Author: pvbella

(WBBM NEWSRADIO) – GOP Candidate for Illinois Governor Darren Bailey is calling for a special session of the legislature to deal with gun violence, and blaming the Pritzker administration for not preventing Highland Park Parade attack.

Oh brother, is Darren Bailey one of the dumbest politicians in Illinois? Bailey is so stupid, he makes morons and less-ons look like members of Mensa. How could the Pritzker administration prevent the Highland Park tragedy or any other violent crime? No elected official, not even tootin rootin shootin, Bible thumpin Darren Bailey could prevent these crimes. Maybe his solution is to pray these crimes away.

Notice he offered nothing about how he, and he alone, as governor, could stop a mass tragedy or any other violent crimes. Bailey is all hat and no cattle, a bloviating gas bag.

Then he said lawmakers should meet in a special session to discuss anti-violence measures and mental health programs.

“We must do whatever it takes to address the breakdown in mental health, particularly among isolated young men, which was made immeasurably worse during Pritzker’s lockdown,” said Bailey.

Someone should tell Bailey that we tried supposed violence prevention programs going back over four decades. They never seemed to work out in the long run. As for mental health programs, people must seek help, ask for it, and want it. We cannot force people to take part in mental health programs unless a court orders it. Bailey really is that dumb.

Darren Bailey knows nothing about anything. Oh, and what did the lockdown have to do with tragedies or any other violence? Does he believe this “loner” would be out socializing with his peers? Bailey does not realize isolation is a choice. It may be based on mental health problems, but it is still a choice. Does Baley know the definition of loner? Does he even have access to a dictionary?

Darren Bailey is detached from reality. If you look up, know-nothing in the dictionary, Darren Bailey would be the first definition. Bailey offers no solutions to issues and supposed issues, except the ones floating around in his empty cranium. His website is full of typical populist horse droppings. There is no substance because Bailey is not a human of substance.

“It’s time to eliminate unnecessary FOID cards that stand in the way of your God-given constitutional right to defend yourself and your family.” 

Darren Bailey wants to “Void the FOID,” the Firearms Owner Identification program, which conducts background checks and issues or denies Firearm Owners Identification cards, a picture ID. He is selling tee shorts on his website advocating the ban. Like most government programs, FOID is not perfect, but it works well enough.

There are no “God given” rights in the U.S. Constitution. Morally flawed mostly irreligious men created the Constitution and the rights in that document. It is apparent the only history book Bailey “read” was a coloring book.

Darren Bailey is heading into the woodchipper in November. To put it into religious terms, the only concept he understands, Bailey is the Illinois GOP’s sacrificial lamb. The party elites may cringe when he opens his pie hole or puts out press releases, but he is the candidate. They will sacrifice him to fight another day. It will not be the first time a political party threw a sacrifice on the fire and won’t be the last.

J.B. Pritzker may not be the best governor Illinois ever had. He is head and shoulders above the last four worst governors. Two went to prison. The other two could not govern or play well with the state legislature. Illinois’s problems and issues go back decades. It will take a decade or more to fix them. There is no Lord and Savior from on high or one of His servants, with a pocket full of miracles.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot should consider renaming Soldier Field to raise money and “explore the feasibility” of enclosing the stadium with a dome or roof, a panel she appointed to study Chicago’s museum campus recommended. (Chicago Tribune)

What a load of bull droppings. When Chicago mayors form task forces, committees, or commissions to explore or investigate issues, the mayors tell the committees or commissions the result they want. Their job is to justify the mayors’ decisions. Someone should give the Chicago news media a class in Chicago political history. Those committees and commissions are nothing more than window dressing.

Lightfoot wanted her task force to reimagine the Museum Campus and lakefront for year-round tourism and “activation-“ whatever that means. One of their recommendations is to sell the naming rights to Soldier Field. They built the stadium as a war memorial. Hence the name, Soldier Field. Maybe in our woke age it is inappropriate to memorialize those who served and died.

There was some drivel about attracting a Superbowl. What nonsense. Soldier Field, aside from not having a dome, does not have the NFL-required capacity for a Superbowl played by cute Ken dolls.

