Author: pvbella

Chicago Alderman, Daniel Solis, is set for a sentencing hearing over his plea deal. Solis cooperated with the Justice Department’s investigation of Alderman Ed “The Big Tuna” Burke.” Solis wore a wire, taping conversations that led to Burke’s indictment. One could say he helped the Feds land the “Big Tuna.” As an aside, aldermen should have nicknames, like members of what little is left of the Chicago Outfit.

Solis had a truly American story. As a child, he came here from Mexico, attended university, became a Chicago Public School teacher, and involved himself in community work, including school reform. Former mayor Richard M. Daley appointed Solis to two municipal boards. After Alderman Antonio Medrano pleaded guilty to corruption charges, Daley appointed Solis to fill the seat. In a special election, Solis won 77% of the vote. One of Solis’s first actions as alderman was to present a plaque and reward to a well-known and vicious Chicago Outfit boss, Angelo “The Hook” LaPietra, for his “community service.”

Solis was eventually appointed Mayor Pro-Tem of the City Council, sitting in for the mayor when Daley was unavailable. Solis concentrated on job creation, improvements in his ward, and cultural issues, including the expansion of the National Museum of Mexican Art and the Ping Tom Memorial Park. He also involved himself with senior housing issues and significant business issues in his ward.

Solis got bent somewhere along the journey, or he was already bent but did not get caught for years. When caught, he flipped like a gymnast and agreed to cooperate with the Feds, including wearing a wire. His attorneys and the Justice Department crafted a generous plea deal. The Chicago Tribune called the agreement “Unprecedented.” Solis would serve no time, and if he behaves himself and continues to cooperate for three years, he will have a clean record.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot, a former federal prosecutor, is unhappy with the deal. She ordered her Law Department to file a victim impact statement with the court, listing the City of Chicago as a victim.

Solis’s successor, Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez, is not happy either. He sent a letter- victim impact statement- directly to the federal judge handling Solis’s case. He requested she consider Solis’s rampant corruption “…he urged the judge to consider “scaled and appropriate penalties” that reflect the seriousness of Solis’ conduct.” (Chicago Tribune)

All this is political theater, a comical stage play. It is laughable that the mayor and an alderman would weigh in on Solis’s sentencing. Solis must cooperate with the Feds in upcoming corruption trials. His cooperation is critical for them winning a conviction against Alderman Ed Burke. Burke is the most powerful Chicago politician indicted by the Feds. He is the longest-serving alderman in the city council. He has been an alderman since 1969.

He also served the longest tenure as the City Council’s Finance Committee. His full-time job was running a law firm dealing with property tax reductions. His clients were a Who’s Who in Chicago’s commercial real estate and business worlds. One client was the Trump Organization.

The Feds usually take care of cooperators with lenient sentences, or in Solis’s case, wiping the slate clean if he keeps cooperating. Solis crimes were the typical grubby and greed-based stuff the Chicago City Council is historically famous for. As a former federal prosecutor, Mayor Lightfoot knows the Feds have to make lenient deals with minnows to catch “Big Tunas.” The “Big Tunas” are the worst of the worst.

Solis violated two of the Da Twelve Commandments of the Chicago Way, “Thou shalt not get caught and Thou shalt not talk.” His real punishment will be banishment and reprobation. He will be condemned, and his name will be considered an obscene vulgarity. His friends will flee him if they already haven’t. He will be alone in the world, wearing the mark of a mortal sinner, a traitor. He will carry the title of the “Rat” for the rest of his life. When Burke’s trial is over, Solis will be forgotten. That may be punishment enough.

As to Alderman Sigcho-Lopez, his letter is somewhat disingenuous. Unlike the mayor, he did not file the letter with the court. He sent it directly to the judge and the Chicago news media. He got a nice headline for his deed, which is all he cares about.

The municipal election cycle is coming up. Lightfoot and Sigcho-Lopez can demonstrate their “reformer” chops in their quest to keep their jobs. Ha! Former alderman, Paddy Bauler, was right decades ago when he said, “Chicago ain’t ready for reform.” It is as true today as it was back then.

