Month: June 2022

Senator Ted Cruz (R.Tex) is battling with a Muppet. A public official who makes a six-figure salary with Rolls Royce benefits and perks for a part-time job paid for with our tax dollars is fighting with a television puppet, an imaginary character. Jesus jumping balls of hellfire, how dumb never mind. We already know Cruz is dumber than a box of rocks.

Cruz was supposedly educated at Princeton and Harvard Law. He must have got in under Title XXII1/2.2, guaranteeing a right to higher education for the intellectually challenged. Those schools must be oh so proud of him.

What intelligent elected official attacks a popular Muppet? Princeton and Harvard should rescind his degrees. Whatever bar association he belongs to should cancel his law license. The bar exam he took must have involved pictures and crayons. If you colored within the lines, you passed.

Cruz is angry because the Muppets used Elmo in a PSA in partnership with the CDC about vaccinations for children under five years old. Cruz claims science does not support their claim. Um, the CDC is a scientific agency. So is the FDA, which approved the vaccinations. Also, the American Academy of Pediatrics, which encouraged vaccines, is a scientific organization. What part of science does Cruz not understand? Cruz understands nothing. He knows nothing. He is the proverbial drooling, stumbling, bumbling, mumbling idiot.

Is there a secret society in Washington of utterly stupid politicians like Cruz, Josh Hawley, Lauren Boebert, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Matt Gaetz, and others? Do they have a special chamber in the bowels of the building with padded walls , alphabet building blocks, coloring books, crayons, flashcards for phonics and simple arithmetic, and mats for nap time?

It is not the first time Cruz attacked a Muppet. Ted Cruz called out Big Bird for getting the COVID-19 vaccine “propaganda.” This isn’t the first time Sesame Street encouraged kids to get important vaccines. – CBS News. Yeah, he attacked Big Bird, another puppet and imaginary character.

By the way, in 1954 Elvis Presley was vaccinated against polio in a media blitz to encourage vaccinations. If Cruz was around back then, he would have hauled Elvis in front of Congress, accusing him of being a Communist, as polio vaccines may have been a communist plot at mind control.

This Cuban Canadian hoser* has the intelligence of a gnat. There must be a way we can strip Cruz of his citizenship and deport him to Canada or Cuba. Canada would probably not take him back as they have enough hosers. Cuba may not want him because he is a freedumb lover. Maybe we could send him to Guantanamo Bay where he can walk around bragging to himself, “I used to be somebody.”

Washington DC is broken. How else does one explain a highly-paid elected official picking fight with Muppets? I mean puppets,, imaginary characters? What next? Will Cruz go after cartoons- Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Popeye, or Donald Duck, the Flintstones or Jetsons? Will he go back in time and attack Laurel and Hardy, the Marx Brothers, or the Three Stooges? Are Grimms Fairy Tales safe? How about Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs or Cinderella. Will he attack Barbie and Ken?

Ted Cruz is a freedumb lover, dumb being the operative syllable. He does not have an active brain cell in his head. He just spouts whatever idiocy he can come up with.

I finally figured out why Ted Cruz grew that ridiculous, ugly beard, making him look like a character in a horror movie. His family had an intervention, and they denied him the use of any and all sharp objects, including safety and electric razors, as he is too stupid to shave without harming himself. Better to look ugly and scary than have a blood bath others must clean up.

Folks, Ted Cruz is your tax dollars at work. Are you proud? Or disgusted? Just think, this less-on (Lower than a moron) may run for president one day. America is a great country. Even the intellectually deficient can run for and win public office. Worse, they can get reelected.

*A hoser is a pejorative Canadian term for a foolish or uncultivated person

”Tonight, J.B. Pritzker won the Republican primary for governor here in Illinois. He spent a historic amount of money to pick his own Republican opponent in the general election,” Irvin said. (Richard Irwin/Chicago Tribune)

Aw, poor baby. Finley Peter Dunne coined the phrase, “Politics ain’t beanbag.” By the way, Ken Griffin spent a “historic” amount of money funding Richard Irvin’s losing campaign. Irvin never realized his campaign was a loser from day one.