Lightfoot is delusional if she thinks the Bears will stay if the stadium is reimagined. The Cheapskate, chiseler, and miserly McCaskey’s made up their minds. The Bears are leaving. Good. Don’t let the door kick them in the a$$ on the way out.

 Now, the mayor is traveling to London and Paris to tout Chicago’s “thriving” business sector. While the city is in crisis with rampant violence, she is leaving on a junket. Our tax dollars at work. We are facing another weekend of violence, murders, and possible racing riots. Her inept clueless Superintendent of Police, David “Tex” Brown will fail us again.

The mayor okayed a NASCAR race on city streets for 2023. Oh, how exciting. With all the potholes the city cannot repair or keep up on, this will be a fascinating disaster to watch. I just cannot wait to watch NASCAR racers hit one of those monster potholes, lose control, and cause a multi-car crash, with one or more going midair.

Mayor Lightfoot is doing what a long line of mayors did whenever Chicago was in crisis, offer bread and circuses, then leave the city or the country, running away from the crises they created.

Lightfoot is a major disappointment, and she gets more disappointing daily. The Chicago news media fails to call out her shortcomings, afraid she will head-butt them in the knees. They just keep lauding her Mayorship like she is a historical, political messiah. They are true believers in the Gospel of Lori.

City Hall is a wasteland of uselessness. There are few alderpersons who will speak out about the issues and crises facing our city. It is a pity the voters elected a bunch of cowards and quislings to represent them.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot conned us. She pulled a brilliant scam to get elected. Hopefully, we, the voters, will not fall for her three-card monte game again. Chicago needs leadership, not bread and circuses and a traveling mayor in a time of crisis.

Following the shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, on Monday, Republican state Sen. Darren Bailey said that it was time to “move on” and “celebrate.” “…let’s pray for justice to prevail, and then let’s move on and let’s celebrate the independence of this nation.” “…get corruption and evil out of our government,” before going on to call for the celebration to continue…”Bless us and protect us as we go about our day celebrating the most amazing country,” Bailey said. (WBBM Radio Chicago)

If politicians have nothing intelligent to say, they should say nothing at all. Darren Bailey has nothing intelligent to say. Geez, where is Will Smith when we need him? If he showed up every time Bailey said something stupid, Bailey would be hospitalized and Smith headed to prison for aggravated battery on a mope.

Later, in the day, the Bailey campaign released a statement walking back Bailey’s earlier comments. “I apologize if in any way we diminished the pain being felt across our state today. I am heartbroken by today’s tragic events and the pain and loss felt by so many. My intent was to pray for the victims and those affected by today’s tragedy and for the shooter to be caught and prosecuted without further loss.”

He added that he hopes “we can all come together in prayer and action to address rampant crime and mental health [sic] issues to make sure these horrific tragedies don’t happen again.”

There is a word for people of supposed faith who say one thing, retract, and say something else, liar. Darren Bailey is a liar. Bailey is a delusional liar. He thinks he can thump his Bible three times and wave his magic wand of Evangelical Christianity and save Illinois. Maybe he will raise voters from the dead for his next trick. And what exactly are prayer and action?

Bailey, who is staunchly pro-pro life, recently said he is rethinking his position. Another lie. People like him do not think. They believe. He will never change his position. We should despise flip-flop politicians.

Darren Bailey is refusing to release his tax returns. He is not compelled to, but every gubernatorial candidate going back decades released their tax returns. Darren Bailey is the exception because he believes he is exceptional. The Lord chose him, and the chosen can do or not do what they want. What does he have to fear? What does he have to hide?

Bailey believes he has the solution for Chicago’s rampant violent crime problem. He will not tell us what it is. It is not on his website. The solution is nowhere to be found. It is another lie. He has no solution because he knows nothing about urban affairs or urban crime. He knows nothing at all.

The only political evil in Illinois is Darren Bailey and his ilk in Springfield. Until he ran for governor, Bailey was a complete unknown in most of the state. He got his fifteen minutes of fame when he sued over the mask mandate. He partially won. The mask rule did not apply to him. He became special.

