White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf wants a $1.2 Billion dollar handout from Illinois (Don't forget about Da Bears!)

"Socialism, communism, whatever you want to call it, is never the answer." Hank Steinbrenner in 2011, just 2 years after Steinbrenner and the New York Yankees received $2 Billion in public funds subsidized by the New York City and State taxpayers to build Yankee Stadium III.

One of the biggest and most successful scams the Ultra-Rich 1% pulled on America was the Trickle-Down Economics scheme.  Give Us large amount of public money for free and the economic benefit of us using it for ourselves will flow downward onto everyone else.  There is stuff flowing down from the 1% onto us but, it sure ain't economic benefits...  And while they were aided and abetted by Republicans and other conservative politicians the goal has always been the same to gain access to public monies in order to Privatize the Profits, and Socialize the Losses.

The White Sox are looking to move from the old 35th and Shields in the Bridgeport neighborhood to the 78, but in order to accomplish this move, poor, poor Jerry Reinsdorf needs to bum a couple o' bucks from the people of Illinois.

Jerry Reinsdorf has engaged in several tactics reserved for rich plutocratic assholes.  First, Reinsdorf dusted of his 1990s playbook and threatened to move the Chicago White Sox, this time to Nashville, Tennessee.  In the 1990s, Reinsdorf successfully bilked Illinois Governor Big Jim Thompson and the people of Illinois out of hundreds of millions of dollars to repair Comiskey Park by threatening to move the club to St. Petersburg, Florida.

So, last month just before Governor J.B. Pritzker's budget address, Reinsdorf went to Springfield to press the Governor and Legislature for $1,200,000,000 in public assistance in the building of the new White Sox stadium.  Reinsdorf and his investors would come up with the additional funding for the extended stadium grounds.

Rich people stay Rich because they don't pay for things with their money.  Governor J.B. Pritzker is rich he's a real Billionaire unlike the Orange Hitler so he knows this.  Pritzker has been adamant that no public money is going to build sports stadiums,

“I think I’ve been fairly clear about the fact that the taxpayers’ dollars are precious,” Pritzker said in response to a reporter’s question at an unrelated event. “And the idea of taking taxpayer dollars and subsidizing the building of a stadium as opposed to, for example, subsidizing the building of a birthing center, just to give the example, does not seem like the stadium ought to have higher priority.”

Unfortunately, there is a quirk which might allow not only the White Sox but Chicago Bears access to a government handout;  Mayor Brandon Johnson has been stepping all over his own dick and needs win, or to be clearer he needs not to be the Mayor who 'lost" the Chicago Bears to Arlington Heights.

“As far as public dollars, we haven’t gotten into any of those specifics just yet,” the mayor said of discussions with Sox officials.  "But I will say that we’re gonna explore all options. But we have to make sure that we’re doing right by the people of Chicago. … Everything is on the table here."

Why is everything on the table?  Jerry Reinsdorf is so rich he has quietly for the past 2 years been buying up the vacant parking lots in and around the United Center, Home of YOUR HIS Chicago BULLS!

Meanwhile, the Chicago Bears are floating the idea of tearing down Solider's Field and putting up a state-of-the-art doomed Stadium on the Lakefront.  They've even proposed using $2,000,000,000 of their own money.  As a comparison, Stan Kroenke of the LA (not St. Louis) Rams spent $5,000,000,000 on the SoFi Stadium, without public assistance, although the NFL did some money as well.

But, this is all posturing as the Chicago Lake front is protected by statute from building on it, as George Lucas learned when he proposed his gaudy Star Wars museum.  The Bears have already knocked down the old Arlington Racetrack, accompanying side buildings and that vast open area is going to house their Stadium, a Bears Museum, hotels, restaurants, probably apartments for players and coaches to live in, and all that revenue will go right into the extended Halas Family pockets.  It's a no-brainer.  But, at this point the Bears seem to be trying to reduce their financial commitment to the Arlington Heights community and surrounding school districts because they can rely on the non-stop messaging of "Trickle-Down" effect being good enough for the peoples who should feel privileged we wish to build a stadium in their community and probably should provide us incentives to do so!

