of her own fortune into her losing battle against Democrat Jerry Brown.

Re: The proud tradition of Illinois

Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2018 9:16 am
by LawBeefaroni
Judges take care of their own.
Prosecutors played surveillance footage appearing to show a gun falling out of Claps’ jacket and onto the floor of the lobby of the Leighton Criminal Court Building in early July.

Two Cook County sheriff’s deputies testified Tuesday they were in the lobby when it happened and said the object was, in fact, a gun.

In ruling from the bench, Burmila, though, said he “can’t believe” the deputies didn’t immediately seize the weapon under those circumstances.

"If it was, in fact, a firearm, then regardless of their protocol, they would have seized it," Burmila said. "... It very well may be the case that Joe Claps had a firearm in the courthouse that day … but the issue here is not for me to speculate or postulate as to what might have happened. The state has to prove that it happened, and it did not."

Video and two deputies' testimony. Not proof.