The word campaign came from from warfare. Political campaigns are warfare. Politicians and political parties have been interfering in their opposition’s campaigns for decades. They conduct intelligence operations, use spies, and a host of other warlike activities. There is no fair in war. There is only winning. Sometimes “winning ugly,” like the long-ago Chicago White Sox slogan.

Governor J.B. Pritzker chose his opponent. Bailey owes him a debt of gratitude. Bailey was not gracious in his acceptance speech. He did not thank Pritzker for his win. He will not be grateful for his loss.

Politics is a dirty business. However, governing should not be. Once the campaigns are over, governing should take priority. Unfortunately, most winners immediately campaign for the next election, governing be damned. The perpetual campaigning hurt Illinois and Chicago for decades.

Richard Irwin and Darren Bailey are not students of political history. The Pritzker family has been involved in Chicago and Illinois politics going back over a century. They know how to play the game. Darren Bailey is a neophyte politician. Darren Bailey does not know enough about his new opponent, J.B. Pritzker, or his political acumen. In warfare, it is wise to know as much about the enemy as possible.

All is fair in Chicago, Cook County, and Illinois politics. If Pritzker prodded voters away from Irvin to Bailey, so what? Politics, like warfare, is a dirty game. It always has been. If campaigns follow the law, there is nothing improper. There is no ethics in political campaigns. The strong survive and the weak go home to lick their wounds.

Bailey is going to be bulldozed then steamrolled by Pritzker. Bailey does not know about Illinois, except for the small area he represents. He courted and was endorsed by Donald Trump. That may play well where he lives, but not where it counts, north of I-80. Bailey does not know the geopolitical map which determines political math. The math is against him.

There are too many moderate Republicans in the suburbs and collar counties, especially women, who are occasional swing voters. Add all the Democrats in Chicago and Cook County and his campaign goes down in flames.

Most of the big money people in Illinois politics- for both parties- are a savvy and sophisticated bunch. They contribute based on their business interests. Some contribute, like corporations, equally to both parties. Few wade into the raw sewage of the culture/religious wars where Bailey plays.

Illinois politics is about business because politics in Illinois is business. It is a big business. The political class- the career politicians, donors, and the predatory consultants from both parties are attuned to that. The Democrats and Republicans may disagree on many issues, but they have a cozy working relationship when it benefits both.

Darren Bailey can pat himself on the back all he wants. He is heading into the woodchipper in his run for the governor’s mansion. He will be recycled as mulch.

See my pal, Tony Fitzpatrick’s eloquent take on this.

Today, I will head to the polling place to vote. I am voting like my life depends on it. You should vote like your life depends on it too, because, in Chicago, it does.

Elections have consequences. Past local- city and county- elections had devastating consequences for Chicago. Murder and mayhem are the norms across the entire city. Walking or driving is not safe. Shopping is not safe. Riding public transportation is not safe. Chicago is no longer a safe city to live in. Any of us could be innocent victims of violence or murder.

I recently read that the early voting numbers in Chicago are down from the past two elections. That is a travesty. People who do not vote do not care. They do not care about governance or their fellow citizens. People who do not vote are pathetic.

Voting is one of the most patriotic duties and rights you can practice. All that red, white, and blue flag-waving and chest-thumping bull droppings does not make you a patriot if you do not do your part. Not voting is akin to treason in my book.

I will not vote for Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle. Her erroneous and failing criminal justice reforms are driving the rampant violent crime in Chicago. Toni Preckwinkle did not implement these so-called reforms because she believes in them. She instituted them to balance the county budget. Prosecuting, trials, and housing prisoners in the Cook County Jail cost too much money. The blood of all the murder and shooting victims in Chicago is on her hands.

