Chicogoans have had DECADES to right their horribly listing ship. But they haven’t. And I doubt they ever will.
You’re probably right. I think that people decades ago who bought the line that Chicago is “the city that works” became so complacent that they never imagined the city could be what it is today. The political culture is utterly corrupt, self-serving, and broken, so there is no political vehicle for the changes that need to happen. Demographic changes and the resulting tribalism hasn’t helped. Municipal elections are officially non-partisan, which now means voters have their choice of Democrats, and that hasn’t helped. Low voter turnout hasn’t helped. The last two mayoral elections had participation of about one-third of eligible voters. The disastrous Lightfoot and the even more pathetic Johnson were elected by about 18-19% of the eligible voters. I don’t know how decent people live there with the knowledge that their government not only refuses to keep them safe, but helps those who make them unsafe. Maybe they need to take it to the streets.