An Olympic city, Chicago is not. On the morning of Friday, October 2nd, residents around Chicago gathered to listen for the announcement on who would host the 2016 Olympic Games. The anticipation of the results was quickly dissipated by an information leak that said Chicago was not only one of the unchosen, but it was the first city to go. This windy city’s chance for change was blown away.
And I am ok with that.
Currently, the state of Illinois is facing a budget deficit of $11.5 billion. The governor was proposing major budget cuts to crucial programs, many of them in Chicago — programs that would further demolish a community that’s barely hanging on. Chicago could propose to have the Special Olympics here, but Illinois ranks 51st (after Puerto Rico) in services to those with disabilities. The Olympic Village would truly be the only place to accommodate the disabled. Otherwise, sorry Wheelchair Charlie. Just like Illiniois, you’ll come in dead last.
Once President Obama was elected, he took many of the leaders in Illinois and Chicago with him to Washington D.C. Now it’s a free-for-all for the remaining leaders in Chicago to fill positions with their cousins and in-laws. Mayor Daley sold our parking meters to the absolutely defunct Chicago Parking Meters LLC, that quadrupled our meter fees. And incidentally, if you pay for a parking pass and the ticket doesn’t print out, “you can leave your car in that spot and just contest the ticket should you get one,” according to the Chicago Parking Meters representative. Oh, but they don’t have the means to reverse the charge that you made on your credit card to park there. So it’s up to you to contest the ticket that you might get for the spot for which you paid.
I’d be embarrassed to invite the world to see a beautiful city that at the core is slowly rotting. It’d be like inviting your family from overseas to stay at your house that is going into foreclosure. But you ensure them that in 6 years, when they come over, it’ll be totally cool. You’ll have it all figured out by then. No, really, I know I owe people millions of dollars, but by the time you come, it will magically look like a model home newly built in Burr Ridge. “Com’on man, can you just spare a vote. I just gotta get on the bus to the Olympic Village. God Bless you.”
Chicago need not change to accommodate Olympic hopefuls from around the world. Chicago needs to change to accommodate the residential hopefuls within its city limits.
