Chicago - A message from the station manager

The [Monday] Papers

By Steve Rhodes

Here’s a thread on the big doings at City Hall today regarding Lincoln Yards. Start here – and keep going!


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I’d like to comment on this in particular:


A “robust” public participation process does not equal a robust public participation process. What I mean by that is that jumping through the hoops of public meetings and then ignoring what the public says is not the same as actually allowing the public to engage and have at least some modicum of influence over a project that will impact their lives.
Similarly, the alderman at hand, Brian Hopkins of the 2nd Ward, has repeatedly stated that the process surrounding Lincoln Yards has been remarkably inclusive and community-driven. Only to the extent required by law! Without a doubt, the “community” is irate – and that goes beyond those who live near the site of the project and the ward itself. The ramifications of this development will be felt citywide, and should be treated as such.
Anyway, speaking of developments, they continue to develop at the time of this writing, so more tomorrow.
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Meanwhile, who is planning commissioner David Reifman? Well, for starters:
“Though hardly a household name, this heavy-hitting zoning guru has repped some of the biggest real estate developers on some of Chicago’s most transformative projects in recent years,” Chicago noted in 2016.
Boldface mine.
“When the mayor plucked Reifman in September for this key City Hall job, developers clinked their shovels in a toast.”
Just so you know who he is.
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Thanks, Rickettses


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New on the Beachwood . . .
Appreciating April
If Tim Anderson gets just one hit in his next 24 at-bats, he’ll still be hitting over .300. The Cubs have the worst ERA in baseball. And we now know who Ramon Laureano is. By our very own Roger Wallenstein.
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Bold, Progressive (And Popular) Ideas Aren’t ‘Unrealistic’ No Matter What Barack ‘Be The Change’ Obama And The Pundits Say
Old-school Democrats should embrace ambitious policies, as the working-class whites they covet do.
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Nixon And Reagan Also Tried Closing The Border. Here’s What Happened
Operations Intercept I and II.
Both failed miserably.
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TrackNotes: Svengoolie To Santa Monica
The Road to the Roses.
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Chicagoetry: The Black Cat
Ward heelers, angry drunks.
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ChicagoReddit

Are there any Chicago butchers who provide meats better than those found at Whole Foods, etc;? from r/chicago


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ChicagoGram

View this post on Instagram

When you lose your hat but the show must go on…

A post shared by David Quinn 🌹 (@davidquinnmusic) on


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ChicagoTube
High Chicago.

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BeachBook
The Baraboo Nazi Prom Photo Shocked The World. The City’s Response Shocked Its Residents.

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Man Who Bribed Son Into Penn Found Guilty In $1.3 Billion Health Fraud.

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The Flesh-Eating Beetles That Work At The Field Museum.

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Why Whole Foods’ Price Cuts May Not Mean That Much.

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TweetWood
A sampling.
This thread on the surprising cluelessness of rich people when it comes to knowing what the hell they’re talking about is spot-on. As I said several times during the recent mayoral campaign, Willie Wilson must have been really good at running McDonald’s restaurants to have gotten so rich off it because he’s utterly ignorant when it comes to public policy – or even just how government works. Knowledge, skill and/or luck that is rewarded in one area of life does not mean someone ought to lead us in other areas. What makes Bill Gates an expert in education? Not much except his ability to strong-arm sales of his crappy software at a time when the industry was just emerging. The man dropped out of Harvard. What does he know about how public schools should be organized? The examples abound. Get rich running a hedge fund and suddenly your ideas on policing strategies get taken seriously. Aside from the absurdity of it, another reason why campaign finance reform is badly needed.


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Specifically, it was the fault of the old Tribune Company, whose greedy execs fumbled away some of the greatest advantages in publishing even as they lined their own pockets (and of which/whom Kass will never speak ill of), and then the fault of Peter Liguori, who split the company in two, leaving all the debt on the publishing side so the television side he took control of could prosper. Then he sold the Tower. Liguori made $23 million in 2014 alone. I mean, I could go on in greater detail, but for fuck’s sake, Kass works there – and is well-compensated to know these things. Or maybe he’s well-compensated to not know these things.


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Irony: The Trump presidency has raised the bar for what is considered impeachable.


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Again: Pundits and political reporters have already moved on from a report they haven’t yet read – and from evidence they’ve never bothered to look at. Score one for Barr – and another for Trump, who continues to run circles around everybody by obstructing justice in plain sight.


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I won’t hold my breath waiting for corrections from all those moralizing pundits who grew up with their faces glued to the TV.


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The Beachwood McRibTipLine: Payment processed.

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Posted on April 8, 2019