Hand-outs to the MegaRich are called stimulus and the Rich love getting other peoples' money.

Wisconsin's Choice: Penzey's or Packers (with special guest appearance by Jimmy Garoppolo)

My Spices!

My Governor!

 

On Martin Luther King Jr Day, CEO Bill Penzey Jr released a completely accurate statement about Republicans, their efforts to disenfranchise black voters, general racism and their fervent murderous desire to shoot black people,

Remember how Republicans, going against a mountain of evidence to the contrary, once again lied and said BLM wasn’t a peaceful movement but instead terrorists inciting violence throughout the country and then raced out to buy a crapload of guns because maybe they were finally going to get their chance to shoot a Black person? What a bunch of racists.  

If you’re a part of a party that does everything it can to make it harder for Black people to vote, gerrymanders the value of minority votes down into a small fraction of the value of white votes in state houses and in the US House of Representatives, and are willing to vote for candidates of the party that nominated a man for president who explained why he was launching his campaign by saying: “Mexicans are rapists and murderers,” the Racist label is one you will deservingly wear every day you stand with them. Get used to it, or maybe instead, become a better person. 

Conservatives were furious.  Because "a hit dog hollers".  I hate that statement because don't ever hit your dog.  And yes I understand it's not actually about abusing your dog.  Of course, Republican Senator Mitch McConnell proved Bill Penzey's statement 100% correct when he stated Black people aren't Americans.  So, constantly call conservatives and Republicans what they are; Assholes, Bigots, Fascists, and Losers and watch them get angry.

And the king of the asshole losers today is anti-vaxx asshole Aaron Rodgers, a vile cheater and liar, who decided to dip his supposed broken toe into the waters of the Big Lie of 2020 and stated a few days ago,

“When the president of the United States says, ‘This is a pandemic of the unvaccinated,’ it’s because him and his constituents, which, I don’t know how there are any if you watch any of his attempts at public speaking, but I guess he got 81 million votes,” Rodgers said Thursday. “But when you say stuff like that, and then you have the CDC, which, how do you even trust them, but then they come out and talk about 75% of the COVID deaths have at least four comorbidities. And you still have this fake White House set saying that this is the pandemic of the unvaccinated, that’s not helping the conversation.”

I would like to point out it's despicable of Rodgers to make fun of President Biden for his well documented stammer, but to do so with a Sarah Palin word salad concoction which is hardly legible itself is classic rightwing projection.  

But, fortunately Arlington Heights second favorite son Jimmy Garoppolo, former Bears kicker Robbie Gould, and the San Francisco 49ers ended Green Bay's season and possibly Aaron Rodgers football career with a gutsy 13-10 victory on the erstwhile frozen tundra of Lambeau Field.  And as befits an asshole like Rodgers, Twitter took delight in Aaron's latest choke-job against the 49ers.

Aaron will have plenty of time to do his own research about vaccines and the 2020 election, now.  Hopefully, Shaline Woodley (a suspect practitioner of California Woo Woo Science like Aaron) will break off their engagement and dump his ass.

Senator Mark Kirk please recover from your terrible Stroke so you can be kicked out of the Senate for Ethics Violations

Senator Mark Kirk snagged the former US Senate seat of President Obama back in 2010. Republicans placed a high value target on the seat because... well, probably because it fueled their deluded, self-absorbed, narcissistic attitude that America really doesn't love President Obama.

Senator Kirk suffered a massive debilitating stroke several months ago. Unfortunately, his recovery appears to be going poorly as Seantor Kirk, who is also a Commander in the US Navy, had to cancel his appearance at an Arlington Heights Memorial Day Parade. In fact, Kirk has made no public appearances in the 4 months since his stroke.

While I wish Senator Kirk a return to good health and a full life afterwards he needs to leave the Senate.