The other reason I refuse to vote for her is she is the Boss of the Chicago Democratic Machine and the Chicago Way. Toni Preckwinkle originally ran as a foe of machine politics. When she was first elected, she inherited the Machine and kept it alive and well. Toni Preckwinkle is the lowest form of a liar.

Next year, there will be elections for the City of Chicago mayor and the city council. Lori Lightfoot is a disaster. She refuses to accept her Superintendent of Police, David Brown, is an epic failure. In an act of cowardice, she let Toni Preckwinkle shut down her criticism of Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx and her policies, which are driving the violent crime in Chicago.

Chicago elections are non-partisan. There should be no allegiance to political parties, platforms, or party leaders. Lightfoot must go. So should any other Chicago elected officials who proudly identify with a political party.

Any alderperson who was silent or came up with ridiculous ideas, like if you see something blow something, must go. Their silence or stupidity contributed to the violent crime in Chicago. Their stubborn refusal to hold the mayor and her feckless Police Superintendent responsible is appalling. No one deserves reelection. They must earn it. Most members of the Chicago City Council did not earn to be reelected.

Only we hold the power to change or reform our government. Our county and city governments are failing us. It is time for reform. Throw the bums out. That is the only lesson they understand. We should make sure, from now on, that every elected official has paralyzing fear in their hearts that we can send them to the unemployment line. That is the only way to affect change and achieve real reform.

If you do not vote, you are personally responsible for all the victims of murder and mayhem in Chicago.

“And if we are going to restore Chicago, somebody’s got to tell the truth. I said it, and when I’m elected as governor I’ll fix the problem and we will restore the greatness to Chicago.” (Darren Bailey on crime in Chicago/Chicago Tribune)

Who is this “we” Darren Bailey is talking about? If, and it is a big if, Bailey should somehow win the gubernatorial race, how will he and he alone “fix” the problem? Will he ride into town on a tractor, wearing his OshKosh B’Gosh and toting a shotgun? Is he going to storm City Hall? Will he wade in from Lake Michigan, storming the beaches wearing Speedos?

What does Darren Bailey know about Chicago? Not one damn thing. Chicago is a great city, a world-class city. Like all great cities, it has issues. Some are intractable. Chicago is not some postage stamp-sized rural village like Xenia, Illinois, where Bailey hails from.

Darren Bailey is delusional. He could not change a lightbulb, let alone “fix” Chicago’s crime problems. Maybe Bailey should read Civics for Dummies or the Idiot’s Guide to Civics. Hopefully, those are picture books so he can color the images with crayons.

The mayor of Chicago is responsible for public safety in Chicago, along with the State’s Attorney and the Cook County courts. Yes, they are failing because past elections had devastating consequences.

Bailey has no knowledge about urban issues or the socio-cultural drivers of urban crime. From all appearances, no one on his campaign team or political consultants does either. He knows nothing about urban policing or the criminal justice system. As far as I can tell, Bailey is a Know-Nothing. The Know-Nothings are rising from the sewer infecting local, state, and federal politics.

The governor of Illinois is not a dictator. They cannot arbitrarily do anything they want. There is a Democratic super majority in the state legislature. If Bailey proposes any “crime” legislation, it will be soundly defeated. Their executive powers are limited.

Bailey is the worst type of politician, a charlatan, and a fraud. All he does is spew fumes. There is no substance, just odorous flatulence. The Illinois GOP gubernatorial candidates are the worst bunch of goobers to run in the GOP primary and then against Governor Pritzker. If you are a Republican, your only choices are bad, worse, and worst, and swirling down the toilet.

Richard Irvin’s campaign is tanking, despite 50 million dollars from Ken Griffin. Bailey received 9 million dollars from entrepreneur Richard Uihlein. Uihlein also gave an independent expenditure group 8.1 million dollars to run ads to support Bailey and attack Irvin. We have the battle of the billionaires in Illinois. Pritzker, in the governor’s mansion, and two others trying to oust him.