Chicago deserves what the city failed to deliver. They deserve a domed stadium suitable to host a Super Bowl, a Final Four and a college football national championship game. Such a venue would host concerts, big-time soccer events, Wrestlemania and maybe even the Chris Rock-Will Smith rematch. (Mark Tupper/Herald and Review)

The Herald and Review, a Decatur, Illinois newspaper, published an op-ed by Mark Tupper. a retired Executive Sports Editor.

Tupper is cheering the McCaskey Bear’s potential move to Arlington Heights. The piece is misinformation, lousy historical research, blissful ignorance, or all three by Mr. Trotter.

First, Arlington Heights is not Chicago. Secondly, Chicago did not fail to deliver anything. Going on four decades, the McCaskey’s had ample opportunities to build a new world-class domed stadium in the city. There were vast tracts of available vacant land. There were large tracts along the Chicago River to put up a riverfront stadium. The problem was never the city or its political leaders. The problem was the McCaskey’s.

The McCaskey’s inherited one thing from their grandfather, George Halas, the cheapskate and chiseler gene. They squeeze a penny so hard they make old Abe scream. They did not want to put up money to even purchase the land or go into debt. They did not want to partner with some deep-pocket investors or developers. They expected the city and state taxpayers to finance the whole thing.

The City of Chicago could and would have intervened and facilitated the purchase of land from the owners/future developers. There may have been an opportunity for partnerships. The McCaskey’s refused. They were too cheap, just plain too stupid, or a combination of the two.

After the 1986 Superbowl win, the McCaskey’s were in the catbird seat. Yet, they did nothing, zero, zip, nada. Their intention for four decades was to leave the city. They are suburban and ex-urbanites. They never had any love for the city or the fans. They never had or displayed any civic pride.

Most of those large tracts of land are now being developed into massive residential-commercial-entertainment areas the size of small towns. A few are being proposed for Chicago’s casino-entertainment area. Everyone knew- the city, the McCaskey’s, the people of Chicago- that the Soldier Field renovation to suit the Bears was a fiasco. Yet, the McCaskey’s signed off on it. They, and they alone, are to blame.

The miserly McCaskey’s are solely at fault for not having a world-class domed stadium built in Chicago. Their overblown sense of privilege and entitlement is to blame, not the City of Chicago or other government entities. The McCaskey’s wanted a stadium for free or as close to free as possible. They also wanted out of Chicago.

With their pending purchase of the Arlington Racetrack property, they may get their wish. Arlington Heights already is discussing concessions for taxpayer funding. There may be other funding available, including from the NFL.

The miserly McCaskey’s will fund little of the total price tag for their gleaming brand-new toy. The new stadium will boost the bottom line of the team’s value, speculating a cashout, allowing the McCaskey’s to live a life of Champagne and caviar dreams.

If the McCaskey’s were not such notorious cheapskates and chiselers, they would have had a world-class stadium years ago. Chicago would have hosted Super Bowls and other mass stadium events. It would have been a win-win for the McCaskey’s and the city.

I can understand Mr. Trotter’s misinformation. Decatur is in south-central Illinois. Far away from the big city. His inner fan-boy over the McCaskey’s got the best of him and he failed to do the necessary deep research.

Once again, the only blame for the Bear’s potential move to Arlington Heights, or anyplace else, rests with the McCaskey’s, not the City of Chicago. As I said before, if the McCaskey’s want to move, I hope the door kicks them in the arse on the way out.

Today is Good Friday. For the faithful, Good Friday commemorates the death of Jesus Christ. It leads us into Easter Sunday, celebrating His resurrection.

For three days, Thursday through Sunday, believers commemorate a feast, the capture, and suffering of Christ, His Crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection. The Easter weekend also symbolizes the transition from winter and death to spring, beginning a new life.

A local harbinger of spring was the birth of the first bison of this year at Fermilab. Fermilab has a herd of over 30 bison on a reconstructed all grass prairie established in 1969. Every spring, new calves are born. Other signs of spring are flowers and other greenery blooming, despite the yo-yo weather.