Kirk suffered serious damage to his brain, is going to have long-term impairments and, of course, recent news has emerged that Senator Mark Kirk engaged in possible criminal behavior while running for office in 2010.

Senator Kirk used his campaign to funnel money to his then girlfriend, Dodie McCracken.

The girlfriend, Dodie McCracken, who works in public relations, has acknowledged receiving more than $143,000 in fees and expenses for her campaign work. A former live-in girlfriend, she is no longer romantically involved with Kirk, according to a campaign aide.

At the heart of the matter is Vertolli's assertion that the Kirk campaign may have improperly hidden money to McCracken by paying her through another company working for the campaign. Because the money was not paid directly to McCracken, her name does not appear in Kirk's federal disclosures.

Kirk knew he was proceeding along an unethical and probably criminal path when he decided to use a shell company to pay his girlfriend.

Is R. Limpballs going to call McCracken a name? Is this going to be mentioned by any of the right-wing media? Of course, not.

Besides the up-coming Ethics charges for his campaign violations Kirk's medical issues clearly indicate he needs to be removed from the Senate if he will not do the honorable thing and step down.

But, Mark Kirk is a Republican. Thus, while he has repeatedly lied about his military service, Senator Kirk claimed to have "misremembered [sic] it wrong", [See My Post: War Records], the bet here is Kirk will not step down and will rally the hypocritical conservative base to defend him even though he has engaged in multiple behaviors which right-wingers claim to abhor.

IOKIYAR isn't an acronym for nothing...

Rick Santorum obviously didn't learn anything in school

How is Sick Rantorum going to face down the Barack Obama supported Porn Kingpins in his Crusade against Ladyparts, let alone Al Qaeda, if 3 Hersey High School students in Illinois asking questions make his election chairman cry, “We threw him into the lion’s den — all three questions were negative,” Al Salvi said afterward.

What dastardly questions did those High Schoolers spring upon poor, poor Rick? Here they are:

Question 1 - “You recently commented on how you don’t believe everyone should go to college,” Becky Pauwels, 17, told Santorum. “Yet countries such as Germany and Japan, whose governments offer college to any motivated student, experience high rates of socio-economic mobility, which, by your own admission and all academic studies, is lagging in the United States." Since President Barack Obama proposes expanded access to college and training programs, how do his proposals differ from Obama’s, she asked.

Ricks Answer - "I didn’t say people shouldn’t go to college." Quotes and recording devices are part of Satan's plan to defeat Republicans!

Question 2 - “Your main competitor, Mitt Romney, donated 16.3 percent of his income to charity and you donated only 1.7 percent of your $923,000 salary to charity,” Vucicevic said. “Your explanation was that you have to provide for seven children, one of which has special needs. … How do you expect middle-class Americans who are in similar situations to pay for it? Isn’t your situation the exact reason why we need a universal health care system like most other nations have?” The auditorium erupted in applause at the question.

Rick's Answer - "No." If you were wealthy you'd be healthy...

Question 3 - Hannah Johnstone asked if Santorum’s economic policies weren’t “just giving the upper 1 percent more of the advantages they had under George Bush’s lower tax rates and deregulatory policies which is very similar to what you are proposing?”

Rick's Answer - 'Obama's Regulation is ruining the economy.' Nice Rick! Deregulation, privatization, lower taxes on the Rich spoken just like a servile genuflecting ball-gagged gimp of the 1%.

And in an explanation in his War on All things Woman, Sick Rantorum relayed, "I graduated from Carmel, which was an all-boys school."

Old Sick Rantorum hates higher education because even though he got 3 advanced degrees he's still a dunce.

The Emerald Ash Borer & Socialism Strike Suburban Chicago

"Is it bad that I'm ordering a Flight of White Wines when going to see Race by David Mamet?" - Grung_e_Gene

You were warned! Right-Wing Radio, Faux News, but it's too late. You've let the Chicago-Style Obama Gangster Socialism infest the Suburbs! White Flight No Longer can protect you.

