The Dumbest Idea In Chicago History
In A City That Has Had A Lot of Dumb Ideas
I heard rumblings of this before the Chicago mayoral election. Lori Lightfoot proposed it, but it was a dumb idea then and she didn’t get re-elected so I thought it might go away.
Brandon Johnson resurrected it today. They are going to convert the vacant office space on LaSalle Street in the Loop to affordable housing.
Thank goodness I don’t work in the Loop anymore.
If you know Chicago history, and I do, you know that for over a century since the city’s founding every effort has been made to make sure that the downtown Loop is pristine and open for business. Exchanges and Accounting firms are headquartered there. Law firms put their footprint there. Some of the world’s greatest architecture is there. City, county, and federal government courts and bureaucracies are headquartered there.
It’s going to become Cabrini Green 2. A hellhole.
If you wanted to kill the city, you’d implement this idea.
It’s dangerous enough in the Loop these days because Kim Foxx doesn’t lock anyone up. Murders, rapes, muggings, carjackings, and other fun crimes all take place in the Loop now. They never used to.
Who will go to work there? It won’t be safe. The downtown clubs are going to have to beef up security. Forget about being safe in a parking garage. Millennium Park is already a disaster under the current mayor. My last springtime visit to Chicago saw metal detectors and heavy metal fencing all around it. Now it will become a killing field. The parks to the south down to the museum campus will become totally unsafe if they aren’t already.
Pritzker will get on board. He can bail out his real estate flunkies who are underwater on their loans and the value of their buildings.
The Mayors Daley were both corrupt. But, they knew you could never lose the Loop. This would never have happened on their watch.
It is the dumbest idea in city history by the dumbest person ever to lead the city. This Johnson guy isn’t that bright, is he? Is there a remedial Mayoral class he can take? I don’t think he could spell the word cat if you spotted him the C and the A. (tip of the hat to Hollywood Henderson)
Tragic. The historic, beautiful Canyon will be overtaken and sent into ruin. What next, the Lyric Opera House?
I am amazed at the Forrest Gump-like career of Brandon Johnson.
He started as a teacher of social studies, and then decided to be a CTU "organizer." From there he got elected as a Cook County commissioner (once) and then in a couple years was elected Mayor of Chicago.
He was born in Elgin, Illinois, and seemingly has no other roots in Chicago, other than that CPS gave him a job out of college.
And the people of Chicago voted him into office in one of the city's most troubled times in its history.
I don't like to stereotype whole groups of people, but the voters in Chicago are maddeningly stupid. I can only half-blame them, though, because the turnout was so low that the CTU army was able to get him through over Vallas.
I am trying desperately to get out, and have been for a couple years. I am selling assets. I have a condo up for sale, and I can't even get any interest. Everything sells below what you paid for it, even from the early 2000's! Sometimes things sell for less than they did in the 90's!
This city is irredeemable, simply because the people have no clue what they are voting for and what they are doing. They don't even understand basic economics.
I can't get out fast enough.