Chicago Daily Observer

This might be obvious to anyone who owns a home or has an empty adjacent lot next to his dwelling, but the Press is missing a simple economic key to Rita (Mrs. Tony) Rezko’s ownership a neighboring lot to Senator Obama.

Most homeowners like having a large yard or garden. Even more people like having their neighbors mow and landscape that vacant lot. Having a well kept adjoining green space increases the value of your lot, and your home.

So when Rita Rezko owned and cared for the lot adjoining Sen. Obama’s home in Kenwood, the value of Sen Obama’s home increased. If Rita would have filled the lot with garbage (not all that uncommon in the neighborhood), or built an ugly house on that lot (again not all that uncommon on the South Side), Sen. Obama’s house would have decreased in value.

Lot values in urban areas are dramatically ... Read More...

As the national media finally swarms around Barack Obama, asking him about his same day property purchase with accused corruption kingpin Tony Rezko, most of the questions are off the mark.

Here is the question he needs to be asked:

This appears to be the danger zone for Obama. From my seat, this seems to be the most logical reason for Rezko’s participation in the purchase. Acknowledging that reason could be deadly to Obama because it might be construed as a gift and therefore a Senate ethics violation. The association with Rezko, by itself, is bad judgment but nothing more. Any arrangement that bestowed a gift upon Obama is much worse.

You’ve got to hand it to Gov. Rod Blagojevich. He sure knows how to keep everyone off balance, whether it’s proposing to drag the state deeper into the financial pit with unexpected and unaffordable new programs, purchasing Wrigley Field when there’s no need, or, now, signing on to raze the lecture hall where five Northern Illinois University students were fatally shot and replace it with a new classroom and memorial building, at a mere cost of $40 million.

Who knows what foolishness he’ll surprise us with next. Maybe he’ll dissolve the legislature, much as English monarchs of yore did when displeased with parliament.

Larry Suffredin reminds us once again that there is no such thing as an effective and pure reformer in Chicago. And anyone who claims to be one is going to end up a liar.

True, in certain parts of the Chicago area, it’s helpful to campaign as a reformer. Voters think they want someone who will talk about standing up to machine Democrats, fighting for fairness and openness, and trying to cut waste out of government.

By law, Cook county had until February 29, 2008, to complete its budget for the current fiscal year, or the lights go out. As of this writing, odds are the budget won’t get done. President Todd Stroger continues to insist on filling the county’s shortfall by increasing the sales tax by more than what’s necessary to cover its $280 million plus deficit―promising to pay any overage back to taxpayers. Opponents on the county board range from either unwilling to consider raising more than necessary, to unwilling to raise any revenue―period. All opponents to Stroger’s tax hike insist the county reform its poor Medicaid billing practices, and save as much as it can through efficiency.

Unfortunately, even if the county eliminated patronage and improved its Medicaid billing, it still couldn’t balance its budget without a tax enhancement. Meanwhile, most media coverage of the county’s budget imbroglio has focused more on the ... Read More...

One of my pet peeves is the apparent pride exhibited by so many of the wet-behind-the-ears and the recently WBTE in their clueless

ess about anything that happened before they were born; as in, “Oh, I’ve never heard of that. I wasn’t born,” no matter how historically significant the “that” may be. To which I say “As if!” as in “As if your narcissistic belief, engendered by your nauseatingly doting parents, that the world didn’t exist until that remarkable day when you entered the world makes it true.” I wasn’t born in 1863, but I’ve heard of Gettysburg. (“Gettysburg?” For you youngsters, or ignorant U.S. Americans of any age, ask your grandmother, or better yet, Google it.) As I said, I have heard of it, and I’m sure as one of our smart readers, you have, but according to this recent article in U.S.A. Today, 17-year-olds haven’t. Only 43% ... Read More...