We're Number Two!
- Chicago's world-famous skyline is lit up and looking good Thursday night. But an unidentified critic put Chicago right next to Detroit at the top of a list of "Cities You Should Move Away From."
- CitiesJournal.com cited "long commutes, foreclosures, a lagging housing market, high dropout rates, even higher gas prices, and a serious gun violence program" as reasons to relocate. List-makers said Chicago is a great place to visit, but maybe not the best place to live.
- National media, opinion-makers and some financial analysts have taken to comparing cash-strapped Chicago to bankrupt Detroit, but a major bond-rating agency says that comparison may not be apt.
Yes, Chicago faces ominous financial woes, particularly when it comes to its government worker pension debt, but the city has the wherewithal to weather the financial storm that Detroit could not, according Standard + Poor's Ratings Services report to be released Thursday.
But that would involve Rahm not spending money amongst connected political cronies, which means we just might be Detroit albeit in 20 years.
Labels: we got nothing
posted by SCC at 12:03 AM
50 Comments:
Silver medal winners.
Given good progressive leadership, coupled with strong social justice and continuing diversity, there is no reason to believe that Chicago will descend to the level of Detroit. As long as Chicago/Cook Co. can avoid the pitfalls of conservatism, it will prosper.
Yes Jo city is #2! We made it! Maybe #1 after Detroit gets wiped off the map in a year ur so.
For all you haters the other day from my post about our city becoming Detroit and me wanting residency lifted... Wait for it... Wait... Now GFY!
Ya know, there are a lot of reasons for the financial meltdown that occurred in 07/08. You can pick your favorite. But! The ratings agencies (S&P and Moody's) blessed a lot of crap to drive up their fee's. The mortgage-related securities at the heart of the crisis could not have been marketed and sold without their seal of approval. Of course later they had to downgrade everything which was the fuse for the crash.
Eventually they then downgraded the whole U.S. for a variety of reasons. Now the DOJ has sued them which S&P says is retaliation for the downgrade.
Anyway the point is I wouldn't rely too much on what is coming out of S&P. Their track record isn't the best.
Meh, doom & gloom. Doom & gloom. Do serious changes need to be made? Absolutely. Long commutes, higher gas prices (although ours are some of the highest), etc... are all hallmarks of say places like, say, Boston, NYC, Miami, etc...
Gas prices still aren't anywhere near that of Europe because ours are ao subsidized, and our public trans absolutely needs improvements, but compared to places like Atlanta, well, needless to say, at least we have some.
Lagging housing market also isn't the worst news either. It means that people who shouldn't be buying houses aren't, and that the market is stabilizing. Not great news for those looking to retire, but for everyone else, good news.
Also....3rd rate online journal? Weak sauce.
This is a pile of crap. Yes there are big fiscal issues but we're not Detroit and nowhere close. We have a diverse and strong economy and job base. We're a world class city with a strong tourism and convention industry. We have unmatched cultural amenities. We're safer than we've been in years, particularly in the tourist areas, and much of that is thanks to the great job you boys have done downtown.
Not perfect and many problems, but the sky isn't falling, you Chicken Little you.
When discussing Chicago's future you must factor in the ravages of out of control global warming. This winter is an example of the increased costs to the city of runaway weather. Climatic extremes will increase crime rates by at least two fold and probably more. A thee to six foot raise in lake level will put some prime business real estate underwater or make it very soggy. We already have coyotes within the city limits due to climatic changes, soon we will be contending with mass wildlife migration. Polar bears, and caribou. We expect the climate to drive city youth into a frenzy of 24/7 wilding. Hurricanes, tornados, drought and flooding will be frequent year round occurrences with periodic dust storms thrown in. All of the above are expected to stress the ability of City government and the CPD to maintain control of the population. Civilization in Chicago may well cease to exist within the next ten years. Global Warming is real and it is here now. Be very afraid.
I have heard that climate change may be the biggest threat the City faces in the near future. I doubt that Detroit will be able to survive climate change.
And don't forget a last place SWAT team. In a national SWAT team competition, Chicago's SWAT team finished dead last. (L.A. won of course)
"Anonymous said...