The four seasons celebrate life, death, rejuvenation, and rebirth. It is the nature of the Earth. The exception to the life-death cycle is the human species. The Fifth Commandment states, “Thou shalt not kill.” The actual translation is “Thou shalt not murder.” Somehow, through the millennia, humans have not adapted.

There is no resurrection, no celebration of life’s rejuvenation. To quote John Prine, “And I always will remember these words my daddy said. He said, ” Buddy, when you’re dead, you’re a dead pecker-head.” (When I get to Heaven)

Humans consider ourselves the superior species, yet we are the only species on Earth that keeps killing its own, whether it is murders or wars. Some superiority. For some reason, we just cannot stop murdering or trying to murder each other. Animals are the only species that obey the commandment.

Between 2020 and 2021, over 1500 people were shot and killed in Chicago. Their families commemorate them. Thousands more were wounded. It was two years of relentless violence.

War is raging in Ukraine. Thousands of innocent people are being slaughtered by the murderous Russian army on orders of its blood-thirsty leader. Millions more were driven from their homes. Unknown thousands were taken to Russia and placed in “filtration” camps before being taken to undisclosed locations in the far north. History is repeating itself.

So, that’s what they wanted: lies. Beautiful lies. That’s what they needed. (Charles Bukowski)

Humans keep making excuses for murder and the mass murder of war. Guns, drugs, gangs, poverty, racism, economics, covetous, nationalism, mental health, and a host of other issues. They are all lies. Beautiful lies we need to believe in our supposed human superiority. The beautiful lies make us feel better about our so-called humanity. Some of the lies we tell ourselves, others are provided by politicians and their propagandists. More beautiful lies are made up by mental health “professionals” to allegedly explain behavior.

Our propensity to murder proves humans are not humane. As a species, we are devoid of humanity. Humanity is another beautiful lie we created to make us feel good about ourselves.

Between Chicago and Ukraine, the Grim Reaper and the Angel of Death are working overtime together. There are no legions of Archangels to protect or rescue us from ourselves. We are our own worst enemies.

Easter celebrates renewal and the promise of hope. Unfortunately, human society is hopeless. We do not practice what we preach.

If you go to Good Friday services today, say a prayer for Chicago. Your life may depend on it. Say a prayer for Ukraine. Their existence depends on it.

It is that time of year again when a disgusting holiday food item appears. It joins the list of disgusting things like Pumpkin Spice and Candy Corn.

The disgusting Easter treats are Peeps, those neon-colored chicks or bunnies. They are popular with children. They look tempting but are just as disgusting as Candy Corn. It is claimed they are almost indestructible. Supposedly the eyes are indestructible.

When my daughter was in first or second grade, she was going to a play date around Easter. She said they were going to assassinate Peeps. You put them in the microwave and “assassinate” them. It is about all they are good for.

Peeps are made with sugar, corn syrup, gelatin, and dyes. Peeps were originally produced by Just Born, a candy manufacturer in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Other candy companies make similar confections. They are all horrible.

Peeps have only one use, decorative. They have no flavor except sugar. The texture is anywhere from chewy to sandy, depending on their age. Like candy corn, I cannot fathom why something with no flavor is so popular. Maybe people’s imaginations run wild, thinking they taste something other than pure sugar.

Easter will be celebrated next week by sects of Ukraine Catholics and the Ukraine Orthodox Church(s) in Ukraine. Bogged down in an unprovoked invasion with death, destruction, displacement, war crimes, and genocide, it is difficult to comprehend how Ukrainians can celebrate the joy of Christ’s Resurrection.

The Ukraine people are suffering and fighting a relentless, heartless, soulless enemy. Worse, their president must literally beg the supposed free world for weaponry to fight to save his nation and the lives of his people.

While celebrating Easter, if you are a believer, pray for Ukraine. There will be no joy for them this year.

I was in a saloon Saturday watching the Cubs and White Sox games. Other televisions had the Masters Tournament on. Who in their right mind watches golf on television, especially in a saloon? Golf is the most boring sport in the world next to curling. It is the equivalent of watching paint dry or waiting for a fly to die on someone’s face.