Of course, I'm talking about the unacceptable plans of Arlington Heights, Illinois and Schaumburg, Illinois to battle the Emerald Ash Borer Beetle.

From the Daily Herald reporting:

Schaumburg is embarking on a 10-year, $9 million program to replace thousands of its ash trees with a variety of species immune to the ravages of the emerald ash borer.

During this first year of the 10-year plan, the village expects to spend $1.5 million, which includes $470,000 to remove 1,863 damaged trees. The village also will begin treating with a powerful insecticide 524 “high value” ash trees that are 20 inches or more in diameter. This needs to be done only every other year, but this year's cost alone is $128,000.

Additionally:

Arlington Heights would need to borrow roughly $11.5 million to combat the emerald ash borer infestation — expected to peak in 2015 killing roughly 5,000 trees, village officials said Monday.

The village board's committee of the whole Monday night gave its blessing to a funding plan that would involve issuing roughly $11.5 million in general obligation bonds in 2013 for the removal and replacement of the village's 13,000 ash trees.

So... It has come to this. I didn't import the Emerald Ash Borer into America! It's not attacking my trees! Why on earth should I pay for the removal and upkeep of my neighbor's infested trees?

We are living in an era when a solid block of conservatives have so deeply conditioned themselves they view any amount of government spending as evil and routinely speak of being "raped" by taxes. But, the Emerald Ash Borer beetle infestation is a prime instance of Government being needed. As in to ensure Domestic Tranquility and Promote the General Welfare.

It would do little good if you treated and protected your Ash trees if your neighbor decided not to and his infestation spread to your trees.

Could you sue him? Sure, but how would you prove the beetles migrated from your neighbors house and not from some other close by infested area? Capture a bunch of bugs and do a DNA mapping trace to prove they came from his strain?

Republicans have been constructing a very odd narrative wherein the Government can do nothing correctly. Now, often when Republicans take office they sabotage and undermine government but, this isn't due to incompetence but to a specific agenda of targeted destruction aimed at dissolving the effectiveness of Government.

Now, really what's going on here is the 1% are setting up Green Zones in America. The 1% who wholly owns and operates the Republican Party on a Federal, State, and Municipal level doesn't have the same worries as hundreds of millions of Americans or those residents of Schaumburg and Arlington Heights.

The only thing that concerns them is getting the Republicans to eliminate as many taxes, regulations, worker rights, the social safety net, and curbs on pollution as possible so they can steal and off-shore as much money as quickly as possible.

These are the Trees of The State.

The trouble with the Maples
(and they’re quite convinced they’re right)

Arlington Heights Il (it's near Chicago)- Last week, 26 trees were removed from the public parkway along Gibbons. While the same number of smaller crab apple trees will be planted in their spots next week, neighbors are still mourning the loss of their older, much larger trees.

ComEd and the Village of Arlington Heights decided "most people want those bad-looking trees to come down."

Well, I'm glad the ComEd Corporate Hack and the Village Bureaucrat Owen Widmayer told the people who live on South Gibbons Ave how unattractive the trees truly are, because the trees can "become very unpleasing to the eye," so annually Widmayer and ComEd decide which groups of trees need to be replaced. Imagine the arrogance of the common man wanting to have the 50 year old 35-60 foot tall treees beautifying their neighborhood. How dare they question a government official.

"If they didn't want a tree to come down, they could have called us. I didn't hear from a single person," Widmayer said.

Where have I heard that argument before? I have a sneaking suspicion Owen Widmayer is a Vogon. His arguments are sneakingly similar to the Vogons chastising Mankind for not going to Alpha Centauri to view the order authorizing the destruction of Earth.

Well it's not Government's fault you stupid people couldn't get to the Arlington Heights Office and stop the cutting down of the large, beautiful maple, ash and elm trees to make way for scrubby 6 foot tall crab apple trees...

And the trees are all kept equal
By hatchet,
Axe,
And saw ... Rush, The Trees