Bailey believed his fame from the lawsuit qualified him to be governor. He is now officially a legend in his own mind. In November, when the voters send him back to Xenia, he can brag, “I was somebody,” like a punch-drunk boxer.

The only good thing about Darren Bailey is the comedic relief he provides every time he flaps his soup coolers. Since stand-up comedy is a truly American genre, Bailey, a true red, white, and blue lovin, flag wavin, gun totin, “Merican, can pursue a career as a stand-up comedian. We’ve had Christian rock and metal music for a while. Maybe it is time for Christian comedy, as impossible as that sounds.

“Nobody does summer and the 4^th of July like Chicago.” (Mayor Lori Lightfoot to reporters)

Cry chaos and unleash the dogs of havoc

Lori Lightfoot was preaching to her faithful congregation, the Chicago news media, ahead of the 4^th of July weekend. I bet the response from the congregation was, “Praise the Mayor.” Maybe they sang a hymn praising her Mayorship.

Chicago is in a joyful state of chaos and havoc during this “Summer of Joy.” It is a state of devastating confusion and colliding agendas. No one is in charge and nothing is working in the public safety sector. Fun and joy are on the agenda, no matter how much devastation they cause.

From the time the mayor announced the Summer of Joy, 91 people were shot and killed and 422 were shot and wounded. Over the 4^th of July weekend, the body count is 14 people shot and killed and 77 shot and wounded.

On Friday police officers were ambushed responding to a domestic disturbance. One officer was shot and wounded several times.

There were two incidents of fun-loving street racing where Chicago police officers were injured when mobs smashed their windshields. On Friday.

A third incident involved an Illinois State Trooper. A mob of fun-loving people caved his windshield in at Halsted and Division. When Chicago Police arrived, the only thing they did was try to create an avenue to clear the area. They made no arrests. This was caught on the Trooper’s dashcam.

Two police officers were hurt after responding to a crowd blocking the roadway around 3:35 a.m. in the 200 block of North Columbus Drive, police said. Three fun-loving people were arrested for throwing fireworks at the police.

There was a large fun-loving unruly mob near the Belmont CTA Red/Brown Line station, where police were almost overwhelmed.

Young people just wanted to celebrate, and have lawless fun downtown and in the neighborhoods. Chicago accommodated them in a welcoming, fun-loving manner. The city welcomed them with open arms to create havoc and mayhem. Yep, nobody does summer and the 4^th of July like Chicago.

Our mayor should be proud of how Chicago neighborhoods, especially downtown, warmly welcomed fun-loving lawless young people. The Mayor will address her faithful congregation, the news media, on Tuesday. She will tout how successful and joyful the holiday weekend was. How everyone celebrated safely and had fun. She will hype her Summer of Joy. The faithful will say amen and praise her Mayorish like they do every day.

Something is very wrong in this city. Mayor Lightfoot is hapless. She is standing by her incompetent Police Superintendent, David Brown. Most of the City Council is silent. The streets are up for grabs and not safe.

When will the clueless news media in this city realize Lori Lightfoot is not their lord and savior? When will they ask the hard questions instead of fluff? When will the editorial boards grow spines? When will they tell us the truth instead of the lies, they are being bottle-fed by City Hall and Superintendent Brown?

The city failed on the 4^th of July weekend. The summer is still young. There will be more failures ahead. Chicago is bereft of leadership. No one is in charge. Chicago should change the city motto to Urbs in Chao– City in Chaos.

As an aside, I discovered the “racing community” is demanding that large parking lots be made available after hours for them to practice their dangerous illegal activities and, of course, have fun. Like the whiney Bicycle community, it is a good bet the city will eventually cave and demand large parking lots to allow racing. Even lawbreakers deserve to have fun wherever they want. Whenever a group attaches “community” to their cause, they get what they want, no matter how dumb or unsafe.

Joy to the world, all the boys and girls, joy to all the fishes in the
deep blue sea, joy to you and me.
Joy to the world, all the boys and girls, joy to the world, joy to you
and me (Creedence Clearwater Revival)

Are you enjoying the Summer of Joy in Chicago? Are you enjoying the lies coming from City Hall, Police Headquarters, and the Chicago news media?