Griffin and Uihlein burn money on losing causes. A more believable scenario is they are being scammed and conned by the GOP political consultant class in Illinois. The political consultants handsomely profit from political campaigns and the stupidity of donors. They are the best con artists in the state, and the scam is legal.

Darren Bailey is a dangerous demagogue. He is all talk and has no intelligence. As I was writing this in my local saloon yesterday, I saw a Bailey campaign ad on television. Bailey claimed he would ”Ban Abortion” in Illinois, in response to the recent SCOTUS ruling. No matter your opinion on the morality of abortion, his statement is dangerous and reckless. Bailey’s behavior is dictatorial. He is a tyrant in the making. He would disregard the legislature and use his “power” to ban things he does not agree with.

Bailey cannot ban laws the legislature passed. Abortion is legal in Illinois, like it or not. What else would he attempt to ban or initiate without the legislature? Would he ban other rights or privileges granted to us by the legislature or constitution because he does not agree with them, or they do not fit his extremely narrow religious perspective? Does he think he could be the next dear leader dictator, if, by minuscule chance, he is elected?

A vote for Darren Bailey is a vote for tyranny, idiocy, and dumbfu**ery. The evidence is clear since Donald Trump, the epitome of dumbfu**ery, endorsed him yesterday.

Cecilia Thomas, who was 5 months old, was in a car in the 7700 block of South South Shore Drive around 6:45 p.m. when another car approached and someone inside fired shots, according to Chicago police and Natalia Derevyanny, a spokeswoman for the Cook County medical examiner’s office. (Chicago Tribune)

In another example of failure is an option, 5-month-old Cecilia Thomas was murdered early last night in the South Shore neighborhood. There is not a peep from Mayor Lori Lightfoot or her failing Police Superintendent, David “Tex” Brown.

There was not a peep from any of the alderpeople. No other elected official uttered a word. There is not one scorching editorial from the blackguard news media in this city.

When is enough enough? How many children must be murdered in this city of cowardly scoundrels before elected officials do something? How many families must suffer the loss of a child, an infant? Our streets are out of control. There is no safe in Chicago. Public safety is a joke. Are you laughing yet, Chicago?

There will be no mass protests for Cecilia Thomas. There will be no citywide mourning. Not one tear will be shed, except by her family. Elections have consequences. In Chicago and Cook County, the consequences have been devastating.

I do not believe one-word Superintendent Brown says. I do not believe one word Mayor Lori Lightfoot utters. They proved their cowardice when they let Toni Preckwinkle and Kim Foxx shut them up and shut down all criticism of the State’s Attorney and court system.

Chicago is a city of cowardly scoundrels. Our politicians and their allies in the news media are rogues and scallywags. The citizens in this city are not much better. They are silent too. There will be no mass mourning for this 5-month-old child. There will be no hue and cry for change. Cecilia Thomas will be fish wrap and bird cage liner by the end of today. Her name will be forgotten like the names of all the other innocent children murdered over the past two years.

No one speaks for the children in Chicago and Cook County. There is a good reason for that. Children do not vote or contribute to political treasure chests. Children are useless to politicians and the handmaiden news media.

The Chicago Way is described as the corrupt political system in Chicago. The Chicago Way is also the high toleration of violence. The Chicago Way is a road paved with bodies, dead bodies.

How many more innocent people, especially children, must be killed before the citizens give a damn and demand change?

Summer officially arrived. City Hall is celebrating all the outdoor festivals, concerts, and other attractions. The mayor is promoting Chicago being fully open after COVID. All this joyful celebration is a smoke screen and a curtain. It hides the ugly truth. There is nothing to celebrate in Chicago. There is nothing to be joyful about. How can people celebrate when innocent children are being murdered?

Her name is Cecilia Thomas. She was five months old. She was murdered. No one in Chicago gives a damn.

