[earglasses]

Time for a contrarian point of view: Chicago is the most successful major American city. Despite its dismal weather, the city has grown in a remarkably dramatic and appealing manner over the past half century. It now puts larger U.S. cities like Los Angeles to shame.

The reasons Chicago has been so successful seem attributable to two simple facts of history, both of which are anathema to Libertarian conservatives like me:

1. The authoritarian sinecure of the hereditary Daley meritocracy. Dicks I and II and their buildocratic allies have proven to have a distinguished vision. I might even now forgive the old man for his penchant for tearing down Louis Sullivan legacies....

Do I miss Miegs Field? No.

2. Central planning, exercised from the top down ever since Daniel Burnham first compellingly explained his vision of the future of the city.

Do I hold Daley family politics in high esteem? No.

But the amenities they have produced for their city are rivaled only by San Francisco in terms of world-class appeal.

[weegee]

I sat in a 2-hour traffic jam on the highway at noon while passing through Chicago last month.

Also saw $10,000 fines for “hitting” construction workers.

No one ever plans to hit a worker, but it is commonplace for the Houston bus drivers to hit pedestrians who have right of way and I don’t recall a hefty fine being imposed to remedy the problem.