Chelleology

I love to watch the Olympics.  I hold Olympic watching parties at my house.  Growing up, I always dreamed of seeing the Olympics in person.  Unfortunately, when the summer games were in
Atlanta, I was a broke college student who couldn’t afford to go.  So, when I heard that Chicago was competing to host the 2016 Olympics, I was excited by the possibility that I might attend.  The games would only be four hours away.  But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that Chicago is about the worst place on the planet to hold the Olympics.

The crime is probably the biggest thing that will keep spectators away.  The fatal beating of a boy walking home from school doesn’t help convince me to venture into the city.  In 2008, Chicago outpaced the NYC and LA murder rates (Chicago Sun-Times October 23, 2008).  During the summer of 2008, there were more murders in Chicago that there were US soldier deaths in Iraq during the same period (CBS2 Chicago 9/5/08).  You have a one in 82 chance of becoming a victim of a violent crime in Chicago (www.neighborhoodscout.com/il/chicago/crime).  Do the math!  A million Olympic spectators… one out of every 82 victimized… that equals a lot of crime!

Since the beginning of Chicago’s history, corruption has plagued the city.  Mob connections, scandals and bribery are a common theme in the history of Chicago’s government.  It is no different today.  Corruption in the 1960 election of John F. Kennedy is just one example.  It was discovered that dead people were voting and votes were coming out of abandoned homes.  (Washington Post November 17, 2000)  Chicago’s Mayor since 1989, Richard M. Daley has been investigated for all kinds of scandals.  During the overnight hours of March 31, 2003, Daley demolished Meigs Field, a small airport on the east side.  He did this without the support of the city council or the FAA (Chicago Sun-Times April 1, 2003). In January 2004, the Chicago Sun-Times broke the Hired Truck Program scandal.  The program created by Mayor Daley, hired private trucks to do city work.  However, it was found that some of the participating companies were paid for doing little or no work, had mob connections or were linked to city employees.  The Mayor has also been accused of rigging city hiring to favor those with political connections or would make campaign contributions. 

It’s not just Mayor Daley that’s at issue here (although a lot of things could be tied to him), but the police force is just as corrupt.  In the 1989, Daley, who was the state’s attorney and running for Mayor pressured police to arrest David Dowaliby for the murder of his step-daughter.  Police also botched much of the evidence so the police only had circumstantial evidence (Center on Wrongful Convictions).  He was later exonerated.  The city of Chicago has one of the highest numbers of record police brutality complaints (New York Times November 14, 2007).  Police have taken bribes and forced confessions.  Ex-police officers were recently convicted of breaking and entering.  What does this have to do with hosting the Olympics?  A lot!  How many officers will take bribes to turn a blind eye to a crime being committed?  How many attendees will be harassed or worse by the police?

Have you ever driven through Chicago?  It is a total nightmare!  The weekends are not bad but God help you if it’s a week day!  It often takes an hour to go five city blocks!  Many people take the train into work and I assure you that the trains get pretty full!  Throw a few million additional people into the mix and you’ll find that the city cannot support the additional traffic.  Catching a cab during the week is next to impossible.  Only the wealthy can afford to drive downtown because of the price to park.

Probably the biggest issue in Chicago hosting the Olympics is money!  Isn’t that the downfall of every plan these days?  It all comes down to money!  The city has already announced that the 2010 budget has a $400 million deficit!  City offices are being shut down for several days because they can’t afford to keep them open and pay their employees.  The city has also laid off hundreds of city workers!  With the bad economy, with no improvements in sight, there’s no guarantee that enough people will attend to make it worth it.  It will literally cost more to host the Olympics than the revenue the city will receive in hosting (Chicago Tribune September 16, 2009)  The city already has some of the highest taxes in the country.  The Mayor doesn’t hesitate when he raises taxes.  Instead he tells city council members that they will lose out on benefits (http://welcometodaleyland.blogspot.com/2009/06/daley-propaganda-machine.html) for their ward if they don’t get on board.  When the city loses money on the Olympics, you can bet that Daley will be raising taxes.