IMPRESSIVE WIN

I have to admit I didn't think the Bears could win this week. They seem to have improved their offensive line enough to get the job done. With a performance like that against a blitz crazy team like Philadelphia and the awesome play of the defense, it might be time to start looking forward to another Superbowl run. The game against New England in two weeks will be another big test. We'll have to get through Detroit next though. Still it could be time to get excited about the Monsters of the Midway again.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

EMANUEL

Emanuel formally announces run for Chicago mayor

By DON BABWIN, Associated Press

CHICAGO – Former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel officially announced his candidacy for mayor of Chicago Saturday, promising to fight any tax increase for city residents.
"We cannot ask taxpayers for more when families are struggling to stay afloat in this economy," he told supporters packing an elementary school auditorium on the city's North Side. "We cannot price Chicagoans out of their homes, their schools and their communities."...
"We cannot keep putting off hard choices and hoping things will get better, while drawing down each year on rapidly diminishing reserves."

You know what that means. If he wins, the front line city workers are in trouble. Politically he cannot cut services. He needs to go after personnel costs. 80% of those expenses are for police and fire. Another political hot potato. That leaves the 20% of us who have already taken furlough days and no pay for overtime. We're an easy target. My guess is lots of privatization. Of course this won't really save the city any money. But it's easier to hide the costs. And the kickbacks are tremendous. Then there's the pension. Don't plan on getting anything more than you would have gotten if you were eligible for social security. He has connections all the way up to the White House. He can get the laws changed and interpreted any way he likes. The shortfall is $600 million. We need new revenue. But they won't admit that until they are in such a deep hole there's no way out. In the meantime the city workers will pay for all the corruption, mismanagement and other sins of our politicians. And no city employee will be immune from the dismantling of our hard fought pensions.

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