Monday, March 18, 2024

Chicago Ald. Matt Martin on Bring Chicago Home ordinance: "If we have a little bit less revenue coming from the downtown area over the next year or two after Bring Chicago Home passes, that's okay"

Vacant apartment building, Chicago's West Side
Chicago Ald. Matt Martin of the 47th Ward was a guest last week on the Ben Joravsky podcast. 

The Bring Chicago Home ordinance was one of the issues they discussed. Widely caused by supporters as a "mansion tax," if passed by Chicago voters in Tuesday's primary election, the municipal real estate transaction tax will be increased on property sales over $1 million. Proceeds from the higher tax will go to fight homelessness, but its chief backer, Mayor Brandon Johnson, isn't providing specifics on how that will happen.

Unfortunately for ordinary Chicagoans, apartment building and retail storefronts often sell for more than that amount. High-rises always do. Which will mean, higher rents and likely, fewer jobs. 

Downtown retail vacancy rates are at 30 percent.  

But don't worry, Martin tells Joravasky in his March 14 edition of his podcast. It's "okay" if Chicago collects a little less money from downtown, even in the short term.

"But just like, during the great recession we had certain revenue streams that were lower, you have to take a longer view of this," Martin tells Joravsky, "and so I think if we have a little bit less revenue coming from the downtown area over the next year or two after Bring Chicago Home passes, that's okay. 

That's okay, Martin adds, because he cares, adding, "But the city will continue to be very mindful of how we support all of our communities including downtown." Yep, leftists always care.

The relevant portion of the podcast begins at the 23-minute mark. 

Chicago faces a deficit of at least $500 million.

Well, at least the alderperson didn't tell the host that any downtown Chicago revenue declines, will be "transitory," the infamous comment by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen that inflation, which still plagues our economy, would be "transitory."

According to leaked Chicago Teachers Union documents, revenue from Bring Chicago Home could be used to provide housing funds for its members.

I'm urging Chicago voters to vote "No" on Bring Chicago Home.

Sunday, March 17, 2024

Van Morrison – Up County Down (Live on Later)

Van Morrison has released two albums of original material in the 2020s. Both of them, Latest Record Project, Volume 1 and What's It Gonna Take?, are terrific attacks on authority. 

From the former, for St. Patrick's Day, I present "Up County Down," a play of words on County Down, which is one of the six counties in Van the Man's native Northern Ireland. 

Van, with saxophone in hand, belts the tune out here, from Later...with Jools Holland.


Related post of mine from Da Tech Guy

From Da Tech Guy: Chicago Teachers Union molding Soviet-style Young Pioneers

Call Chicago Moscow west?

Saturday, March 16, 2024

The Pogues: Thousands Are Sailing

There will be some sadness this St. Patrick's Day, because Shane MacGowan, the principal songwriter and lead singer of the Pogues, passed away late last year.

The voice of the Irish diaspora, "Thousands Are Sailing" is a song about emigration from Ireland.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Friday, March 15, 2024

Judge's 'disjointed' ruling in Willis case raises more questions

Professor Jonathan Turley looks at the "disjointed" ruling that allows Fulton County George DA Fani Willis to remain on the Donald Trump witch hunt case-- but only if her former boyfriend, Nathan Wade, is removed from the prosecution team.

Thursday, March 14, 2024

‘JIG IS UP’: Bartiromo exposes Biden’s motive for wide open border

Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, R-PA explains why Joe Biden and the Democrats support an open border to Maria Bartiromo.

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Overnight Chicago carnage: 5 killed and another 5 wounded

 The disastrous effects of Illinois' SAFE-T Act, which abolishes cash bail, are evident in Chicago. 

A court challenge delayed implementation of the SAFE-T Act until mid-September, just as temperatures are cooling and the murder rate goes down. 

Tuesday saw unseasonably warm weather to Chicago--and violence.

Overnight--from 6pm Tuesday through this morning, five people were fatally shot and another five were wounded

Things will only get worse as summer approaches. 

In August, the Democrat National Convention comes to Chicago.

I'm just saying.

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Fourth migrant measles case in Chicago shelter, disease was declared "eliminated" in USA by CDC in 2000

Sadly, not only are illegal migrants arriving in the United States, but they are bringing the measles virus with them. At a Chicago migrant shelter in Pilsen on the Southwest Side, there have been four cases of measles identified

There has been an additional fifth Chicago measles victim.

In 2000, the CDC declared that measles was eliminated from the United States. There have been cases of measles in America since then, apparently all of them originated from foreign visitors. 

Nationwide, according to a CDC announcement last week, there have been 45 cases of measles identified in 17 states.

Measles kills 200,000 people yearly, according to the Mayo Clinic.

 


Monday, March 11, 2024

Trump meets with Laken Riley's family before Georgia rally

Before his Rome, Georgia rally over the weekend, Donald Trump met with the family of Laken Riley, the nursing student who was murdered by an illegal alien from Arizona. 

Her father was wearing a MAGA hat.