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Posts in category "Corruption"

Pat Fitzgerald for Illinois governor. Or Chicago mayor.

Patrick Fitzgerald, U.S. attorney for Northern Illinois, blazed a trail right into the slammer for an entire catalogue of the state’s politically corrupt. Now that he is retiring after an unprecedented (for Illinois) decade of integrity, he said at a press conference on Thursday that he would like to remain in public service of some... Read more »
By Dennis Byrne,
Friday at 11:01 am
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Illinois: a state of embarrassment

While we are pondering the 14 years that Judge James Zagel imposed on former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, a timely article in Forbes skewers Chicago and Illinois not just for corruption but their pathetic governance. Did you know, for example that “since 2007 Chicago has more jobs than Detroit”?  The author, Joel Kotkin, suggests that the dismal... Read more »
By Dennis Byrne,
December 9, 2011 at 12:09 pm
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Will the pols learn from Blago's stiff sentence? Will the voters?

Too bad that former Gov. Rod Blagojevich has to go to prison alone. Not that some of the snakes that were a part of his corruption aren’t going. I’m talking about the voters. It was clear after his first term that Blago was not the man to clean up the mess left by the other... Read more »
By Dennis Byrne,
December 7, 2011 at 2:19 pm
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House Speaker Mike Madigan actually speaks!

Mike Madigan responds to a Crain’s Chicago Business story asserting that he cost taxpayers perhaps as much as $500 million by killing five bills to refinance McCormick Place debt. His motive? The story said because he strongly disliked Juan Ochoa, the former  executive director of the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition and Exposition Authority (McPier), which runs... Read more »
By Dennis Byrne,
November 22, 2011 at 8:38 am
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Starz' 'Boss' accurately portrays the Chicago Way

Some of my colleagues have observed that the excellent new Starz series “Boss” about a fictional Chicago mayor isn’t really real. And former Mayor Richard M. Daley said the show is not about him. In a pig’s eye. This show accurately captures that essence of what makes Chicago run, as Daley ran it. Jobs, contracts... Read more »
By Dennis Byrne,
October 24, 2011 at 7:36 am
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Let's put slot machines in whore houses too

Gov. Pat Quinn wants some major changes in Illinois’ casino/gaming bill, saying that he’ll veto the bill that the Legislature sent him. He’s got some good points: …. Quinn said he would not allow gambling at racetracks, the state fairgrounds, or at Midway or O’Hare International Airports, as the current legislation proposes.The governor also wants... Read more »
By Dennis Byrne,
October 17, 2011 at 12:13 pm
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"Chicago Code" Fakery

  An alderman running Chicago? That’s what we’re supposed to believe when we’re watching Fox’s new cop show, “Chicago Code.” That might sound plausible to Hollywood, but it makes it hard for us to watch. Especially when how Chicago really operates is a lot more entertaining.  Chicago Code, which I assume is its take on the... Read more »
By Dennis Byrne,
February 15, 2011 at 12:21 pm
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Hold the tears for George Ryan

Before we get all weepy about U.S. District Judge Rebecca R. Pallmeyer’s decision not to release former George Ryan early from his prison sentence, it’s advisable to read it. Other than a few fleeting references in news stories, its argumentation and logic have been largely ignored. You can find the entire decision on the court’s... Read more »
By Dennis Byrne,
December 22, 2010 at 11:10 am
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NEW UPDATE: Officials change accounts of Notre Dame investigation

Well, if that don’t bet all. Now that sexual assault has made the news, stories are changing fast. The latest is: The St. Joseph County Police Department said today that university officials did inform them of the sexual attack allegation by a 19-year-old Northbrook woman made shortly before she died from an apparent suicide in September. In... Read more »
By Dennis Byrne,
November 23, 2010 at 8:10 am
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The only issues in Illinois that matter

  Forget about gun control, energy, abortion, public safety and all the other issues that are cluttering up the Illinois gubernatorial race. The only things that matter in the race between Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn and Republican challenger Sen. Bill Brady are how to dig the state out of the biggest financial hole it has... Read more »
By Dennis Byrne,
August 31, 2010 at 10:00 am
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