People who watch golf live dull, meaningless, and worthless lives. Avid golfers are psychotic. Maybe someone could come up with a conversion therapy for those poor souls.

Golf courses are a massive waste of valuable real estate and create environmental problems with all the chemicals needed to keep all that useless grass green and healthy. Some years back, a study linked certain cancers to people who lived next to golf courses due to the chemicals.

Golf courses use copious amounts of water to keep the grass growing. What a waste of a precious resource. Then, there is the maintenance, mowing, raking, etc. Another waste of time. Golf is a wasteful sport with no redeeming social value.

This brings me to a modest proposal. We have a severe problem with homelessness in Chicago. City Hall would rather we overlook the homeless camps, people living on the El or in the El stations, the underground Wacker and Michigan Avenues, or other places. They pretend the homeless do not exist. They would rather the homeless stay invisible.

No one in this city of political and social service dullards can come up with a solution to mitigate homelessness. They are not even trying. They cater to the two-wheeled bicycle terrorists and rental bike, and scooter corporations. Our local news media treats the homeless population as if they did not exist. They are the spokes weasels for the city, hyping whatever the city tells them to and ignoring real issues.

George Carlin came up with the perfect solution to homelessness. (Video below) Turn golf courses into housing for the homeless. Golf courses are a waste of property for people who dress funny to hit little white balls around the grass. Nine Chicago golf courses can be legally turned into communities to temporarily house the homeless, assist them, and transition people to employment and permanent housing.

Small to medium manufactured homes could be inexpensively built, including social service, centers, educational, job training, medical clinics, dining, and recreation facilities. The homeless can be sheltered, assisted with whatever problems they are suffering from, seek employment, and eventually transition to their own housing. The city could even offer training programs to transition people to city employment. City Hall could partner with other experienced providers like The Salvation Army.

Some of the acreages of the courses could be turned into organic farms and greenhouses to grow food for the inhabitants and sell at onsite farmer’s markets.

Chicago Park District golf courses could be easily transferred to the city. Privately owned golf courses could be taken through eminent domain. They would be considered blight- useless waste of property and ecologically unsound. There is probably a way to get state and federal funding for such an undertaking.

Converting golf courses to communities to assist and transition the homeless is a way better and more humane use of those green wastelands. There would still be a few city courses left, as the land cannot be built on for esthetic or legal reasons. Golfers also can go to the burbs to play with their little balls.

If Chicago is to be a humane and compassionate city, turning useless golf courses into housing, social services, job training, and transitioning centers is the best use of those properties. The NIMBYs will protest and cry foul. No one should care what they think. They are not coming up with simple solutions to issues. Screw them.

Carlin was ahead of his time and right. Hey, mayor Lightfoot, get on board and grab all that real estate to assist the homeless. Chicago does not need golf. Homeless people need help. It is a simple, elegant solution.

Here is a list of the golf courses that could and should be converted to assist the homeless:

Columbus Park

Robert A. Black

Billy Caldwell

Edgebrook

Marquette Park

Douglas Park

Indian Boundary

Beverly Country Club

Ridge CC

The Chicago Park District has filed a motion attempting to seal a lawsuit involving allegations that Mayor Lori Lightfoot berated a lawyer and used obscene language in a Zoom call over a Christopher Columbus statue — an unusual move that would keep the public in the dark about the case. (Chicago Tribune)

Nothing changes in the junkyard politics of Chicago. The Chicago Park District wants the courts to seal a lawsuit by an attorney against the city over a Zoom meeting where the mayor berated the attorney.

“You make some kind of secret agreement with Italians. … You are out there stroking your d—- over the Columbus statue, I am trying to keep Chicago police officers from being shot and you are trying to get them shot,” Lightfoot said, according to the complaint. “My d— is bigger than yours and the Italians, I have the biggest d— in Chicago.” (Mayor Lori Lightfoot/Chicago Tribune)

The Park District claims making the lawsuit public will adversely affect another case they are fighting on the removal of the Christopher Columbus Statues. The Chicago Park District wants Omerta, silence. No dirty laundry needs to be exposed, proven, or disproven. The only things that change in Chicago are the names. The opacity and lack of accountability are still the rule of law in Chicago.

