by: Diane Benjamin
Saturday afternoon I found myself marooned in a small room with a black guy from one of the worst neighborhoods in Chicago. It happened when the storm hit. (No – he wasn’t a scary dude!)
He mentioned his wife would love living down here where you don’t have to worry about being shot for walking out your door. Since the rain was fierce and we weren’t going anywhere, politics was way too difficult for me to ignore.
Here’s what I learned:
- He was here on business
- He was raised around 75th street in south Chicago
- He still lives there because his family still does
- He is a Democrat
- He saw 3 teenagers standing on a street corner a few nights ago, he told them to leave, they didn’t. Minutes later he heard gun shots.
- He doesn’t understand why Blago is in prison. What he did was politics as usual
- He has a neighbor who killed a guy and only spent 2 1/2 years in prison – early release by Quinn. He wants Blago out and that guy in.
- The neighbor killed another guy and is now back in prison
- He has a relative in a State elected office. She comes up with great program ideas to help her community, Quinn funds them and then takes credit.
- He is NOT voting for Quinn, doesn’t know who is voting for.
- He hates Rahm
- He thinks government should hire all the unemployed black people to rebuild the roads and bridges. If they had a job the prison population would decrease.
He talked very fast and had opinions on everything, but they all revolved around getting government money. His community is hurting and they need more.
At one point I asked him if he realized he was a government slave. I asked if he’d rather have government money or opportunity. He did pause briefly, almost startled, but then went back to government needs to hire the unemployed and give them more money for programs.
I wish the storm has lasted 10 minutes longer. I could have told him Illinois passed a Labor Law (PLA). Government construction jobs are strictly regulated. They can’t hire unemployed black guys unless they are union members. I could have told him that Blago’s version of politics doesn’t have to be the norm. I could have explained that Blago was prosecuted by the Feds, not the State. That’s why he got 15 years. I could have explained how Chicago government doesn’t allow his community to succeed because they limit opportunity.
It would have taken much more than one talk with this guy to change his thinking. He has been indoctrinated to look to government for everything. He could move his family here, but he would bring his philosophy with him.
It breaks my heart to see how much this guy cares about his family and community but he thinks government can fix it. Government likes things just the way they are. It’s obvious why Quinn spent $54 million on his anti-violence program before the 2010 election. It works, just not on fixing the problem.
The government and their Ilk have spent a generation producing EXACTLY the type of people you just spoke with. They want everyone dependent on government, this way they can have total control over your life. Honestly and sadly this does not surprise me one bit.
I don’t know how many people are watching the long extended PBS documentary on the Roosevelts that’s been on the last week, but it well documents when America started down this road of government dependance. All forms of liberalism start here, that the government is responsible for creating jobs, pulling people out of poverty, over regulation of the private sector, promising freedom, only offering enslavement. Any reforms done under Reagan are long forgotten as the rotten stench of FDR still lingers. It will take a total economic collapse to ever bring about true reform. And even then, I doubt people will ever realize that this mentality is what got us in this condition in the first place.
I have no other explanation for why Pat Quinn is even a serious contender for reelection other than this.
Couldn’t agree more. I’ve talked to people who lived under FDR. They think he saved them. In reality the Great Depression lasted a long time because of government interference. Sound like today? No jobs, government control of everything, and Quinn still might win. The people are destroying themselves.
Why is it important that he’s black? Why don’t you describe him as a “guy from Chicago?” Why interject race at all? What race are you? Why isn’t your race just as important to this post?
Because blacks in Chicago vote lock step with Democrats. I wanted to explore why. The story would be totally different without his race and it wouldn’t mean nearly as much.