Chicago is where I was born. This is where I live. I will die here. I worked for the city for almost thirty years. Like many, I love and hate my city. I am proud to call Chicago home and have every right to harshly criticize it.

Citadel CEO and financier, Ken Griffin, was born in Florida and relocated to Chicago to form and run his business enterprises. For over a year, Griffin has been complaining about issues in Chicago, including crime. It is apparent he does not know how things work.

Griffin kept blaming Governor J.B. Pritzker for not doing enough to keep Chicago safe. Unfortunately, Griffin was blaming the wrong elected official. The governor is not responsible for public safety in Chicago. The mayor is. Griffin should have been aiming his ire at Mayor Lori Lightfoot. He should have also aimed his anger at Cook County Board President, Toni Preckwinkle and State’s Attorney, Kim Foxx, for their failing criminal justice “reforms.”

Griffin threatened that if public safety did not improve, he would leave Chicago and take his business with him. He is making good on his threat. Griffin announced he is moving his headquarters and family to Florida. Griffin is originally from Florida, so he is going back to his real home. Griffin’s threat was hollow. His moving his headquarters out of Chicago will be a barely negative blip.

Ken Griffin wasted $45-$50 million dollars on GOP candidate Richard Irvin’s sinking primary campaign for governor. He should have held his powder and used his money to back challengers to Mayor Lightfoot and Cook County Board President, Toni Preckwinkle. And next year, Kim Foxx. They are responsible for driving criminality in Chicago.

Ken Griffin has used his billions to fund various non-profit cultural and educational institutions, as well as other charities. He should be lauded for that. But, if he wants to leave Chicago, it will be no great loss. Once he is finally gone, he will be a who. Ken Griffin who?

Griffin will be forgotten soon. His move will not harm businesses here and it will not impact local jobs. It is not like he is moving a major manufacturing plant and tossing workers to the street. He is keeping the Chicago office open. Florida can have his headquarters and Griffin. He proves you can go home again. Buh Bye. Don’t let the door hit you in the a$$ on the way out, Mr. Griffin.

Florida will welcome their prodigal son home, especially Governor Ron DeSantis, who received $5 million dollars in donations from Griffin. Griffin is moving to a state where he bought and owns the governor. If DeSantis runs for president, he will benefit from Griffin’s largesse.

Chicago will not be worse for Ken Griffin’s departure. We will plod on and do what we have always done throughout history. Face adversities and conquer them. Some take longer to conquer, but in the end, Chicago succeeds. We overcome challenges. Our stubborn civic pride pushes us forward.

The only people who will miss Griffin are the politicians, present and future, who rely on his money machine. The rest of us will slog on with our lives in our city with grudging pride.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot says Chicago cops have ‘incredible amount’ of time off, disputes criticism they’re overworked (Chicago Tribune)

Mayor Lori Lightfoot did it again. She suffers from a terminal case of foot-in-mouth disease*. Her dishonesty knows no bounds. It is true that police officers have a lot of time off “available” to them. However, if days off are canceled, so are all other types of time off. If officers cannot use their time, they do not have an ‘incredible amount of time off.”

The mayor put her foot in her mouth again after facing criticism that police officers are overworked. Aldermen at a recent City Council meeting spoke about the hardships police officers and their families are facing due to time off being canceled.

Lightfoot is still shilling for her incompetent Superintendent of Police, David Brown, and the equally incompetent First Deputy Superintendent, Eric Carter. Brown should have been fired long ago and they should demote Carter.

I talk to police officers. They are tired, dispirited, and angry. They know the mayor and superintendent do not care about their health, mental health, and welfare, or the welfare of their families. Canceling days off and forcing officers to work overtime is a recipe for disaster. It is dangerous. It poses dangers to the public and to the officers.