Both lawsuits are against public entities, the City of Chicago and the Chicago Park District. They are not the CIA or NSA, where secrets must be preserved. The lawsuits are in the public interest. I guess someone does not want the public to hear or see what really happened during that meeting. The Park District had enough ugly publicity over the sexual harassment and assault allegations they tried to cover up.

They are acting like the old Mafia- “This thing of ours is secret, secret.” (Gotti Movie) Nothing gets out, even from the courts. One could wonder what else was said during that Zoom meeting. The real question is whether the Park District is acting in its own interest or on orders from Mayor Lori Lightfoot and her self-preservation interest.

The Chicago Way is still alive and kicking in Chicago. It works. It works for the elected officials and their appointees. It does not work for the people. The people do not count. We pay taxes to support their perfidy. What other secrets is City Hall or the Chicago Park District hiding from the public?

By the way, where are the courageous and fearless investigative reporters digging into the machinations at City Hall? Are they extinct? When we need them the most, they are nowhere to be found. The few who claim the title are nothing but mere poseurs.

Alderman Paddy Bauler was right all those decades ago. “Chicago ain’t ready for reform.” It wasn’t then, and it isn’t now. It never will be.

When it comes to public entities, there is another word for secrets. Lies. Secrets are lies. Every time an elected official, appointee, bureaucrat, or spokes weasel flaps their soup coolers, they lie.

We are being lied to about public safety or the lack thereof. We are being lied to about city finances. We are being lied to about everything.

All liars are not politicians or bureaucrats. All politicians and bureaucrats are liars. They make liars look trustworthy.

“With little support from Chicago or the state, any aid would probably be a local tax district to pay for roads and infrastructure… In Chicago, taxpayers are still paying $432 million plus interest of the $690 million it cost to renovate the Bears’ current home at Soldier Field in 2003” (Chicago Tribune/Emphasis Mine)

Hmm? Why would Chicago, or the state for that matter, provide support for the McCaskey Bears move to Arlington Heights? Inquiring minds want to know.

If the McCaskey’s want to build a new stadium in Arlington Heights and the town wants the stadium, why should Chicagoan’s tax dollars support it? Why should state tax dollars support it? We will be paying for the improvements to Soldier Field long after the McCaskey’s leave.

As I wrote before, the Bears had over three or four decades to build a stadium on available vacant land in the city, including the Chicago Riverfront. All that property is now being developed for housing and commercial enterprises, along with the necessary infrastructure. Instead of renovating Soldier Field, the McCaskey’s and the city could and should have built a new stadium to suit the needs of the team and the league.

The team owners and the city could have created a year-round entertainment venue and destination area with a domed stadium for year-round use. It would have spurred economic development in the areas surrounding the stadium and given the city a shot in the arm from various taxes and fees.

The Sox, Bulls, and Blackhawks stayed put and built new multi-use venues. The Cubs reworked Wrigley Field and helped turn the neighborhood into a destination and tourist area, with hotels and other venues. My only conclusion is the McCaskeys have no love for Chicago. They adore the suburbs and ex-burbs. That is where they live. They want to “play” in the same milieu as their homes.

The other reason is somewhat informed speculation. The McCaskeys are as miserly as their grandfather, George Halas. It was said Halas tossed around change like manhole covers. The McCaskey’s are cheapskates and chiselers. They want taxpayers to foot most of the bill for their stadium.

There are still tracts of land available in Chicago to build a stadium. There is money available through the NFL, as they helped fund other stadiums. The McCaskey’s would rather give an economic boost to a suburb than the city that made them. Yes, much of their fan base is in the burbs. They come to Chicago, along with out of towners, to spend money. That money creates various taxes and other revenues. Why should we support the Miserly McCaskey’s move? Their move is our loss.

The McCaskey Bears and family do not deserve one more cent from the city or the state. If Arlington Heights wants the Bears so bad, they can find their own way to support the new stadium. Let the burden fall on them and their taxpayers.

We suffered enough under the McCaskey’s.