Early Sunday morning cars were donut racing around a ring of fire, with people standing in the center at Six Corners- Irving, Milwaukee, and Cicero. When police arrived, the crowd turned on them, jumping on police cars, kicking them, opening doors, smashing windshields, and injuring one police officer.

Lying by purposeful omission, the news media and police department reported that the police responded to a “disturbance.” Street racing was never mentioned by the police or the news media, even though there were videos posted on social media. (See below)

There was a report of a similar incident involving street racing that occurred at 43^rd and Pulaski. A police officer was injured by a smashed windshield. Again, not a peep from the news media about street racing causing a racing riot.

The city and police department covered the whole thing up with the help of their PR weasels, the Chicago news media. Videos of the street racing were on social media. The news media must have got their marching orders from City Hall to ignore the videos, races, and mini-riots they caused.

Chicago is out of control. The mayor is out to lunch. The City Council is useless. We have a prosecutor who refuses to prosecute and judges who refuse to keep violent arrestees off the streets. Not one neighborhood is safe. The oblivious news media keeps touting City Hall.

The Summer of Joy is still early. More joy will come as the body counts rise, the number of people shot and wounded rise, the number of police officers shot or injured rise, and robberies and carjackings will rise. Now, since no one was punished for the racing riots, the media, by omission, says did not exist, they will become the norm. The streets will have another dangerous problem.

Ah, the Joy of summer. The sounds of gunshots, screams of victims, the roar of racing engines, and the crackling ceremonial rings of fire. Those sounds are Chicago’s Ode to Joy.

Just remember, today, while you are celebrating Independence Day stuffing your maw with BBQ, brats, burgers, and drinking until you puke red, white, and blue, more people will die. More will be wounded. There will be more street racing. All brought to you by Mayor Lightfoot’s Summer of Joy.

I give up on the supposed citizens in this city. I gave up on the politicians a long time ago. There is a term for people with no governance, anarchy. Chicago is in a state of anarchy.

Have a joyful Fourth of July. Celebrate your freedom by staying in your house, preferably in your basement, to avoid being shot and or killed. You are not even safe in your own backyard.

This is the face of over-privileged nasty squishy American white bread sprogdolytes America is unleashing upon our major urban and cosmopolitan areas.

“OK, so I just moved to New York and I’m going to go grocery shopping, and so I type in like, ‘grocery stores,’ on my Apple Maps, and every f–king one I go to … they’re like this s–t,” in one video, before panning the camera to show a local bodega.

“Like bro, that’s not a grocery store,” he continued in the clip. “I’m trying to get, like eggs, yogurt, cheese, s–t like that. Like, look at this place.”

He later stated: “Like I’ve literally been to like five of those now, and like, I don’t know what the f–k I’m about to do for dinner. Like where are the Krogers and the Whole Foods at? Like I’m about to eat f–king like cereal and ramen for dinner, like what the f–k?” (NY Post)

I do not hide my disdain for people, especially young people, who move to Chicago from the hinterlands and suburbs. The Karens and Chads who refuse to learn how to live in a real city. On social media, they complain about everything. They expect Chicagoans to bend to their whims and conform to the norms of wherever they came from. You know, Someplace Else, good old US of A,

These fragile fritters make me crazy enough to run naked through the streets screaming like a mad, drunken Russian poet. These over-privileged, spoiled rotten spawns of Satan refuse to accept they ain’t in wherever the f**k they came from anymore.

So, I can understand the outrage over this story out of New York. A 24-year-old supposed human moved from Michigan to New York City for employment. He immediately went on Tik Tok rants about his South Bronx neighborhood. Because of his TikTok videos going viral and his publishing his confidential employment contract, with a company logo, the company fired him on the second day of his employment.

He is now lamenting his predicament. How is he going to live in his $2500 a month garden apartment? Oh woe is fu**ing me.

The horrors of a poor soul Michigander moving to the big city. He is afraid of starving to death because he cannot find a grocery store. Jeez, people wonder why this generation of simpering wimps is roundly hated and mocked. Bodegas are cultural institutions in New York City. They are where neighborhood people get their day-to-day needs, including groceries.