I don’t tweet much, but the audacity of this mayor to outright lie is unbelievable! My husband hasn’t had a day off in 11 days because he continues to be canceled, same for our neighbors, same across the board!! A few hours?!? My husband worked 10 hours on his day off yesterday. https://t.co/NojGRc5XmZ

— Lisa Carroll (@CarrollLR) June 22, 2022

It appears Alderperson Silvana Tabares has a solution, extreme as it may appear. Suspend Special Event Permits that require police manpower until the department comes up with a plan that does not require canceling days off or the applicants provide their own security.

It may be unpopular and it is extreme, but, someone has to force a change. What better way than to cancel events or forbid events going forward. This city is out of control because the leadership in City Hall and the Police Department are out of control. It appears no one knows what they are doing.

There ought to b a mighty public chorus to fire Brown and demote Carter and replace them with competent people. It is obvious Brown is way out of his league and Carter was promoted beyond his mere capabilities. It is past time for change. So extreme measures should be taken to force that change.

*Lightfoot should not be allowed into City Hall until she quarantines for ten days and can show proof of vaccination for foot-in-mouth disease.

Due to technology, customer service is appalling. It is almost nonexistent, quickly becoming an oxymoron.

I got rid of my car over ten years ago. When I need a car, I use Zipcar. I had plans for Father’s Day. I reserved a car days ahead for Sunday. I went to pick up the car at a parking garage across from Wrigley Field. There was no car. I waited a few minutes, thinking whoever had it was stuck in traffic. No car.

I called customer service. I was on hold for over one-half hour. Worse, they told me the previous driver could not get in the garage, so they directed them to another parking garage, about a mile away. I inquired how I was supposed to get there. My choice was to go pick up the car or cancel. Then I got the usual meaningless scripted apologies and a free hour added to my trip.

I hailed a cab. Due to the pending game, the taxi had to go north, then further east than the garage because of the Pride Festival. Time was not on my side. I had to pick up my daughter, and we had plans.

It only got worse. When I arrived at the other parking garage, it was locked. You needed a card or a parking ticket stub to scan. I tried calling customer service again and was put on hold. Several minutes later, a group of people arrived to retrieve their car and let me in. Now, I had to spend more time searching for my rental.

I found it. To add to my frustration and misery, I could not leave the garage without paying. After several minutes I found the parking stub the previous driver ever so courteously left behind. It cost me $38.00. The cab ride was $12.00. I am out fifty bucks due to a schmuck who could not figure out how to navigate Wrigleyville on a game day and lousy customer service. Plus, I was an hour late picking up my daughter.

We spent the rest of the afternoon together. When I had a chance in the evening, I called customer service again. After another half hour on hold, I expressed my grievance. Once again, I got the meaningless scripted apology and a $50.00 credit off my next rental. I told the person there might never be the next rental as I may unsubscribe from their service.

The next day I spent some time searching the company website to file a written grievance. They do not make it easy. After about 45 minutes, I found the link. I wrote out in detail what occurred and my dissatisfaction.

Yesterday I received not one but two surveys about my rental. They were all negative. I still have not received a reply to my written grievance.

I was not going to write about this, but after no response, I figure Zipcar deserves my public derision. If I do not hear from them by tomorrow, I will file a complaint with the city. If they can frustrate me and almost ruin Father’s Day, I can cause them some grief. They will have to spend time, which is money, to reply to the city promptly.

This is not the first time I had issues with tech companies’ customer service. It was the worst.

“Preckwinkle chuckled recently when asked whether she stood by her words — which she stressed were not an endorsement for defunding police… Of course I believe what I said, Preckwinkle, who’s been county board president since 2010, said in an interview with the Tribune… She then sought to make the case that America’s latest explosion of gun violence was mostly triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic… “It isn’t just us; it’s all across the country,” Preckwinkle said. “It’s just a really, really difficult moment, not just here in this country, but across the world. And I’m just hopeful that we’ll gradually work our way out of this.” (Chicago Tribune/Emphasis mine)

Politicians, like gangsters, should have nicknames. Chicago Machine Boss Toni Preckwinkle could be called Toni Chuckles. Chuckling while believing failure is success must be a laughing matter. People are being murdered and terrorized due to her policies. Preckwinkle chuckles.

