I hope Chicago can figure it out. I lived there for two years, and absolutely loved it, even with the harsh winter. I think it is one of the most unique and beautiful cities in America (in the world), and it would be very depressing for it to go downhill and end up like a Saint Louis or Detroit. It's gonna take good governance and perhaps a check on the Democrats' grip on power in the state and cities, much like California, I think. Josh, do you think if moderate Republicans can make inroads in the state, it would help the politics and help with fiscal responsibility?
As someone who has lived in the far suburbs of Chicago for the last 15 years, sad to say Chicago has already started heading downhill, with no real plan to fix it. The new mayor is a puppet of the Chicago Teachers' Union, who took loans out (with future union dues as collateral!) to get him elected. Their agenda (and therefore his) is about as far to the left as you can get. Unfortunately, if moderate Republicans (and moderate Democrats) were able to tip the scales, Paul Vallas would have been elected instead of Brandon Johnson. More and more people from the suburbs refuse to go downtown any more due to crime (regardless of the actual odds of crime happening to them, it's all about perception), overall commercial real estate vacancy rates are around 20%, with downtown retail space even higher, and no one is even pretending that fiscal responsibility is a priority. It's a sad state of affairs for a wonderful, unique city.
Yeah, I'm sure a lot of folks are pessimistic about the state of affairs. The one silver lining is Vallas came close, which means maybe with a few adjustments (perhaps a person of color running who is a moderate Dem or Republican), changes can be made. I'm hoping for the best, as it really is a wonderful city.
I hope Chicago can figure it out. I lived there for two years, and absolutely loved it, even with the harsh winter. I think it is one of the most unique and beautiful cities in America (in the world), and it would be very depressing for it to go downhill and end up like a Saint Louis or Detroit. It's gonna take good governance and perhaps a check on the Democrats' grip on power in the state and cities, much like California, I think. Josh, do you think if moderate Republicans can make inroads in the state, it would help the politics and help with fiscal responsibility?
As someone who has lived in the far suburbs of Chicago for the last 15 years, sad to say Chicago has already started heading downhill, with no real plan to fix it. The new mayor is a puppet of the Chicago Teachers' Union, who took loans out (with future union dues as collateral!) to get him elected. Their agenda (and therefore his) is about as far to the left as you can get. Unfortunately, if moderate Republicans (and moderate Democrats) were able to tip the scales, Paul Vallas would have been elected instead of Brandon Johnson. More and more people from the suburbs refuse to go downtown any more due to crime (regardless of the actual odds of crime happening to them, it's all about perception), overall commercial real estate vacancy rates are around 20%, with downtown retail space even higher, and no one is even pretending that fiscal responsibility is a priority. It's a sad state of affairs for a wonderful, unique city.
Yeah, I'm sure a lot of folks are pessimistic about the state of affairs. The one silver lining is Vallas came close, which means maybe with a few adjustments (perhaps a person of color running who is a moderate Dem or Republican), changes can be made. I'm hoping for the best, as it really is a wonderful city.
This was a really entertaining and well-produced episode.
The question is
How do you become the company?
That state and local governments
Identify
And then take out loans
In order to pay you
To do stuff
...
Municipal bonds yo