CHICAGO POLITICIANS CUT WASTE

There appears to be some good indication that two relatively new and powerful Chicago/Cook County political figures are getting the message that serious action is necessary to eliminate wasteful expenditures. It is your Commander’s opinion that both the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Tribune have allocated additional dollars into good investigative reporting, and that, too, is getting the attention of Chicago politicians that business as usual cannot continue.

Cases in point are covered in two different Sun-Times articles that appeared on its web-site this morning.

Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle has inherited a financial mess as a result of the totally inept administration of her predecessor Todd Stroger, who followed his equally inept and corrupt father, John Stroger. Preckwinkle has taken several bold initiatives since coming into office, and she is to be supported and saluted for her efforts. The attached article is a good example of her alert action to reduce programs that represent waste and failure to solve the problems they were created to address.

http://www.suntimes.com/6266485-417/preckwinkle-axes-troubled-project-shield.html?print=true

New Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who your Commander does not trust for one minute because of his long history of strong-arm Chicago-style politics, is also making some bold moves. Emanuel, like Preckwinkle, has stepped into a financial quagmire left by the old Daley Machine, and thus far he is making some tough financial decisions that are surprising many Chicago residents. Emanuel is obviously establishing his power, and cutting into the long-established Democrat Machine excesses when he challenges the likes of powerful Alderman Edward M. Burke and his expensive contingent of Chicago Police bodyguards.

http://www.suntimes.com/6266740-417/ald-burke-could-give-up-bodyguards-or-have-them-yanked.html?print=true

Both cases are early indication that these two politicians are facing the music in making the difficult and politically sensitive reductions in expenditures that are either inappropriate, wasteful or simply represent a blatant abuse of power. It is refreshing to see some elected officials making hard decisions, but it is absolutely necessary to get their collective financial houses in good order or they too will be swept from Office as their predecessors experienced. Taxpayers will only take so much abuse, and then finally stand-up and take appropriate action.

Your Commander wonders just when our politicians in Washington will get the message that they are not exempt from fiscal responsibility either?

COMMANDER GRANGER