What is funnier/chuckle/worthy? Preckwinkle is blaming the increasing yearly violence in Chicago on COVID. Should the Cook County Medical Examiner change the cause of death for all the murders from gunshots to COVID related? Should all the wounded people be changed to COVID-related injuries? Should all the robberies, carjackings, smash and grabs, and other violent crimes be classified as COViD-related?

I checked the FBI’s Unified Crime Report* classifications. I could not find a COVID violence classification.

There is little evidence that the spate of rampant violence over the past almost three years is caused by COVID-19. Politicians are like our supposed “educated” journalists. They cannot conceive humans are evil, so they make stuff up to create blame on things, like “gun violence.” The lazy copy and paste journalists, taking their clue from their PR client, Toni Chuckles, will now refer to criminality as COVID violence when people are killed, wounded, robbed, carjacked, or victims of other violent crimes. For gunfights, State’s Attorney Kim Foxx will classify them as mutual COVID related instead of mutual combat. No felonies to see here, folks, just disease.

All we will hear about is COVID violence this, COVID violence that, COVID violence here, there, and everywhere. There will be mass COVID shootings and COVID smash and grabs. COVID carjackings. COVID robberies. COVID rolling shootouts.

The Chicago news media got their signal and will follow their orders. Their faux editorial boards will demand Cook County create a COVID court to divert violent COVID criminals to COVID restorative justice with peace circles instead of prosecuting them.

There is plenty of evidence that one of the drivers of violence is directly related to not holding criminals accountable for their actions. Evidence shows that low or no bail for violent crimes drives the violence. Evidence shows that the violence, terrorizing, and looting are directly related to Toni Chuckles, Kim Foxx, and Chief Judge Tim Evans. The road to violent crime, murder, bloodshed, and terrorizing leads right to their office doorsteps.

Toni Preckwinkle does not believe in her unproven criminal justice reform theories. She knows little to nothing about criminal justice or the criminal justice system. She implemented those policies to save money and keep the county budget in line.

Preckwinkle lost her bid for the punishing soda tax. She had to balance her budget without raising other taxes. She put on her sensible reformer shoes, clicked her heels, and stripped the criminal justice system of funding. She became a hero to the fringe activist community and unleashed rampant violence on the City of Chicago and some suburbs.

Incarcerating people awaiting bail or on no bail costs vast amounts of money. The answer is to clear out the County Jail and keep it as little populated as possible.

Prosecuting felons costs money. The answer is, to prosecute as few felons as possible. Trials cost money. The answer, try as few cases as possible. Toni Preckwinkle is a driver of the murder and violence in Chicago. She chuckles and denies it. The obedient news media believes her.

Are you chuckling yet, Chicago? Toni Chuckles cut her budget with blood money. Yet, she chuckles over criticism of her failures, deeming them successful.

Preckwinkle ran as a reformer against the Democratic Machine. Then she became Da Boss of the Machine. In Chicago/Cook County politics, the only things that change are the names. The Machine lives on, and there will always be a Boss. Tony Chuckles lied then, and she is lying now. She chuckles over her lies. The joke is on you, the public.

The real problem is the voters in Chicago and parts of Cook County who believe Preckwinkle’s lies. They believe she is a reformer, a goo-goo, good government type. They believe the PR weasels in the news media who endorse her and sing her praises. They hype her failures as successes.

The naïve voters elected her twice as Cook County Board President and Boss of the Machine. They will probably do it again. Toni Chuckles has a lot to be smugly happy about. She knows the voters are gullible, naive, and stupid. They will recycle her into office.

Toni Chuckles will laugh all the way to another disastrous term.

*The Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program compiles official data on crime in the United States, published by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Law enforcement agencies across the nation submit data to the UCR. Though designed to analyze crime trends, the data have become one of the country’s leading social indicators.