Have Illinois politics always been this bad?
Or does it only seem worse because some of the corruption is starting to surface in recent years?
And just wait until the internet sinks it's teeth into this one as it did that nastiness in Canada.
It has always been this bad, but it seems to surface int 30 year cycles.
"This town ain't ready for reform." Paddy Driscoll - 1920's
Paul Powell - Secretary of State - died in 1970 - when they cleaned out his apartment, there was a closet full of shoe boxes, and each shoe box was full of $100 bills.
Mike Royko, from the book Boss, "The official slogan of the Chicago City Council should be, "Ubi Mea", which translates to "Where's Mine?"
And the beat goes on. This is a relatively minor scandal, as Illinois politics goes, but you have to keep up tradition.
You wanna know how JFK was elected? It goes back that far.
Going back to 1960, the following governors have been indicted, Kerner, Ogilvie, Walker, and Ryan. Since 1960 only TWO governors have not been indicted. That is a record which is without precedent. This present governor looks to be headed to join company with the preceding majority.
Only for a century plus. Hell at one time the Outfit had there own Congressman. Sam Giancana's son-in-law was his chief of staff.
Remember the Chicago City Council was once known by the endearingly warm name "The Grey Wolves."