Given good progressive leadership, coupled with strong social justice and continuing diversity, there is no reason to believe that Chicago will descend to the level of Detroit. As long as Chicago/Cook Co. can avoid the pitfalls of conservatism, it will prosper"
I hope this posted comment is meant as sarcasm - if not, then you're a complete idiot if you really believe this BS. Progressivism is what Chicago has been practicing for the past 70 years...how's that working out for ya'?
At least the Lakeview Commies will be able to come downtown and see DePaul lose in style. They will have ample biking trails after the city bulldozes those small businesses.
If you read the article there is another poll that ranks Chicago # 12 in the world for livability. So I call it a wash. These rankings are all pure bullshit anyway.
everybody complains about living in chicago well move out the suburbs are not that great either high taxes high water bills and depending on the suburb schools not that great either, they eve n have section 8 housing out there too. i will take mt greenwood , clearing edison park , norwood park anyday not perfect but name me a place that is, if you not happy try gary, in or maywood,ill.
detroit, chicago, puerto rico, all either in bankrupty or on the edge of it. no bailouts for you
in other news usa prepares for one billion dollar loan to Ukraine.
money that's not laying around but has to be borrowed/printed by the obama/fed and be added to the taxpayers so-called credit card bill/a.k.a taxes.
i wouldn't use a bond rating agency as a measure of risk.
remember all those securities rated triple-a in quality in the housing bust that turned out to be junk.
also when s-p downgraded the usa by a notch, that was the trigger point for a federal lawsuit. can you say coercion.
it's all rigged.
"We're Number Two!"
With a m/fing bullet...
>Pop!<
"AIIIEEEE!"
More evidence of the future.
Let's also not forget the huge bed bug problem Chicago faces, CPS, or how good neighborhoods are turning into shit in a matter of months.
Just A Citizen Says:
Wow, great travel incentive. And this is what happens when you let the inmates run the asylum….
Take a lot of these lists with a grain of salt. Though we have more than our share of problems there are other places worse and other blogs will give you different information.
Never leaving the 'Ville.
This was once a great city. Large factory buildings employed hundreds of middle class workers on three shifts. A real tax base existed. Today they are abandoned and those that still remain have fewer employees. The old smokestack factories no longer spew CO2, no longer provide ecomic advancement opportunities and offer no opportunity of gainfullong-term employment above the living wage for the shrinking middle class. Instead the buildings are demolished and replaced by shopping malls, C.P.S. schools named after foreign nationals or progressive heroes, vacant lots and fly dumping paradises. Factor in high taxes, regulation, government corruption and crime on so many fronts and entitlement programs all have aided and abetted to this decline over time. The media had an agenda of targeting our factories as polluters showing smokestacks, being run by bloated corporate types making huge profits and workplaces with horrors of illnesses fabricated by shrewd lawyers. Bye bye manufacturing jobs and the status as a manufacturing leader. Now we have an unemployed/underemployed middle class with no hope of change and ultimately joining the ranks of the 47% of Americans on food stamps/nutritional assistance. It’s so bad the city can’t even pay their own bills. Solid political leadership. Imagine if communist red China had an agenda of destroying the U.S. as a world leader. Communist leaders would agree the dismantling of the middle class and the manufacturing base in this once great city is progressing as planned. The Chinese can further fund this demise as planned and allow elected officals to dig this hole a little deeper and seal this nation’s fate.
"The ratings agencies (S&P and Moody's) blessed a lot of crap" - this is so true. They were all up to their eyeballs in overrating crap and calling it "AAA" (the highest rating). If you want to place blame on the pension crisis. look no farther then the huge losses the pensions took by investing their money in products with corrupt ratings.
#2 with a bullet!
For all you haters the other day from my post about our city becoming Detroit and me wanting residency lifted... Wait for it... Wait... Now GFY!
2/28/2014 12:56:00 AM
Amen, been saying it for years. The only people who wanna stay are the dumb fucks who bought those tiny Mt Greenwood ranches at a premium and can't get out if them without losing their asses. Lift this shit and let me the fuck outta here.
I agree. Everyone on the south and west sides should leave.