Did mommy’s overprotected muff monkey even think to ask someone where to find a grocery store? Does he realize a grocery store is probably a short bus or cab ride away? Or is he auditioning to become a pi$$ poor standup comedian?

He is typical of the young people who come to live in Chicago from the hinterlands and suburbs who refuse to learn how to live in our city. Mommy and daddy catered to their bratzillas’ every whim and desire. Then they unleashed these privileged, spoiled rotten chromosomal defects upon our city to plague us.

When put in their place, their brittle fragility shatters and they need to seek out the safety pin people or a safe space for a hug, Teddy Bear, and a lollipop.

“I’m in the Bronx for a few weeks so I’m like the only white dude in this whole gym, so I got this NAACP shirt so these people vibe with me more,”

And folks, the above quote is the reason the South Bronx neighborhood should pitch in and give this douche a one-way ticket back to the bum f**k American place he came from.

Note: After getting his share of well-deserved online abuse, his Tik Tok account went private. It lives on though.

Chicago’s always had problems with unemployment, poverty, and homelessness. During hard times, these issues were on an unprecedented scale. During the early 1900s, there were tens of thousands of homeless people in Chicago. The causes of homelessness were the same as today, including unemployment, mental health issues, and alcohol abuse. Many homeless people came to Chicago looking for those fabled streets paved with gold. Some made those streets their “home.”

The book, “Beat Cop Chicago’s Chief O’Neill and the Creation of Irish Music” by Michael O’Malley, describes how Chicago tried to handle the homeless issue in the early 1900s.

Like today, in 1900, the City of Chicago tasked police officers with addressing many social issues along with crime control. Police officers of the time removed dead horses, returned lost children to their parents, captured stray dogs, enforced health and building codes, provided first aid to injured people, and ambulances to transport people to hospitals. Police stations sheltered the homeless in empty jail cells overnight.

Chicago’s homelessness attracted national attention. In 1901, Chicago opened the Municipal Lodging House at 162 N. Union Avenue. It is the now Lake Street exit ramp of the expressway.

The Lodging House was under the auspices of the Chicago Police Department with a civilian administrator. The Chief of police issued an annual report to the city.

The lodging house provided shelter, meals, and employment services. Chicago’s various industries were growing fast. They needed workers. The Municipal Lodging House funneled people into jobs in a unique partnership between social services and industrial and commercial interests.

In 1903, the Municipal Lodging House sheltered over 9000 people and served over 15,000 meals. They found jobs for over 2000 people.

The Police Department was relieved of housing and feeding people in jails. Without robbing people of their dignity, the Municipal Lodging House provided aid, food, and employment to the homeless population. People and industry benefited from the Municipal Lodging House’s unique partnership.

The early 20^th Century was called the Progressive Era because of industrial advances, progressive politics, and the establishment of social service agencies in urban areas. Sometimes industry and social service agencies partnered for their mutual benefit.

Progressive is now regressive. Chicago still has a large-scale homeless issue. Some of the same reasons for homelessness do not differ from those in the early 20^th Century. We do not live in a progressive era. The city no longer shelters and feeds people. We do not transition the unemployed to jobs.

There are people and organizations in Chicago providing food, clothing, and other necessities. Some provide medical and dental services. Yet, the City of Chicago does what it does best, blows hot air. Politicians, especially so-called progressive politicians, are all talk and no action. They do not call Chicago the Windy City for nothing.

The Municipal Lodging House concept was ahead of its time. It would be impossible to create lodging houses today. Developers scoop up property to build ugly trendy apartment and condo buildings. Nasty NIMBYs populate this city of scoundrels. They are people who only want to help themselves and keep their “neighborhoods” for their privileged selves.

Like poverty, there will always be homeless people in Chicago. But the high number of impoverished homeless people is an embarrassment. We need more facilities to provide shelter, meals, medical and mental health, addiction, and job placement and housing placement services.

There is plenty of vacant land and buildings that the city could repurpose or develop to provide services. An idea from the early last century was more progressive than what we are doing today. Modern “progressive” people and politcians are not so progressive after all. Like the NIMBYS, they do not care about anyone but themselves.

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.