8th
2009
The Culture of Chicago Corruption: World-Class
The Chicago Tribune reports on some Olympic-sized, unethical property purchases by the city school board president:
[Michael Scott Sr.] a member of Mayor Richard Daley’s team working to bring the Olympics to Chicago has quietly arranged to develop city-owned land near a park that would be transformed for the 2016 Summer Games, potentially positioning himself to cash in if the Games come here.
And we don’t even have the Olympics yet! (The Olympic Committee will decide on October 2 between Madrid, Rio, Tokyo, and Chicago.) I’m a big supporter of the Olympics coming to Chicago in 2016. However, if this is a harbinger of things to come, I may need to rethink my position.
The Trib also uncovered University of Ilinois trustees’ gross misconduct in unfairly admitting politically connected friends and families. Sadly, the corruption in education extends from the notorious Chicago Public Schools to the University of Illinois. What hasn’t been touched?
Ever since I moved to Chicago, I’ve been amazed at how local, popular culture supports—and even celebrates—corruption. It’s like some sort of lottery where even the little guy can dream of getting his slice of the pie. But really we’re just screwed.