15 American shitholes.
And I'm sure the fact that all but 3 are run by Democrats -- The Party of Decline -- has nothing to do with it.
Anonymous said...
Given good progressive leadership, coupled with strong social justice and continuing diversity, there is no reason to believe that Chicago will descend to the level of Detroit. As long as Chicago/Cook Co. can avoid the pitfalls of conservatism, it will prosper.
2/28/2014 12:36:00 AM
----------------
You funny.
OT: To Hell in a Hand basket we go...
Court OK's High School Ban on American Flag T-Shirts
By Sarah B. Weir, Shine Senior Writer | 4:14 PM 2/28/2014
In a case that pits individual rights against kids' safety, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
ruled on Thursday that it was appropriate for school officials to ban students at a San Jose,
California, area high school from wearing American flag T-shirts on Cinco de Mayo. The May 5th
holiday, popular in the United States but largely unrecognized in Mexico, commemorates the 1862
Battle of Puebla and celebrates Mexican culture, heritage, and pride.
http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/court-okays-high-school-ban-american-flag-t-172900062.html
rb
I keep praying that when Rahm and the other politicans take the polar plunge this weekend, they don't come up.
Hoodlums running in the streets in loudspeakers threatening females, gangbangers shooting everybody's kids and then lying that they were shooting at rival gang members. Who is that dumb to believe these cowards don't recognize rivals? People are corrupt as hell, buy guns from thugs and gangbangers, then laugh when others and their families are attacked by the same demons or boast God has their back, they don't have those problems. High taxes, cash grabs by the politicians, fewer services, hate groups reemerging and these fools think they are smart and can not see the city falling to pieces. Karma is a bish, corrupt dummies. You lay down with dogs, you get up with fleas.
every American citizen at that school should stay home
all parents should wear an American flag t shirt , go to school and demand to see the principal
we are free countryu
Be very afraid.
2/28/2014 07:34:00 AM
Actually with the polar bears running loose it'll probably cut down on the wildings. There's always an upside.
Just another reason to go after residency,any kind of pension reform = residency reform.
Our gas is subsidized? Are you crazy? The reason the gas is so high in Europe is taxes. A barrel of oil is the same price in Europe, as it is here.
To 2/28/2014 01:02 PM
Don't let the door hit you on the ass on the way out.
You think it's bad now, wait until mayor prikwinkle takes over
Chicago IS #2 alright.
When i came here 13yrs ago I was told the streets were paved of gold. When I arrived I found out it was true. While on the Mag Mile the trustees of the inner city punched out my dental work on a hot summer day and the traffic eventually pushed that gold into the surface that day.....Its true...
Anonymous said...
When discussing Chicago's future you must factor in the ravages of out of control global warming. This winter is an example of the increased costs to the city of runaway weather. Climatic extremes will increase crime rates by at least two fold and probably more. A thee to six foot raise in lake level will put some prime business real estate underwater or make it very soggy. We already have coyotes within the city limits due to climatic changes, soon we will be contending with mass wildlife migration. Polar bears, and caribou. We expect the climate to drive city youth into a frenzy of 24/7 wilding. Hurricanes, tornados, drought and flooding will be frequent year round occurrences with periodic dust storms thrown in. All of the above are expected to stress the ability of City government and the CPD to maintain control of the population. Civilization in Chicago may well cease to exist within the next ten years. Global Warming is real and it is here now. Be very afraid.
2/28/2014 07:34:00 AM
Hey imbecile go back to your coffee house in Wicker Park, put down the crack pipe and listen up: Minnesota and Wisconsin had even lower sustained below zero temperatures this winter and in fact continue to do so. When water levels rise in our lake it means we don't have to cast quite as far off the pier to grab a walleye. There are fewer coyotes yipping at the moon in Sawyer County Wisconsin because the proliferation of timber wolves is decimating the coyote population! What Wisconsin has over Illinois is a Republican Governor who in three short years has pulled the state back from the brink of financial ruin while codifying pension protections for all policemen, state troopers, firemen, EMT's, county sheriffs and deputy sheriffs. (Put that in your pipe Jim Ade you merit Irish sellout). I'm not afraid of snow and ice, in fact I'm leaving for Alpine Valley with the kids after I finish both my comments and coffee! Wanna experience real fear? Sit your ass down at the but stop at Madison and Kilpatrick and absorb that lack of civilization! Man, where do we get goof's like this guy...
BWAAAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!
"Wanna experience real fear? Sit your ass down at the but stop at Madison and Kilpatrick and absorb that lack of civilization!"
Now now Office!
Be nice to these uber-trendy, skinny jeans and cat-eye glasses wearing, ritalin addled "new bohemians" who troll here...
It's the only contact they have with sober,(somewhat) informed and fully functioning adults who happen to be the dreaded Police for the most part.
Mommy & Daddy were too busy being friends with these little misdirected misfits to give them real hands on about what's REALLY on the other side of the front door.
Try not to laugh when they show up at the desk with a bump on their heads, their pockets turned inside-out and the first layer or three of skin torn off their young tender asses.
>Snicker!<
Madison & Kilpatrick? Man... Like the old Saturday Tarzan movies where everybody on the jungle trail is genuflecting on the moldy skull perched on a stick with a warning sign attached:
>DANGER! HEAD-HUNTERS<
I am not surprised at this rating. We have such a corrupt government that fails to cooperate and do the right thing to run this City in the best interest for EVERYONE! Chicago is heading in the same direction as Detroit. Ask how many people want to retire or relocate to Chicago and you probably would not get any positive responses. Even worse no big business wants to move here. Chicago was once a manufacturing mecca that not only made the best but supplied jobs and supported whole communities. Chicago had turned into a business desert which has been the cancer for Detroit. Being a city employee I can't wait to retire and leave this place.
"...a serious gun violence program..."
These gov't programs have to be scaled back. The one with the blocks of cheese is much safer.
"Be nice to these uber-trendy, skinny jeans and cat-eye glasses wearing, ritalin addled "new bohemians..."
3/02/2014 01:13:00 AM
...with their corporate ID tags still dangling around their necks at 11 PM...
"Someone threw half-eaten food on MY PROPERTY!"
*
Two trash cans now, workaday black and zoomy enviro-blue, and they still can't make the connection...
"The May 5th holiday, popular in the United States but largely unrecognized in Mexico, commemorates the 1862 Battle of Puebla and celebrates Mexican culture, heritage, and pride."
rb
2/28/2014 04:22:00 PM
Just amazing -- and everybody is supposed to take it deathly seriously.
Watch out for the 8' 2" x 4"s sticking out the side window of the car with the huge flag flapping around, sometimes obscuring the forward view...
Anonymous said...
When discussing Chicago's future you must factor in the ravages of out of control global warming. This winter is an example of the increased costs to the city of runaway weather. Climatic extremes will increase crime rates by at least two fold and probably more. A thee to six foot raise in lake level will put some prime business real estate underwater or make it very soggy. We already have coyotes within the city limits due to climatic changes, soon we will be contending with mass wildlife migration. Polar bears, and caribou. We expect the climate to drive city youth into a frenzy of 24/7 wilding. Hurricanes, tornados, drought and flooding will be frequent year round occurrences with periodic dust storms thrown in. All of the above are expected to stress the ability of City government and the CPD to maintain control of the population. Civilization in Chicago may well cease to exist within the next ten years. Global Warming is real and it is here now. Be very afraid.
2/28/2014 07:34:00 AM
You sound like a staunch progressive Democrat.
Under that same list was a list of cities to move too, and Chicago was o that list, who's making these damn things????
As I said previously, take these lists with a grain of salt. Today Site selection magazine says that Chicago and the metropolitan area is one of the top spots in the country for industry expansion and relocation, so who do you believe?
Anonymous said...
Given good progressive leadership, coupled with strong social justice and continuing diversity, there is no reason to believe that Chicago will descend to the level of Detroit. As long as Chicago/Cook Co. can avoid the pitfalls of conservatism, it will prosper.
2/28/2014 12:36:00 AM
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I didn't know Illinois legalized marijuana? How stoned was this commenter? Must have been the "good stuff".
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