Chicago Teachers Strike Continues

Once again the teachers union in the city of Chicago have decided to put their own interests above their own interests above their students. If these teachers made below the median wage and had trouble making ends meet on a normal salary then I would be slightly more sympathetic.  But the Chicago teachers make more than the median salary of the average Chicago resident, hell they make more than most Americans.

A city, whose government allowed these unions to get so powerful in exchange for votes, and whose judicial system lacks the back bone to put down a strike that has shouldn't be happening; then is it any surprise then that when a city is so cooped by special interests that their city has lost over 25% of its population in the last 50 years.  Is it any wonder that their crime rate is much higher than the national average. Shouldn't the fact that Illinois, and by extension Chicago, is ranked the most corrupt city in America, with the third most convicted former politicians in the last 40 years. 

It is a shame really since I enjoyed my recent trip to Chicago; despite that fact that they force Taxis to collect a arrival and departure tax. The food and music are good. The nightlife is pretty cool; never knew bars could stay open to 2 AM. The architecture is top notch; loaded my camera with pictures of some great pictures since Chicago was one of the leading pioneers in modern urban building styles at the turn of the century.  

But it serves as a reminder that just because a city appears to be vibrant and doing well, doesn't mean that it is performing as optimally as it should.  Chicagos' vibrant past and large size helps mask the fact that it has declined much like Detroit has declined; Chicago was once the 2nd American city outside New York not only in terms of size but economic and cultural clout, but has since fallen to third behind Los Angeles and will probably be overtaken by Houston within the next 20 years. Chicago survives now because of its size and ability to milk the political graft machine, but that cannot last. The Windy City will reap what it has unwittingly sown sometime in the future.